The Port Reading McMyler Coal Dumper

Port Reading is a small unincorporated community in Middlesex County. Though technically part of Woodbridge, Port Reading was given the name as it was founded expressly for the needs of the the Reading Railroad. The port was tied to the main Reading artery by a line called the Port Reading Railroad which opened in 1892. Several unique historical features distinguish the region from the rest of Woodbridge. One such piece of history is the McMyler Coal Dumper, one of the most impressive industrial advances of the time.

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The McMyler Coal Dumper was invented in 1917 by the McMyler Interstate Company of Bedford, Ohio. The system relied on a combination of gravity, heavy machinery, and manpower. Full coal cars would ride up the track and come to a full stop. A "pig block" would catch the car underneath and bring it up a ramp.The McMyler would use a system of cables and platforms to lift and turn the car on its side to dump the contents into an metal arm which extended over a barge in the water below. Men on the barge would then work to distribute the coal evenly to prevent the water vessel from flipping. When the car was empty it was turned back over, where if successful it would leave the Dumper, ascend a steep grade, switch tracks, and leave on an exit track. With everything running smoothly the dumper could unload a full car every two and a half minutes. This complicated system can be seen in this video, filmed by a rail fan who built his own model McMyler.

One such dumper was erected in Port Reading the same year, making it one of the first put into service. The region had a huge demand for coal, as that was the most widely used fuel for generating stations and industrial facilities throughout the northeast. McMyler dumpers popped up in South Amboy, Perth Amboy, and Jersey City, shuffling tons of Appalachian coal from train to barge for decades.

In 1951 a large fire damaged the Port Reading McMyler. The machinery was pulled from the water, and rebuilt using the salvaged remains of one of the many other dumpers in the region. The newly rebuilt Port Reading McMyler continued to churn out coal until 1982. Coal had been falling out of favor due to its inefficiency and the toll it took on the environment. As power generation got more advanced, the massive old coal dumpers were rendered useless.

The site was listed by Preservation New Jersey as one of the top ten endangered historic sites in the state in 2004. Despite this the property was still abandoned, and nothing was done to stabilize the dumper. When hurricane Irene hit in 2011 she caused significant further damage. The cables holding the coal chute failed, and the entire arm fell into the river. A few years later the property was sold to a redevelopment company. They built a parking lot over the former dumpers spur, forever bisecting the McMyler from the rest of the Port Reading line, now owned by Conrail. The company that bought the land has kept an open mind towards the preservation of this crumbling piece of history. Unfortunately, given the condition it's in, its only a matter of time before it ones again sinks into the river again as it did in 1951. The next time it happens there will certainly be no rebuilding it. The Port Reading McMyler is the last of its kind anywhere in the region, and one of only a handful left anywhere in the world. If you want to go take a look, the time to visit is now.