RE: (erielack) team tracks without platforms

["Montgomery, Edward T" <Edward.Montgomery_@_fcps.edu>]

The Lackawanna had team tracks at the Mountain View Station that were
removed long before I was probably born.  You can see freight cars on
them in Tabor's Vol II book.  The long loading/unloading platform is
still exists, covered up with debris and weeds.  It was on the east end
of the station.  Apparently a lot of LCL was handled by the Lackawanna
at Mountain View, probably before the depression.

Ed Montgomery
 

- -----Original Message-----
From: Paul Brezicki [mailto:doctorpb_@_bellsouth.net] 
Sent: Thursday, April 19, 2007 5:44 AM
To: EL Mailing List
Subject: Re: (erielack) team tracks without platforms

Team tracks could also have end or side ramps for unloading farm and
other equipment. Also in some cases they had overhead cranes. Erie's two
"inland stations" had them; the one at 28th St was removed in the
1950's, while the less specialized 149th St terminal in the Bronx had a
large gantry crane spanning 3 tracks; it remained in use until the
terminal was closed in the late 60's. It also had an end ramp. 

Produce terminals in larger cities had one or more team tracks as well
as one or more tracks at unloading platforms where produce was
transferred to the auction building. Another more modern example is the
track for unloading bulk commodities into trailers, either via a storage
silo or more directly using a pneumatic cyclone-equipped device
connected to the hopper car and bulk trailer via hoses. I don't recall
EL getting into this but NYC and then PC had several such "Flexi-Flo"
terminals. IIRC Todd posted photos of one in Syracuse.

The team track is making a comeback as today's "distribution center",
where a wide variety of commodities are unloaded for truck delivery. For
small customers, this is often more efficient than using the customer's
siding, and another example of RR's emphasis on "wholesale"
transportation.

Paul B

From: "Chuck Yungkurth" <raildata_@_comcast.net>
Subject: Re: (erielack) team tracks without platforms

It seems to methat the function of "team tracks" is not very well
understood by this forum.  Viturally every station had a siding or track
for carload unloading. Freight houses were used primarily for
warehousing LCL shipments.

If a receiving industry got an entire carload of a commodity, it was
spotted on a "team track" or siding for unloading by the company unless
the company was large enough to have private sidings. The consignment
was unloaded into trucks (formerly teams) and hauled to the revievers
location.

In Scranton the DL&W, D&H, CNJ, and Erie all had large areas of sidings
with areas paved with cobblestones near them. The DL&W team tracks were
laocted behind the building where the shopping mall is now. D&H had team
trackage adjacent to it's passenger station on the lower end of
Lackawanna Ave. At the same end of Lacakwanna Ave. was "the wholesale
block" where there were many produce distibution companies. All of these
unloaded fruit and other items from refrigerator cars. During the 40's
and 50's there were usually around 10 to 15 refrigerator cars being
unloaded at these team tracks.




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