Northport Branch
Encyclopedia
The Northport Branch was a spur off the Port Jefferson Branch
of the Long Island Rail Road
, running from between Greenlawn
and Northport
stations to directly within Northport Village
.
Northport became the terminus of an extension of the Hicksville
to Syosset
Railroad line, after some arguments with Oliver Charlick over the locations of stations in Cold Spring Harbor
, and Huntington led to the line bypassing both towns, the latter of them two miles to the south, though a station was built for both of them. The line was extended from Syosset past Huntington to Northport in 1868, and in 1873 the Smithtown and Port Jefferson Railroad opened from a mile south of Northport to Port Jefferson, turning the old line into Northport into the Northport Branch, the result of another argument between Charlick and Northport.
Old Northport Station was abandoned in 1899, but the Northport Branch was used as a freight line throughout much of the 20th Century. Between the 1950's and early-1980's, the New York State Department of Transportation
wanted to use part of the branch for construction of the Babylon-Northport Expressway. Opponents of the expressway assumed that the NYSDOT was using the expressway as a plot against the railroad. In reality, the industries that previously used the line no longer found it useful, and it was abandoned in 1978, and dismantled in 1985.
In 2007, a 4.4 acres (17,806.2 m²) segment of the former right-of-way was preserved as the Laurel Hill Rail Trail. The size of the rail trail
was doubled in 2009 with the addition of 4 acres (16,187.4 m²) of parkland from an adjacent undeveloped parcel that had been acquired by New York State by eminent domain
for the Babylon-Northport Expressway.
Port Jefferson Branch
The Port Jefferson 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 Hicksville and runs northeast and east to Port Jefferson...
of 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...
, running from between Greenlawn
Greenlawn (LIRR station)
Greenlawn is a station on the Port Jefferson Branch of the Long Island Rail Road located near the intersection of Boulevard Avenue and Broadway in Greenlawn, New York, a few blocks north of Pulaski Road...
and Northport
Northport (LIRR station)
Northport is a station on the Port Jefferson Branch of the Long Island Rail Road. It is located at the corner of Larkfield Road and Bellerose Avenue, north of Suffolk CR 11 in East Northport, New York.-History:...
stations to directly within Northport Village
Northport, New York
Northport is a village in Suffolk County, New York on the North Shore of Long Island. As of the United States 2000 Census, the village population was 7,606. Students attend the Northport-East Northport Union Free School District....
.
Northport became the terminus of an extension of the Hicksville
Hicksville (LIRR station)
Hicksville is a station on the Main Line of the Long Island Rail Road located in Hicksville, New York. It is the busiest station east of Jamaica by combined weekday/weekend ridership...
to Syosset
Syosset (LIRR station)
Syosset is a station on the Long Island Rail Road's Port Jefferson Branch in Syosset, New York. It is located at Jackson Avenue and Underhill Boulevard, south of New York State Route 25A. Syosset's downtown commercial district was built around the station...
Railroad line, after some arguments with Oliver Charlick over the locations of stations in Cold Spring Harbor
Cold Spring Harbor, New York
Cold Spring Harbor is a hamlet in Suffolk County, New York on the North Shore of Long Island. As of the United States 2000 Census, the CDP population was 4,975.Cold Spring Harbor is in the Town of Huntington.-History:...
, and Huntington led to the line bypassing both towns, the latter of them two miles to the south, though a station was built for both of them. The line was extended from Syosset past Huntington to Northport in 1868, and in 1873 the Smithtown and Port Jefferson Railroad opened from a mile south of Northport to Port Jefferson, turning the old line into Northport into the Northport Branch, the result of another argument between Charlick and Northport.
Old Northport Station was abandoned in 1899, but the Northport Branch was used as a freight line throughout much of the 20th Century. Between the 1950's and early-1980's, the New York State Department of Transportation
New York State Department of Transportation
The New York State Department of Transportation is responsible for the development and operation of highways, railroads, mass transit systems, ports, waterways and aviation facilities in the U.S...
wanted to use part of the branch for construction of the Babylon-Northport Expressway. Opponents of the expressway assumed that the NYSDOT was using the expressway as a plot against the railroad. In reality, the industries that previously used the line no longer found it useful, and it was abandoned in 1978, and dismantled in 1985.
In 2007, a 4.4 acres (17,806.2 m²) segment of the former right-of-way was preserved as the Laurel Hill Rail Trail. The size of the rail trail
Rail trail
A rail trail is the conversion of a disused railway easement into a multi-use path, typically for walking, cycling and sometimes horse riding. The characteristics of former tracks—flat, long, frequently running through historical areas—are appealing for various development. The term sometimes also...
was doubled in 2009 with the addition of 4 acres (16,187.4 m²) of parkland from an adjacent undeveloped parcel that had been acquired by New York State by eminent domain
Eminent domain
Eminent domain , compulsory purchase , resumption/compulsory acquisition , or expropriation is an action of the state to seize a citizen's private property, expropriate property, or seize a citizen's rights in property with due monetary compensation, but without the owner's consent...
for the Babylon-Northport Expressway.