The New York Connecting Railroad

2001 Summer Bus Tour Trip

July 21, 2001, Queens, NY:   Saturday and another New York Connecting Railroad (NYCRR) Fan Trip over the New York & Atlantic has arrived. 
triptick.gif (31133 bytes) A beautiful, cloudless sky, low humidity day is in store for us, so let's begin!   (Click to enlarge photos)

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9:00+am and away we go. Departure from Borden Ave. in Long Island City across from the LIRR station.
AMTRAK MAIN LINE - THE BRONX
10:00am and our first stop is overlooking the 4 track ex-NYNH&H (Amtrak) main line from Penn Station, NY northeast to Boston, MA. now part of the famous Northeast Corridor.   

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Looking NE, from Bruckner Blvd.,we see the Leggett Ave Bridge and a row of garbage containers on flats "awaiting a ride". Notice the distinctive New Haven overhead catenary with its graceful curved support plyons.

       Here's some abandoned Oak Tower Interlocking action.
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Oak Tower- Amtrak Northbound
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Acela follows soon after

 

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Oak Point Yard,
Bronx, NY

OAK POINT YARD

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CR#8838 yet to see CSX shops for a "new look."

Ex-NYNH&H, PC, Conrail and now a CSX facility; Oak Point Yard requires hard hat, etc; so we observed from above on Garrison Street after our bus drove through the yard.       

 

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My view, It ain't pretty.

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Less modern garbage
containers in the yard.

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A quiet morning as engines rest for the upcoming work week.  

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Removal of the 156 St. Bridge leaves just the west abutment and the east side "Dead End" sign on Garrison St.

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Interesting Water Tank

 

     
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CSX switch stand


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Overlooking the yard, this might make a nice model of a typical Bronx business.

HELL GATE BRIDGE

Hell Gate, NY
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Click map for
larger image

11:00am     Hell Gate Bridge was the main element of the New York Connecting Railroad's (NYCRR) project that linked the Pennsylvania Railroad and the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad, allowing a direct route to New England. The bridge was constructed over Hell Gate, a narrow channel so named because of its turbulence. The waterway is 100 ft deep at midstream, with a tidal rise and fall of 6 ft and a high tidal velocity.

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Hell Gate Bridge looking East

For more information and photos on the Hell Gate Bridge, see the 2000 tour at:

NYCRR 2000 Tour

 

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P&W 5 unit running light after a delivery of rock to Long Island

NYCRR SOUTH DIVISION - QUEENS, NY

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MP 5.34 Woodside 
view North (1)  7/21/2001 
Photo: Steve Lynch

 

2:00pm    The corner of 70th St. and 37th Ave. in Woodside is the site of the re-route of the Brooklyn Queens Exp. I-678. Track will be rerouted, "shooflied" to the right during the BQE straightening upgrade. As the original ROW (right-of-way) was 2 tracks, CSX has indicated the project will provide for this capability. Roosevelt Ave.is one block further south.
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            Click to enlarge

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MP 5.34 Woodside 37th Street - view S (2) (notice double track width)
7/21/2001 
Photo: Steve Lynch

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PRR Keystone Style Arch
(3)

A little over 3/4 mile further south, the NYCRR crosses over Queens Blvd. Seems the City of New York wanted a fancier facade, so of all the bridges this one gets the PRR Keystone look. Appears that the light fixture, at right, is now a past memory.elmhurst.gif (51806 bytes)
                Click to enlarge

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Decorative carved facade
of the 1917 project.

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Grand Ave 84th St. view W 7/21/2001 Photo: Steven Lynch (4)

The 4 track LIRR main line ducks under Grand Ave.where I'm standing.  The NYCRR heading south is just behind. No fancy bridge work at this location!

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NYCRR 57th Ave view N 7/21/2001 Photo: Steven Lynch (5)


The view from 57th Ave north with Grand Ave just ahead. The Elmhurst tanks where just off to the right. This section is believed to be the ground breaking location of the NYCRR.

 

FRESH POND JUNCTION, GLENDALE   - QUEENS, NY

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Fresh Pond NYCRR Bridge

4:00pm   The LIRR required the Fresh Pond bridge piers to be NOT on their property, hence the wide span.

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A load for the
Jamaica Station upgrade

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NY&A derail and the day's end...

NYCRR  2000 Tour