Wheelspur Yard

I've heard mention of this yard and that it is going to be rebuilt. Where was it and why is it going to be rebuilt? Is there existing trackage? Thanks.

The Wheelspur Yard was a yard adjacent to the C Secondary on the west side of the Dutchkills Drawbridge. It was located where the Fresh Direct warehouse is today. The original purpose of this yard during it's heyday was for the storage of PRR passenger trains - sort of an overflow yard for Sunnyside Yard. LIRR crews serviced the yard, and brought the trains to PRR.

The only existing trackage for the yard would be the old lead that was last used as a freight customer for Case Paper. The lead for the yard stretches all the way down to the crossing before LIC Passenger Yard.

I believe the plan to rebuild it is to relocate freight customers out of Arch Street Yard during further construction of East Side Access.

Lots of 'recent history' info here.
http://ltvsquad.com/2013/03/11/lics-whe ... nt-future/

and a lot of the older history can be found here:
http://arrts-arrchives.com/LIC4.html

The land that Arch St. sits on has become increasingly valuable as of late, and considering the Montauk cutoff is falling to pieces, relocating the team yard to the south side of the former Wheelspur location is a win-win for everyone. As has been said, Wheelspur was last utilized as a storage yard for PRR coaches, featuring a few retired Pennsy L1's/M1's and smaller locomotives that were used as stationary boilers to maintain heat in the coaches. No existing trackage as the site sits underneath a warehouse on the north side of the C Secondary just west of the Dutch Kills bridge/Cabin M area; the future site of the new "Wheelspur" yard will be on the south side of the C Secondary. The first phases of land cleaning and clearing has already taken place.

Who owns the land that 'new' Wheelspur will occupy?

LIRR/MTA

I went looking for property records on it and couldn't find much - because they never sold it.

Work of some sort has begun on this site. Looks like some ground paralleling just south of the current montauk lower track has been dug up or leveled - perhaps for laying track? Hard to tell since the location is isolated from the streets.