Emery Map 1917 DF Tower Archive: Dave Keller
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DF Tower
1925 NE view
Collection :
Dave Keller |
Fresh Pond c.1908 Map: Stephen Rothaug
1906 Fresh Pond Station*
(see below)
rebuilt in 1917 and the tracks went under
the street. It was said to be the worst intersection in NY City for train
accidents.
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Old Timer’s Notes: Ridgewood was
the terminal (end of the line) for many of the street car lines in Brooklyn.
Initially they were horse drawn, then steam dummies which were small steam
engines pulling from one to three passenger cars and then in the 1890s
electric trolley cars.
In the 1880s and early 1890s steam dummies operated from Ridgewood Depot at
Wyckoff and Myrtle avenues, to Lutheran/All Faiths Cemetery in Middle
Village, to Cypress Hills Cemetery in Cypress Hills and to what is now
Richmond Hill along Myrtle Avenue. Steam locomotives operated from city to
city, whereas the small steam dummy engines primarily operated within
cities.
Steam dummies and locomotives operated on the Manhattan Beach Division of
the LIRR from the Terminal at 68th Street in Bay Ridge to Bushwick Junction
in Ridgewood. As Robert Nelson noted, some of the freight cars passing
through Bay Ridge Terminal came by float barge across Upper New York Bay
from Greenville, New Jersey.
A railroad station at Fresh Pond's dates back to 1868/1869 when the South
Side Railroad established a branch line from Jamaica to the ferry docks on
the East River in Williamsburg with stations at what is now Richmond Hill,
Glendale, Fresh Ponds, etc.
Fresh Ponds was named from the two fresh water ponds which were on the east
side of Fresh Pond Road and several hundred yards north of Metropolitan
Avenue. These ponds were filled in the early 1900’s. In 1878, the Long
Island Rail Road acquired the South Side Railroad. By the early 1900’s the
intersection at Fresh Pond Road and Metropolitan Avenue was a busy one as
the trains passed through there at street level. In 1913 the tracks were
depressed on the southeast section of the intersection and then on the
northwest side, raised to street level. Note: Ticket is 8/19/1896
Archive: Brad Phillips
* In 1906 the Myrtle Avenue elevated line was extended at street level from
Wyckoff Avenue to Metropolitan Avenue in Middle Village. This was known as
the Lutheran/All Faiths Cemetery Extension. In preparation for this a car
barn and a power plant were constructed, with the car barn on the east side
of Fresh Pond Road and north of the tracks. The extension went into service
on October 1, 1906.
In May, 1925, when the Philadelphia System of street numbers was placed in
effect in Queens County, a number of the street names were discontinued and
numbers substituted. However, some of the street names for important streets
were continued and the designation “Avenue” used.
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1929
brakeman at Fresh Pond West Yard view East
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Fresh Pond Jct. - LIRR and NYCRR Hagstrom map 1934 Archive: Dave Keller |
West
Yard Info: The forerunner of the west yard was built in
1910. The one track adjacent to the #2 track of the Montauk branch had
signals and was the connection of the Bushwick branch.
The yard consisted of three (3) storage tacks and one (1) track that
extended to Fresh Pond Road to access the freight house and team track.
The 2nd team track was accessed off the Bushwick branch track.
The "new" West Yard as it became known, is listed on Bob Emery's
maps as being placed in service on 1/25/21, but that can't be a true date
as the yard appears on LIRR valuation plans in 1916, probably built in
anticipation of the NYCRR, which began regular service on 1/17/1918.
The tracks of the West Yard connected by a ladder track to the Bushwick
branch lead track, which was newly constructed in 1915. There were
crossovers west of Metropolitan Blvd. connecting the Bushwick branch with
the secondary main, then another connecting the secondary main with the
first main, both in a westerly trailing direction.
So . . . there was access to the yard from the west end via the Montauk
branch for trains heading eastbound.
According to the map notes, the East Yard was placed in service on
1/25/1921. Once again, I don't know if this is a true date, because it
matches the incorrect date on Bob Emery's West Yard map. But then again .
. . the East Yard could have been added later as more storage space was
needed. Info: Dave Keller
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Back 50 years ago, Fresh Pond
Junction was an important place with freights of the New Haven and LIRR
serving the 11 mile long Bay Ridge Branch. 36 year old Fremont Tower in
Ridgewood, Queens, literally on the Brooklyn border, handled authorities for
both railroads on the branch. Here a passenger extra approaches Fremont
northbound, ready to make the right turn to the Montauk Branch. Commentary/Photo:
Richard
F. Makse
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LIRR #411 Baldwin DS4-4-660 southbound on the
interchange with the NYCRR photographed from Fremont Tower. LIRR bridge #35 crossing Montauk Branch
distant in photo. Winter 1963-64. Info: Steve Lynch
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NH (ex-Virginian Railway) EF4 Electrics #310, #309 on
NYCRR trackage photographed from Fremont Tower view
N Winter 1963-64 Photo: Art Huneke |
Alco
S1 #421 Fremont Tower 1960's Photo: Joe Testagrose Archive: Paul Pesante |
NH
EF-3 crossing Bridge #35 Fresh Pond Junction Photo/Archive: Art Huneke |
Fresh
Pond -
POND Tower blueprint
1946-56
Archive:
Art
Huneke
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West Yard Map
1958 Emery -
Fresh Pond Rd. MP4 east
to POND Tower |
East Yard Map
1958 Emery -
POND Tower to MP5 |
H10s on
Montauk Track 1 working the west yard at Fresh Pond Station near MP 4 -1944
Collection :
Dave Keller
LIRR
train 1831 Eng 1557 9/12/1969
Photo: Richard F. Makse |
NRHS trip Fresh Pond Station - View E 10/26/1952
Photo: George Votava Archive: Mike Boland
Pond Tower - View W 1968 |
After 1968 remodeling; POND and yard office between the BMT
and NYCRR bridge. Archive: Dave
Keller
POND Tower 5/23/1975 Archive: Henry Wagner |
The eastbound RF-15, with the 222 & 224, gets a friendly wave from the
operator at POND Tower. NYCTA R-42's passes overhead on the former BMT
M Line. 12/1982
Photo/Archive: Jay Bendersky |
41 years ago, Conrail B-23-7 1903 leads its train over the LIRR's Lower
Montauk branch back to Oak Point Yard in the Bronx. Its train consists of
(mostly) empties from the LIRR. The LIRR's Pond Tower is still very much in
service, and the 104 can be seen in the distance in Fresh Pond East Yard
waiting for its next assignment. July, 1982
Photo/Archive: Jay Bendersky |
POND Tower after the fire 11/10/2022 Photo/Archive: Joe Vila |
POND Tower - View NW Photo: Steve Lynch 6/2000 |
Mechanical interlocking and model board at
Pond Tower
Fresh Pond, Queens, NY on
3/05/1978
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Interlocking
switch levers at Pond Tower 3/05/1978
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LIRR #229 coming off the Bay Ridge Branch,
west into Fresh Pond. Notice the doll head in the top grab! It is the
last time I saw a C420 L-2 on the LIRR. 06/05/1989
Photo: A. Joseph Daly
LIRR #229 westbound under Bridge #35
July, 1989
Photo: A. Joseph Daly
LIRR 1966 Fresh Pond Map
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1958 Maspeth Ave. to Fresh Pond Schematic
Map: Steve Rothaug
Fresh Pond Junction - NYA map c.2015 |
LIRR C420 #229 Conrail GE B23-7 #2805 Fresh Pond Interchange c.1985
Archive: Frank Fiore
South
of Fresh Pond Junction where the NYCRR used to run near the abandoned
Fremont Tower: 12/1970
Junction
of Montauk Branch and Conrail. Previously "FN" Tower. CR makes the
set outs for the LIRR to pick up. View N. The crews are discussing the
upcoming freight moves. |
East Yard, Fresh Pond - 2/05/1972
Photo/Archive: Richard F. Makse
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LIRR
#159 "Baby Huey"
Engineer
Photo: A. Joseph Daly |
LIRR #103, #274 Fresh Pond Junction view E 10/1989
Photo: A. Joseph Daly |
Three GP-38s Fresh Pond Jct. view E 5/1989 Photo: A. Joseph Daly
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LIRR #273 Fresh Pond Jct. westbound 5/1989 Photo: A. Joseph Daly |
LIRR
#614
Fresh Pond Jct. 7/1989
Photo: A. Joseph Daly |
LIRR
#272 Eastbound 1984
Photo: Mike Koehler
CR now CSX
working the bridge lead 1999 Photo: Bernard Ente
More
action over at Fresh Pond
April 24, 2000
Photo: Bernard Ente
With a train of cars just delivered to the LIRR by Conrail, the RF-15 leaves
Fresh Pond on its way east. Judging by the plume of smoke, the
freshly-repainted L-2's are throttled out in the 8th notch!
July, 1982. Photo/Archive: Jay Bendersky |
East at Fresh Pond. CSX outbound upstairs and RS-70
switching
Photo: Joe Tischner 7/2006
BMT Overpass
view west 05/16/2003
Photo/Archive: Bernie Ente
Bridge
#35 NYCRR/Conrail/CSX
overpass built by the Pennsylvania Steel
Company of Steelton, PA for
$84,000 in 1916
Photo: Steve Lynch 6/2000
An eastbound LIRR freight,
with the #222 and #228, has no work at Fresh Pond today. It passes Conrail
GE B23-7 #2810 laying up in the East Yard at Fresh Pond on an overcast day
in July of 1983.
Photo/Archive: Jay Bendersky |
Fresh Pond - Glendale Topographic map
Source: topozone.com
Fresh Pond Yard - Bridge 35 aerial view NW 2020
NYA and westbound LIRR 2/2001
Photo: Bernard Ente
LIRR #161
view E c.12/1988
Photo: A. Joseph Daly
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NYA
Fresh Pond Bridge #35 - View E (NY Times-Joe Carrotta) |
NYA GP38-2 #268
east leg of the wye interchange
at Fresh Pond
Photo: Steve Lynch 6/2000 |
NYA
Fresh Pond west leg of wye - BMT
overpass
(NY Times-Joe Carrotta) |
CR B23-7's on YAOP-17 at Fresh Pond Yard in Glendale after delivering the
interchange traffic to the LIRR, prior to the NYA taking over the freight
ops. Note the former New Haven catenary. Info/Photo/Archive:
John Krattinger
The catenary tower is commonly referred to as “the old signal bridge”, a
common place for CSX to wait for Fremont interlocking to be cleared of NYA
trains before dropping their inbound interchange for NYA.
Doug Hanell |
CR
EMD B23-7 #2808, CR GE U23B #2797, LIRR EMD MP15ACs #152
Fresh Pond
Junction View N c.
1985 |
POND Tower after the fire 11/10/2022 Photo/Archive: Joe Vila |
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Fresh Pond Yard aerial view W - 2/03/2024 Photo/Archive: Alex Piechowski |
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FREMONT
TOWER |
Abandoned
Fremont Tower: 12/1970
Junction of Montauk Branch and NYCRR. Previously
"FN" Tower
Out of
service: 4/15/70 Interlocking and tracks between Fremont and tracks between
Fremont and Bay Ridge under jurisdiction of PC Transportation Co.:
01/20/71
Closed: 1971 and
abandoned, burned, and razed prior to 1995. (per Jim Minor, LIRR
block opr.)
Collection
: Dave Keller
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Fremont Tower view S 12/30/88 Photo: A.
Joseph Daly
LIRR
MP-15AC #156
Fresh Pond Jct.
12/30/88 Photo: A. Joseph
Daly
MORE FREMONT Tower |
LIRR
MP-15AC #156
Conductor on steps as
the job is done Fresh Pond Jct. Wye
12/30/88 Photo: A. Joseph
Daly
LIRR MP-15AC #155
Crew having trouble with the freight coupler 12/30/1988 view N
This
was the RF-7. On the porch of the #155 is Engineer Bob Gianuzzi.
George Bedell is the Conductor with the cap visor on. The Brakemen working
the coupler might be Bob Gheringer. Info:
Ben Jankowski Photo: A. Joseph Daly |
Fresh Pond Jct., Fremont - LIRR Bicentennial C420s #228-226
Conrail SW1500 #9540 - 4/08/1981
Photo/Archive: Fred Wilczewski
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New Haven EF-3a electric #158 pulls a freight
geographically southbound on the Bay Ridge branch/NY Connecting RR, passing
the LIRR's "FREMONT" tower at Fresh Pond Jct. - Fresh Pond, NY - c. 1950.
View East (Dave Keller archive) |
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SELI was the road freight from Selkirk, NY to Fremont tower and LIRR Fresh Pond yard.
They would drop a cut of cars at Croton North Yard for the GM plant in Tarrytown, NY then run on the wye track at MO Tower, crossing over the Harlem line 4 track main to the Port Morris Branch, to the ex-NH yard at Oak Point Yard, drop another cut of cars for the Oak Point based locals, run around train and head to Fremont Tower over the Hellgate Bridge to bring interchange to the LIRR at Fresh Pond yard.
Fremont Tower was a bit south of Pond, but "upstairs" from Pond Tower back then as it was the interchange track “upgrade” to the NY Connecting RR ROW (ex-NH) from Fresh Pond Yard (downstairs), not sure if this was during LIRR's turn to work the Fremont-Bay Ridge section of track to interchange with the South Brooklyn Railway (NYCTA)and Cross Harbor shortline operation. All freights were part of the NE region, with their T&E crews.
The return trip to Selkirk was known as
LISE, following the route in reverse back to north. Conrail changed the Symbol to SEOP/OPSE in the mid '70's, and the run to Fremont was WNOP- 4, a local freight based at Oak Point Yard.
After the May 8, 1974 Poughkeepsie Bridge Fire, 90-95% of the freight bound inbound is routed thru Selkirk, the other
5-10% of Long Island bound freight is car floated over from Greenville, NJ.
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