Macy's warehouse

[passengerfan]

I can remember spending quite a bit of time in Phoenix during the early 1970s and everytime there was a gathering of Railroaders by the station i would ask what train they missed the most and invariably the aswer was always the Arizona Limited a train that only operated for two winters and that was 1940 ad 1941. I guess it probably had something to do with the fact it terminated in Phoenix. But the old rails always went to talking about there train deluxe. They did not even mention the Sunset or the Goldn State.

Al in Stocton  

[wjstix]

wanswheel

 I bet some still called the neighborhood freight line the Hudson River Railroad.

Quite likely, as recently as the 1980's-90's there were a few oldtimers in my home town who still called the local railroad line "The Dan Patch" even though the line hasn't formally used that name since a 1918 reorganization.

[wanswheel]

Fishing and loitering on Memorial Day (Wednesday), May 30, 1934. The old-timers then still called it Decoration Day, and I bet some still called the neighborhood freight line the Hudson River Railroad.

[OldArmy94]

NYC railroading is very fascinating--car floats, tight radii turns, cramped streets, and the mixing of humanity with iron. As an aside, note all of the people who were fishing or otherwise just loitering on the float bridge in one of the pics above. It's interesting how attitudes have changed over the years about the public's access to railroad property.

[wanswheel]

High Line construction in the West Shore yard several years before the Macy building became the pivot point to the mid-block cut.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3490/3250622385_2974d60cbc_b.jpg?rand=549880377

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3442/3250622551_c3c68f6e0a_b.jpg?rand=29546673

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3260/3250623341_f692c5dafb_b.jpg?rand=688593627

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3364/3251453856_8b8d559b34_b.jpg?rand=644322881

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3256/3250623227_5d1afb3489_b.jpg?rand=423088074

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3355/3250622993_cd0b1b7a12_b.jpg?rand=397365572

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3471/3251450234_4e6f2a703b_b.jpg?rand=540970653

Macy's warehouse was demolished to create Javits Plaza across from Javits Center.

http://www.railpictures.net/images/d1/6/5/9/1659.1153317600.jpg

[wanswheel]

Good question because the High Line did have third rail. I don't know if the "Low Line" ever had third rail before Amtrak re-routed the Grand Central trains to Penn Station. These pictures are of the cut looking north through 37th, 38th, 39th Streets, etc.

Compare to Amtrak single track at about that location

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=538295

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=538290

And a train on the West Side Line

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1153089

[rrboomer]

The photo (near the bottom) of the new cut at 47th St show about every third tie to be a long one.  Was this trackage third railed later?  Sorry if this sounds like a dumb question, I know very little about New York City railroading.

[selector]

That's an interesting set of photos.  Thanks for posting them.

[wanswheel]

New York Central bought the building from Macy in 1937, and the city bought it from Penn Central. Built in 1922 at northeast corner of 11th Ave. & 35th St.

McGraw-Hill at 10th Ave. & 36th St. on the left and Macy's warehouse on the right

Macy's warehouse from the New York Central yard in its hayday.

Train at 33rd St. curve

North on 11th Ave. at 32nd St., top floors of Macy's warehouse on the right

Macy's warehouse through the semaphore

North on 11th at 31st St., Macy's warehouse above the loco

North at 11th Ave. & 34th St.

McGraw-Hill from 11th & 36th, down the block to the right of the picture is Macy's warehouse

West Shore Railroad yard across 11th Ave. from Macy's warehouse

PRR piers on the left, NYC pier, McGraw-Hill and Macy on the right

Skyline filling out, McGraw-Hill at 36th, Macy's by the new pier at 35th, ESB at 34th

NYC pier at 36th St.,  West Side Highway up, Macy's warehouse above the barge on the right

High Line begins in West Shore yard just north of 35th St. 

Back wall of Macy, West Side Highway, High Line ramp, a little kid crossing 35th St.

Macy's warehouse and excavation for new tracks east of 11th Ave.

The truck is on 11th Ave. at 36th St.

Excavation for the new NYC roadbed, 37th St. on the left, 36th St. on the right

37th St. bridge and the steeples of St. Raphael's Church at 41st. St

Excavation for new roadbed beyond the white taxi

Newly elevated 11th Ave. and Macy's warehouse from the High Line tracks.

Tracks pass under 11th Ave and through foundation of Macy's warehouse

View to the south from Macy's warehouse. Partial elevation of 11th Ave to 34th St

St. Raphael's from 37th St., new roadbed cut through rock from 35th St. to 60th St.

South to 36th St., St. Raphael's gargoyles keep an eye on things. Macy at top center.

A building on 36th St. and Macy on the right

35th St. on the left, 11th Ave on right. Tracks to the High Line curve east through Macy's warehouse. 

2nd floor became 1st floor with elevation of avenue, tracks below street level 

Constructing 11th Ave. across NYC yard, Macy on the left, McGraw-Hill on the right. LIRR nowadays.

Southbound train coming through the new cut at 47th St.

High Line ramp to the left, Macy's warehouse above the boxcar on the right.

High Line curves south along 12th Ave. Top floors of Macy's warehouse on the right

High Line at 30th St. and the middle floors of Macy's warehouse, a West Side Improvement survivor.  Until it was demolished to create a plaza opposite the Jacob Javits Convention Center.

http://www.railpictures.net/images/d1/6/5/9/1659.1153317600.jpg

http://www.railroad.net/articles/railfanning/westside/index.php