| OK, so where was that lead? It's all gone today - only the 490 bridge remains. The lead may be gone, but the Charlotte Runner is still there: As a point of reference, I mated up my photo with a screen grab of a Charlie Ricker image (off railroad.net) of obviously newer vintage to indicate the relationship. The two photos share the same concrete bridge support under the 490 overpass. More from DRBrown: ".. right in that area were several sizable customers in NYC days. South of Maple Ave, west of the track, was Tobin Packing which used to get cars of hogs. South of what is now I-490, the Water Tower Industrial Building used to be Yawman and Erbe. And between 490 and Maple, east of the track, was Castle-Hanson, which was a manufacturer of glass bottles and jars - they received cars of silica, limestone and whatever else goes into making glass. And south of Maple, east of the track was Flanigan Furniture, who received by rail back then. And there were many more - rail customers were right next door to each other right on down the line, one after another. Each afternoon, the parade of locals would come dragging into Goodman Street from the west side - the Kent Street KS2, YT-1 from over by the B&O/PRR, KS4 from the Subway when it was NYC's turn to operate that. Cars from Otis. Anywhere from 20 to 40, sometimes more, cars on each." (Edited) [photo date approximate] |