This
is the entrance to Fresh Pond Yard at the corner of 69th Place. A
green fence that runs the length of the Fresh Pond Yard property line divides
the yard from the residential streets.
This
is the entrance to Fresh Pond Yard at the corner of 69th Place. A
green fence that runs the length of the Fresh Pond Yard property line divides
the yard from the residential streets.
Oldnyc.com contributor Skip Horner tells us this story: "The Fresh Pond
Yards (Otto Rd. in Glendale) used to be a wide open area - we even played
baseball in there once (between the tracks by approximately 68th Street).
The Bay Ridge Branch tracks were also a popular hangout for us who used
to hang out in Mafera (Farmer's Oval) Park. The dirt ball field in
the north section of the park (the north and east corners of the park are
bounded by the Montauk and Bay Ridge Lines, respectively), generally had
numerous holes in the fences, so when the police came to chase us, we'd
just go through the fence and disappear into the woods and tracks.
I think they've fixed that scenario since then."
The yard is
located in the middle of a nice residential community in Queens, NY.
This
is New York and Atlantic Railway's locomotive #161. The NYA has been
buying used LIRR locomotives and has been refurbishing them for freight
use. The locomotives are painted in NYA colors green and white.
At one time, the paint scheme on the locomotives were blue and white, the
color scheme of the LIRR locomotives.
This
is the platform where the new MTA subway trains are offloaded. NYA
personnel explained the process to the tour group: new MTA subway
cars are either brought to the Bronx via trucks or car floats, where they
are offloaded to NYA flatbed railcars. The railcars make their journey
from the Bronx, over the Hell Gate Bridge, through the New York Connecting
Railroad ROW, and to Fresh Pond Yard. At Fresh Pond, the subway cars
are rolled-off of the flatbed cars utilizing this ramp.
This
map, provided by OldNYC.com special contributor Bernard Ente, shows the
"General Arrangement of Tracks in Vicinity of Fresh Pond Junction".
Map courtesey of Bernard Ente
-->> Click Here to continue to explore
Fresh Pond Yard!