Crumbling Building Behind Baxter Pond

This building can be seen along the path behind Baxter Pond in Port Washington, NY.

Search for Steam Locomotive under Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn

In the April 29, 2010 issue of AM New York, there was an article about the search for a buried steam locomotive, possibly the world's oldest, under Atlantic Ave. in Brooklyn. The tunnel itself was undiscovered until 1980, when Brooklyn resident Bob Diamond was able to obtain a copy of the plans, and used them to find the right manhole, with the help of the NYCDEP and Brooklyn Union Gas Co.

The tunnel was originally built in 1844 as part of a LIRR link to Boston, and closed in 1861. Until Diamond found it, the city had denied its existence, but it was well known to many including Walt Whitman who visited it and wrote about it.

At the same time that the tunnel was closed, two steam locomotives disappeared from the LIRR official roster. Diamond believes that the trains may be buried in the tunnel, as the technology for disposing of them did not exist at the time. It is not so unlikely as similar trains have been found buried in Virginia and North Carolina. Diamond hopes to enlist the help of National Geographic to unearth the locomotives and produce a documentary.

Bob Diamond gives narrated walking tours of the tunnel on Sunday afternoons.