Marble Hill Marvel. While the sun was setting, CSX Q704-06 was making its way out of New York City quite early relative to the usual departure time on September 6, 2021. The unusual south/eastbound Q701 (now M701) attracts quite a bit of attention when it travels under daylight, but in fact the north/westbound departure of Q704 (now M702) under sunlight is much less common. The 'Bright Future' paint scheme of CSXT 475 (AC44CW) makes for a distinctive sight as it travels past the former New York Central Railroad power station and along Track 4 along the curve on the Harlem River and it makes its way to Selkirk, New York from Oak Point Yard in the Bronx, New York. This area of New York City is called Marble Hill and is not technically, but actually, part of Manhattan and New York County, meaning that this is the only part of Manhattan served by a railroad freight. In 1817, a canal was dug around the area which had previously been connected to Manhattan Island, making it into a separate island, and in 1895, the canal was expanded. But in 1913, the land was filled in, connecting it to Bronx County. An annual celebration in May during Bronx Week marks "Marble Hill Annexation Day" when a group of tongue-in-cheek colonial dressed locals attempt to "take" the area for the Bronx but are "repelled". A look at the map for the MTA NYCT Subway 1 Line will show the borough change after the 225 Street Station, and over the years, local residents fought to retain the 212 area code (when this was a relevant distinction) and continue to vote and serve jury duty in New York County.
A continuously growing album of photos that IMHO reveal the awesome and seldom-seen beauty of the railroad world from the dimming of day to dawn's early light! From dusk to dawn, trains roll on! (I'm still finding gems of sunset-to-sunrise surprises!)
