Nostalgia & History > The New Eclipsing the Old

For a short moment, the intersection between new development and old industry/rail lines/spurs, particularly in the cities of the Northeast, can be found.  I think it makes for an interesting comparison, and one can use Google Earth to find these temporary intersection points if one knows where to look, before they are lost to history.  First set of pics in order are Bronx, NY, Long Island City, NY and Brooklyn, NY.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/28/20 11:45 by jatlmv.

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2nd Set in order; Brooklyn, NY and two from Philadelphia, PA.

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3rd set in order; 1 & 2 are in Baltimore, MD, #3 Hoboken, NJ.

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Last set; Long Island City, NY and two more from Brooklyn, NY.

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These are really cool! I would see stuff like this around San Francisco twenty+ years ago, not sure how much is left now.

Nathan

Posted from iPhone

This tracks in Baltimore sure seem to have been overcomplicated but I'm sure there is an explanation for what we see in this photo. Anyone know the explanation for that layout?

What a great post. Four and the last are especially neat.
JB

I must admit, these photos sadden me. There was a time when America's economy was measured by "carloads" and our products moved almost exclusively by rail.

Are we better off today with 53' trailers and interstates overrun by trucks?

If all of those tracks were still in use there would be fewer trucks on the highways. It is amazing where rails were laid.

Milwaukee Wrote:
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> This tracks in Baltimore sure seem to have been
> overcomplicated but I'm sure there is an
> explanation for what we see in this photo.
> Anyone know the explanation for that layout?

The B&O had a lot of Harbor-area tracks due to the number of industries located there. You will probably remember the infamous B&O 0-4-0 #Dockside" engines along with the original Trackmobiles that B&O used for switching.

Absolutely fascinating.
Bob

Milwaukee Wrote:
> This tracks in Baltimore sure seem to have been overcomplicated but I'm sure there is an
> explanation for what we see in this photo. Anyone know the explanation for that layout?

Your question would be a lot easier to answer had the OP identified the specific location. But I'll take a WAG, and say the Fells Point section of Baltimore, in which case some rails are PRR, others are B&O.
/Ted

Yes, it is exactly the Fells Point section of Baltimore.

Theowhitey Wrote:
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> Milwaukee Wrote:
> > This tracks in Baltimore sure seem to have been
> overcomplicated but I'm sure there is an
> > explanation for what we see in this photo.
> Anyone know the explanation for that layout?
>
> Your question would be a lot easier to answer had
> the OP identified the specific location. But I'll
> take a WAG, and say the Fells Point section of
> Baltimore, in which case some rails are PRR,
> others are B&O.
> /Ted

It is indeed Fells Point. The view is looking south on Wolfe Street from Thames Street, towards Henderson's Wharf.
https://www.google.com/maps/@39.2819783,-76.5898298,3a,75y,186.81h,93.51t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sLh8-f7BSl0HgcyZH4-_a2g!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?hl=en
Both railroads served Arundel Concrete.
Map of street trackage in 1977 courtesy B&ORHS' The Sentinel, Sep/Oct 1991.
/Ted

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That's awesome.  If anyone needs the locations of others, pease post.

Thank you for sharing your discovery!

What a fascinating post

I like some of the newer buildings who left the track as a nod to the past or as a design element.
 

#6 really made an impression to me for some reason, but they all are great!

Reminds me that After personally seeing street trackage like this in the Oakland, and Bay Area, and seeing these photos, I always wondered if there are ties and all under that pavement, how difficult was maintenance, especially at the switches, and why the remnants are still there, instead of being pulled up, or paved over?

Jim Baker
Riverside, CA

It was always a maintenance headache. Dirt/rocks/snow/ice/garbage, plows would hit the rails & switch points, etc. The remnants seem to stay in place until they need to be removed, it seems cheaper to leave things until you need to fix or replace them.