NYC 1935 New York High Line

The West Side Cowboys and the White Turkeys have been forgotten. The West Side Line has seen the same people-friendly repurposing as many of Canada's pioneer railways. Today, you can even travel along the New York High Line urban park via Google Maps. 

This article comes from a short-run serial magazine from the mid-1930s: Railway Wonders of the World (Amalgamated Press). They were dutifully transported to Canada in airborne luggage by a penpal contact of long standing who visited my mother from the UK. They were transported because her spouse - LC Gagnon - 'likes trains'.

The identity and interests of the original conscientious collector of the 1930s are lost to history. He might well have been of the same cohort as our maternal grandfather who was in Europe 1915-1919 with the Canadian Railway Construction Corps. 

Busy with all sorts of written correspondence, grandchildren-related activities, history reading, and a having a greater interest in Canadian, and some American roads, LC Gagnon carefully wrapped and salted away this collection in the garage. They were passed on to me in the 1990s with limited and almost apologetic artifact-promoting enthusiasm. From time to time, selected articles are posted here if I think there might be some interest in them. Often we do become quite specialized in our own railway interests, it seems.

As I get older, I find my interest in railway systems has become deeper and broader. The original simple idea of steel wheels running on 'metals' to keep carts transporting heavy loads from sinking in the mud has contributed, and still does contribute, a great deal to the world's standard of living. 

This magazine series includes articles on many of the colonial railways then in place. These railways promoted local economic activity and increased the prosperity of the various empires whose engineers were sent to build them.

The series is also available on-line. You'll see that it really does present a true international perspective on railroading. Typical for the era, Canadian railway company publicity photos are used in many of the articles on Canadian topics. 

Here is the New York Central-supported article on their new West Side line.

*  *  *

The YouTube link below perfectly illustrates the typically dangerous urban conditions before this grade separation on the west side of New York. This is one of the YouTube channels which Jim Christie first discovered and generously shared with his correspondents. 

The description indicates that the location is probably in the area of 33rd Street and 11th Avenue. At around 4:30 in the video, an engine passes and the engineer displays typical, harmless, 'don't take it so personally' 'New-York-style acknowledgement behaviour' to the hand-operated camera operator. 

As I understand it, the old motion film cameras had no automatic speed regulation and adding simple spring-driven mechanisms would subject the frame-rate to torque decay. However, skilled professional camera operators were known for their ability to maintain a solid, steady crank rate with their right hands. 

Both the engineer and the photographer share the skill of regulating cranks attached to wheels.

New York Central: the West Side Line in 1927 and 1928

In the video, you'll notice very short, boxy steam-emitting locomotives ... these steam 'dummies' were designed to enclose the motions of the side rods, etc, so as not to startle horses where close contact between the two was possible. Being short tank engines underneath the box, they gave the crew better visibility to avoid accidents on this dangerous line and they produced less smoke (I think some burned oil) than a full-sized locomotive.

You'll notice that some trucks crossing the tracks are hauling loads of coal ashes.

The brakemen riding atop the cars are protecting the leading end of the switching move by giving (or relaying) hand signals to the locomotive engineer from their highly visible, all-seeing position ... decades before the days of portable radios. Also, it was probably a much safer place to ride than on the end-ladders in this environment!

At the end of the video notice the gondola car of 'The LCL Company' shipping containers. This was an initiative of the New York Central to try to deal with small freight shipment (or Less-Car-Load) shipping bottlenecks. A common factory crane could extract the container for unloading at trackside - leaving the siding or teamtrack clear for fully-loaded boxcars.

*  *  *

Map from 1956 Showing New York Central's New York Operations

LC Gagnon had become a seasoned New York visitor via the D&H in the late 1940s - seen elsewhere on this blog. However, I don't think he was down there when this March 1956 tourist pamphlet was picked up: The New York Visitor (map, attractions, advertising pamphlet); March 1956; New York Central System.

I had to do a 'work-around image cut' to have the map display properly (Blogspot software is in flux these days). However, a key location is just above where I cut the image, so just find the cut and look above for the "New York Central Freight Yards 33rd Street".

from: The New York Visitor (map, attractions, advertising pamphlet); March 1956; New York Central System.

The New York Central, St John's Park freight terminal mentioned in the article (the High Line's southern terminal, as seen above) was redeveloped into warehouse space after rail use ceased in 1960. In the late 2010s, Toronto-based Oxford Properties and CPP Investments (yes, that CPP) had the building redeveloped. Google bought the building for $2.1 billion. Now it is the North American headquarters for Google's Global Business Organization ... where Google makes most of its money. Google's regional business teams in many parts of the world are based there as well. 

Pre-Trip Steam Locomotive Inspection, Taking Slack, Cylinder Cocks, Sanding

'Lost' steam age rituals and technologies were mentioned in my posts about the Southern Pacific 1941 Santa Susana Tunnel accident. I thought it would be appropriate to provide some 'textbook' elaboration on the best practices for their use during those years.

These sections come from widely-used self-study texts for railway workers who wanted to improve their knowledge or to qualify for advancement. This book came from Rolly and may have been purchased by the engineer who previously owned Rolly's house. The text below was written by the CNR employee shown, and was copyrighted in 1928 and again (with updates) in 1937.

The 'value-added' reason for buying these textbooks ... was that they were thorough. 

If you were a roundhouse labourer who wanted to qualify to become a fireman, you could perhaps impress your fellow workers or bosses with what you knew and your demonstrated motivation to learn more. 

Or, if you worked for a smaller regional railway (not having the CNR or CPR's comprehensively-trained and supervised roundhouse staff) you could benefit from the knowledge and experience of someone who had worked for a large railway.

Today, these thorough textbooks help us understand all the forgotten details of the old technologies.

... However, we should bear in mind that what was done in practice on a daily basis might have been quite different.

East Oakland, 1955.
from: The Central Pacific and Southern Pacific Railroads; Lucius Beebe; 1963; Howell-North.

The Sunset Limited being greased en route, Lordsburg, New Mexico, undated.
from: The Central Pacific and Southern Pacific Railroads; Lucius Beebe; 1963; Howell-North.

'The Height of the Water in the Boiler'

CNR S-4-b Class, circa 1936. 
from: Constructed in Kingston; McQueen and Thomson; 2000; CRHA Kingston Division.

The 'water column' (older device = 'sight glass' or 'water glass', generically: a water gauge) is that tree of valves in the top right corner. Below the water column is the firebox (door) opening. The bottom of the coal-burning firebox assembly slopes down and away. 

The boiler backhead (the right 'end' of the boiler) will be contained in the cab. The water column is a sturdy device which serves as the window into the water level in the boiler. 

The fireman and engineer must keep the top of the firebox (the 'crown sheet') covered with water at all times. The water column registers the upper and lower limits of the flexibility they have with water levels in the boiler. The valves ('gauge cocks' in the text) are used to ensure that the water column is reading accurately. 

In a coal-fired firebox, the fire needs to be at least 1800 degrees Fahrenheit (~980 deg C) to completely burn the gases produced from the coal (a bright red fire). In a locomotive firebox, the fire can reach 2000-2500 degrees F (~1370 deg C) (creating a bright orange to a white fire). 

If the engine crew fails to keep the crown sheet covered with water, the fire will weaken the metal until it fails. The boiler will then explode: as the steam vents to atmosphere ... and as most or all the liquid water in the pressure vessel flashes instantly into steam. This is why several paragraphs are devoted to the subject of the water gauge.

Engineer posing while 'oiling around' with a flashlight in his left hand, no location given, 1957.
from: Canadian Pacific to the East; Omer Lavallee; 2007; Bytown.

*  *  *

Coupler and draft gear, freight car.
from: Car Inspection Manual; CM Drennan; 1940; Brotherhood Railway Carmen America.

In addition to the necessary free-play between two coupler knuckles when they are closed, 

systems are in place to cushion the lading and the car structure from normal slack action.

Engineer checking his train and traction while leaving a siding. Train 920, Santa Margarita, California, undated. 
from: The Last of Steam; Joe G Collins; 1960; Howell-North.

*  *  *

*  *  *

Sanding wet rail on a 1.75% grade.
Helmstetter's Curve, Cumberland, Maryland, undated.
from: The Last of Steam; Joe G Collins; 1960; Howell-North.

Working to correct a stuck sander valve, undated, no location. On the Great Northern.
from: Lines West; Charles L Wood; 1967; Superior.

Working as a fireman on a steam-powered eastbound freight climbing the ruling grade at Neys ... years later ... Rolly told me about working on an engine without any sand remaining in its sand dome.

A practice not covered in the textbook: He ran along the ballast beside his slow-moving train, looking for any grit he could find ... to throw under the wheels so they would not slip. 

If the driving wheels had slipped, the train would have 'stalled' ... i.e. It would cease to make forward progress with no hope of getting it underway from being stopped, while it sat on the hill.

... The only course of action left at that point would be to 'double the hill' ... move the train in two manageable pieces to the siding at the top of the hill. This would require the setting of hand brakes on the remaining piece of the train and would have blocked the main line for an hour or more.

I was given the impression that scrounging for grit (in season) happened more than once on this section of track.

CPR Glen Yard in Archived Journals 1906-1967

Inspired by Jim Christie's researching skills over the years, and his generosity in sharing what he found, I decided to see what I could find in the archive.org journals on CPR's Glen Yard. 

*  *  *

Between 1935 and the early 1950s, LC Gagnon's family home was half a mile from the CPR's Westmount station and Glen Yard. Although many extended-family photos survive from that era, there are relatively few showing Glen Yard. 

... In the 1930s there probably wasn't a lot of spare money for train 'hobby' photography. 

... Between 1939 and 1945 - World War 2 - there were prohibitions on photographing trains, essential services or anything of military value. This also included railway facilities such as bridges, stations and yards. 

*  *  *

While the yard would have been less exciting after the end of steam in 1960, we can imagine how much activity went on there during the time my father lived nearby as steam locomotives were reaching their highest level of development.

Most CPR long distance passenger trains used the Windsor (Street) Station. In the first 1.5 miles of their journeys, they climbed the length of a boxcar of that era (about 40 feet) and then made a station stop at Westmount. 

... While this is certainly not a continental divide 'Big Hill' gradient, this trip segment began from a dead stop at Windsor. 

With some pride, engineers would accelerate smartly from the World's Greatest Transportation System's headquarters. The passenger equipment of those days was 'overbuilt by 200%' - as an acquaintance once described it. This sturdiness was mainly the result of government regulations which were reactive to decades of horrific passenger train tragedies in North America.

So the weight of the train and the need to maintain momentum up the hill (just imagine traction problems on wet rail or in snow!) created quite a show as these prestigious trains began their trips.

There were also well-patronized commuter services which ran all the way out to, and beyond ... the west end of Montreal Island. Originally these reached as far west as Pointe Fortune, Quebec. 

Finally, international trains from Windsor Station ran through Westmount. 

The 'Central Station' trains shown below were Pool Trains - government-mandated 'code sharing' and equipment sharing between the CN and CP to help the railways avoid pointless competition and financial losses in their operation of regulated passenger services. CN steam power found its way into Glen Yard because of this arrangement.

*  *  *

Visible from Westmount station was all the activity of Glen Yard. Here the rolling stock was switched and serviced, the motive power was maintained, and intercity trains were often looped around the perimeter of the yard to keep their consists in the desired order. 

... First came the baggage, express and mail cars at the headend ... then the day coaches ... then dining or food service cars, separating the basic-fare passengers from the extra-fare passengers ... and finally came the premium-priced accommodation on the tailend - away from the smoke, cinders and noise of the locomotives.

Adding to the entertainment value of all this traffic, and doubling the number of moves watched by a young spectator ... 

Each train passing Westmount station either started or ended its trip at Glen Yard. 

First, the empty passenger equipment was backed into Windsor. Then the train made its passenger run to its destination ... and subsequently returned to Montreal as a passenger train via the same route. After its return, the empty equipment was backed up the hill to end its trip at Glen Yard.

Here, in the 1940s and early 1950s, most of the motive power work was performed by steam locomotives. Each of the many types of engine had its own unique extroverted personality. The elaborate displays of steam and smoke, and their fascinating exposed running gear graphically showed exactly how they were accomplishing their work. 

Whether they were confidently taking their important work in stride ... or whether they were unfairly being forced to struggle against tons of inert steel ... their circumstances were obvious to a young observer. 

*  *  *

All of the activity described can be pictured as you look at the Windsor Station 'arrivals and departures board' printed on one page of a pocket-sized timetable folder. 

from: Montreal Folder 'D'; 28 September 1947; Canadian Pacific Railway.

from: The Romantic History of the Canadian Pacific Railway; John Murray Gibbon; 1937; Tudor Publishing.

A passenger train departs Windsor Station. The number of tracks and signaling are discussed in some of the journal articles and news paragraphs.

*  *  *

All of the images of print, below, come from journals which had been bound and held in various libraries. They were digitized and I accessed the publications at archive.org .

In all cases, the images are captioned with the link you can use to see the whole publication. To save labour and to avoid dead links in the future, I have not actually linked through the URLs - they are text only which can be copied and pasted to see the original. 

The articles are presented here in chronological order.

When interesting off-topic paragraphs were nearby, I sometimes succumbed to temptation and you'll see some unrelated bits of text which some may find interesting.

*  *  *

1906 May

from: Canadian Transportation, 1906 May
https://archive.org/details/canadiantransport1906/page/263/mode/1up?q=%22Glen+Yard%22

The St Phillippe paragraph, above, is an example of unrelated text.

Many extended family photos come from a dairy farm near here. 

*  *  *

1906 June

from: Canadian Transportation; 1906 June
https://archive.org/details/canadiantransport1906/page/327/mode/1up?q=%22Glen+Yard%22

*  *  *

1909 July

from: Railway Age Gazette; 1909 July
https://archive.org/details/sim_railway-age_1909-07-30_47_5/page/208/mode/1up?q=%22Glen+Yard%22

It is nice to have this comprehensive data presented in a compact form. Some may be interested in the status of the lines in New Brunswick on which engines 29, 136 and 144 operated throughout the 1950s. Light, vintage bridges dictated the necessity of using these light, vintage locomotives.

This chart appeared from my search because of the solitary Glen Yard reference pertaining to a Rutland engine's speed limit between Windsor and the Glen - which you can see in the footnotes under the chart. 

The date of the right-of-way fencing directive is interesting to find. Very early steam locomotives were relatively light and they were sometimes derailed by livestock standing on the track. DB Hanna noted that farmers' requests for railway compensation always identified the loss as their most prized animal. 

The first elaborate wooden cattle guards (wooden fencing sloping down to a grid of parallel boards which interfered with hooved feet) are often seen in old photos which show road crossings. 

... Before truck transport, herds of livestock were often driven down country roads. Some animals would be tempted to stray along the tracks when they spotted the luxuriant grasses growing from the standing water in the railway right-of-way ditches. The typical drover would not have access to enough labour to retrieve all of the insistently-straying animals before the passage of a train.

... In the modern era, these universal page-wire fences were the sturdy barriers which young steam excursion travellers of the 1960s learned to climb over at an early age in preparation for steam photo runpasts. Getting clear of the right-of-way was important for safety ... and for getting a good photo. 

*  *  *

1909 December

from: Electrical World; 1909 December
https://archive.org/details/electricalworld54newy/page/1386/mode/1up?q=Westmount

The amount of respiratory disease from tobacco smoking and coal smoke in cities must have been considerable. The CPR never electrified this section of track. 

Montreal Junction was later renamed Montreal West. 

'Junction': Using a highway system analogy, Montreal Junction is the interchange you use to reach Montreal. (map below!)

Originally purchased for use through the Canadian Northern's Mount Royal Tunnel, the CNR actually used electric locomotives with overhead catenary for passenger equipment and passenger train transfers to and from Central Station. 

These electrics were still in use for this purpose when coal-fired locomotives pulled railfan excursions which used Central Station in the 1960s. On the trip itinerary, these delays were often presented as photo opportunities and passengers were allowed to detrain and photograph the changing of power from electric to steam - although this was not permitted when safety could not be assured on the return trip because of evening darkness. 

And, in spite of some thrilling high-speed steam running on our return trips (with our coach windows open), some of these railfan trips ended up returning much later than the printed itinerary predicted.

*  *  *

1915

from: Canadian Engineer 1915 (reprint) 
https://archive.org/details/someimportanteng00cana/page/3/mode/1up?q=%22Glen+Yard%22

Blocked from entering the city of Montreal from the west by the pre-existing CPR and Grand Trunk lines, you can see the upstart Canadian Northern Railway is busy tunnelling its way into Montreal via its Mount Royal Tunnel. 

*  *  *

1915 December

(article: Electric Car Lighting)

from: Railway Electrical Engineer; 1915 December.
https://archive.org/details/railwayelectrica07unse/page/211/mode/1up?q=%22Glen+Yard%22

*  *  *

1922 March

from: Canadian Transportation  archive.org
https://archive.org/details/canadiantransport1922/page/n272/mode/1up?q=%22Glen+Yard%22

from: Canadian Transportation; 1923 March
https://archive.org/details/canadiantransport1923/page/262/mode/1up?q=%22Glen+Yard%22

*  *  *

1923 March

from: Canadian Transportation; 1923 03.
https://archive.org/details/canadiantransport1923/page/262/mode/1up?q=%22Glen+Yard%22

*  *  *

1929 April

from: The Chronicle; Carbon, Alberta
https://archive.org/details/TCR_1929041801/page/n2/mode/1up?q=%22Glen+Yard%22

Glen Yard: Famous in Carbon! 

Carbon, Alberta is about 30 kilometres west of Drumheller.

*  *  *

1931

from: Transactions of the Engineering Institute of Canada  archive.org
https://archive.org/details/transactionsofen14engi/page/22/mode/1up?q=%22Glen+Yard%22

ABS used electrically-operated signals 'actuated by track occupancy' ... to protect the train on a defined section of track against collision. 

..... Point A ..... My Train ..... Point B .....

Signals at A and B automatically guard My Train.

An important function of ABS was preventing a following train from striking the rear of a train which had stopped unexpectedly. 

They also maintained a safe interval between moving trains. They provided automatic 'separation'. 

*  *  *

1932 January

from: Railway Engineering & Maintenance; 1932 January
https://archive.org/details/sim_railway-track-structures_1932-01_28_1/page/34/mode/1up?q=%22Glen+Yard%22

Always working on behalf of the shareholders, resourceful techniques were used do more with less - even if it meant laying off workers during the Depression.

*  *  *

1944 April

from: Railway Age; 1944 April.
https://archive.org/details/sim_railway-age_1944-04-15_116_16/page/754/mode/1up?q=%22Glen+Yard%22

*  *  *

1967 May

 Board of Transport Commissioners for Canada

Montreal to Rigaud Commutation Services

This last excerpt is rich in detail. Anyone who has been interested in the recent history of CPR Montreal commuter services might enjoy reading the whole investigation by the BTC. The text link appears just before the first page, below. 

This investigation also gives us interesting historical insights into how Glen Yard functioned, the equipment used and the staffing required.

This type of study was done in the era when transportation safety, freight rates, line abandonment, passenger ticket prices, the termination of passenger service, etc were all under government regulation. 

As suggested above, the previous safety hazards and abuses of unbridled 'free enterprise' resulted in these huge, critical, national transportation systems being supervised by a quasi-judicial body.

https://archive.org/details/judgmentsorders57cana/page/185/mode/1up?q=%22Glen+Yard%22

end