Old Freight House?

That's the Long Beach baggage house. It has been moved north with the construction of the parking garage. Long Beach once had an elaborate multi-track freight terminal and huge freight house several blocks west of the station. It stood just east of Magnolia Blvd. between Reynolds Channel and Pine Street. It was demolished in 1938. The city's ice skating rink stands on the property now. Well into the 1970's, Pine Street was paved in Belgium block with the freight rails still embedded in the middle of the street. Try finding a photo of that freight house!

Long Beach also had a wye, but that's another story.

One last Long Beach thing: The 1910 crew welfare facility was moved from the throat of the yard in 1943 and converted into a bungalow behind a private house at 24 East Pine Street where it remains today. Still has the chimney from the coal stove.

Very crazy how the parking garage was built around that that particular building.

First image appears to be late 1963 with new MP75s.

R36 Combine Coach wrote:First image appears to be late 1963 with new MP75s.

Don't think so. They are MP75s but are missing the slogan below the windows "Your STEEL THRUWAY to the FAIR GATEWAY" and the World's Fair symbol. So that says some years later..not sure when they removed that slogan. 1967?

Thanks for posting the Long Beach Photo. Building looks like it needs a wrecking ball today. Inside at least.

Baggage House was ex-Express House Office, per Emery 1958 map. At track 10 on 2004 interlocking map below. Anyone know what the HUT between track 4/5 was for? Thank you.

Long Beach Yard is equipped with "YM-2000 remote controlled electric yard switches" installed in the 1990's, replacing switches that had to be lined by hand. The HUT shown in the 2004 signal print is a signal hut, from which these electric switches can be controlled. Normal control is by the block operator at LEAD tower, located on the drawbridge. In the event that switch circuit communication fails between the tower and yard, the switches can be controlled from the hut. They can also be operated with a removable hand crank or by buttons electrically on the ground at each switch.

The switches are not interlocked, as opposing and conflicting movements are not fully protected against by signals. Hence the yard is not part of LEAD Interlocking. Trains seek verbal permission into and out of each station track from the block operator at Lead. The yard switch operation is limited, however, by some simplified track circuits that lock out particular switch movement against occupied routes. This can cause operational complexities as a misrouted train, for example, may have to reverse and clear the entire yard before any one switch on its route can be relined. For the same reason, parallel moves at the same time are also limited.

The switches are operated by local 120VAC power and are susceptible to local power failures. Several other yards are equipped with the YM-2000 switches and share similar operating parameters.

There has been an upgrade to the switches in the yard recently. Referencing the 2004 map above, the following are now dual control switches:

41
13
51
45
57
56

Kelly&Kelly wrote:Long Beach Yard is equipped with "YM-2000 remote controlled electric yard switches" installed in the 1990's, replacing switches that had to be lined by hand. The HUT shown in the 2004 signal print is a signal hut, from which these electric switches can be controlled. Normal control is by the block operator at LEAD tower, located on the drawbridge. In the event that switch circuit communication fails between the tower and yard, the switches can be controlled from the hut. They can also be operated with a removable hand crank or by buttons electrically on the ground at each switch.

The switches are not interlocked, as opposing and conflicting movements are not fully protected against by signals. Hence the yard is not part of LEAD Interlocking. Trains seek verbal permission into and out of each station track from the block operator at Lead. The yard switch operation is limited, however, by some simplified track circuits that lock out particular switch movement against occupied routes. This can cause operational complexities as a misrouted train, for example, may have to reverse and clear the entire yard before any one switch on its route can be relined. For the same reason, parallel moves at the same time are also limited.

The switches are operated by local 120VAC power and are susceptible to local power failures. Several other yards are equipped with the YM-2000 switches and share similar operating parameters.

Thank you. You're the best.

gamer4616 wrote:There has been an upgrade to the switches in the yard recently. Referencing the 2004 map above, the following are now dual control switches:

41
13
51
45
57
56

Dual control would indicate from the HUT and LEAD?

Robert Strum's photo is c.1965? (Kevin you might know better.) Any idea when this baggage house was moved/razed?

nyandw wrote:

gamer4616 wrote:There has been an upgrade to the switches in the yard recently. Referencing the 2004 map above, the following are now dual control switches:

41
13
51
45
57
56

Dual control would indicate from the HUT and LEAD?

Dual-control switches are power operated switches that can also be operated by hand as needed. They are very common on the LIRR.

We didn't know the switches were switched. The YM2000's were somewhat problematic. They were cheap and easily installed. But they required constant maintenance, jamming with the smallest debris or lack of grease. While a crank was available to operate them by hand, train crews were not equipped to crank them. They also had a primitive point detection system that only checked the position of the motor and didn't confirm that the points were actually closed.

Most "dual controlled" switches on the LIRR are interlocked -- that is they are protected from opposing and conflicting moves by a signal system using "vital" circuitry -- but by operating definition they do not have to be. (A power operated switch also equipped for hand operation). We suppose in Long Beach Yard, the replacement switches remain handled by the same limited track circuits that protected the YM2000's. The "CM" Clearance Marker signals (signs) on the interlocking print delineate the limits of the track circuits. The dual controlled switches probably can still be operated electrically from several locations.

The new switches should be a more robust and perhaps safe design than the YM2000 and the operating lever makes them more versatile. Good move!

Steve, Bob's photo is actually labeled 8-66. There are others dated around the same time when it seems he went up the branch taking photos.

As for the baggage/frt house, if I talk to my uncle, I'll ask. He was in freight around that time. His memory is still pretty good and still can tell you about freight on the east end.