Central Railroad of Long Island
Encyclopedia
Central Railroad of Long Island is a former railroad on Long Island built by Alexander Turney Stewart
, who was also the founder of Garden City
. The railroad was established in 1871, was merged with the Flushing and North Side Railroad
in 1874 to form the Flushing, North Shore, and Central Railroad, and was finally acquired by the Long Island Rail Road
in 1876, and divided into separate branches. Despite its short existence, the CRRLI had a major impact on railroading and development on Long Island.
terminating at the Babylon shoreline along a part of the mainline referred to as the Babylon extension. The line from Flushing
east to Hempstead Crossing along with a branch line to Hempstead opened on January 8, 1873 with the rest of the line opening in 1874. In Flushing, Stewart entered into an agreement with the FNSRR gaining tracking rights for his trains to continue west from Flushing and onto Long Island City. The railroad was to serve many purposes. Stewart wanted to develop a planned community and in 1872 started building Garden City
in the western Nassau (then Queens County). The CRRLI was designed to provide residents of the new community with train service to Long Island City where they could then catch ferries into Manhattan
, and summer excursion service to the Babylon shoreline. Additionally the CRRLI would provide the materials that aided in the construction of Garden City by carrying them between the Bethpage brickworks and the Garden City construction site. The railroad would also be used to provide freight service between the various docks in Babylon and Long Island City.
In 1874 Stewart merged the CRRLI with FNSRR forming the Flushing, North Side, and Central Railroad. Also in 1874, the CRRLI also purchased the Southern Railroad of Long Island
(SRRLI). Just before Stewart's death in 1876, a financial backer of the CRRLI, rubber baron Conrad Poppenhusen
, bought a majority share of the LIRR, with each of the newer railways leased to the LIRR. Declaring bankruptcy in 1877, the LIRR was placed in receivership that October. Austin Corbin
bought possession of the system in 1881, and consolidated all the railroads on Long Island under the LIRR, forming the railroads intricate system of rail lines. In consolidating the lines the CRRLI would be fragmented into several branch lines that throughout the 1900s would serve the LIRR in a number of different ways. In 1893 the LIRR bought out all remaining claims to the Stewart Line from Flushing to Bethpage Junction.
. What was left between Floral Park and Creedmoor was deemed the Creedmoor Branch
by the LIRR.
The Creedmoor branch originally served passengers for a few short years traveling to the National Rifle Range, which predated the Creedmoor Psychiatric Hospital. The branch was poorly situated, however, in that it had no direct connection to Jamaica Station. Passengers traveling east from Jamaica to Creedmoor had to change at Floral Park then backtrack on a shuttle train to Creedmoor. Eventually the branch was downgraded to a secondary track and was mostly used throughout the twentieth century as a freight branch for Creedmoor Hospital with daily coal deliveries. The branch, however, was important enough for the LIRR to undertake several grade crossing elimination projects along the line, most notably with the construction of a large steel trestle, built in the 1930s, to take the branch over Jamaica Avenue
/Jericho Turnpike. The line was used for this nominal service until the late sixties when finally it was put out of service. The tracks were pulled up around 1973 with the trestle over Jamaica Avenue/Jericho Turnpike being dismantled in 1980. The right of way was absorbed by many of the homeowners who were given an opportunity to buy the land that adjoined their properties.
By the late 20th century there were few remains of the branch. Much of the Kissena Park
corridor was built on former railroad property. A section of rail, that had been paved over, still exists on the Creedmoor property. Stewart Avenue and the uniquely angled street pattern in the Glen Oaks area of Queens, which was built around the branch near Winchester Boulevard, still mark the path of the right of way. In addition, a section of the right-of-way between Jericho Turnpike and South Tulip Street is an all-handicapped parking space for Floral Park station
that requires either a daily fee or a Village of Floral Park Resident/Non-Residential permit.
includes part of the CRRLI from Floral Park, New York
to Garden City, New York
, and part of the original Hempstead Branch which ran south of the LIRR Main Line ran from Mineola, ending just west of the current terminal in Hempstead. It opened on July 4, 1839 as the first branch of the LIRR. The main line was extended east from Hempstead Crossing opened May 26, 1873. The Central Railroad's successor, the FNS&C, was leased to the LIRR on May 3, 1876, and in June a connection at Hempstead Crossing was built, allowing trains from Mineola to use the ex-Central's Hempstead Branch, which ran parallel to the LIRR's Hempstead Branch track south of the Central. The original LIRR Hempstead Branch was abandoned south of Hempstead Crossing.
The old Central main line through Hempstead was named the Central Branch
by the LIRR, while the line from Mineola on the LIRR's Main Line south past Hempstead Crossing to Hempstead was the Hempstead Branch. The New York Bay Extension Railroad opened the current West Hempstead Branch
in 1893, resulting in a realignment of the Hempstead Branch back to the LIRR's original Hempstead Branch from Hempstead Crossing south to Meadow Street to better connect to the new line. The former CRRLI's Hempstead Branch that ran parallel track was abandoned in 1907.
The current route of the Hempstead Branch, from Queens Village east along the Main Line and Central Branch
and south along the Hempstead Branch to Hempstead, was electrified on May 26, 1908. The then-Hempstead Branch north to Mineola was electrified on October 20, 1926, along with the West Hempstead Branch
. The line north of Hempstead Crossing last saw passenger service on September 14, 1935, and was abandoned for freight in 1965. This meant that all Hempstead Branch trains now left the main line at Queens Village, and at some point the old Central Branch west of Hempstead Crossing was renamed as part of the Hempstead Branch.
in central Nassau County at the location of the current day Nassau Coliseum, and on through what is today Eisenhower Park
until Bethpage Junction. From there, one branch, the Bethpage Branch, turned north to Stewart's brickworks in present-day Old Bethpage. A second branch turned south-east to Babylon via the Babylon extension. The only areas of this CRRLI line that were very populated were around Hempstead and Babylon, and low ridership led to financial difficulties and a reduction in service. A bright spot for this Stewart line came in 1918 when Mitchel Field, an Air Force base, opened up in the Hempstead Plains. After the war ended, passenger usage again declined, but the line continued to be used for freight from Mitchel Field along with the other industries that opened up around the field.
In 1925 the Montauk Branch along southern Long Island between Jamaica and Babylon was electrified, providing more efficient and faster service to Babylon, thus further hurting ridership on the Stewart line. Also in 1925, the connection with Babylon was severed when the Bethpage Junction
was reconfigured to connect the Main Line with the Montauk Branch. The Babylon Extension was fully rebuilt and became known as the current-day LIRR Central Branch. The portion of the line from Garden City to Plainedge/Bethpage came to be referred to as the Central Extension.
In 1939 the Central Extension between Garden City and the end of line in Bethpage was abandoned for regular passenger service. During World War II the eastern portion of the rail was removed and sold for scrap. After World War II a portion of the track was rebuilt to move materials for the construction of Levittown
. For a while the LIRR ran a shuttle service between Garden City and Island Trees/Plainedge area (the right of way past Plainedge to Bethpage Junction was not rebuilt) for both the Levitt construction and to service Mitchel Field. However, by the early 1950s the Levitt construction gradually came to an end and Mitchel Field began to gradually curtail its operations as the surrounding areas began their suburban development. The LIRR had initially wanted to rebuild the entire branch to serve the new community of Levittown, however, Levitt did not want the railroad running through the town. Shuttle service to Plainedge thus ended in 1953 with the rails being pulled up again to just west of the Meadowbrook Parkway. For a while a few passenger trains ran down the remaining portion of the line to service the old Roosevelt Raceway until the 1960s.
The LIRR continued to use the line in its freight service, officially giving the line its current name the Garden City-Mitchell Field Secondary. A large freight yard remained in Garden City servicing some local industries such as A&P
, General Bronze, and Newsday
. Many plans were developed by the LIRR during the fifties and sixties to use the remaining portion of trackage and build a "Nassau Hub" that would service the many new retail outfits that sprung up in the area such as Roosevelt Field Mall
, as well as the newly built Nassau Coliseum, and Nassau Community College
, which was built on part of the Mitchel Field site. However, lack of resources (at the time the bankrupt LIRR was in the process of being bought by the MTA
from the Pennsylvania Railroad
), as well as community opposition from residents in Garden City shelved those plans. As the years went on the remaining freight customers along the line also disappeared.
In 1997 the LIRR decided to privatize its freight services by contracting them out to a newly developed short line the New York and Atlantic Railway
(NYAR), however, NYAR has no customers using the line. Today the line is primarily used for the Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus train, which uses the secondary and the Garden City yard to store its trains when the circus makes its yearly visit to Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
. During the rest of the year, the line remains rather dormant except for a couple of equipment moves by the LIRR.
Today the right of way east of Meadowbrook Parkway can still plainly been seen as the Long Island Power Authority
has lined the right of way with utility poles. Part of the embankment of the old R.O.W. east of Eisenhower Park
can also still be seen. The Clinton Road
station and its low level platforms still exists along the R.O.W of the secondary with the station house being used for the Garden City Fire Department. In recent years there have been calls to reactivate passenger service on the remaining portion of the line to serve as part of the formerly proposed Nassau Hub which would service the area around Nassau Coliseum, Nassau Community College
, and the Roosevelt Field and Fortunoff
shopping malls.
The Long Island Motor Parkway
ran mostly parallel north of this line in the section east of Meadowbrook Parkway, and the land there is presently a right-of way for Long Island Power Authority
lines.
was the source of construction of Garden City, New York
. The line was originally built by the CRRLI in June 1873, primarily for the purpose of serving Stewart's local brick manufacturing plant, known as Bethpage Brickworks, and also served a pickle factory. It ran north from a station at the present-day split between the Ronkonkoma Branch
and Central Branch
(then called the Bethpage Junction and now called Bethpage Interlocking) to a station then called Bethpage. The branch became part of the LIRR, when it bought the CRRLI. Designated a siding as of May 24, 1909, it was abandoned on November 10, 1942. Since 1963, the former Bethpage Branch and station has been located within the Old Bethpage Village Restoration
in what is now called Old Bethpage
.
. It connects the Main Line
's Ronkonkoma Branch
at Beth Interlocking southeast of the Bethpage station
with the Montauk
and Babylon Branch
es at Belmont Junction west of the Babylon station
, allowing several Montauk Branch trains that begin or end east of Babylon to use the Main Line from Bethpage to Jamaica
. The branch is colored as part of the Ronkonkoma Branch
on some LIRR maps, but these trains are shown on Babylon and Montauk Branch timetables.
Much of the line runs parallel to New York State Route 109
. The last station that existed along this branch of track was South Farmingdale Station
. A sheltered platform existed there as recently as 1974, when the station was discontinued.
Alexander Turney Stewart
Alexander Turney Stewart was a successful Irish American entrepreneur who made his multi-million fortune in what was at the time the most extensive and lucrative dry goods business in the world....
, who was also the founder of Garden City
Garden City, New York
Garden City is a village in the town of Hempstead in central Nassau County, New York, in the United States. It was founded by multi-millionaire Alexander Turney Stewart in 1869, and is located on Long Island, to the east of New York City, from mid-town Manhattan, and just south of the town of...
. The railroad was established in 1871, was merged with the Flushing and North Side Railroad
Flushing and North Side Railroad
The Flushing and North Side Railroad is a former railroad on Long Island built by Conrad Poppenhusen as a replacement for the former New York and Flushing Railroad. The railroad was established in 1868, was merged with the Central Railroad of Long Island in 1874 to form the Flushing, North Shore,...
in 1874 to form the Flushing, North Shore, and Central Railroad, and was finally acquired by the Long Island Rail Road
Long Island Rail Road
The Long Island Rail Road or LIRR is a commuter rail system serving the length of Long Island, New York. It is the busiest commuter railroad in North America, serving about 81.5 million passengers each year. Established in 1834 and having operated continuously since then, it is the oldest US...
in 1876, and divided into separate branches. Despite its short existence, the CRRLI had a major impact on railroading and development on Long Island.
History
Alexander T. Stewart was a wealthy Irish born entrepreneur, who had made a fortune in retail and real estate. He chartered the Central Rail Road of Long Island (CRRLI) in 1871 and built his mainline from Flushing, at junction with the Flushing and North Side Railroad (FNSRR) called Great Neck Junction, all the way through Central Queens (including the part that was later to become Nassau County) to his Bethpage Brickworks in present-day Old Bethpage (then known as Bethpage), crossing northward over the tracks of the Long Island Rail Road. From the junction of the two lines, an extension was soon built south-eastward into Suffolk CountySuffolk County, New York
Suffolk County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York on the eastern portion of Long Island. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,493,350. It was named for the county of Suffolk in England, from which its earliest settlers came...
terminating at the Babylon shoreline along a part of the mainline referred to as the Babylon extension. The line from Flushing
Flushing, Queens
Flushing, founded in 1645, is a neighborhood in the north central part of the City of New York borough of Queens, east of Manhattan.Flushing was one of the first Dutch settlements on Long Island. Today, it is one of the largest and most diverse neighborhoods in New York City...
east to Hempstead Crossing along with a branch line to Hempstead opened on January 8, 1873 with the rest of the line opening in 1874. In Flushing, Stewart entered into an agreement with the FNSRR gaining tracking rights for his trains to continue west from Flushing and onto Long Island City. The railroad was to serve many purposes. Stewart wanted to develop a planned community and in 1872 started building Garden City
Garden City, New York
Garden City is a village in the town of Hempstead in central Nassau County, New York, in the United States. It was founded by multi-millionaire Alexander Turney Stewart in 1869, and is located on Long Island, to the east of New York City, from mid-town Manhattan, and just south of the town of...
in the western Nassau (then Queens County). The CRRLI was designed to provide residents of the new community with train service to Long Island City where they could then catch ferries into Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, and summer excursion service to the Babylon shoreline. Additionally the CRRLI would provide the materials that aided in the construction of Garden City by carrying them between the Bethpage brickworks and the Garden City construction site. The railroad would also be used to provide freight service between the various docks in Babylon and Long Island City.
In 1874 Stewart merged the CRRLI with FNSRR forming the Flushing, North Side, and Central Railroad. Also in 1874, the CRRLI also purchased the Southern Railroad of Long Island
Southern Railroad of Long Island
The South Side Railroad of Long Island was a railroad company in the U.S. state of New York. Chartered in 1860 and first opened in 1867 as a competitor to the Long Island Rail Road, it was reorganized in 1874 as the Southern Railroad of Long Island and leased in 1876 to the LIRR...
(SRRLI). Just before Stewart's death in 1876, a financial backer of the CRRLI, rubber baron Conrad Poppenhusen
Conrad Poppenhusen
Conrad Poppenhusen was a German American philanthropist, entrepreneur, founder of College Point, Queens, and founder of the first free kindergarten in the United States....
, bought a majority share of the LIRR, with each of the newer railways leased to the LIRR. Declaring bankruptcy in 1877, the LIRR was placed in receivership that October. Austin Corbin
Austin Corbin
Austin Corbin was a 19th-century American railroad executive and robber baron. He consolidated the rail lines on Long Island bringing them under the profitable umbrella of the Long Island Rail Road....
bought possession of the system in 1881, and consolidated all the railroads on Long Island under the LIRR, forming the railroads intricate system of rail lines. In consolidating the lines the CRRLI would be fragmented into several branch lines that throughout the 1900s would serve the LIRR in a number of different ways. In 1893 the LIRR bought out all remaining claims to the Stewart Line from Flushing to Bethpage Junction.
Flushing To Floral Park- The Creedmoor Branch
After the takeover by the LIRR, the CRRLI mainline from Flushing through Floral Park (then called Hinsdale) was deemed redundant and no longer needed, mainly because the rest of the Central mainline east of Floral Park was to be connected to the LIRR's mainline at the location of the newly built Park Interlocking (today the connection is at Queens Interlocking). This connection afforded the Central access to Long Island City through the LIRR's major hub, Jamaica Station. Thus right of way between Flushing and the National Rifle Range, later to become Creedmoor Psychiatric Hospital, was abandoned in 1879, although it was not torn up until World War I. The Central between Floral Park and Babylon was placed into service as the LIRR's Central BranchCentral Branch (Long Island Rail Road)
The Central Branch is a rail line owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U.S. state of New York, extending from just east of Bethpage to just west of Babylon. It was built in 1873 as part of the Babylon Extension of the Central Railroad of Long Island , which was owned by...
. What was left between Floral Park and Creedmoor was deemed the Creedmoor Branch
Creedmoor Branch
The Creedmoor Branch was the name of a short branch that the Long Island Rail Road gave to the right of way of tracks between its Floral Park station and Creedmoor State Hospital in Queens, New York...
by the LIRR.
The Creedmoor branch originally served passengers for a few short years traveling to the National Rifle Range, which predated the Creedmoor Psychiatric Hospital. The branch was poorly situated, however, in that it had no direct connection to Jamaica Station. Passengers traveling east from Jamaica to Creedmoor had to change at Floral Park then backtrack on a shuttle train to Creedmoor. Eventually the branch was downgraded to a secondary track and was mostly used throughout the twentieth century as a freight branch for Creedmoor Hospital with daily coal deliveries. The branch, however, was important enough for the LIRR to undertake several grade crossing elimination projects along the line, most notably with the construction of a large steel trestle, built in the 1930s, to take the branch over Jamaica Avenue
Jamaica Avenue
Jamaica Avenue is a major avenue in the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens in New York City, New York, in the United States. Jamaica Avenue starts at Broadway and Fulton Street in the East New York neighborhood in Brooklyn, and goes to the city line in Bellerose, Queens, where it becomes Jericho...
/Jericho Turnpike. The line was used for this nominal service until the late sixties when finally it was put out of service. The tracks were pulled up around 1973 with the trestle over Jamaica Avenue/Jericho Turnpike being dismantled in 1980. The right of way was absorbed by many of the homeowners who were given an opportunity to buy the land that adjoined their properties.
By the late 20th century there were few remains of the branch. Much of the Kissena Park
Kissena Park
Kissena Park is a large park located in the neighborhood of Flushing in the New York City borough of Queens, along Kissena Creek which formerly flowed into the Flushing River. It is bordered on the west by Kissena Boulevard; on the north by Rose, Oak, Underhill, and Lithonia Avenues; on the east...
corridor was built on former railroad property. A section of rail, that had been paved over, still exists on the Creedmoor property. Stewart Avenue and the uniquely angled street pattern in the Glen Oaks area of Queens, which was built around the branch near Winchester Boulevard, still mark the path of the right of way. In addition, a section of the right-of-way between Jericho Turnpike and South Tulip Street is an all-handicapped parking space for Floral Park station
Floral Park (LIRR station)
Floral Park is a Long Island Rail Road train station in Floral Park, New York at Tulip and Atlantic Avenues, on the Main Line and Hempstead Branch just west of their split...
that requires either a daily fee or a Village of Floral Park Resident/Non-Residential permit.
Floral Park To Hempstead-Current and former Hempstead Branches
The segment that became the Hempstead BranchHempstead Branch
The Hempstead Branch is an electrified rail line and service owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U.S. state of New York. The branch begins at the Main Line at Queens Interlocking, just east of Queens Village station...
includes part of the CRRLI from Floral Park, New York
Floral Park, New York
Floral Park is an incorporated village in Nassau County, New York, United States, on Long Island. The population as of the US Census of 2010 is 15,863. The village is at the western border of Nassau County, and is located in both the Town of Hempstead and the Town of North Hempstead...
to Garden City, New York
Garden City, New York
Garden City is a village in the town of Hempstead in central Nassau County, New York, in the United States. It was founded by multi-millionaire Alexander Turney Stewart in 1869, and is located on Long Island, to the east of New York City, from mid-town Manhattan, and just south of the town of...
, and part of the original Hempstead Branch which ran south of the LIRR Main Line ran from Mineola, ending just west of the current terminal in Hempstead. It opened on July 4, 1839 as the first branch of the LIRR. The main line was extended east from Hempstead Crossing opened May 26, 1873. The Central Railroad's successor, the FNS&C, was leased to the LIRR on May 3, 1876, and in June a connection at Hempstead Crossing was built, allowing trains from Mineola to use the ex-Central's Hempstead Branch, which ran parallel to the LIRR's Hempstead Branch track south of the Central. The original LIRR Hempstead Branch was abandoned south of Hempstead Crossing.
The old Central main line through Hempstead was named the Central Branch
Central Branch (Long Island Rail Road)
The Central Branch is a rail line owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U.S. state of New York, extending from just east of Bethpage to just west of Babylon. It was built in 1873 as part of the Babylon Extension of the Central Railroad of Long Island , which was owned by...
by the LIRR, while the line from Mineola on the LIRR's Main Line south past Hempstead Crossing to Hempstead was the Hempstead Branch. The New York Bay Extension Railroad opened the current West Hempstead Branch
West Hempstead Branch
The West Hempstead Branch is an electrified rail line owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U.S. state of New York.The branch separates from the Main Line just east of Jamaica Station, and runs southeastward to West Hempstead...
in 1893, resulting in a realignment of the Hempstead Branch back to the LIRR's original Hempstead Branch from Hempstead Crossing south to Meadow Street to better connect to the new line. The former CRRLI's Hempstead Branch that ran parallel track was abandoned in 1907.
The current route of the Hempstead Branch, from Queens Village east along the Main Line and Central Branch
Central Branch (Long Island Rail Road)
The Central Branch is a rail line owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U.S. state of New York, extending from just east of Bethpage to just west of Babylon. It was built in 1873 as part of the Babylon Extension of the Central Railroad of Long Island , which was owned by...
and south along the Hempstead Branch to Hempstead, was electrified on May 26, 1908. The then-Hempstead Branch north to Mineola was electrified on October 20, 1926, along with the West Hempstead Branch
West Hempstead Branch
The West Hempstead Branch is an electrified rail line owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U.S. state of New York.The branch separates from the Main Line just east of Jamaica Station, and runs southeastward to West Hempstead...
. The line north of Hempstead Crossing last saw passenger service on September 14, 1935, and was abandoned for freight in 1965. This meant that all Hempstead Branch trains now left the main line at Queens Village, and at some point the old Central Branch west of Hempstead Crossing was renamed as part of the Hempstead Branch.
Garden City To Bethpage Junction- The Garden City-Mitchel Field Secondary
The CRRLI mainline continued past Garden City through the vast open Hempstead PlainsHempstead Plains
The Hempstead Plains is a region of central Long Island in New York state in what is now Nassau County. It was once an open expanse of native grassland estimated to once extend to about . It was separated from the North Shore of Long Island by the Harbor Hill Moraine, later approximately the route...
in central Nassau County at the location of the current day Nassau Coliseum, and on through what is today Eisenhower Park
Eisenhower Park
Eisenhower Park is centrally located in East Meadow, New York bordered by Hempstead Turnpike on the south and Old Country Road on the north. At , it is larger than Central Park, with much of the area devoted to three 18-hole golf courses, including the Red Course, host to the annual Commerce Bank...
until Bethpage Junction. From there, one branch, the Bethpage Branch, turned north to Stewart's brickworks in present-day Old Bethpage. A second branch turned south-east to Babylon via the Babylon extension. The only areas of this CRRLI line that were very populated were around Hempstead and Babylon, and low ridership led to financial difficulties and a reduction in service. A bright spot for this Stewart line came in 1918 when Mitchel Field, an Air Force base, opened up in the Hempstead Plains. After the war ended, passenger usage again declined, but the line continued to be used for freight from Mitchel Field along with the other industries that opened up around the field.
In 1925 the Montauk Branch along southern Long Island between Jamaica and Babylon was electrified, providing more efficient and faster service to Babylon, thus further hurting ridership on the Stewart line. Also in 1925, the connection with Babylon was severed when the Bethpage Junction
Bethpage Branch
The Bethpage Branch was a branch of the Long Island Rail Road , running from the present-day split between the Ronkonkoma Branch and Central Branch north about 1¾ miles to present-day Old Bethpage, New York.This branch was originally built by the Central Railroad of Long Island in...
was reconfigured to connect the Main Line with the Montauk Branch. The Babylon Extension was fully rebuilt and became known as the current-day LIRR Central Branch. The portion of the line from Garden City to Plainedge/Bethpage came to be referred to as the Central Extension.
In 1939 the Central Extension between Garden City and the end of line in Bethpage was abandoned for regular passenger service. During World War II the eastern portion of the rail was removed and sold for scrap. After World War II a portion of the track was rebuilt to move materials for the construction of Levittown
Levittown, New York
Levittown is a hamlet in the Town of Hempstead located on Long Island in Nassau County, New York. Levittown is midway between the villages of Hempstead and Farmingdale. As of the 2010 census, the CDP had a total population of 51,881....
. For a while the LIRR ran a shuttle service between Garden City and Island Trees/Plainedge area (the right of way past Plainedge to Bethpage Junction was not rebuilt) for both the Levitt construction and to service Mitchel Field. However, by the early 1950s the Levitt construction gradually came to an end and Mitchel Field began to gradually curtail its operations as the surrounding areas began their suburban development. The LIRR had initially wanted to rebuild the entire branch to serve the new community of Levittown, however, Levitt did not want the railroad running through the town. Shuttle service to Plainedge thus ended in 1953 with the rails being pulled up again to just west of the Meadowbrook Parkway. For a while a few passenger trains ran down the remaining portion of the line to service the old Roosevelt Raceway until the 1960s.
The LIRR continued to use the line in its freight service, officially giving the line its current name the Garden City-Mitchell Field Secondary. A large freight yard remained in Garden City servicing some local industries such as A&P
The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company
The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company, better known as A&P, is a supermarket and liquor store chain in the United States. Its supermarkets, which are under six different banners, are found in Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. A&P's liquor stores, known as...
, General Bronze, and Newsday
Newsday
Newsday is a daily American newspaper that primarily serves Nassau and Suffolk counties and the New York City borough of Queens on Long Island, although it is sold throughout the New York metropolitan area...
. Many plans were developed by the LIRR during the fifties and sixties to use the remaining portion of trackage and build a "Nassau Hub" that would service the many new retail outfits that sprung up in the area such as Roosevelt Field Mall
Roosevelt Field Mall
Roosevelt Field is an American shopping mall. It is the largest high-end shopping mall in the state of New York and eighth in the country as measured by gross leaseable area at 2,189,941 ft² . The mall is located in East Garden City, New York part of the Town of Hempstead on Long Island...
, as well as the newly built Nassau Coliseum, and Nassau Community College
Nassau Community College
Nassau Community College is a two-year college. It is located in East Garden City, New York, USA. The school is in Nassau County on Long Island. NCC maintains a nationwide reputation for academic excellence and ease of transferability to four-year institutions.- History :Created as part of the...
, which was built on part of the Mitchel Field site. However, lack of resources (at the time the bankrupt LIRR was in the process of being bought by the MTA
Metropolitan Transportation Authority (New York)
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority of the State of New York is a public benefit corporation responsible for public transportation in the U.S...
from the Pennsylvania Railroad
Pennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
), as well as community opposition from residents in Garden City shelved those plans. As the years went on the remaining freight customers along the line also disappeared.
In 1997 the LIRR decided to privatize its freight services by contracting them out to a newly developed short line the New York and Atlantic Railway
New York and Atlantic Railway
The New York and Atlantic Railway is a short line railroad formed in 1997 to provide freight service over the tracks of the Long Island Rail Road, a public commuter rail agency which had decided to privatize its freight operations...
(NYAR), however, NYAR has no customers using the line. Today the line is primarily used for the Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus train, which uses the secondary and the Garden City yard to store its trains when the circus makes its yearly visit to Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
The Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Uniondale, New York, United States. Home to the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League, the Coliseum is located approximately east of New York City on Long Island...
. During the rest of the year, the line remains rather dormant except for a couple of equipment moves by the LIRR.
Today the right of way east of Meadowbrook Parkway can still plainly been seen as the Long Island Power Authority
Long Island Power Authority
The Long Island Power Authority or LIPA [ "lie-pah" ], a municipal subdivision of the State of New York, was created under the Long Island Power Act of 1985 to acquire the Long Island Lighting Company 's assets and securities...
has lined the right of way with utility poles. Part of the embankment of the old R.O.W. east of Eisenhower Park
Eisenhower Park
Eisenhower Park is centrally located in East Meadow, New York bordered by Hempstead Turnpike on the south and Old Country Road on the north. At , it is larger than Central Park, with much of the area devoted to three 18-hole golf courses, including the Red Course, host to the annual Commerce Bank...
can also still be seen. The Clinton Road
Clinton Road (LIRR station)
Clinton Road was a former station located on the Garden City-Mitchel Field Secondary branch of the Long Island Rail Road in the village of Garden City, New York. The station opened in 1915 on a line originally built by the Central Railroad of Long Island and was served by shuttle trains running...
station and its low level platforms still exists along the R.O.W of the secondary with the station house being used for the Garden City Fire Department. In recent years there have been calls to reactivate passenger service on the remaining portion of the line to serve as part of the formerly proposed Nassau Hub which would service the area around Nassau Coliseum, Nassau Community College
Nassau Community College
Nassau Community College is a two-year college. It is located in East Garden City, New York, USA. The school is in Nassau County on Long Island. NCC maintains a nationwide reputation for academic excellence and ease of transferability to four-year institutions.- History :Created as part of the...
, and the Roosevelt Field and Fortunoff
Fortunoff
Fortunoff was a New York-based retailer of home, jewelry and furniture stores founded in 1922 by Max and Clara Fortunoff. The original Fortunoff store was on Livonia Avenue in Brooklyn, New York...
shopping malls.
The Long Island Motor Parkway
Long Island Motor Parkway
The Long Island Motor Parkway , also known as the Vanderbilt Parkway and Motor Parkway, was the first roadway designed for automobile use only. It was privately built by William Kissam Vanderbilt with overpasses and bridges to remove intersections...
ran mostly parallel north of this line in the section east of Meadowbrook Parkway, and the land there is presently a right-of way for Long Island Power Authority
Long Island Power Authority
The Long Island Power Authority or LIPA [ "lie-pah" ], a municipal subdivision of the State of New York, was created under the Long Island Power Act of 1985 to acquire the Long Island Lighting Company 's assets and securities...
lines.
Bethpage Branch
The Bethpage BranchBethpage Branch
The Bethpage Branch was a branch of the Long Island Rail Road , running from the present-day split between the Ronkonkoma Branch and Central Branch north about 1¾ miles to present-day Old Bethpage, New York.This branch was originally built by the Central Railroad of Long Island in...
was the source of construction of Garden City, New York
Garden City, New York
Garden City is a village in the town of Hempstead in central Nassau County, New York, in the United States. It was founded by multi-millionaire Alexander Turney Stewart in 1869, and is located on Long Island, to the east of New York City, from mid-town Manhattan, and just south of the town of...
. The line was originally built by the CRRLI in June 1873, primarily for the purpose of serving Stewart's local brick manufacturing plant, known as Bethpage Brickworks, and also served a pickle factory. It ran north from a station at the present-day split between the Ronkonkoma Branch
Ronkonkoma Branch
The Ronkonkoma Branch is a rail service operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U.S. state of New York. On LIRR maps and printed schedules, "Ronkonkoma Branch" refers to trains running along the railroad's Main Line from Hicksville east to the line's terminus at Greenport.The section of the...
and Central Branch
Central Branch (Long Island Rail Road)
The Central Branch is a rail line owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U.S. state of New York, extending from just east of Bethpage to just west of Babylon. It was built in 1873 as part of the Babylon Extension of the Central Railroad of Long Island , which was owned by...
(then called the Bethpage Junction and now called Bethpage Interlocking) to a station then called Bethpage. The branch became part of the LIRR, when it bought the CRRLI. Designated a siding as of May 24, 1909, it was abandoned on November 10, 1942. Since 1963, the former Bethpage Branch and station has been located within the Old Bethpage Village Restoration
Old Bethpage Village Restoration
The Old Bethpage Village Restoration is a recreated living museum village in Old Bethpage, New York. The village opened in 1970 with dozens of historic structures that had been saved from demolition by Nassau County. Costumed actors provide demonstrations of 19th century life. Major funding...
in what is now called Old Bethpage
Old Bethpage, New York
Old Bethpage is a hamlet located on Long Island in the Town of Oyster Bay, Nassau County, New York, USA. The population of the CDP was 5,523 at the 2010 census.It is served by the Old Bethpage Post Office, ZIP code 11804....
.
Babylon Extension: Bethpage Junction to Babylon: The present Central Branch of the LIRR
The remaining segment of the Central Branch is now owned and operated by the Long Island Rail RoadLong Island Rail Road
The Long Island Rail Road or LIRR is a commuter rail system serving the length of Long Island, New York. It is the busiest commuter railroad in North America, serving about 81.5 million passengers each year. Established in 1834 and having operated continuously since then, it is the oldest US...
. It connects the Main Line
Main Line (Long Island Rail Road)
The Main Line is a rail line owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U.S. state of New York. It begins in Long Island City and runs along the middle of Long Island about 95 miles to Greenport...
's Ronkonkoma Branch
Ronkonkoma Branch
The Ronkonkoma Branch is a rail service operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U.S. state of New York. On LIRR maps and printed schedules, "Ronkonkoma Branch" refers to trains running along the railroad's Main Line from Hicksville east to the line's terminus at Greenport.The section of the...
at Beth Interlocking southeast of the Bethpage station
Bethpage (LIRR station)
Bethpage Station is a station along the Main Line of the Long Island Rail Road. It is located at Stewart Avenue and Jackson Avenue, in Bethpage, New York, and serves Ronkonkoma Branch trains...
with the Montauk
Montauk Branch
The Montauk Branch is a rail line owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U.S. state of New York. The branch runs the length of Long Island, 115 miles from Long Island City on the west to Montauk on the east...
and Babylon Branch
Babylon Branch
The Babylon Branch is a rail service operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U.S. state of New York. The term refers to the trains serving Montauk Branch stations from Valley Stream east to Babylon. The Babylon Branch is a rail service operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U.S. state of...
es at Belmont Junction west of the Babylon station
Babylon (LIRR station)
Babylon is a station on the Long Island Rail Road in the village of Babylon, New York at Railroad Avenue west of Deer Park Avenue. It is on the Montauk Branch, and is the eastern terminus of the Babylon Branch service...
, allowing several Montauk Branch trains that begin or end east of Babylon to use the Main Line from Bethpage to Jamaica
Jamaica (LIRR station)
Jamaica is a major hub station of the Long Island Rail Road, and is located in Jamaica, Queens, New York City. It is the largest transit hub on Long Island and is one of the busiest railroad stations in the country with over 200,000 daily passengers...
. The branch is colored as part of the Ronkonkoma Branch
Ronkonkoma Branch
The Ronkonkoma Branch is a rail service operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U.S. state of New York. On LIRR maps and printed schedules, "Ronkonkoma Branch" refers to trains running along the railroad's Main Line from Hicksville east to the line's terminus at Greenport.The section of the...
on some LIRR maps, but these trains are shown on Babylon and Montauk Branch timetables.
Much of the line runs parallel to New York State Route 109
New York State Route 109
New York State Route 109 , also known as the Babylon–Farmingdale Turnpike, is a four-lane state highway on Long Island in New York in the United States. It runs from Farmingdale in the Nassau County town of Oyster Bay to the village of Babylon in Suffolk County...
. The last station that existed along this branch of track was South Farmingdale Station
South Farmingdale (LIRR station)
South Farmingdale was a station along the Central Branch of the Long Island Rail Road in South Farmingdale, New York, United States. It first appeared on timetables of the Central Railroad of Long Island in May 1873, though service may have been delayed a month or two.In 1873, it was named...
. A sheltered platform existed there as recently as 1974, when the station was discontinued.
Creedmoor Branch
| Station/ location |
Station link |
Miles (kilometers) to Penn Station Pennsylvania Station (New York City) Pennsylvania Station—commonly known as Penn Station—is the major intercity train station and a major commuter rail hub in New York City. It is one of the busiest rail stations in the world, and a hub for inbound and outbound railroad traffic in New York City. The New York City Subway system also... |
Current Connections/notes | History |
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| Great Neck Junction | Also known as Central Junction. Shared by the Main Line of the Flushing and North Side Railroad Flushing and North Side Railroad The Flushing and North Side Railroad is a former railroad on Long Island built by Conrad Poppenhusen as a replacement for the former New York and Flushing Railroad. The railroad was established in 1868, was merged with the Central Railroad of Long Island in 1874 to form the Flushing, North Shore,... (now Port Washington Branch Port Washington Branch The Port Washington Branch is an electrified two-track rail line and service owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U.S. state of New York... of the LIRR), and Central RR of Long Island. |
Opened July 1873; Abandoned April 30, 1879. Located west of Flushing-Main Street (LIRR station) Flushing-Main Street (LIRR station) Flushing Main Street is a station on the Port Washington Branch of the Long Island Rail Road, serving the neighborhood of Flushing, Queens. The station is part of CityTicket, and is in Zone 3. The station is located at Main Street and 41st Avenue, off Kissena Boulevard and is 9.5 miles from Penn... near Whitestone Expressway |
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| Hillside | Opened April 1874; Abandoned April 30, 1879 | |||
| Kissena | Listed on some timetables as Kissena-Flushing, Flushing-Kissena, or Kissena Park. | Opened June 1873-August 1876. Re-opened June 1877, and abandoned on April 30, 1879. Moved to a private location, but burned on May 8, 1918. | ||
| Frankinston | On 73rd Avenue east of Clearview Expressway, now occupied by Cunningham Park Cunningham Park Cunningham Park is a park in the New York City borough of Queens. The park lies between the Grand Central Parkway to the south and the Long Island Expressway, and is bifurcated by the Clearview Expressway... |
Opened June 1873; Closed April 30, 1879. | ||
| Creedmoor | Listed on some timetables as National Rifle Range. Also served Creedmoor Psychiatric Hospital. | Opened January 8, 1873; Closed 1881. | ||
| Hinsdale | Also a former name of nearby Floral Park Station Floral Park (LIRR station) Floral Park is a Long Island Rail Road train station in Floral Park, New York at Tulip and Atlantic Avenues, on the Main Line and Hempstead Branch just west of their split... . |
Opened January 8, 1873; Closed April 30, 1879. Moved to a private location in April 1883. | ||
| Connection from to Main Line Main Line (Long Island Rail Road) The Main Line is a rail line owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U.S. state of New York. It begins in Long Island City and runs along the middle of Long Island about 95 miles to Greenport... from Creedmoor Wye, and Hempstead Branch Hempstead Branch The Hempstead Branch is an electrified rail line and service owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U.S. state of New York. The branch begins at the Main Line at Queens Interlocking, just east of Queens Village station... from bridge over Main Line |
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Hempstead Branch
| Station/location | Station link | Miles to Penn Station Pennsylvania Station (New York City) Pennsylvania Station—commonly known as Penn Station—is the major intercity train station and a major commuter rail hub in New York City. It is one of the busiest rail stations in the world, and a hub for inbound and outbound railroad traffic in New York City. The New York City Subway system also... |
Current Connections/notes | History |
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| Connection from Creedmoor Branch Creedmoor Branch The Creedmoor Branch was the name of a short branch that the Long Island Rail Road gave to the right of way of tracks between its Floral Park station and Creedmoor State Hospital in Queens, New York... to Main Line Main Line (Long Island Rail Road) The Main Line is a rail line owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U.S. state of New York. It begins in Long Island City and runs along the middle of Long Island about 95 miles to Greenport... from Creedmoor Wye |
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| Floral Park Floral Park (LIRR station) Floral Park is a Long Island Rail Road train station in Floral Park, New York at Tulip and Atlantic Avenues, on the Main Line and Hempstead Branch just west of their split... Tulip Avenue and Atlantic Avenue, Floral Park Floral Park, New York Floral Park is an incorporated village in Nassau County, New York, United States, on Long Island. The population as of the US Census of 2010 is 15,863. The village is at the western border of Nassau County, and is located in both the Town of Hempstead and the Town of North Hempstead... |
http://lirr42.mta.info/stationinfo.asp?station=034 | 16.9 | ||
| Bridge between Creedmoor Branch Creedmoor Branch The Creedmoor Branch was the name of a short branch that the Long Island Rail Road gave to the right of way of tracks between its Floral Park station and Creedmoor State Hospital in Queens, New York... and Hempstead Branch Hempstead Branch The Hempstead Branch is an electrified rail line and service owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U.S. state of New York. The branch begins at the Main Line at Queens Interlocking, just east of Queens Village station... |
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| Hyde Park New Hyde Park Road and Manor Road, Garden City Garden City, New York Garden City is a village in the town of Hempstead in central Nassau County, New York, in the United States. It was founded by multi-millionaire Alexander Turney Stewart in 1869, and is located on Long Island, to the east of New York City, from mid-town Manhattan, and just south of the town of... |
http://lirr42.mta.info/stationinfo.asp?station=035 | 18.3 | Bus (MTA Long Island Bus): N25 | Opened in 1873, later renamed Hyde Park Central. Reopened in 1909 as Stewart Manor Stewart Manor (LIRR station) The Stewart Manor Station is one of five stations of the Long Island Rail Road that serve the village of Garden City, New York. It is located just south of Stewart Avenue, to the west of New Hyde Park Road. Contrary to its name, the station is not within the limits of the village of Stewart Manor.... |
| Nassau Boulevard Nassau Boulevard (LIRR station) The Nassau Boulevard is a station on the west side of Nassau Boulevard in Garden City, New York. It is one of five Long Island Rail Road stations in the village. Originally it was a station for "Stewart's Central Rail Road," a railroad envisioned to serve the village of Garden City by its founder,... Nassau Boulevard and South Avenue, Garden City Garden City, New York Garden City is a village in the town of Hempstead in central Nassau County, New York, in the United States. It was founded by multi-millionaire Alexander Turney Stewart in 1869, and is located on Long Island, to the east of New York City, from mid-town Manhattan, and just south of the town of... |
http://lirr42.mta.info/stationinfo.asp?station=036 | 19.3 | Opened in 1907, 41 years after the death of Stewart. | |
| Garden City Garden City (LIRR station) Garden City is one of five stations of the Long Island Rail Road that serves the Village of Garden City, New York. It is on the Hempstead Branch and is located at Seventh Street between Hilton and Cathedral Avenues, directly across the street from the Garden City Hotel. It is one of the few Long... 7th Street between Hilton and Cathedral Avenues, Garden City Garden City, New York Garden City is a village in the town of Hempstead in central Nassau County, New York, in the United States. It was founded by multi-millionaire Alexander Turney Stewart in 1869, and is located on Long Island, to the east of New York City, from mid-town Manhattan, and just south of the town of... |
http://lirr42.mta.info/stationinfo.asp?station=037 | 20.4 | Bus (MTA Long Island Bus): N40, N41 | |
Garden City Secondary
| Station/location | Station link | Miles to Penn Station Pennsylvania Station (New York City) Pennsylvania Station—commonly known as Penn Station—is the major intercity train station and a major commuter rail hub in New York City. It is one of the busiest rail stations in the world, and a hub for inbound and outbound railroad traffic in New York City. The New York City Subway system also... |
Current Connections/notes | History |
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| Hempstead Crossing had connections from Hempstead Branch Hempstead Branch The Hempstead Branch is an electrified rail line and service owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U.S. state of New York. The branch begins at the Main Line at Queens Interlocking, just east of Queens Village station... , West Hempstead Branch West Hempstead Branch The West Hempstead Branch is an electrified rail line owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U.S. state of New York.The branch separates from the Main Line just east of Jamaica Station, and runs southeastward to West Hempstead... , and Oyster Bay Branch Oyster Bay Branch The Oyster Bay Branch is a rail line and service owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U.S. state of New York. The branch splits from the Main Line just east of Mineola station, and runs north and east to Oyster Bay.-History:... |
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| Washington Street | Low platforms in service for LIRR’s shuttle service with battery cars | |||
| Clinton Road Clinton Road (LIRR station) Clinton Road was a former station located on the Garden City-Mitchel Field Secondary branch of the Long Island Rail Road in the village of Garden City, New York. The station opened in 1915 on a line originally built by the Central Railroad of Long Island and was served by shuttle trains running... |
Now a firehouse, owned by the Garden City Fire Department. | Originally built in 1915, and used as a ticket office for Camp Mills Camp Mills Camp Mills was a military installation on Long Island, New York. It was located about ten miles from the eastern boundary of New York City on the Hempstead Plains near Garden City.... in World War One. Closed on May 15, 1953. |
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| Newsday | Built for the original headquarters of Newsday Newsday Newsday is a daily American newspaper that primarily serves Nassau and Suffolk counties and the New York City borough of Queens on Long Island, although it is sold throughout the New York metropolitan area... . |
Opened June 1949, closed May 15, 1953 | ||
| A&P Bronze | Built around 1928 for the A&P Warehouse as A&P Station. Combined with General Bronze Corporation station in 1949. Closed May 15, 1953. | |||
| General Bronze | Built in 1949 for the General Bronze Corporation. Combined with A&P Warehouse. Closed May 15, 1953. | |||
| Mitchel Field | Wooden shelter for Mitchel Air Force Base Mitchel Air Force Base Decommissioned in 1961, Mitchel Field became a multi-use complex currently home to the Cradle of Aviation Museum, Nassau Coliseum, Mitchel Athletic Complex, Nassau Community College and Hofstra University.-Origins:... |
Closed May 15, 1953. | ||
| Meadowbrook-Roosevelt Raceway | Built to serve Roosevelt Raceway Roosevelt Raceway (harness racing) Roosevelt Raceway was a ½-mile harness racing dirt then later synthetic track located in Westbury, New York, which operated from September 2, 1940 until July 15, 1988. It was the original home of the Messenger Stakes, part of the Triple Crown of Harness Racing for Pacers. The raceway hosted the... in Westbury. |
Opened 1939, Closed 1961. | ||
| Meadowbrook | Opened 1873, Closed 1939. | |||
| Newbridge Road | ||||
| Central Avenue | ||||
| Salisbury Plains | Wooden shelter shed built c. 1916. Used to store lumber during construction of 2nd Depot, which was opened on December 10, 1923. Closed approximately in 1940. Depot privately owned, then razed sometime in the 1990s. | |||
| Island Trees | ||||
| Central Park/ Jerusalem/ Plainedge |
Stop located at east side of Stewart Avenue in Plainedge, New York Plainedge, New York Plainedge is a hamlet in Nassau County, New York, United States. The population was 8,817 at the 2010 census.Plainedge is a census-designated place located in the Town of Oyster Bay, residents are served by the Bethpage , Massapequa , and Seaford Post Offices, with a small number of residents... , about 0.75 miles south of present Bethpage (LIRR station) Bethpage (LIRR station) Bethpage Station is a station along the Main Line of the Long Island Rail Road. It is located at Stewart Avenue and Jackson Avenue, in Bethpage, New York, and serves Ronkonkoma Branch trains... . |
First listed on the timetable of May 1873, and last listed on CRRLI table in October 1876. Agent used one of the rooms in his own house for a public waiting room. Side track was installed for freight cars in January 1874. Shows as "Plainedge" in 1942 employee timetables. | ||
| Bethpage Junction | See: "Existing Central Branch Central Branch (Long Island Rail Road) The Central Branch is a rail line owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U.S. state of New York, extending from just east of Bethpage to just west of Babylon. It was built in 1873 as part of the Babylon Extension of the Central Railroad of Long Island , which was owned by... " below |
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| Connections to Main Line Main Line (Long Island Rail Road) The Main Line is a rail line owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U.S. state of New York. It begins in Long Island City and runs along the middle of Long Island about 95 miles to Greenport... and Bethpage Branch Bethpage Branch The Bethpage Branch was a branch of the Long Island Rail Road , running from the present-day split between the Ronkonkoma Branch and Central Branch north about 1¾ miles to present-day Old Bethpage, New York.This branch was originally built by the Central Railroad of Long Island in... |
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Defunct Bethpage Branch
| Station/location | Station link | Miles to Penn Station Pennsylvania Station (New York City) Pennsylvania Station—commonly known as Penn Station—is the major intercity train station and a major commuter rail hub in New York City. It is one of the busiest rail stations in the world, and a hub for inbound and outbound railroad traffic in New York City. The New York City Subway system also... |
Current Connections/notes | History |
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| Bethpage Junction | See: "Existing Central Branch Central Branch (Long Island Rail Road) The Central Branch is a rail line owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U.S. state of New York, extending from just east of Bethpage to just west of Babylon. It was built in 1873 as part of the Babylon Extension of the Central Railroad of Long Island , which was owned by... " below |
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| Bethpage | Passenger stop appears to have been at Winding Road and Battle Row (just north of old Stewart brickworks) in present-day Old Bethpage, New York Old Bethpage, New York Old Bethpage is a hamlet located on Long Island in the Town of Oyster Bay, Nassau County, New York, USA. The population of the CDP was 5,523 at the 2010 census.It is served by the Old Bethpage Post Office, ZIP code 11804.... . Northern terminus of Bethpage Branch Bethpage Branch The Bethpage Branch was a branch of the Long Island Rail Road , running from the present-day split between the Ronkonkoma Branch and Central Branch north about 1¾ miles to present-day Old Bethpage, New York.This branch was originally built by the Central Railroad of Long Island in... . |
Passenger service opened as an accommodation to farmers November 9, 1874, with one round-trip a day. During 1876 and 1877, summer service only was provided. No evidence any station was ever built. | ||
Babylon Extension - now the Central Branch of LIRR
| Station/location | Station link | Miles to Penn Station Pennsylvania Station (New York City) Pennsylvania Station—commonly known as Penn Station—is the major intercity train station and a major commuter rail hub in New York City. It is one of the busiest rail stations in the world, and a hub for inbound and outbound railroad traffic in New York City. The New York City Subway system also... |
Current Connections/notes | History |
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| Connections from Ronkonkoma Branch Ronkonkoma Branch The Ronkonkoma Branch is a rail service operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U.S. state of New York. On LIRR maps and printed schedules, "Ronkonkoma Branch" refers to trains running along the railroad's Main Line from Hicksville east to the line's terminus at Greenport.The section of the... and Bethpage Branch Bethpage Branch The Bethpage Branch was a branch of the Long Island Rail Road , running from the present-day split between the Ronkonkoma Branch and Central Branch north about 1¾ miles to present-day Old Bethpage, New York.This branch was originally built by the Central Railroad of Long Island in... |
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| Bethpage Junction | A transfer point between LIRR and CRRLI at current LIRR Beth Interlocking site, where Bethpage Branch Bethpage Branch The Bethpage Branch was a branch of the Long Island Rail Road , running from the present-day split between the Ronkonkoma Branch and Central Branch north about 1¾ miles to present-day Old Bethpage, New York.This branch was originally built by the Central Railroad of Long Island in... headed north. |
First listed on timetable in June 1873; abandoned by CRRLI October 1, 1877. Appears on 1924 LIRR schedule for Central Extension. Reconfigured in 1925. No known depot building. | ||
| South Farmingdale South Farmingdale (LIRR station) South Farmingdale was a station along the Central Branch of the Long Island Rail Road in South Farmingdale, New York, United States. It first appeared on timetables of the Central Railroad of Long Island in May 1873, though service may have been delayed a month or two.In 1873, it was named... |
Opened as "Farmingdale Station" in May 1873; Closed in either March 1875 or June 1876. Reopened again by LIRR in June 1936; Closed 1974. | |||
| Breslau | East of Wellwood Ave, North Lindenhurst, NY | Breslau was also a former name for Lindenhurst (LIRR station) Lindenhurst (LIRR station) Lindenhurst is a station on the Babylon Branch of the Long Island Rail Road. It is officially located at Wellwood Avenue and East Hoffman Avenue in Lindenhurst, New York.-History:... on what is today the Babylon Branch Babylon Branch The Babylon Branch is a rail service operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U.S. state of New York. The term refers to the trains serving Montauk Branch stations from Valley Stream east to Babylon. The Babylon Branch is a rail service operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U.S. state of... of the Long Island Railroad. LIRR may have had a stop here after 1925 called "North Lindenhurst". |
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| Belmont Junction | ||||
| Babylon Babylon (LIRR station) Babylon is a station on the Long Island Rail Road in the village of Babylon, New York at Railroad Avenue west of Deer Park Avenue. It is on the Montauk Branch, and is the eastern terminus of the Babylon Branch service... |
Bus (Suffolk County Transit): S20, S23, S25, S27, S29, S40, S42, S47 Bus (MTA Long Island Bus): N19, N72 Bus (Trailways Transportation System Trailways Transportation System The Trailways Transportation System is an American group of 80 independent bus companies that have entered into a franchising agreement. The company is headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia.- History :... ): Adirondack Trailways, Pine Hills Trailways |
Built on October 28, 1867 by the SSRRLI Southern Railroad of Long Island The South Side Railroad of Long Island was a railroad company in the U.S. state of New York. Chartered in 1860 and first opened in 1867 as a competitor to the Long Island Rail Road, it was reorganized in 1874 as the Southern Railroad of Long Island and leased in 1876 to the LIRR... as Seaside Station. Renamed Babylon Station two years later and still exists today. |
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| Babylon | at Fire Island Avenue. Mostly unused after CRRLI acquired SSRRLI Southern Railroad of Long Island The South Side Railroad of Long Island was a railroad company in the U.S. state of New York. Chartered in 1860 and first opened in 1867 as a competitor to the Long Island Rail Road, it was reorganized in 1874 as the Southern Railroad of Long Island and leased in 1876 to the LIRR... just 11 months after station opened |
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