VOLUME 8:
RAILROAD SERVICE TO LONG ISLAND CITY'S CHAS.J. SLICKLEN PAPER PRODUCTS AT 45-57 DAVIS STREET

By Nicholas Kalis

Eighth 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), page 2 identifies C.J. Slicken (sic), located in Long Island City, as Spot 8. This 1966 publication puts C.J. Slicklen facing Yard A between Olin Matheson (Spot 6)and Sternberger (Spot 9). While C. J. Slicklen has its own siding, this siding diverged from a siding shared by Olin Matheson (Spot 6) and Sternberger. This business appeared as 45-57 Davis Street, Long Island City with telephone number EX2-1900 from 1960 to 1972/73 (its last appearance in a telephone directory). That this business is missing from Davis Street on our trusty Hyde Atlas, Queens Vol. 1, updated through 1955, only makes sense as Chas.J. Slicklen Paper Products was at 11th Street at that time. C.J. Slicklen was possibly a tenant in the Neptune Meter Co. building. Can anyone definitively eliminate the alternate possibility Slicklen was a later occupant of the building formerly known as Nason Manufacturing Co? In any case, this building was bordered by Yard A, Davis, and possibly Pearson, or Crane Streets. We know nothing about this building's appearance save we have eliminated the possibility it was in the Sternberger EbitscoWarehouse (Spot 9).

Except for a track entering either the Neptune Meter Co. factory or an enclosed yard, Robert Emery's maps of 1959 make no mention of C.J. Slicklen . This absence is explained by the firm being at 38-07 Hunterspoint Avenue, LIC and EX2-1900 during the period 1957-59. Slicklen was listed in telephone directories of 1955-1957 as 53-01 11th Street, Long Island City with telephone number EX2-4400.

Sam Berliner, III, confirmed Chas.J. Slicklen produced paper bags. I would speculate that this facility received industrial sized rolls of paper from Canada and released empty box cars by rail.

MODELING

Readers seeking to model C.J. Slicklen would be well advised to wait for further research results before attempting to model this structure.

CREDITS

Research assistance was provided by Bob Miller, volunteer, at the Queens Borough Public Library. Thanks to Sam Berliner, III and Bill Myers

BIBLIOGRAPHY

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

Please send photographs that show how Extrin appeared in the 1960s and 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.