Railroad Terminals
See also: North River (Hudson River)In 1870 the city established the Department of Docks to systematize waterfront development, with George B. McClellan as the first engineer in chief.
By the turn of the 19th to 20th century numerous railroad terminals lined the western banks of the North River (Hudson River) in Hudson County, transporting passengers as well as freight from all over the United States. The freight was ferried across by the competing railroads with small fleets of towboats, barges, and 323 car floats, specially designed barges with rails so cars could be rolled on. New York subsidized this service which undercut rival ports. Major road improvements allowing for trucking and containerization diminished the need.
Read more about this topic: New York Harbor
Famous quotes containing the word railroad:
“People who make puns are like wanton boys that put coppers on the railroad tracks. They amuse themselves and other children, but their little trick may upset a freight train of conversation for the sake of a battered witticism.”
—Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. (1809–1894)