Comments on: Tuesday Tour of the Hudson Line: Highbridge

By: darth caligula

darth caligula — Sun, 06 Sep 2015 21:52:28 +0000

seriously wicked photos mate! love reading your work and the images are awesome. keep it up! would love to get to the states some day to check out this network. so many awesome spotting locations you have featured.

By: Backshophoss

Backshophoss — Sun, 26 Jul 2015 21:39:27 +0000

After the NY Central abandoned the Put from Lake Mahopac to Eastview,the largest freight
customers were a Chemical Co. in Ardsley and the A&P Grocery Warehouse in Elmsford.
After A&P went to trucking everything to the warehouse,Eastview to Stella Doro Bakery
in the Bronx was allowed to go to seed.

By: William Hays

William Hays — Fri, 24 Jul 2015 13:27:29 +0000

In reply to Hank. Hank: I may have misstated that the Put ran in Manhattan in the isolated Marble Hill section. My maps are not detailed enough for me to really tell. It didn't get anywhere near the Hudson River, but followed the Harlem River, and then up the Saw Mill River valley. The Harlem River, later in the waterway's westward journey (flowing east), connected to the man-made Harlem River Ship Canal and Spuyten Duyvil Creek to the Hudson. Confusing? Yar!

By: Hank

Hank — Tue, 21 Jul 2015 13:22:02 +0000

Thanks all for this information. Although growing up in the general area, I had never visited the southwest Bronx, riding the Harlem exclusively. Thus I had not idea the Put followed the Hudson until BN-ish. However, I do remember often seeing freights beside the Sawmill River Parkway.

By: William Hays

William Hays — Mon, 20 Jul 2015 16:40:08 +0000

The ‘Flexi-Van’ service was innovative, but unionized-labor intensive. NYC’s restrictive height clearances limits the Hudson Line’s capacity to this day.

By: William Hays

William Hays — Mon, 20 Jul 2015 16:36:13 +0000

In reply to Backshophoss. There was never thru service from the Getty Square branch to GCT for the MU cars. Union intrangience and work rules wouldn't allow that! The 'myth' that there was no room in GCT for Yonkers branch trains is just that.

By: Backshophoss

Backshophoss — Mon, 20 Jul 2015 05:23:45 +0000

The Highbridge yard in the past had been used as the Central’s Flexi-Van yard,(An early version of
Intermodal service)and a Roadrailer yard in the late ’70’s-early ’80’s as a proof of Concept test
with Conrail.

By: Backshophoss

Backshophoss — Mon, 20 Jul 2015 05:00:04 +0000

In reply to Hank.

The Put from BN to SK followed the Hudson line on it’s own ROW to their yard and station at Sedgewick Ave,
where passengers transfered to Hudson line locals to GCT. BN tower was the freight connection point
and when there was 3rd rail on the Put to Getty Square station in Yonkers.to allow thru service to GCT.
The Put’s ROW started to rise above the Hudson line ROW at BN to Sedgewick Ave
Both the Harlem Line to Put Jct and the Put to BN served as the “High,Wide,and Heavy” freight
route to New York City

By: William Hays

William Hays — Sun, 19 Jul 2015 02:45:38 +0000

Try the junction at “BN” tower (Marble Hill) and the High Bridge yard, too. Both at the same elevation as the Hudson Division. Factoid: The “Put” did run in Manhattan (New York County). Marble Hill is still Manhattanland. It physically, but not politically, joined the mainland (Bronx County) when the Harlem River Ship Canal was dug.and the meander was land-filled. Also, the bridge at Sedgewick Ave., over the Harlem River, terminated at 155th St. (Polo Grounds) in Manhattan, until conveyed to the IRT. Gone-zo, now (bridge, 155th St. station, Polo Grounds, and the IRT el into The Bronx.). Credit various sources: Gallo, Kramer, Bang, Vondrak, et al.

By: Hank

Hank — Fri, 17 Jul 2015 02:34:05 +0000

Emily, do you have any information as to how the Put trains got down to the High Bridge station and yards? My concern is the height of the south Westchester and Bronx terrain being much higher than the sea-level grade of the High Bridge facility. Lou Grogan has many photos in his Harlem Division book showing the same Put F-Class steamers at High Bridge that I used to see at Yorktown Heights, and they had to get there somehow. What was the Put’s route and what grades did it encounter coming down to High Bridge?