New York "Cross Harbor" Rail - Barge Article in 05-21-2012 WSJ

[Paul_D_North_Jr]

Yesterday's (Monday, May 21, 2012) print edition of the Wall Street Journal had an article titled "New York's Last Cross-Harbor Railway Chugs On as Alternative to Trucks - Barges Float Boxcars Into Town, Sludge Out; Cocoa Beans at the Bottom of the Bay" on pages A-1 and A-12, by Barry Newman. 

 An on-line version dated May 20, 2012 can be found at:

 http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303448404577412180646908266.html?mod=googlenews_wsj&_nocache=1337682435762&user=welcome&mg=id-wsj#articleTabs%3Darticle

Last November 2011 the Port Authority awarded a large engineering contract to HDR and Worley-Parsons to design replacements and upgrades for the barge and to the New Jersey Greenville Yard terminal - see:
http://www.hdrinc.com/about-hdr/news-and-events/news-releases/2011-11-16-port-authority-of-new-york-and-new-jersey-hires-h
The "Request for Proposals" was on the Port Authority's website, but I can't find it right now.

The real value of this service may not be in serving just Brooklyn, but as a gateway to the much larger market and traffic of Long Island.

There's an amazingly thorough and comprehensive website on these barge operations and the little switching railroads of New York Harbor. The "New York Cross Harbor" webpage is at:
http://members.trainweb.com/bedt/indloco/nych.html
And the "New York New Jersey Rail" webpage is at: http://members.trainweb.com/bedt/indloco/nynjr.html

- Paul North.

[samfp1943]

Thanks, to Paul North for posting this article and the links, as well!

  The railroads of New York City are both amazing and fascinating as to their operating environment.

    Over the years as an OTR driver I had occasion to spend some time knocking about the industrial and harbor areas of NYC. So I still enjoy reading about rialroads and their interactions within the Port areas of NYC.

[snipped] "...The real value of this service may not be in serving just Brooklyn, but as a gateway to the much larger market and traffic of Long Island.

There's an amazingly thorough and comprehensive website on these barge operations and the little switching railroads of New York Harbor. The "New York Cross Harbor" webpage is at:
http://members.trainweb.com/bedt/indloco/nych.html
And the "New York New Jersey Rail" webpage is at: http://members.trainweb.com/bedt/indloco/nynjr.html. 

- Paul North..."

    The man who we owe a large debt to is Phillip M. Goldstein  and his work in gathering a group of like minded individuals who share a passion, and their photographs of the Railroad activities around New York City. http://trainweb.org/bedt/

  This website(s) is truly one to go to, and spend time on if you are in anyway interested in Urban Railroading in a major metropolitan area and Port.  

  Thanks, Phil! 

P.S. Allow yourself plenty of time, to go in and look around. It is amazing the amount of materials presented. Both Civilian and Military. 

   Steam was banned in NYC in the 1920's, but some of the well maintained saddle tanker steam engines of the Palmer's Dock& BEDT soldiered on for years after the ban.

[Paul_D_North_Jr]

Sam, thanks for finding Mr. Goldstein's "Table of Contents" or 'master' page that lists and has links to all of the little railroads and operations on his website.  Although it looks like it pertains to the BEDT only, that's not the case - hence, it bears repeating again here:

"Freight Railroads of New York" and "Military Railroads of New York" - Table of Contents webpage is at: http://trainweb.org/bedt/    

There is just a ton of info on this website, esp. about float bridges, that I haven't seen anyplace else.  It's the equivalent of a pretty good railfan book, I'd say.

- Paul North.