Starters

After several sessions of fiddling around with track placement in the HBS yard, I have finally glued down my first bit of track here at the crossing by General Foods. I've started in the center bottom of the yard after laying out 3/4 of the layout dry to make sure the arrangement I designed would actually work.

There will be minor adjustments responding to reach and convenience, but I believe the plans can be realized very closely and work as desired.

I'm using clear adhesive non-silicone caulk in small amounts to affix (tack) track directly to plywood. There are no profiles to the roadbed in what I am modeling, so I'm not bothering with roadbed at all. Most of the track is either in asphalt, concrete or cobblestone, so the plywood will do. Speeds are going to be slow, so I'm not even worried about sound transmission noise. 

Nothing else to see here today, but this is enough to feel good about the layout. 

Wordless Wednesday_Harlem Transfer 44 tonner

March 1st at the USDA and North German Lloyd Docks

A 1942 photograph of the United States Department of Agriculture building on the Hoboken Shore Railroad. (collection of author)

The USDA building in this Baltimore Sun photograph from March 1, 1942. As stated on the reverse, this is where plant and plant products are inspected and fumigated before making their way deeper into the continent.  The building was completed in 1940 at 209 Hudson Street. More photos can be found at the Library of Congress. At right in the photo is a Pennsy boxcar delivered by the HBS and at left is the entrance to the North German Lloyd docks.

 

Located near the end of the line.

The reverse of this postcard states that it "may be used for correspondence after March 1st 1907." (collection of author)

A postcard more clearly shows the entrance gate seen in the USDA photograph above. I have a pretty strong feeling that this gate is gone by the late 1950s when the Port Authority was occupying the head house. There is a different level of care about the built environment as we move towards modernity. Somehow with all the advances of manufacturing, business and general enlightenment, we can no longer afford nice things. Is that really advancement? Perhaps it is really that the advancement in society is that we have chosen extreme financial concentration over a well-financed built environment.

Weehawken Wednesday

Erie Brochure: Railroading in NY Harbor

The brochure shown below is a very good read and summarizes Erie's navy and associated operations in and around NY Harbor. It was produced some time after World War II according to the references in the text. There is a nice overview of the operations of the Erie around the harbor, and the last half is a description of a tug boat trip up to the East River and back to Erie's bustling terminal at Jersey City.

The tone of the piece is right in line with other written items of the time. There is a bit of boasting, a bit of American can-do attitude and a smattering of flowery speech. It sums up to evoke a nostalgic feeling of a lost greatness, honest industriousness, and conquering heroism that characterized the naive American approach to the world in the 50s. Compare this narrative to the plight of the individuals who were the muscle (in a couple of different ways) behind the brochure's narrative from On the Waterfront about union violence, corruption and general unpleasantness.

It was not easy work keeping NY Harbor moving, and many people suffered personally so that others could live comfortably, find opportunity and profit handsomely on their backs. So much has changed in the world since this brochure was produced, but equally as many things haven't.

US Testing Building

Located at 1415 Park Ave, Hoboken, this concrete frame building was the home of US Testing, an HBS customer. Now it is a parking garage.

Wordless Wednesday