21st Century Long Island Freight

The New York & Atlantic RR services Coastal Distribution; a transload facility for construction and demolition debris (C&D).  It is built on the previous LIRR site of an existing wye that extended north of the main line.  

Coastal is one of NY&A's largest customers. It loads about 10-15 gondolas 6 days a week. I believe it has its own trucks (I've seen at least 5 tractor trailers) and its own railcars (CDEX cars). It is an empties-in/loads-out operation.

It may recycle some metal found in the debris that the tractor trailers bring in, but the majority of the waste is C&D (sheetrock, lumber, etc.)  This is what the corrugated steel shed on the east leg of the wye houses. The trucks dump their loads and then in it is loaded by grapple and loaders into the high side gondolas for disposal in landfills. (Sent to Ohio, I believe.)

The west wye leg crosses New Highway and enters the fenced property through a gate.  Coastal Distribution. However, currently, switching is performed on the east leg of the wye only. Loads are pulled out, then the empties are shoved in, both on the east leg of the wye. It doesn't make sense to put the emptied through the west leg, as the engines are on the wrong end of the drag. Usually the job that switches coastal takes care of business there, then either continues east to Wyandanch to switch the container customer before heading back west, or they just run around at Farmingdale and head back from there.

A new longer siding has been laid north of the team track and it looks like it extends far enough west to reach a sand and gravel lot. 

The wye goes back to the early 20th century, c.1916, when Bloch and Guggenheimer (B&G) Pickle's siding occupied the west wye leg site area followed by Republic Aviation during WW II, when in full swing, building fighter planes for the war effort. As the LIRR rules prevented steam engines from running tender first on the main line, the wye was essential for turning them for the westbound runs. The building was later used as a warehouse. 

Farmingdale wye - Coastal Distribution, LLC aerial 
Note: Abandoned ex-B&G Pickles/Republic siding prior to raze in 3/2013
 

Paraco has three spots for  LPG tank car unloading on their siding; located at 44 Kroemer Ave., Riverhead. The eight white tanks have a capacity of 30,000 gallons of propane, but are not filled all the way to allow for expansion. I was told they are filled with about 28,000 gallons. Info: Steve Rothaug

Last moves of the year. The New York and Atlantic Railway RS-20 brought a cut of Waste Management refuse cars to Brooklyn, NY on Sunday, December 31, 2017. Progress Rail PR20B pair 300-301 are the newest engines on the NY&A and are a popular target when running together. Marc Glucksman

The MTA NYC Transit Bus Grand Ave. Depot in the background. NYA GP-38 #271 leads #268 as they shove back into the warehouse with loaded box cars. These units served passengers for over two decades on the MTA LIRR before accruing almost as much time on their present assignment in freight service. Marc Glucksman

Float on! The car floats of the NYNJ RR at the Brooklyn Army Terminal serve as a modern to link to mostly forgotten form of transportation. Freight cars from Bayonne, NJ arrive by barge, and are mostly transferred to the New York and Atlantic Railway. On Sunday, January 14, 2018, the NY&A made an unusual Sunday 
daylight run down the Bay Ridge Branch to make an exchange of cars with MP15ACs 155 and 156.