ARRT'S ARRCHIVES |
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STORAGE YARD - ENGINE FACILITIES
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Annual Report for June 1903 - June 1904 shows under "...charges to Extraordinary Expenditure Fund....." :
Storage Tracks L.I.City.....
Turntable on dock at L.I.City.....
Increased facilities.....in the passenger yard at that point .....
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In your recent “Long Island City Part Three” pages, the first map and first picture show a large steel PT&T RR water tank on a triangle of land at Borden and Van Alst. When Sunnyside was being built the consultants drilled test wells around the yard to find a good supply of water. They chose two near Harold Ave and connected them to pumps in the yard powerhouse. They were then piped to this 250,000 gallon storage tank to supply Sunnyside yard and LI City Generating station. The generator turbines had previously been using an expensive type of condenser to avoid buying expensive city water for boiler feed. This is from ASCE Transactions paper #1163 and also #1165 by Gibbs 1910.
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Blueprint shows area between 1892 when the Block System was installed and 1903 - 1904. Tower Number 2 was a block station and interlocking and controlled signals protecting the drawbridge and switches and signals at the entrance to the south yard. Note that the switch from tracks on drawbridge is further east than in the later blueprint and in foto. |
When the yards were enlarged in 1903-04 the tower was moved or a new tower with a mechanical machine was built north of the main tracks. |
After the north yard was enlarged its east end was connected by double slip switches with the Dock Yard as seen in 1908 foto and this blueprint. Notice that the entrance to engine yard is now further west. |
In October 1905 a straight electric machine replaced the Saxby & Farmer mechanical machine in Tower Number Two. |
A June 5, 1908 article in Railroad Age Gazette calls this a 29 lever Union Electric machine. "...... A very busy plant, the lever movements in the summer averaging 2600 in 24 hours." |
This plan shows sigs 20L and 22L protecting a double slip switch, north of main tracks west of tower. |
Henry Wilhelm shows only 20L and single switches instead of a double slip. He notes: "revised 4-15 Probably made 2, 15, 22, 23 spare levers." |
Letter May 14, 1915 G.M. to Pres. states Dutch Kills Int. "principal purpose was to move engines across main tracks between Wheelspur Yard and Engine Dock. This movement has been practically eliminated and authority to abandon DB Tower and remove slip switches is requested." |