Wooden spools in Grays Ferry

A neighbourhood next to a redevelopment

Grays Ferry sits on the east bank of the Schuylkill in southwest Philadelphia, a row-house neighbourhood bounded by the river, the rail lines and the industrial land to its south. For most of a century that land was the South Philadelphia refinery complex. It is now being rebuilt. WHYY reported in April 2024 that construction had started on the first warehouse of the Bellwether District, Hilco Redevelopment Partners' plan to turn about 1,300 acres of the former refinery site into a logistics campus and a manufacturing hub. Redevelopment on that scale means new substations, new power and communications lines across the site, and building after building wired from scratch. All of it runs on cable that arrives on reels.

Reels from the redevelopment

Large logistics buildings use a lot of cable: medium-voltage service to the building, big feeders to the switchgear, distribution to lighting, dock doors, chargers for electric forklifts and refrigeration where there is cold storage. The reels left behind are mostly nailed wood in the 36- to 72-inch range, with some bolted reels and some steel reels that belong to the cable makers. Site infrastructure, such as new duct banks and lighting along new roads, adds more large reels. Those piles collect in contractor compounds on site and in laydown yards nearby, and they turn over as each building is finished.

Reels from the neighbourhood

North of the industrial land, Grays Ferry's own streets produce the small-reel side of the trade: plywood spools and 24-inch reels from rewires, new row-house construction and small commercial work along Grays Ferry Avenue and Washington Avenue. Those are carried out of houses and back yards, and grouped with other pickups in South and Southwest Philadelphia.

Getting a truck in

Grays Ferry Avenue crosses the Schuylkill on the Grays Ferry Avenue bridge and runs through the neighbourhood toward South Philadelphia. Passyunk Avenue crosses the river on its own bridge further south, next to the redevelopment land. I-76 runs along the far bank of the Schuylkill with exits at Grays Ferry Avenue and Passyunk Avenue. For loads heading to New Jersey, the Walt Whitman Bridge is a short drive east along I-76. Construction sites on the former refinery land have controlled gates and set truck routes; give the gate and the contact in your request.

Working with a big site

On a site of this size, several electrical contractors may be working at once, each with its own reel pile. A clear-out works best when each contractor sends its own list, so each gets its own record and returnable reels are credited to the right company. If a general contractor wants one visit to clear several piles, list them separately in the same request. Steel reels and stencilled returnables are set aside and listed by maker and number for whichever contractor bought the cable.

Ground conditions

Former industrial land can be uneven, soft after rain, or crossed by temporary roads that change week to week. Large reels need firm, level ground for a forklift to reach them. If reels are standing on loose fill or mud, mention it; timbers under the forklift path, or moving the reels to hardstanding before pickup day, can make the difference between a quick load and a wasted trip.

Row-house pickups in 19146

For homes, the same rules as the rest of South and Southwest Philadelphia apply: say where the reels are, how many steps there are, and whether a truck can stop on the block. Small pickups wait for a truck already working nearby, which in Grays Ferry is often, given the construction to the south.

Buying near Grays Ferry

Makers and gardeners in the neighbourhood ask for small spools and table reels. Deliveries in 19146 and 19145 ride with pickups in the area.

Timing around the build-out

A redevelopment of this size runs for years, building by building. Each building's electrical work follows a pattern: big feeder and medium-voltage pulls early, then a long tail of branch wiring and fit-out. The large reels appear in the first months and the small spools later. Planning pickups around those phases, rather than waiting for the end, keeps reels from sitting outside through a winter.

Schuylkill bridges and the riverbank trail

Trails along the Schuylkill now link the neighbourhood with Bartram's Garden on the far bank. Trail lighting and bridge works sometimes leave drums for collection.

Hospitals and university neighbours

Children's Hospital and the University of Pennsylvania lie just across the river, and their contractors sometimes stage material nearby.

Wharton and Tasker streets

Corner taprooms, recreation centres and churches on Wharton, Tasker and Reed streets are being refreshed too. Volunteers clearing a rec-centre basement might uncover forgotten drums, which we happily take.

Questions

Can you collect reels from a site that has not finished construction?

Yes, as long as the contractor in charge of the pile agrees and the site's rules for visiting trucks are followed.

Do the reels from the refinery land need special handling?

Empty cable reels from new construction are ordinary reels. Wood that has been in contact with contaminated soil or oil is kept out of mulch and handled separately; mention it if you know of any.