Another
factory along the Rockaway Beach ROW.
Another
factory along the Rockaway Beach ROW.
Oldnyc.com contributor Jim Guthrie speculates: "IIRC, the unknown factory was a Ribbon Mill at one time. It's hard to tell without actually looking closely, though."
Many buildings in New York City undergo ownership changes from time to time. The Ribbon Mill was not an exception to this rule. "The factory was owned by Endo in the 1950's, which made vitamins and other pharmaceutical products," explains oldnyc.com contributor Edmund Beardsley. Edmund continues, "Some time in the 1960's the building was converted in to a sweater factory. I lived around the corner from it and passed it every day on my way to school."
Some oldnyc.com visitors have questioned how much freight traffic ran along the Rockaway Beach Branch. Jim Guthrie provides us with the answer: "Here are freight sidings -- 1922 (pre grade crossing elimination at Ozone Park and down on the Rockaway Peninsula). As you can see, there were a fair amount of sidings, but remember that many are for coal, ice and ash removal companies -- three types of businesses that had just about evaporated by 1950; also note the sidings for contractors bringing in construction materials.
Credit: "Long Island Railroad List of Stations and Sidings effective July 1 1924."
MP
6.06 Sand Pit Track/Fleet Street Yard
7.15 J.C. Knight Pumping Station (on Connector to Montauk Branch)
7.16 Glendale Ribbon Mills
7.62 W Demuth Co.
8.81 E.A. Gillespie
8.85 Connection to Atlantic Div.
8.97 Thomas Wakefield
9.02 Rubel Coal and Ice
9.45 Philip Dietz Coal
9.45 Ozone Park Team track
9.45 Mercagliano Bros.
9.70 Woodhaven Water Supply Co.
16.15 Jamieson & Bond and Canadian Fishing and Transport Co.
16.33 Jamieson & Bond Long Island Paper and Grocery Bofird Baking
Co.
17.00 Queensboro Gas & Electric Light
MP via Jamaica
24.88 Feltinggoff & Campbell, Ferrill Coal Co., Hicks, Hicks &
Jicks William Schonke John R. Murray & Son
24.98 Sheffield Farms
25.02 Hicks Hicks & Hicks
25.10 Benn Rigel Contracting & Supply
23.72 WH Gahagan & Co., Patrick McGovern Inc., PT Cox Contracting
Far Rockaway had a half dozen industries, plus more down the Grove track -- something of a branch of the branch.
Oldnyc.com contributor Neil Sullivan explains: "I took great notice to the list of sidings provided. MP6.06 must have been the baseball field area at Fleet Street. MP7.15,7.16 must be the sidings used in conjunction with the connector track at Montauk. MP7.62 might be the siding at Park Lane South and the three sidings at MP9.45 are the sidings that made up the Ozone Park yard."
Some time later, Neil wrote back to tell Oldnyc.com the following: "I
have conformation on the siding at Park Lane South. It did in fact
belong originally to the W. Demuth Company. They were manufacturers
of smoking pipes and supplies."
Continuing
the walk south, notice the alignment between the western portion of the
ROW and the residential homes and garages. The homes veer off at
one angle, but the garages follow the edge of the ROW. The homeowners
further down the line have larger backyards! The rails are very close
to the ROW's edge in this area, since most of the elevated ROW has washed-down
in to the homeowner's backyards. There is very little plant life
holding the elevated ROW in place. Erosion is prevalent in this area.
Another
view of the steeply-raked elevated portion of the ROW.
Where are the utility towers in this area? There aren't many left,
for some reason.
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Avenue!