VOLUME 4:
LONG ISLAND RAILROAD SERVICE TO LONG ISLAND CITY'S EAGLE ELECTRIC #7

By Nicholas Kalis

Fourth in a series of glimpses into industries or warehouses that made for interesting freight operations on the Long Island. This information is provided in the hopes that others will follow the lead of local HO scale modeler Tony Fabrizi who has so ably modeled several of the buildings covered in this series.

Eagle Electric, founded in 1920 by Louis Ludwig, moved to Long Island City in 1941 and was acquired by Cooper Industries, Inc. in 2000. Eagle's creed is "Perfection is not an Accident". Maps of Freight Stations and Private Sidings published in June 1966 provides no spot number to Eagle Electric Plant #7, located in Long Island City as by this date the LIRR did not serve this facility. This building faced Yard A and may have extended as far as Northern Boulevard. It seems to be located between the Westbound Queensboro Bridge Upper Roadway and a one-story white building that may be associated with Spot 12, American Steel Wool. This plant is the Anchor Cap Corp. identified in the Hyde Atlas, Queens Vol. 1, updated through 1955 as having a siding. This building may have had a 62- 33 Queens Street, Long Island City 1 address as a research volunteer found this address connected with Lewyt. Lewyt also was identified as 43-22 Queens Boulevard, LIC with telephone number EM 1-9040. On an 1938 map by E. Belcher Hyde Co., Inc., Queens Street is west of Orchard Street and east of Dutch Kills Street and runs into Jackson Avenue.

What is now occupied by Eagle Electric Plant #7, not to be confused with Eagle Plant # 8 at 45-31 Court Square, was once occupied by Lewyt Vacuum Cleaner Co., which appears on early track plans of the vicinity drawn by Robert Emery. Alexander M. Lewyt was recognized by the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans. Lewyt gained notoriety for his then prediction made in the 1950s that in ten years we would have nuclear powered vacuum cleaners. This building can be identified by a sign that reads "Floors For Rent, 50,000 SQ FT Each Brown Harris Stevens Inc. OX 7-8800". The building appeared to be dark green in color.

By the early 1960s, the era I model, no commodities shipped into this facility by rail

MODELING

Eagle Electric Plant #7 is housed in a six-story structure apparently of poured concrete construction marked by a siding that ran along side the building. This building was painted grey or green.
I have built a foam core mock-up of this building. Readers seeking to model Eagle Electric Plant #7 would be well advised to consult a photograph before attempting to model this structure.

CREDITS

Thanks to the Queens Borough Public Library, Long Island Department, Thomas Flagg, Carl Fabrizi, and Bill Myers.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Author Unknown Maps of Freight Stations and Private Sidings (Reprint) June 1966

www.queenstribune.com

Please direct any comments on or corrections to this manuscript to:

Nicholas Kalis
Suite 600, 1420 Spring Hill Road
McLean, Virginia 22102
Any illustrations or maps contributed will be gratefully acknowledged.

1966 Maps of Freight Stations and Private Sidings showing the adjacent Spot 12, Eagle Electric Plant #7 not indicated