The CHRR spur
tracks go right in to the garage in this warehouse. OldNYC.com contributor
Harry Hassler explains that the CHRR had customers that lined both First
and Second Avenues, but now the CHRR only has one customer on First Avenue.
Interesting to note that the CHRR is one of the two active railroads which
is still running on New York City surface streets. The NYC Metropolitan
Transportation Authority runs trains across Third Avenue and Second Avenue
as they utilize the South Brooklyn Railway, when they move trains
from the Third Avenue yard to the Second Avenue yard. We will be
seeing the Second Avenue yard later in the tour.
A view of the
yard, facing northwest.
Here is an
interesting crossover. If you toured the Jay Street Connecting Railroad
Virtual Tour at OldNYC.com, you may remember that the Jay Street Connecting
Railroad's crossovers were cut at ninety degree angles. The CHRR's
crossovers take on more of a trapezoid appearance, as opposed to the square
crossovers found on the Jay Street Connecting Railroad. There are
not too many of these types of crossovers on the CHRR, and apparently they
aren't used too much, since this one has a large tractor trailer parked
over it.
We are approaching
the southern tip of the yard. Here, the "mainline" tracks of the
CHRR merge with one of the layup spur tracks, and then will continue on
to First Avenue. Once the tracks position themselves down First Avenue,
the right-of-way continues to a connection at the New York and Atlantic
Railway's 65th Street (Bay Ridge) yard. The CHRR and New York and
Atlantic Railway work together to provide rail freight service for New
York City and Long Island customers.
As we pivot
the camera to the north, this gives us a good vantage point of how big
the yard is, and what we have already explored.
-->> Click Here to Continue to Explore the Cross Harbor Yard!