Railroad Forums 

  • Photos of West Side Yards in NYC?

  • Pertaining to all railroading subjects, past and present, in New York State.
Pertaining to all railroading subjects, past and present, in New York State.

Moderator: Otto Vondrak

 #555787  by Otto Vondrak
 
Right here, man!

http://railroad.net/articles/railfanning/westside

Do a Google search for "West Side Freight Line" and see what turns up!

-otto-
 #556930  by Otto Vondrak
 
Try to find the two books on New York's harbor railroads published by Morning Sun:

http://www.morningsunbooks.com/northeastcat6.html

-otto-
 #565175  by R36 Combine Coach
 
Much of the old West Side Yards are now used by the LIRR for deadhead car storage. The Javits Center also sits on former railroad and carfload space.
 #569575  by Otto Vondrak
 
R36 Combine Coach wrote:Much of the old West Side Yards are now used by the LIRR for deadhead car storage. The Javits Center also sits on former railroad and carfload space.
Correction- ONE of the "west side yards" is used by LIRR- the forme 30th Street Yard. The others are holding up condos and encouraging wildflower growth.
 #697053  by drewh
 
Are there 2 tracks that connect NYP or just one?
 #697584  by jhdeasy
 
drewh wrote:Are there 2 tracks that connect NYP or just one?
It is single track from CP EMPIRE just outside the north/west end of the tunnel portal thru the tunnel into Pennsylvania Station. The single track thru the tunnel is equipped with both AC catenary and DC third rail. It is downgrade from CP EMPIRE to Pennsylvania Station.
 #698465  by jtunnel
 
you have to pick through the galleries at the highline site, but there are preconstruction photos showing the yard before and during construction of the Highline.

http://www.thehighline.org/galleries/images/rail-yards

http://www.thehighline.org/galleries/im ... the-street

http://thehighline.org/galleries/images ... -high-line


I'm curious about that really long building that ran from what appears to be tenth avenue almost to twelfth near 34th Street.

They rotate the images, so you might want to check back from time to time.
 #698505  by pumpers
 
Were these NY Central RR yards? From historicaerials.com it seem there were yards west of 11th Ave from 30th St up to about 38th or 39th, that all tied into the NYC tunnel going north (crossing 11th Ave in a North East directon around 35th st, then turning north to go into the tunnel). Between 30th and 33rd, the yards were also east of 11 Ave. Not knowing my history, I sort of assumed that the area of the yards I see today in that area were always part of Penn Station complex or PRR. Historicaerials.com also has good views of the 72nd St. NYC yards along the river in the pre-Trump development days.

One triva question. On the old photos, the northern east-west leg of the High Line was at 35 St, where it then went down to the tracks leading north to the tunnel.
This east-west leg is now at 34th st -- presumably it was moved for the Javits Center. My question is, was this 34th st leg ever used -- I think I read High line service ended around 1980 -- Also, from aerial photos, going eastward on this section as the track descends it seems to just end in a parking lot or where some shipping containers sitting. Did this 34s St High Line track ever continue down to the northbound tracks, and if so when was this section filled in/covered up....

JS
 #703726  by railfan365
 
Of course the East-West leg of the High Line was used. Due to the degree of grade separaton between the open cut to the North and the elevated viaduct, the tracks rise up out of the tunnel going West along the North side of a parking lot for trucks that used to be part of the West Side yards and is just to the North of the West Side Facility that is used by LIRR. The tracks turn South along 11th Avenue and then turn West along the South side of the WSF. From there, they go to the Mid-Town Postal Depot, and head South to the Meat Packing District.
 #703750  by R36 Combine Coach
 
pumpers wrote:This east-west leg is now at 34th st -- presumably it was moved for the Javits Center. My question is, was this 34th st leg ever used -- I think I read High line service ended around 1980 -- Also, from aerial photos, going eastward on this section as the track descends it seems to just end in a parking lot or where some shipping containers sitting. Did this 34s St High Line track ever continue down to the northbound tracks, and if so when was this section filled in/covered up....
The section along 34 Street was rebuilt in the mid 1980s when the Javits Center was under construction. The High Line was already out of service-the last train ran in December 1980 with a load of frozen turkeys to a wholesale warehouse on 14 Street.