Coal and ballast supply, hopper cars, and inerchange

[daveklepper]

 

from Henry Raudenbush

Coal for heating of elevated stations of Manhattan el, IRT and BMT, and for heating plants of IRT inspection shops, and for the Putnam drawbridge, was distributed in transit system work cars – flat cars with sides on the IRT & Manhattan, specially designed car 3070 on the BMT.   The IRT had a bunker for coal and for ballast at 148^th St yard, where bulk materials were delivered by barge.  The Manhattan had “coal bridges” at 155 St and 129^th St yard, originally to coal Forney engines, also receiving coal by barge.   But this traffic disappeared in the 1950’s, when electric heaters were installed in the remaining elevated stations.

In the later 1950’s and 1960’s, track maintenance was mechanized.  To provide ballast directly from quarry to subway tracks, the TA bought about 30 standard hopper cars (narrowed to fit the IRT).  These were interchanged with the railroads, and coupled into TA work trains.  (I was involved in a series of brake tests on the Pelham line with a consist of LoV motors, those hopper cars, with AB brake, and R-20 flat cars).   But this through operation was completely separate from the old coal trains. 

 

 

 

BMT Special hopper carabove;  IRT 149th St. Yard Facility below:

 

 

[MidlandMike]

daveklepper

...Putnam drawbridge...

Was that the bridge across the Harlem River that connected the Putnam Division with transit in the Polo Grounds area?

[daveklepper]

Yes.  The Putnam crossed the bridge, just north of the 155th Street Bridge (McCoomb's Dam Bridge) to a joint terminal with the 9th Ave El at 155th and 8th Aveue, also used by 6th Avenue trains, running on the 9th Ave. line north of 53rd Street.  Befoe WWI, the IRT extended the 9th Av.El across the Putnam line's bride, with a station at Sedgewick Av., twin tunnels to staton "Jerome and Anderson Avenue, then to River Street and north to 167th Street Station and the present 4 line to Woodlawn.  Sedgewick Avenue then became the southern terminal of the Putnam.  The Lexngton Avenue subway opened, with a portal south of 161st Street and River Avenue, and the line north of 167th was used by both the El and the subway.   After June 14, 1940 Unification, 155th - 167th was a shuttle, and that stopped when Putnam passenger service stopped.