Manhattan Modelers | May 2024 Newsletter
May 13, 2024 2:00 pm
Newsletter | May 2024
Hello Manhattan Modeler,
As we welcome the vibrant colors of spring and the promise of new beginnings, it is our pleasure to present the new May edition of our newsletter.
Here I would say if we were a normal model railroad group this is the time of year we come out of our basement or attic into the warmth of the sun. But many of us don’t have a basement or attic-based model railroad (for lack of a basement or attic) so that hackney idea doesn’t really work.
The Manhattan Modelers SIG continues to thrive, evolve and share our version of the hobby of model railroading. We now have a listing in the NMRA Discord channel “The Interchange” so that may get us a bit more exposure.
In this month's newsletter the prototype is a big focus. The main article is an exploration of the Hellgate Bridge complex and some coverage of South Bronx railroading. There are some photos of container ships in the harbor. Also, we will have a field trip to Rail Marine sites in Manhattan so mark your calendars.
Thank you for being a part of our community of model railroaders.
Happy modeling!
Andy Estep
April visit to the New York Society of Model Engineers
For our April meeting several Manhattan Modelers visited NYSME headquarters in Carlstat, NJ for a tour and to discuss modeling projects.
We saw the HO and the O scale layouts, discussed the expansive Railroad Tail sign and Drumhead collection and witnessed some of preparations the HO layout is undergoing to start operations on that layout.
May Manhattan Modelers are scheduled to visit to the former Rail Marine sites
I had scheduled this event to be on Thursday the 30th of May at 6:00PM. The plan is that we will meet at the Rolex store at the Hudson Yards Mall and go visit the sight of the former Rail marine sites along the Hudson in the 28th to 25th Street section of Manhattan. These sites include the former Erie Yard at 28th Street, the Terminal Warehouse formerly served by NY Central and the Erie, the Lehigh Starrett building of the Lehigh Valley RR and the B&O building on 25th Street. I plan to have some images pulled up on my iPad to share, we will discuss the history of the sights, share some pictures and then we will go to the Frying Pan Restaurant for some food, drinks and discussion. The Frying Pan Restaurant is on a former Erie RR Barge attached to the former B&O float barge. There is also an Erie Caboose on board. Some of us did this last year and it was a fun visit. This is a short walk from Penn Station and there is a Hudson Yards stop on the 7 train.
I have been warned that this may be a conflict with people who want to visit the NERPM in Springfield MA. The New England (or North East depending who you ask) Railroad Prototype Modelers meet is being held starting the next day Friday the 30th. I am sure that will be a great event and I hope to attend someday.
I have extended the invitation to a few other model train groups in the area including NYSME as a way of thanking them for letting us meet in their building for our April Meeting. Please contact me if you plan to come along so I know to expect you. I can be reached at [email protected]
Manhattan Modelers Postcards
Heath Hurwitz has printed Manhattan Modelers Postcards and we want to get them out to local modelers toy see if we can raise interest in our group. We plan to get them into local hobby shops and clubs.
If you know modelers in the city and surrounds who would be interested in joining our group please ask for some to distribute.
Special Interest Group Status
We received NMRA's approval of our SIG application on March 17th, so we've accomplished one of our initial goals. This will entail a bit of housekeeping on our part, so stay tuned for more developments as we progress.
Manhattan Modeler Application Form
Call for Articles
As always, we are always looking for articles for the Manhattan Modelers Newsletter. Do you think you have something that would interest other Manhattan Modelers please contact me. Likewise if you have any questions or suggestions.
Please feel free to contact me at [email protected].
Thank you for your time. Have a great Modeling Month!
A visit to Hell Gate Bridge and Viaduct
I have three kids, all of whom have various sports that they participate in. As a result, in the spring and fall during evenings and weekends I am often outside attending some sports event. Here in the city, sports venues tend to be located in parks or along train tracks. For instance, this Sunday I spent at a High School track for a meet watching LIRR trains of M7s accelerate out of or slow for Laurelton Station on the Atlantic Branch. My Daughter had only two departures (3rd in both events) but I lost count of how many trains or planes into JFK I saw.
The week before I was on Randall’s Island for more track events at Icahn Stadium but again, I was distracted by some different track(s) the Bridge and Viaduct complex that makes up Hell Gate Bridge. Since there was a lot of time between my daughter’s events I took the chance to wander around and explore.
Randall’s Island is an Island that fits between Manhattan, Queens, and the Bronx. At one point the island was three separate islands Randalls, Sunken Meadow and Wards. In 1955 Sunken Meadow Island was connected to Randalls and in the 1960s Wards and Randall’s were connected by filling in Little Hell Gate, a small body of water separating the two. Today Randalls Island has many sports fields for Soccer, Baseball, Tennis, Golf and Kayak, Wards Island Wastewater Treatment Plant and the Manhattan Psychiatric Center. There is a bike path and some wetland restoration areas spread throughout.
The biggest structure on Randall’s Island is the Hell Gate Bridge is an iconic structure that plays a significant role in the transportation infrastructure of New York City and serves as a symbol of the city's industrial and engineering heritage.
The Hell Gate Bridge is a steel arch railroad bridge that spans the Hell Gate, a narrow tidal strait in the East River in New York City. The bridge connects Astoria in Queens to Randalls and Wards Islands in Manhattan. The viaduct turns north and connects to Oak Point Yard in Port Morris, Bronx. The Hell Gate Bridge is a prominent landmark in New York City and an important transportation route for rail traffic.
The Hell Gate Bridge was designed by engineer Gustav Lindenthal and constructed by the Pennsylvania Railroad in collaboration with the New Haven Railroad as New York Connecting Railroad. It was built between 1912 and 1916. Opening to train traffic in 1917.
The bridge from below. A worm’s eye view.
The bridge features a massive steel through arch design with a main span of 1,017 feet and a total length of 17,000 feet. It is135 feet above the water to allow for navigation of ships underneath. Originally it was built with 4 tracks, two for passenger and two for freight. Today it has retained three tracks, one for freight and both dedicated north and south bound passenger tracks.
The Hell Gate Bridge is a vital link in the Northeast Corridor rail line, connecting New York City to New England and serving both passenger and freight trains. The bridge serves as a crucial link for freight rail traffic between New York City, New England, and other parts of the northeastern United States. In addition to CSX Transportation, other freight railroads may also utilize the Hell Gate Bridge for freight operations depending on agreements and traffic demands in the region. With the one exception of NYNJ Rail which does operate a car float operation between Sunset Park Brooklyn and Jersey City, New Jersey, the bridge is the only way freight cars can get into and out of Queens, Brooklyn or Long Island. Amtrak runs all of its NEC trains to Boston over the bridge.
The bridge is a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. It is known for its architectural beauty and engineering prowess.
Waste water treatment plant below the bridge.
Lionel made a version of the then new bridge from the 1920’s into the mid 30’s for their standard gauge trains. It was catalog #300 made in stamped sheet metal. It was offered in yellow and green as well as grey and red variations. Lionel, MTH and others have made replicas of this bridge in some cases making it wider so it can accommodate more than one track. MTH has also made plastic versions of it as well.
In 1998 the artist Chris Burden made a 30 foot long scale model of Hellgate bridge out of Meccano and Erector set parts with piers made of cabinet grade wood. Today it is in the collection of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles. I have seen it there as well as when it was first on display here at a gallery in Chelsea. I can report that it is quite impressive.
The less renowned section which I still find quite visually appealing is the part of the bridge that crosses (really it crossed because the waterway is long gone) the Little Hell Gate. This bridge is a series of three inverted bow string spans all sandwiched by large concreate piers with spheres on their tops.
Under the Little Hellgate trusses.
There is also a relatively normal truss bridge span over the Bronx Kill.
A huge concrete viaduct structure connects all the elements. Today on the island a bike/jogging path is fit under these so you can get right up around the base. The path leads right across the Bronx Kill and into the Port Morris neighborhood of the Bronx.
Neat signage and lots of fencing. I’m sure the bikers are not fans of waiting an hour to get into the Bronx.
There is an interesting bike path railroad crossing that has lots of fencing that can be closed and signage claiming that the crossing may be closed for up to an hour to allow switching cars into the New York Post’s printing plant. This area is also where the Oak Point Link connects to the Oak Point Yard.
I like this tiny crossing sign on the bike path.
The Port Morris neighborhood contains a lot of storage warehouses as well as the Port Morris Distillery, the Bronx Brewery, Rosenweig Lumber Company also calls home. Rosenweig is one of the best furniture grade wood sellers on the east coast.
In this picture curving to the left is the connection to Oak Point Yard. The track going under the bridge leads to the New York Post Printer. The small waterway is Bronx Kill.
The South Bronx-Oak Point Link connects to CSX’s Oak Point Yard at the North end of the Hell Gate Bridge here. The Oak Point link connects the Metro-North Railroads Hudson Line at the Highbridge Facility with the Harlem River Yard and then on to the Oak Point Yard and the NEC. Oak Point Link hugs the east side of the Harlem river on a low concrete over the water viaduct and it replaced an inland route called the Port Morris Branch. Part of the Port Morris Branch had been originally built in 1842 as part of the Spuyten Duyvil and Port Morris Railroad it restrictive clearances and ran in a trench through much of the Bronx and then a tunnel under St Mary’s Park. Connecting to the New Haven at a wye in Oak Point Yard.
This is Harlem River Yard and the water is Bronx Kill. The taller buildings in the back are new construction in the South Bronx the Grey ones on the left are built over the old sight of the CNJ Terminal. The Green containers on flats of the Waste transfer can be seen through the trees on the left.
The Harlem River Yard is currently a municipal waste transload facility. 89 foot flat cars are each loaded with four 20 foot containers of solid waste. These cars are then taken north along the Oak Point Link and then the former NYC Hudson line to the Alfred H. Smith memorial Bridge near Selkirk where it can cross the Hudson River. Freight movement along the Oak Point Link is usually done at night to avoid conflict with Metro-North commuter service. Once across the Hudson it is on to wherever New York has contracted the waste can be dumped. Trash is by far the biggest freight product produced in NYC and Long Island.
This CSX train of mostly empty trash containers is heading back to Long Island for a refill.
Harlem River Yard is a former New Haven Railroad facility. At one point it was 96 acres but currently it is down to 28 acres of actual trackage. Much of the area has been converted to modern industry and logistics use. FreshDirect and Fed-Ex have large buildings in the area. There are currently plans to build housing some parks and a stadium for Gotham FC soccer team over the yard site.
Oak Point Yard in the Bronx is also a former New Haven Railroad facility. It is a much more active railroad site there is CSX offices and a yard crew stationed at the yard. Trains of refrigerated cars intended for Hunts Point Produce Market are assembled here. Once assembled the train moves north along the NEC and then backed down the track. This runs along Edgewater Road to the market where the cars are taken to the various buildings for distribution.
Hunts Point Market is the main site of food distribution for New York City. The train uses converted cabooses as shoving platforms with function as the lead in this backing movement. The windows and doors are welded shut and blanked out but it is interesting to see cabooses in use at all in modern train movements.
I try to follow some contemporary railroading in the city and the Hellgate bridge area is an interesting section of it. Unlike most of the US train traffic in the city tends to be mostly passenger based so it is fun to see some freight still moves through.
Taking on additional shipping from Baltimore into New York Harbor
Photographs by Emma Johnson
Emma commutes on the S.I. Ferry to Staten Island from Manhattan for work. She takes the boat time to take photos of boats on the water. There has been a substantial uptick in container movement into and out of the intermodal yards in Elizabeth New Jersey because of the closure of Baltimore Harbor. Railroads have had to recalculate their logistics to find alternatives. All the ports along the east coast have had to take on additional shipments.
These images show just how above the normal levels of activity New York Harbor is now. These huge boats are all operating with tugs and in some cases multiple. In some pictures there are multiple ships. Some inbound and some outbound. You can see more ships lined up outside the Verrazano-Narrows waiting their turn.
Thursday May 23rd 2024 6PM
New York Transit Museum
99 Schermerhorn Street Downtown Brooklyn
Presentation, 190 Years of the Long Island Railroad by Elizabeth Moore author of Change at Jamaica: 190 Years of the Long Island Railroad
$15 non-members / $10 members
May 30th 2024 5:30 PM
Manhattan Modelers May Meeting
We will meet at the Rolex store at the Hudson Yards Mall and go visit the sight of the former Rail marine sites along the Hudson in the 28th to 25th Street section of Manhattan. These sites include the former Erie Yard at 28th Street, the Terminal Warehouse formerly served by NY Central and the Erie, the Lehigh Starrett building of the Lehigh Valley RR and the B&O building on 25th Street. I will discuss the history of the sights, share some pictures and then we will go to the Frying Pan Restaurant for some food, drinks and discussion. The Frying Pan Restaurant is on a former Erie RR Barge attached to the former B&O float barge. There is also an Erie Caboose on board. Some of us did this last year and it was a fun visit.
I have extended the invitation to a few other model train groups in the area including NYSME as a way of thanking them for letting us meet in their layout for the April Meeting. Please contact me ([email protected]) if you plan to come along so I know to expect you.
May 31st -June 2nd 2024
New England/Northeast Railroad Prototype Modelers Meet
Springfield MA
August 10-11, 2024
Greenberg’s Great Train and Toy Show
Edison, NJ
New Jersey Convention and Exposition Center
November 23-24, 2024
Greenberg’s Great Train and Toy Show
Edison, NJ
New Jersey Convention and Exposition Center
We have setup a Manhattan Modelers Discord as a place to share projects & ideas, post events, ask and answer questions and make connections.
We have chosen Discord because it is organized around specific interests instead of providing a unified newsfeed. Discord is focused on real-time interactions between people, whereas other social media options function as internet message boards.
Discord also has a Zoom like video conferencing feature, but without the limits of the free Zoom.
Click on this link which will ask you to either create an account or login to your existing account.
Once you join, you will see the logo for the Manhattan Modelers "server" on the left and the various "channel" topics on listed to their right.
Please take a moment to introduce yourself in the #introduce-yourself channel
Please consider sharing this newsletter with your favorite modelers.
The Manhattan Modelers and NMRA are independent, non-profit organizations who have chosen to affilliate for the mutual benefit of our membership, and each is not responsible for the publications, actions or omissions of the other.