The former Reading Company McMyler coal dumper sits abandoned along the Arthur Kill. Named "Big Mac", it was built in 1917 and was manned by small crew of twelve workers. Big Mac could unload a rail car every two and a half minutes onto barges destined for NY, CT, and MA. It handled its millionth ton of coal in 1934. A fire in 1951 put the coal dumper out of commission. After four months of rebuilding, the dumper was back in service. Conrail took over in 1976 but Big Mac was still in operation, serving the few power plants left that still used coal. Finally in 1983 it was shut down for good, having not been used since. Big Mac is the last of it's kind left in the New York area. A plaque stands beside the road nearby to commemorate Big Mac's operation.
