VOLUME 25:
LONG ISLAND RAILROAD SERVICE TO BLISSVILLE'S CENTRE LUMBER

By Nicholas Kalis

Twenty-five in a series of glimpses into industries or warehouses that made for interesting freight operations on the Long Island. Information presented has included, where available, a brief history of the firm, how it was served by the LIRR, and what commodities were received or shipped from this facility.

Maps of Freight Stations and Private Sidings (June 1966) at page 7 identifies Blissville’s Centre Lumber & Plywood Co., Inc. as Spot 3 . In a revised customer map of 1970, a Bleyco Paper appeared as neighboring Spot 4. Its siding held two cars in 1966. What type of facility was this (wholesale, retail)? Was 37-10 Review Avenue a brick building? Was there a fence around the property? Was it open to the public? According to telephone books it was at 37-10 Review Avenue, LIC 1 with telephone number EX2-4460 until 1962-3. When did they move to Ridgewood? Can anyone tell this authorwhat sort of freight cars serviced this business in the 1960s? Did Centre Lumber ship out anything by rail? What goods were received by rail?

Centre Lumber, now at 65 - 55 Traffic Street, Ridgewood, NY 11385, telephone: (718) 366-8888 and fax: (718) 417-9454, is served by the LIRR at Fresh Pond Yard. Their present President is Bernie Nadler.

Bliss Yard Drill would return to Yard A at the end of an 8-hour trick. Bliss Yard also had a later 3:00 PM Drill. Bliss Yard Drill used no hack for its one-mile trip to Blissville Yard.

Those wishing to model Centre Lumberwould benefit from …

Thanks to LIST members Bob Sturm and Carl Fabrizi. The assistance of John Hyslop and Bob Miller of the Queens Borough Public Library, Long Island Division and Art Huneke is also gratefully acknowledged.

This author would appreciate any photographs of Centre Lumber at its Review Avenue location.