Supermarkets deliveries by rail?

[Steampunk]

Does Wegmans supermarkets get any warehouse deliveries by rail?

[scharnhorst]

You would think someone as progressive of Wegmans would be all into this....Speaking of which do they get any Reefer Cars or who does get Reefer Cars in Rochester? I have seen them around

I worked for Wegmans for 4 years in the Syracuse Div. They do not have Rail service to any of there warehouses. Everything is either trucked in or flown in by plane to Rochester Airport. The PA operations are the same. Truckers in NY are Teamsters Union PA drivers are not Union. Store level people are not Union and the warehouse's are full of Vietnamese. If you work Nights you have 30 min to get from one store to another if you are sent to help out if they are short in night crew people. You get 1 hour travel time to the store and 1 hour paid travel time when you leave. You must fill out the log book out side of the cash office when you arrive and depart the store that you have been sent to.

[Memster1]

The warehouse on Brooks Avenue (1500 Brooks Ave Roch 14624) used to have rail service from the Rochester & Southern back in early 80's. I recall seeing flour deliveries and boxcars. I know it know longer does and am not sure when the rails were pulled up.

[CPSD40-2]

Generally relevant to the conversation, the P&C warehouse in Syracuse used to have rail service that went into the building. I am not sure when they stopped servicing them, but even before the building was closed down as P&C went through bankruptcy, the wall was bricked over and the switch was taken out.

[scharnhorst]

Generally relevant to the conversation, the P&C warehouse in Syracuse used to have rail service that went into the building. I am not sure when they stopped servicing them, but even before the building was closed down as P&C went through bankruptcy, the wall was bricked over and the switch was taken out.

The P&C warehouse stopped taking in rail service around 1995 or 1996. The switch was still in place up till about 200? something I remember seeing a 25 ton railroad crane parked on there a few times. The Overhead door where the rail cars went in is still in place and was replaced with a standard over head garage door the guys used to open the door at night to let cool air in the building in the summer.

[Otto Vondrak]

I'll blow this one wide open and mention that the A&P warehouse that was located on the NYC/PC Putnam Division at East View was good for ten reefers a day until it shut down in1 1975. This was the only thing keeping this segment of track in service, and the Put was immediately cut back to Chauncey.

There was a Grand Union warehouse located in Mount Kisco on the NYC/PC Harlem Division, and they were getting deliveries until the early 1990s when that operation shut down. Siding was finally removed in 1998 or so.

Any other major supermarket warehousing operations served by rail in New York State?

-otto-

[scharnhorst]

I'll blow this one wide open and mention that the A&P warehouse that was located on the NYC/PC Putnam Division at East View was good for ten reefers a day until it shut down in1 1975. This was the only thing keeping this segment of track in service, and the Put was immediately cut back to Chauncey.

There was a Grand Union warehouse located in Mount Kisco on the NYC/PC Harlem Division, and they were getting deliveries until the early 1990s when that operation shut down. Siding was finally removed in 1998 or so.

Any other major supermarket warehousing operations served by rail in New York State?

-otto-

How about Safeway Foods? I think they had some stores in NY. Anyone know anything on Tops Markets?

[Hudsonrail]

Otto, Do you know of any photos that exist showing of the Grand Union and A&P warehouses.
Stan Madyda

[SST]

I believe the warehouse operated by Peter J Shmidt [Bells] on Genesee St in Cheektowaga received RR service via the West Shore. The row still exists going up to the building. Here is a picture from awhile back that I took when Corman was tearing it [wsrr] apart. http://www.railfan.net/railpix/submit/s ... siding.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[BR&P]

In earlier days, Star Markets in Rochester did a very large business with NYC/PC. Their Humboldt Street warehouse had an indoor track that took...6?...8?...cars a day, and there was usually a track in the yard assigned to hold their cars until ordered in. That was one of the first orders of business for the East Base crew (EB-1) each morning. And since railroads are sometimes slow to make changes, the place was still referred to as "Harts" even though it had been Star Markets for some time.

Also, A&P at one time had a huge warehouse in Horseheads.

[lvrr325]

Right up until they took the switch out rebuilding for the current Syracuse Amtrak station, you'd still see a carload of fruit or other stuff go into the Regional Market once in a while, or into the wholesaler who's store is now the vacant lot next to the Wendys.

Birds-Eye in Fulton was an originating point for frozen food, I believe, at least it was good for a few cars a week before it closed.

[umtrr-author]

Another possibility, about which I know nothing... How about the A&P / Ann Page facility down in Elmira? (It hasn't been a grocery warehouse for some time.)

[CPSD40-2]

If we're talking about history here, The Market Basket had a huge warehouse complex in Geneva just West of Rt 14 on the north side of town, which was served by the NYC/PC Auburn Line. I think it may have also been served by the LV through the maze of tracks next to the American Can building. I don't know any details about when any tracks came out, or when it was shut down as a warehouse, but the building was demolished back in 2003. CCN ( a high end office furniture company ) still uses the remaining portion of the building for its shops, which likely is where the siding was located on the Auburn Line.

[Otto Vondrak]

Otto, Do you know of any photos that exist showing of the Grand Union and A&P warehouses.
Stan Madyda

There's pictures of PC switching out the A&P warehouse in East View in my book "Forgotten Rairoads Through Westchester County," p. 29 and 30.

-otto-

[nessman]

Another possibility, about which I know nothing... How about the A&P / Ann Page facility down in Elmira? (It hasn't been a grocery warehouse for some time.)

Nor has it been a warehouse for some time either - as it was demolished to make way for a couple of shopping centers in 2006.

http://binged.it/1kAvEQv" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;