LIRR Announces Launch "... ‘Fisherman’s Train,’..."

http://www.mta.info/news/2017/04/12/lir ... %80%99-and

Where do they propose to put the fish the men are carrying upon their return? There are no more baggage / express / combine cars. The LIRR has no freight/reefer cars. And. . . what are they going to do with their poles and tackle? Again, no place to put it and rods in the passenger cars to poke other riders? Also, what do you think those cars will smell like after a few trip-loads of stinky riders?

Looks like all they are doing is turning the eastbound equipment train into a revenue train. (Or should I say little if any revenue train.)

It's another example of east-end politicians getting their opportunity to play railroad tycoon using taxpayer money. A few years back, these same politicians thought a "jury train" to Riverhead in the morning would bring more people to the LIRR. What's the ridership on that train daily?

Oh, tell me this is going to be a consist of two B60b baggage cars, several P54 coaches, and an E6s leading the string to Montauk or Greenport?

The fisherman's train was a good idea back in the day, and I enjoyed hearing from some of the employees who worked it or dealt with it (long retired). It was indeed a feast for the senses. But I'm a little surprised that they're trying to bring this back, as for a very important reason... There's no fish!

Stripers teeter on yet another moratorium, MRAC (government body in charge of setting harvest limits for both commercial and recreational anglers) is cutting back on Fluke, the Flounder should be on a moratorium and there's even limits on Bluefish/snappers. As mentioned earlier, your average surf rod varies from 10-12', in one piece and the amount of junk usually blows past what is considered reasonable "carry on". Especially if one must now bring coolers. Also, while the North Fork does indeed possess some lovely fishing spots, none are really "walk-off" from any of the stations.

While many anglers are law abiding citizens, unfortunately there are a lot of folks new to our country who are blissfully unaware of the regulations and would be probably out of compliance. Most of the fishing community would beg the DEC to just once - once - have a DEC LEO ride the train and check the buckets. This is something the railroad would not want to have to deal with after the aftermath hits Newsday.

I am a compulsive obsessive fisher... err, passionate angler who enjoys what the region has to offer and has utilized the rail system when possible to dodge traffic and the onerous parking regs that plague the area's diminishing shoreline access. Until my kids sucked the life out of me, I would use the LI to get to Metro-North and thence to some station near the Croton river system after a fun night of work. I could sleep up and down, slam a redbull and then fish for the trouts using a collapsible fly rod. I'd still make it home in time to get the kids without fear of getting stuck in the Bronx trying to cross the bridges. As with most fishing I wouldn't consider taking a fish home and it was enough to get my fix in the Spring and Fall, so I was able to pack reasonably. But honestly, I wouldn't consider using rail to fish anywhere else on the Island. To keep it short I'll pass on why Long Beach, Far Rock, etc. are not ideal anymore. Interesting idea, but they should reconsider this one.

krispy wrote:The fisherman's train was a good idea back in the day, and I enjoyed hearing from some of the employees who worked it or dealt with it (long retired). It was indeed a feast for the senses...To keep it short I'll pass on why Long Beach, Far Rock, etc. are not ideal anymore. Interesting idea, but they should reconsider this one.

Well said, and an interesting anecdote.

I doubt if this is going to draw enough people to make it work. Most serious fisherman have cars and the amount of gear we carry would make a train a hassle. I usually carry 4 rods, a cooler for my fish and a small one for my food and drink. A tackle bag that weighs at least 20 lbs. Plus extra clothing. I'm not about to carry that to a train station.

They might get a few tourists that fish once or twice a year and use boat poles and gear.

From spring through fall, there have always been some fisherman who rode trains 2, er, 2702 to Montauk to connect with charter/party boats. They would have to get a cab to bring them to the docks. Many of them had to wait until the last train from Montauk around 10:40pm, making for one very long day.

See Arrts Arrchives for the first rendition of the Fisherman's Special. The boats were at Fort Pond Bay, and anglers walked from the train to the boats.

jayrmli wrote:Looks like all they are doing is turning the eastbound equipment train into a revenue train. (Or should I say little if any revenue train.)

It's another example of east-end politicians getting their opportunity to play railroad tycoon using taxpayer money. A few years back, these same politicians thought a "jury train" to Riverhead in the morning would bring more people to the LIRR. What's the ridership on that train daily?

Most of the ridership on this train are of the "non-jury" variety. It gets decent ridership Brentwood-Ronkonkoma, then it tends to be a light load to Riverhead.

As for this new train, I think the name is being used for nostalgia sake. The fact the train is not scheduled not make local stops is a bit strange, as is the lack of a connection from the west end.

Overall, it's good to see service gaps are trying to be addressed. The lack of equipment to play with will probably play be a factor in what happens as usual.

Krispy, nice post. Might I suggest a good fishing spot since you ventured up north a bit. In Cross River, when you get off Rte 35 for Rte100, the Muscoot Reservoir is a great spot to do some fishing.

This new "Fisherman Train" is going to have the same clientele the Jury train. A bad hombre or two and maybe the occasional fisherman. But as Jay explained, this idea is DOA.

They plan on throwing the fish in the over head racks.

Slippy - yes, thanks! I grew up not too far from Rt. 35 on the other side of the border so I've been fortunate to tip my toes in most of the water up there, in waters such as the Amawalk, Muscoot, and the one I still can't say with a straight face, Titicus. But alas, I've been corrupted by the salt and now prefer creeping from Breezy to Mecca, but venture North out of tradition for ice-out and then the Fall.

And fish in the racks - while in the past I would've complained about not being able to get my Fifty (pound striper, a benchmark like hoisting the Stanley Cup) into those tight quarters, now I should have no problem getting my frozen filets of imported fish up there. I just hope this doesn't open up a can of worms with the surfers, who will now demand to stick their long boards on the trains, since the fisherman can now bring their gear. They could get their own train and call it the "Flying Hipster". Beware!

For those who seek a glimpse into what the fishing holds, this gent did a series of short videos on Vimeo, and I would recommend this one to start: https://vimeo.com/143480958 While this one focuses on Montauk, the others give a good look on fishing the suds on LI.

krispy wrote:the surfers, who will now demand to stick their long boards on the trains,

There's already a precedent. The Coaster, San Diego-Oceanside, has a note in the public timetable on the proper method of stowing longboards on the train (there is also a CP LONGBOARD just east of Oceanside station). Just a question of time?

SwingMan wrote:The fact the train is not scheduled not make local stops is a bit strange.

What?!

It does cost next to nothing to run the equipment train in revenue service...at least during the summer. (forget it during leaf season, when there's a 15mph order over all crossings)

Where do they propose to put the fish the men are carrying upon their return?

Maybe they will consider leaving the fish in the operating cab where the Engineer is located.

Might buy a cheap foam cooler from the local 7-11/Circle K store and a bag of ice to "drag" the day's catch back home,
"stacked" by the doors on the C-3,figure on a few leaking coolers.