CSX Oak Point Link history

Greetings!

I was wondering if anyone could give me a brief history lesson on what I believe is correctly called the Oak Point Connector, the line that runs down the east side of the Harlem River? I am doing a history of the Lehigh Valley's E.149th Street terminal, and a modern day picture I took from a Circle Line boat shows this rail line alongside the bulkhead in front of the former location of the yard. What I am looking for, is where does it start and end, who uses it, and when it was built.

Thanks in advance,

Ralph Heiss
S. Plainfield, NJ

starts right around yankee stadium, ends at harlem river yard on the southern tip of the bronx.

I have no idea when it was built (during the 90s?) but it lay dormant for awhile before being put into use around 98 or 99 just after a conrail train came south with a few double stacked trash containers that wiped out on an overpass in the bronx, thus fouling up all 4 metronorth tracks and creating commuter chaos.

it's used by mostly by CSX, though CP also runs on it. Both run almost exclusively at night to avoid passenger trains on metro north's tracks...

The Harlem River Yard is now a garbage transfer station. They load the garbage in containers and ship to Buffialo I believe. Maybe the NY Post has a siding to receive box cars of paper but I never have seen any.

Oak Point Connector runs from Metro-North's Hudson Line at their CP 8, along the River to Harlem River and CSX's Oak Point Yard. It is CSX's, but CP/D&H has trackage rights to run their thrice-weekly freight from Saratoga.

-otto-

Gentlemen.....

Thank you for the info......I now have "the facts", and can go about completing that small, but important part, of my article.

Thanks for the help,

Ralph Heiss
S. Plainfield, NJ

Otto,
Here is a question you might be able to answer.

What has become of the nightly runs from Oak Point yard to Selkirk and back (op-se/se-op ?

I know the shut down at the Chevrolet plant at Tarrytown helped kill that job but what about the Salad Bowl Express from California with all the Southern Pacific Fruit Express cars for Hunts Point Market ?

This Connecter line eliminated the old trackage which left the Harlem division at the old Westchester yard and went through the St. Mary's tunnel leading to Oak Point yard.

Charles

PS I ordered my new book from Robert Bang !

The post gets (or at least used to get) cars that came in via the CP train, which were/are switched by the oak point csx crew...

I think when the auto plant was closed ttse/sett into croton north yard was canceled, with the run to oak point stopping there to pick up drop off for whatever locals are left.

The trash transfer in harlem river for a time also had their own trains, I believe, running 2 or 3 nights a week.

What's the current pattern though?

It has been 16 years since I worked there. I have do not have a clue as to what's going on there now only that things are a lot different now.

Charles

at oak point... q430/q431 runs 7 days a week ( opse seop) k277 (garbage train) runs 4 days tue-fri.. new york post still get cars there from CP .. hunts point market still get the reefers from UPFE... 5 yard crews 2 travel switcher crews at croton are left east of the hudson....
theres suppose to be big plans for oak point but you know it takes a decade for the railroad to play catch up.

Thanks for the information Mikec880

Charles

Hey Mike, when you say there are big plans in the works for Oak Point, care to share any rumors? I have heard that CSX wants to sell everything east of the Hudson.

well those big plans were mentioned 2 years ago ... intermodal train.. new customers here and there.. but the railroads is behind in everything so who knows when it will happen. As for csx selling everything east of the hudson... that is just a rumor.. railroad guys and railbuffs all talk.. even local management doesnt have a clue on whats going on.. so many things come and go.. some things happens.. some just fade away.. so time will tell.. besides csx makes alot of money at oak point with all the garbage, paper, fruit,.. granted it may not be like the old days but oak point is still a very busy little yard.. time will tell

On my way back from making a delivery in Manhattan today I passed by Oak Point Yard as well as the Hunts Point market and saw two CSX road units, they looked like a couple of B23-7s coming out of the market gate.
This was around 4:pm.

I though it was unusual for road units to be in the market instead od SW-1500s which were the usual means for switching out the market ?

The yard was loaded with cars, busy eh!

Charles

I'm pretty sure the connector is owned by NY State and not CSX.

I could see why CSX would want to get rid of the Hudson Line.

They already run on trackage rights from QC75.90 in Hyde Park to Oak Point. The connector was built by NYS.

I think they would be looking for NYS or the feds (Amtrak) to buy the line north to Rensselaer. CSX would still be able to serve Rensselaer and Hudson thru trackage rights. So everything would stay the same, train wise, just less taxes that CSX would have to pay.

A smart move on CSX's part if you ask me.