Pier 63 was the name for a former

Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad The Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad, also known as the DL&W or Lackawanna Railroad, was a U.S. Class 1 railroad that connected Buffalo, New York, and Hoboken, New Jersey, and by ferry with New York City, a distance of . The railroad was ...

railroad barge on the

Hudson River The Hudson River, historically the North River, is a river that flows from north to south largely through eastern New York (state), New York state. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains at Henderson Lake (New York), Henderson Lake in the ...

in Chelsea,

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. It was originally located near 23rd Street, adjacent to Chelsea Piers and

Hudson River Park Hudson River Park is a waterfront park on the North River (Hudson River) that extends from 59th Street south to Battery Park in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The park, a component of the Manhattan Waterfront Greenway, stretches and ...

. It had been purchased from a used car salesman in

Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is the southernmost of the boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County and situated at the southernmost point of New York (state), New York. The borough is separated from the ad ...

by John Krevey in October 1996 and delivered by a

tugboat A tugboat or tug is a marine vessel that manoeuvres other vessels by pushing or pulling them, with direct contact or a tow line. These boats typically tug ships in circumstances where they cannot or should not move under their own power, suc ...

. This barge formerly carried railroad boxcars across the

before the advent of containerized freight or tunnels beneath the river. The land side of Pier 63 was formerly used as a freight transfer station for the

Baltimore and Ohio The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was the oldest railroad in the United States and the first steam-operated common carrier. Construction of the line began in 1828, and it operated as B&O from 1830 until 1987, when it was merged into the Chessi ...

railroad where freight was moved from the boxcars on the barges to local conveyance. In the spring of 2007 the barge was relocated from 23rd Street to Pier 66A at 26th Street, on the Hudson River, and was renamed Pier 66 Maritime. The barge currently has an Erie Lackawanna caboose on display. LV-115 Pier 66a jeh

Two historical boats were primarily located here: the

lightvessel A lightvessel, or lightship, is a ship that acts as a lighthouse. It is used in waters that are too deep or otherwise unsuitable for lighthouse construction. Although some records exist of fire beacons being placed on ships in Roman times, the ...

'' Frying Pan'' and the

fireboat A fireboat or Fire-float Pyronaut, fire-float is a specialized watercraft with pumps and nozzles designed for fighting shoreline and shipboard fires. The first fireboats, dating to the late 18th century, were tugboats, retrofitted with ...

'' John J. Harvey''. On the same Pier 66A, there are storage facilities for

kayak ] A kayak is a small, narrow human-powered watercraft typically propelled by means of a long, double-bladed paddle. The word ''kayak'' originates from the Inuktitut word '' qajaq'' (). In British English, the kayak is also considered to be ...

s, as well as a dock to launch.

New York Water Taxi New York Water Taxi (NYWT) is a water taxi service based in New York City. It offers sightseeing, charter, and commuter services mainly to points along the East River and Hudson River. It is one of several private operators of ferry, ferries, s ...

once had a stop on the Pier. John Krevey, who ran ''Pier 66 Maritime'', died on February 4, 2011. Krevey was one of the earliest members of Friends of

and a member of the Friends’ board of directors until 2010.Remembering John Krevey - Hero of the Harbor
(Haggerty, Betsy Frawley). ''Boating on the Hudson'', April 2011. Retrieved June 13, 2019.

References

External links

*
Lightship Frying PanJohn J. HarveyManhattan Kayak CompanyNew York Water TaxiNew York Central Tugboat No. 13
Transportation buildings and structures in Manhattan 63 Chelsea, Manhattan 23rd Street (Manhattan) 63 West Side Highway {{Manhattan-struct-stub