Wyandanch (LIRR station)
Encyclopedia
Wyandanch is a station along the Main Line
(Ronkonkoma Branch
) of the Long Island Rail Road
. It is located on Straight Path (Suffolk CR 2) and Long Island Avenue, off Acorn Avenue in Wyandanch, New York
. All parking near the station is free, and maintained either by Suffolk County
or the Town of Babylon
.
(PSC) ordered the LIRR to provide crossing guards at the 18th Street and Straight Path crossings during school hours on school days, so that school children living north of the LIRR to safely walk across the railroad on their way to the schoolhouse at South 20th Street and Straight Path on the south side.
house. As part of its reconstruction, the LIRR leased 50600 square feet (4,700.9 m²) of property on both sides of the track between Straight Path and 18th Street for expanded parking and also lengthened the platform at Wyandanch from 300 feet (91.4 m) to 898 feet (274 m), in order to accommodate longer trains. However, parking at Wyandanch station became problematic in the 1960s with the development of upscale housing in Half Hollow Hills. These upper middle class commuters boarded at Wyandanch since it was closer than the LIRR depot in Huntington Station
.
to Ronkonkoma
. As part of an attempt to speed commuting times through Suffolk County, they wanted to eliminate railroad service in Wyandanch after 108 years. Similar proposals were considered for Pinelawn
and Brentwood
stations. This angered and united disparate groups in Wyandanch, prompting civics groupos to mobilize residents to protest any termination of railroad service in Wyandanch. Working on a bipartisan basis, Senator Owen Johnson (R-West Babylon) and Assemblyman Patrick Halpin, (D-Lindenhurst) convinced the MTA to maintain rail service in Wyandanch as well as Pinelawn. The LIRR agreed add a fence along the tracks to prevent residents from crossing the tracks and touching the third rail, and built two steel crossover bridges at South 27th Street and at Deer Street, just east of the new station. The 1958 station was razed, and in 1987, it was moved again, and rebuilt along with Ronkonkoma
, Central Islip
, Brentwood
, and Deer Park
stations. The new station was larger than the 1958 structure it replaced. Of the five stations within the 1987 reconstruction project, Wyandanch Station was moved closest to its previous location, specifically the original site of "West Deer Park Station." The LIRR started electric rail service in Wyandanch on January 18, 1988.
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...
(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...
) 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...
. It is located on Straight Path (Suffolk CR 2) and Long Island Avenue, off Acorn Avenue in Wyandanch, New York
Wyandanch, New York
Wyandanch is a hamlet and census-designated place in the town of Babylon in Suffolk County, New York. The population was 10,546 at the 2000 census.-History:...
. All parking near the station is free, and maintained either by Suffolk County
Suffolk 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...
or the Town of Babylon
Babylon (town), New York
The Town of Babylon is one of ten towns in Suffolk County, New York . Located on Long Island, the town population was 211,792 as of the 2000 census. There is also a Village of Babylon located within the town. It borders Nassau County to the West, and the Atlantic Ocean to the South...
.
History
Wyandanch Station was originally built in May 1875 as "West Deer Park". The station and tracks have always been at ground level. During the 1920s and 1930s, the vicinity of the station became the site of numerous horrific accidents involving crashes with trains at the unguarded grade-level rail crossings at Straight Path, 18th Street and Little East Neck Road. In 1935, after repeated protests from the people of Wyandanch, the Public Service CommissionPublic Service Commission
A civil service commission is a government agency that is constituted by legislature to regulate the employment and working conditions of civil servants, oversee hiring and promotions, and promote the values of the public service. Its role is roughly analogous to that of the human resources...
(PSC) ordered the LIRR to provide crossing guards at the 18th Street and Straight Path crossings during school hours on school days, so that school children living north of the LIRR to safely walk across the railroad on their way to the schoolhouse at South 20th Street and Straight Path on the south side.
Miniature railroad and reconstruction
In December 1948 a model railroading club called the New York Live Steamer Society built a miniature steam railroad ride along the line at Merritt Avenue at North 17th Street, on a plot of land which was owned by the LIRR. No fees were ever charged, and the rides proved to be quite popular. By 1951, three miniature engines were in operation on Sundays and holidays, "two of them steam and the other diesel." The miniature railway moved to Freeport in 1953, when the LIRR needed the land on which the New York Live Steamer Society had been using without charge. The station was razed in February 1958 and a relocated station was built in June 1958 that was similar to the current Bethpage stationBethpage (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...
house. As part of its reconstruction, the LIRR leased 50600 square feet (4,700.9 m²) of property on both sides of the track between Straight Path and 18th Street for expanded parking and also lengthened the platform at Wyandanch from 300 feet (91.4 m) to 898 feet (274 m), in order to accommodate longer trains. However, parking at Wyandanch station became problematic in the 1960s with the development of upscale housing in Half Hollow Hills. These upper middle class commuters boarded at Wyandanch since it was closer than the LIRR depot in Huntington Station
Huntington Station, New York
Huntington Station is a hamlet in Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 29,910 at the 2000 census....
.
Electrification, and near elimination
In early-1983, the MTA/LIRR announced that it was planning to electify the Main Line from HicksvilleHicksville (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 Ronkonkoma
Ronkonkoma (LIRR station)
Ronkonkoma is a major railroad station and transportation hub along the Main Line of the Long Island Rail Road in Ronkonkoma, New York. The station is the eastern terminus of the Ronkonkoma Branch and the western terminus of the Greenport Branch....
. As part of an attempt to speed commuting times through Suffolk County, they wanted to eliminate railroad service in Wyandanch after 108 years. Similar proposals were considered for Pinelawn
Pinelawn (LIRR station)
Pinelawn Station is a small railroad station along the Main Line of the Long Island Rail Road. It is on Long Island Avenue, east of the Suffolk County Road 3 grade crossing, south of Melville, New York....
and Brentwood
Brentwood (LIRR station)
Brentwood is a station along the Main Line of the Long Island Rail Road. It is officially located at Suffolk County Road 100 and Brentwood Road in Brentwood, New York. However, it has parking facilities and other amenities that are extended far beyond its given location...
stations. This angered and united disparate groups in Wyandanch, prompting civics groupos to mobilize residents to protest any termination of railroad service in Wyandanch. Working on a bipartisan basis, Senator Owen Johnson (R-West Babylon) and Assemblyman Patrick Halpin, (D-Lindenhurst) convinced the MTA to maintain rail service in Wyandanch as well as Pinelawn. The LIRR agreed add a fence along the tracks to prevent residents from crossing the tracks and touching the third rail, and built two steel crossover bridges at South 27th Street and at Deer Street, just east of the new station. The 1958 station was razed, and in 1987, it was moved again, and rebuilt along with Ronkonkoma
Ronkonkoma (LIRR station)
Ronkonkoma is a major railroad station and transportation hub along the Main Line of the Long Island Rail Road in Ronkonkoma, New York. The station is the eastern terminus of the Ronkonkoma Branch and the western terminus of the Greenport Branch....
, Central Islip
Central Islip (LIRR station)
Central Islip is a station on the Main Line of the Long Island Rail Road. It is at the southwest corner of Suffolk County Road 100 and Lowell Avenue in Central Islip, New York...
, Brentwood
Brentwood (LIRR station)
Brentwood is a station along the Main Line of the Long Island Rail Road. It is officially located at Suffolk County Road 100 and Brentwood Road in Brentwood, New York. However, it has parking facilities and other amenities that are extended far beyond its given location...
, and Deer Park
Deer Park (LIRR station)
Deer Park is a station along the Main Line of the Long Island Rail Road. It is officially located at Pineaire Drive, Executive Avenue, and Long Island Avenue near Deer Park, New York...
stations. The new station was larger than the 1958 structure it replaced. Of the five stations within the 1987 reconstruction project, Wyandanch Station was moved closest to its previous location, specifically the original site of "West Deer Park Station." The LIRR started electric rail service in Wyandanch on January 18, 1988.
External links
- Wyandanch Station 2007 Photo (Unofficial LIRR History Website)
- Unofficial LIRR Photography Site (lirrpics.com)
- Station from Straight Path from Google Maps Street View
