A few questions

EJ Berry · **Posted:** Sat Apr 27, 2024 8:03 pm

NY City is a huge city on three islands, with five somewhat independent boroughs each of which is also a county.

GCT is spported by a passenger yard at Mott Haven, in the Bronx. Penn Station is supported by a passenger yard at Sunnyside, Queens.

There is little carload freight in NY City. What there is comes by CSX from Selkirk, near Albany or by carfloat from Greenville (Jersey City NJ) to Bayridge (Brooklyn) on the West or from Connecticut via the Hell Gate Bridge on the East.

Switchers were electric. NYC used its S-motors in GCT and PRR its B1 motors in NY Penn.

Phil Mulligan

choodude · **Joined:** Wed Jun 29, 2016 11:58 am **Posts:** 327

djl wrote:

There where ever freight trains entrering the insland of Manhattan?

Yes, back in the day, the New York Central ran trains over the Spuyten Duyvil swing bridge and down the west side of Manhattan. There were lots of sidings and yards needed to service various industries. In later years the line was elevated on the south end. That part has been renovated into the Highline Park

https://www.thehighline.org/

Amtrak's West Side Connection uses the northern side of right of way to connect Penn Station to the Spuyten Duyvil bridge on the way to Albany, New York.

Brian Helfrich

An history overview:

https://www.thehighline.org/history/

Overmod · **Joined:** Thu May 24, 2012 1:37 pm **Posts:** 2492

As late as the mid-Sixties there was substantial traffic via the River Line and the Spuyten Duyvil connection to the West Side line. There were at least two fairly long trains per day each way -- and I don't remember these operating at slow wpeed; the first FA I saw 'live' I saw pacing from a taxi and it was going a good percentage of what was then highway speed...

Very famous and serious wreck, head-on collision between northbound and southbound trains, in I think 1967 -- something likr six units on each train!

djl · **Posted:** Wed Aug 06, 2025 5:56 am

Why so many collisions?
An intresting '30's film, comparing trains and automobiles. Things like saftey.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qsiv757aVtk

R Paul Carey · **Joined:** Wed Jan 19, 2011 7:48 am **Posts:** 80

I clearly recall the total destruction of the units involved in the 1967 West Side wreck, which resulted from the mishandling of a hold order during a temporary single-tracking operation.

djl · **Posted:** Tue Jun 09, 2026 8:00 am

Hello again people. I have 2 questions:
1) How many rail companies ever offered phone on train? Did ever where payphones in trains?
2) There where desks that you could write a letter and the letter to be delevired in the mail car or to be put in a sack and left among the route?