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Ed Devlin, Former New York Central Railroad Worker

January 07, 2010
Author: 
admin
Categories: 
Historical
History
Rail Yards
ed devlinEd Devlin, on his wedding day in 1950, and working at the Metropolitan Museum in 2009
 

We were recently lucky enough to speak with a former New York Central Railroad employee named Ed Devlin. Sixty years ago, Ed worked at the rail yards that fed onto the High Line when it was part of a working railroad. He was kind enough to share his memories from long before the park in the sky was ever known as the High Line.

ED: It was 1949, and I had just come out of the Marine Corps. I worked at New York Central from 1949 to 1953. My hours were 6:00 PM to 2:00 AM – devastating hours for a newlywed. Approximately once a week, I'd be sent over to the rail yards at 10th to 12th  Avenue in the west 70's. My job was just to look at the freight train as it went by.

I would stand there near a spotlight and do two things. I had to write down the name of each freight car – New York Central, Bangor & Maine, Pennsylvania Railroad, Santa Fe, etc. – and the number on the car, which had something like nine or ten digits. And even though the train was moving at maybe eight or nine miles an hour, it went by fast. It was tricky. I had to remember the names and numbers and write quickly.

At first I wondered why I was doing this. And then I found out that each railroad would charge the other railroads a passage fee for using their tracks. Additionally, it was important to make sure the cars were in the right order for every building scheduled for the drop. The cars' numbers related to their proper order.

NEW! High Line Web Shop

January 07, 2010
Author: 
admin
Categories: 
Links
High Line Opening Season Umbrella.
 

We're proud to announce the launch of our new High Line Web Shop!

Fire Escape Music

January 05, 2010
Author: 
admin
Categories: 
Community

2009 in Pictures

January 01, 2010
Author: 
admin
Categories: 
Construction
Design
Press
Art
High Line
Video
Photography
Community
Events
Horticulture
On the High Line

Dear Friends,

2009 has been a remarkable year for the High Line. After spending the spring working on the final stages of construction, we opened the first section of the park in June. Since then, we estimate that nearly 2 million people have visited. We hope you were among these first visitors to the High Line, and that you return again and again in 2010.

The High Line's first year as a public park has been truly amazing. We've pulled together some of our favorite pictures from this incredible, historic year. We hope you enjoy them!

We hope you'll continue to support the High Line as we prepare for 2010.

Many thanks, and happy New Year,


signature
 

2009
 

Park visitors stroll and relax on the Diller von Furstenberg Sundeck between 14th and 15th Streets. The Sundeck is one of the High Line's most popular gathering spots, especially for sunbathers on bright summer days, and as a place to watch the sunset. Photo by Iwan Baan

"...The High Line is a hit, and not just with tourists but with New Yorkers who are openly relishing a place where they can reflect and relax enough to get a new perspective on Manhattan."
– Diane Cardwell, For High Line Visitors, Park is a Railway Out of Manhattan, New York Times

The High Line is Open on New Year's Day

December 31, 2009
Author: 
admin
Categories: 
On the High Line
Operations
pipeVia ButterFly Project's Flickr Photostream.
 

Where Have All the Trailers Gone?

December 23, 2009
Author: 
admin
Categories: 
Construction
High Line
M&O
On the High Line
Operations

In addition to all the shoveling the High Line staff did to keep the park open this weekend, our temporary Maintenance & Operations facility has been moved down to the southern entrance of the High Line, at street level. In order to get ready for the joining of Section 1 to Section 2 (still under construction) the M&O trailers (where our gardeners, maintenance workers, and Rangers house equipment and offices) were moved 10 blocks south, just west of the Gansevoort Stairway.

trailerM&O container being lifted off of the 20th Street location and moved to ground level
at Gansevoort & Washington Streets. Photo by Jenny Staley.
 

The trailers and containers were crane-lifted off the High Line and loaded onto flatbed trucks that transported everything to their new southern location, where they will rest until construction for the new Whitney Museum begins at Gansevoort and Washington Street, adjacent to the High Line.

trailerContainer being set down into its new location just west of the Gansevoort Entrance.
Photo by Jenny Staley.
 

The First Big Snow

December 23, 2009
Author: 
admin
Categories: 
High Line
On the High Line
Operations
M&O

If you haven't already caught glimpses of the High Line dressed in white, check out this snow-strewn photo that our Maintenance & Operations staff took this weekend.

pipeThe Diller - von Furstenberg Sundeck under a white blanket.
 

In order to clear the snow, the crew used various tools and equipment including: a Bobcat mini-tracker with spinning broom, power brooms, push brooms, snow-blowers, shovels, and eco-friendly ice melt. Brooms (and power brooms) are the best way to remove snow safely and efficiently from the concrete planking and pathways.

High Line among New York Times 2009 Architectural Triumphs

December 21, 2009
Author: 
admin
Categories: 
Press
high linePhoto by Librado Romero/The New York Times.
 

Lab School Chorus Braves the Cold to Bring the Cheer

December 18, 2009
Author: 
admin
Categories: 
Programming
Photo by Joan Garvin
 

An Award for the High Line

December 17, 2009
Author: 
admin
Categories: 
Design
Press
Art

We are proud to announce that the High Line has been bestowed with an award from the U.S. section of the International Association of Art Critics: First Prize for "Best Show in a Public Space."  I have the honor of accepting this award at a reception at the Guggenheim Museum, alongside esteemed colleagues. A complete list of awardees is here (PDF).  Thank you AICA USA!

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