Freight "through" NYP

[bostontrainguy]

Wasn't there a big freight yard adjacent to South Station once? And some kind of Atlantic Terminal railway that ran down streets? I'm certainly not a Boston expert but there was once vast freight sorting downtown that was dropped between PC and early Conrail years.

Lot's of rail yards just north of downtown Boston in Somerville for the B&M. Some remnants still in existence and use.

Lot's of rail yards just south of downtown Boston in South Boston for the NYNH&H. One lonely track left almost to Conley Terminal (Track 61 recently converted to a new Red Line train test track).

https://www.gjenvick.com/DigitalAssets/ ... on1915.jpg

The Union Freight Railroad ran along Atlantic Avenue between North and South Stations and served the docks along the waterfront. I actually remember seeing the trains street-running as a child. Little traces left.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_Freight_Railroad

The only other connection from the northside to the southside was the Grand Junction which is still in use today by the MBTA primarily for transfer moves of commuter rail equipment. It was until recently owned by CSX and used for freight from the B&A main just east of Beacon Park to the produce market in Chelsea. I do not think there was really a lot of freight transfering from the B&M (Pan AM) and New York Central/B&A (CSX/Conrail/PennCentral) or the NYNH&H.

There were yards just south of South Station I assume for passenger cars and still used by Amtrak and the MBTA commuter rail and Red Line. There was an extensive REA terminal next to South Station too (the Armadillo roofed building to the right in the photo).

[troffey]

Rail loads in Boston are vastly, vastly down from when the Port was busy and Boston was industrial. That's not going to change in the city proper, which is why the CSX jobs in Readville and the Pan Am "Boston" job based out of Somerville both run out to predominantly points outside the city. Two of the last major customers, the Globe and the Herald, sold their property and moved out of town. The last customer at Beacon Park sold their property and moved to the suburbs.

The old Penn Central freight yard by South Station is now the MBTA Cabot complex, with a bus garage and the Red Line shops and yard. The passenger property (or at least a portion) is now Amtrak's Southampton Street facility, and the MBTA's small number of storage tracks next door.

CSX was paid $100 million for Beacon Park and the associated properties transferred. But it was the state that approached them, not a volunteer move. And was additionally contingent upon double stack clearance for traffic to Worcester and I believe also West Springfield.

Chelsea is not an interchange point for CSX/Pan Am. They have healthy traffic flows in Worcester and Upstate New York.

The MBTA's Boston Engine Terminal complex is former B&M property on the Somerville/Cambridge line, just north of North Station.

[bostontrainguy]

There are reports on another site that Norfolk Southern is running RoadRailers 255/256 again! Surprise to all that the RoadRailer concept may not have died as earlier reported.

[John_Perkowski]

Admin note

This is about Penn Station.

Closed for housekeeping.

[Jeff Smith]

Let's bring it back to NYP. That said, I think we've exhausted the topic. A worthwhile discussion, but it's not going to happen in all likelihood.