Railroad Forums 

  • Jobs based out of Pine Aire?

  • Discussion related to NYAR operations on Long Island. Official web site can be found here: www.anacostia.com/nyar/nyar.html. Also includes discussion related to NYNJ Rail, the carfloat operation successor to New York Cross Harbor that connects with NYAR.
Discussion related to NYAR operations on Long Island. Official web site can be found here: www.anacostia.com/nyar/nyar.html. Also includes discussion related to NYNJ Rail, the carfloat operation successor to New York Cross Harbor that connects with NYAR.

 #442377  by jayrmli
 
In the bad old days there wasn't much heed paid to who was on the freight until they got to Divide, but some misconceptions did arise from time to time. A favorite was the "rule of Jay", or "if his name begins with Jay, go with him" and once this was known, getting a call with a thick russian accent saying "This is Jay and if you give me the railroad, I run like fire!" I try to avoid going out east if I have to, but now everyone tries to get the freight thru the best they can, without risking getting an unpaid vacation...
That one gave me a good chuckle. I could just hear the Ruskie saying that. :-D

One of my favorite experiences calling Jay tower was in those early years, working the RS-50 and trying to get permission on the main to go back to Pineaire. It was usual to call the Block Operator, tell them your name, engine numbers, amount of cars including number of hazmat cars, and where you were going to. On this particular night, a female voice who I didn't recognize (and still don't know who it was) answered. My conversation went like this...

"Hello, this is Jay on the RS-50 at Fresh Pond. I have engines 156 & 155 with 20 cars, 2 are dangerous and we're looking to go to Pineaire."

Her response was "Too dangerous! I'm not letting you out if its too dangerous!" She would not give me permission out! No matter how I tried to explain it to her, No way Jose!

I was delayed for two hours waiting for someone else to pick up the phone when I called.

Jay

 #442395  by Nova55
 
They need to make a reality show on NY Metro Railroading...to hell with Deadliest Catch...We need "Deadliest K Card"...or "The Most Dangerous Shove".. :P

 #442700  by Spartan Phalanx
 
In the topic about NYA embargoing it's customers east of Greenlawn, it was also mentioned that NYA is losing Penny Lumber as a customer in Southold. Is Penny going under, or changing over to truck service? So that means NYA will not have any customers east of Riverhead?

 #443210  by jayrmli
 
NYAR is choosing to lose a customer in Southold. They lose a considerable amount of money every time they deliver a car. Penny Lumber has been bought by Marjam anyway, so they can take the cars in Farmingdale.

Jay

 #444135  by willchill
 
krispy wrote:A favorite was the "rule of Jay", or "if his name begins with Jay, go with him" and once this was known, getting a call with a thick russian accent saying "This is Jay and if you give me the railroad, I run like fire!"
And now that man is running a buck fifty + on the corridor! Fire indeed.

 #444137  by willchill
 
Can any NYA old-timers (Jayrmli hint hint) describe Pineaire operations when NYA started, and what its like now? I remember it being chaos in the early early days, but what about a year or so into it? Did NYA basically do it the way LIRR did or did they make significant changes? How was the work split between the 50/60, what customers came and went since then, etc?

 #444359  by jayrmli
 
Wow...that's a tall order. Let's see...

In the beginning, there weren't enough employees to even have a RS-50. All of the empties were left in the various sidings (Pilgrim, Old DK, Pineaire, PW, etc.) and were only removed when the RS-30 had a light day and could go out there and pull back as many as they could. At the time, I was still in class for most days, and I remember one day riding an M1 into Hillside and was chatting with the engineer. He commented "I don't know what you guys did, but I don't ever remember seeing this much freight around here." I told him they were all empties, and those cars were actually bleeding us dry!

In the beginning, Pineaire wasn't a terminal. The 60 (and later 50) reported at PW. This was done mainly for fueling the engines, as at the time there was no way for a fuel truck to access the engines at Pineaire. This resulted in customers not receiving daily service. Going to Riverhead could only be done two days per week. None of the jobs could catch up, and most crews were working 6-7 days per week.

Later on, the RS-50 was started, and it was basically a hauler from PW to Fresh Pond. This was the job to have if you wanted an early quit. You started at 7:00PM, and if you weren't in your car and on the way home (or to the bar) by 12:30AM, there was something wrong! No customer work was done on the job. (Very similar to the RS-50 of today. :wink: )

After about 9 months, the jobs were moved to Pineaire, and the 50 did start to switch customers. Customers on the 60's run was Medford Team Track, Gershow, Georgia Pacific and Paraco. At that time, the 60 also went west as well, sometimes switching Southern Container, Combined Container, Pinter Brothers, Pergament, National Propane, and sometimes Ruco Polymer. The 50 would switch Southern Container, Combined Container, National Propane, Salesmaster (when all the planets were in alignment and the siding was clear) and Marjam.

Now, it's still chaos, but with a difference. I like to say it was chaos then because no one knew any better. Now, it's still chaos and those should know better.

Jay

 #444735  by willchill
 
Thanks alot Jayrmli for the recap.

 #444823  by Spartan Phalanx
 
Of those customers listed above for the 50/60, which are still active? Are they daily or as needed?

 #449747  by Spartan Phalanx
 
Two GP38-2's and a long train of boxcars (including an oddity- Angelina & Neches River Rwy.) and high-sided gondolas E/B across Commack Rd. this morning at 1054, I guess headed for Pine Aire....Nothing could be seen spotted on the spur just west of Commack Rd.

 #450690  by b&p rupture
 
(including an oddity- Angelina & Neches River Rwy.)
Saw that car (or another like it) Tues in the Bronx.

 #475925  by tj48
 
A question that maybe one the NY&A guys could answer:
I've been passing Pineaire lately and have noticed that the NY&A has been using the old Pilgrim spur to store freight cars. How far into the spur can cars be pushed? I have seen them as far as the Windowrama building.

 #475985  by SwingMan
 
All I know is that it goes very,very far. lirr415-Peter

 #476071  by tushykushy
 
Wrong.

The spur itself is a few miles along, but the usable part is nothing more than maybe 1/4th a mile with all the over grown stuff in the way. That part of the spur is usually used for bad cars - i.e. overweight cars. That spur was also used when the 201 was awaiting it's one way to Gershow.

A few years ago I walked the spur from where it comes off the mainline til where the trees/shrubs are in the middle of the guage, which is right by where the industrial part is with the mattress place (forget the name). There is now fencing to protect getting anywhere near the spur now if you are on the industrial side.

 #495847  by shmshm
 
are there future plans for the pilgrim siding to be cleared further? also, are those hoppers that are currently parked at the end of the pilgrim siding - i guess the 'overweight' ones being described - ever going to move? it seems like the same ones have been sitting for almost two months..
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