“Wash Train at the Paper Works”
On a dreary November 21st, 2025, Staten Island Railway’s “Wash Train” passes the massive former Louis De Jonge Paper Works Company building in the Rosebank neighborhood of Staten Island, New York as it makes a round trip on the main line. The Wash Train, comprising a former New York City Transit R22 subway car (SIR RD344) and sprayer flatcar (SIR OF663) sandwiched between two Brookville BL20G locomotives (BMEX 777 and BMEX 778), is dispatched by SIR during leaf season as a backup to the LaserTrain to help clear debris from the rails.
Founded in 1846, the Louis De Jonge Paper Works Co. specialized in coated, colored, printed, and embossed papers for packaging, label printing, and box coverings. They were best known for producing the signature "Tiffany blue" paper used in Tiffany’s shopping bags and gift wrap. In 1919, the company moved into the building seen here, which featured a rail spur connecting directly to the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad for shipping and receiving materials. After filing for bankruptcy in 1975, the building sat vacant for years before being repurposed by American Self Storage, which has since painted it in red, white, and blue.