Oak Point Yard
Encyclopedia
The Oak Point Yard is a freight railroad yard
located in the South Bronx
, New York City
. The yard is owned by CSX Transportation
, and is a base for CSX's local deliveries in the area, including to the Hunts Point Cooperative Market
and for trains that interchange freight with the New York and Atlantic Railway
at Fresh Pond Junction in Queens. CP Rail formerly handled some freight in and out of Oak Point, but during late 2010 entered a haulage-rights agreement with CSX under which CSX handles and forwards its local traffic between Oak Point and the Albany, New York area. Stone-hauling trains belonging to the Providence & Worcester Railroad operate through Oak Point during trips between New Haven, Connecticut and the NY&A at Fresh Pond, but no P&W freight is actually handled in the yard. Amtrak
owns and operates two electrified
tracks for the Northeast Corridor
Line, on the west side of the yard. CSX uses the Oak Point Link
, a connecting track along the Harlem River, to travel between the yard and the Metro-North Hudson Line
, which is its primary access route into New York, while the P&W stone trains enter via the Northeast Corridor line to the northeast. CSX and P&W trains to Fresh Pond cross the Hell Gate Bridge
onto Long Island
.
In 2009, CSX announced that four ultra-low emission GenSet locomotives
will operate full-time at its Oak Point Yard where they will be used to switch cars
within the yard and for road switching
service. The GenSet locomotives, manufactured by National Railway Equipment Company
, reduce nitrous oxide
and particulate matter emissions by 80 percent and can reduce carbon dioxide
emissions by approximately 50 percent by monitoring engine idling and switching to "sleep" mode after a period of inactivity.
Oak Point Yard was formerly a Conrail facility, inherited from Penn Central, which in turn acquired the yard and associated lines in 1969 when it consummated a regulatory-induced, forced merger with the New Haven Railroad. In New Haven days it covered a much larger area and was also a transfer point for railroad car float
s that delivered railcars to waterfront terminals throughout New York Harbor.
Rail yard
A rail yard, or railroad yard, is a complex series of railroad tracks for storing, sorting, or loading/unloading, railroad cars and/or locomotives. Railroad yards have many tracks in parallel for keeping rolling stock stored off the mainline, so that they do not obstruct the flow of traffic....
located in the South Bronx
South Bronx
The South Bronx is an area of the New York City borough of The Bronx. The neighborhoods of Tremont, University Heights, Highbridge, Morrisania, Soundview, Hunts Point, and Castle Hill are sometimes considered part of the South Bronx....
, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. The yard is owned by CSX Transportation
CSX Transportation
CSX Transportation operates a Class I railroad in the United States known as the CSX Railroad. It is the main subsidiary of the CSX Corporation. The company is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, and owns approximately 21,000 route miles...
, and is a base for CSX's local deliveries in the area, including to the Hunts Point Cooperative Market
Hunts Point Cooperative Market
The Hunts Point Cooperative Market, a wholesale food market located on 60 acres in New York City's South Bronx district, is the largest food distribution center in the world...
and for trains that interchange freight with the New York and Atlantic Railway
New York and Atlantic Railway
The New York and Atlantic Railway is a short line railroad formed in 1997 to provide freight service over the tracks of the Long Island Rail Road, a public commuter rail agency which had decided to privatize its freight operations...
at Fresh Pond Junction in Queens. CP Rail formerly handled some freight in and out of Oak Point, but during late 2010 entered a haulage-rights agreement with CSX under which CSX handles and forwards its local traffic between Oak Point and the Albany, New York area. Stone-hauling trains belonging to the Providence & Worcester Railroad operate through Oak Point during trips between New Haven, Connecticut and the NY&A at Fresh Pond, but no P&W freight is actually handled in the yard. Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
owns and operates two electrified
Railway electrification system
A railway electrification system supplies electrical energy to railway locomotives and multiple units as well as trams so that they can operate without having an on-board prime mover. There are several different electrification systems in use throughout the world...
tracks for the Northeast Corridor
Northeast Corridor
The Northeast Corridor is a fully electrified railway line owned primarily by Amtrak serving the Northeast megalopolis of the United States from Boston in the north, via New York to Washington, D.C. in the south, with branches serving other cities...
Line, on the west side of the yard. CSX uses the Oak Point Link
Oak Point Link
The Oak Point Link is a long railroad line in the Bronx, New York City, USA, along the east bank of the Harlem River. It connects the Metro-North Railroad's Hudson Line with the Harlem River Yard and the CSX Transportation Oak Point Yard at the north end of the Hell Gate Bridge.The line,...
, a connecting track along the Harlem River, to travel between the yard and the Metro-North Hudson Line
Hudson Line (Metro-North)
Metro-North Railroad's Hudson Line is a commuter rail line running north from New York City along the east shore of the Hudson River. Metro-North service ends at Poughkeepsie, with Amtrak's Empire Corridor trains continuing north to and beyond Albany...
, which is its primary access route into New York, while the P&W stone trains enter via the Northeast Corridor line to the northeast. CSX and P&W trains to Fresh Pond cross the Hell Gate Bridge
Hell Gate Bridge
The Hell Gate Bridge or Hell's Gate Bridge is a steel through arch railroad bridge between Astoria in the borough of Queens and Randall's and Wards Islands in New York City, over a portion of the East River known...
onto Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
.
In 2009, CSX announced that four ultra-low emission GenSet locomotives
Diesel locomotive
A diesel locomotive is a type of railroad locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine, a reciprocating engine operating on the Diesel cycle as invented by Dr. Rudolf Diesel...
will operate full-time at its Oak Point Yard where they will be used to switch cars
Railroad car
A railroad car or railway vehicle , also known as a bogie in Indian English, is a vehicle on a rail transport system that is used for the carrying of cargo or passengers. Cars can be coupled together into a train and hauled by one or more locomotives...
within the yard and for road switching
Road switcher
A road switcher is a type of railroad locomotive used for delivering or picking up cars outside of a railroad yard. Since the road switcher must work some distance away from a yard, it needs to be able to operate at road speeds, it must also have high-visibility while it is switching, and it must...
service. The GenSet locomotives, manufactured by National Railway Equipment Company
National Railway Equipment Company
National Railway Equipment Company is a railroad equipment rebuilding and leasing company, headquartered in Mt. Vernon, Illinois. NREC sells rebuilt locomotives to railroad companies worldwide, with an emphasis on the North American market....
, reduce nitrous oxide
Nitrous oxide
Nitrous oxide, commonly known as laughing gas or sweet air, is a chemical compound with the formula . It is an oxide of nitrogen. At room temperature, it is a colorless non-flammable gas, with a slightly sweet odor and taste. It is used in surgery and dentistry for its anesthetic and analgesic...
and particulate matter emissions by 80 percent and can reduce carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide is a naturally occurring chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom...
emissions by approximately 50 percent by monitoring engine idling and switching to "sleep" mode after a period of inactivity.
Oak Point Yard was formerly a Conrail facility, inherited from Penn Central, which in turn acquired the yard and associated lines in 1969 when it consummated a regulatory-induced, forced merger with the New Haven Railroad. In New Haven days it covered a much larger area and was also a transfer point for railroad car float
Car float
A railroad car float or rail barge is an unpowered barge with rail tracks mounted on its deck. It is used to move railroad cars across water obstacles, or to locations they could not otherwise go, and is pushed by a towboat or towed by a tugboat...
s that delivered railcars to waterfront terminals throughout New York Harbor.