MTA LIRR Double Track Project - Ronkonkoma to Farmingdale

[geico]

How about people just get there earlier.

[MattAmity90]

Not only arrive earlier, but the station has a pedestrian overpass! Of course people are going to go under the gates. It's called idiocy, Darwinism, people failing to use common sense, and not using the organ God gave you three feet above your Gluteus Maximus!

One thing though that the LIRR can do is put in a pedestrian underpass near the station building like at most Hempstead Branch stations.

[MACTRAXX]

geico: That was the response of the LIRR spokesman interviewed for the News 12 LI story.

MA90:

I believe that Central Islip riders ducking the gate IN FRONT of arriving trains are the people being
ticketed. The gates go up quickly westbound once the last east car clears the crossing circuit.
Train crews are likely more vigilant knowing that riders are crossing over between platforms.

A pedestrian underpass will be a totally unnecessary expense at Central Islip - and may create its
own problems as another place undesirables can loiter. At Bay Shore - which once had a underpass
outside the station building - there were problems that were serious enough that the LIRR sealed
up and filled in the underpass in favor of a replacement pedestrian overpass west of the building.

A partial solution to this problem would be to move at least one full-service TVM to Platform A in
one of the shelters - which have been in use since the CI station was opened. Enclosing shelters
from the elements - which is a good idea - can again create problems with loitering as has been
the case from time to time with the station building - which has basic amenities (heat, restroom)
for riders. The MTA Police are located just 1/2 mile west on Suffolk Avenue and do patrol the CI
Station on a regular basis.

MACTRAXX

[nyandw]

Wow, what great documentation of this project. I last checked in around page 23 as follows:
"...Folks, This thread material is terrific; as it documents historically the project, perhaps like no project prior. What is being done here in "real time" is super.

I would suggest photo documentation perhaps take a turn; for example. I'll refer to a previous Ronkonkoma Project page; just as an example: http://www.trainsarefun.com/lirr/Ronkon ... cation.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; of "back collecting" material/photos/etc. The dates/locations/photographers/and details get lost over time; whether film or digital.

Our new challenge, perhaps, is to pick our photos for the future and digitally label them; delete the rest. Camera date/time stamp is nice, however, some find it distracting from the photo to have it on the image... I'll agree, depending.... To do a Google/ hard drive search for a specific photo with a camera date/time stamp that has a file name of: IMG_0017_zps6werercvd6b5f0ac.jpg is impossible, as I see it...even days, much less years later..."


Going through the thread the issue continues: Location, date, view, and credits on photos... Sorry to harp on it, but everyone complains years later with the posting of incorrect data, assumptions and frankly, false nonsense..

[newkirk]

Farmingdale view east. New signals up, old Pennsy signals gone

Will the old signal bridge be removed ?

[Head-end View]

Interesting that they mounted that normally dwarf-type signal up on a pole because of the platform. Even Metro-North only raises them slightly above platform level in those situations. Still weird that they put the red light on top and green in the middle. Most railroad signals have the red on the bottom and green on top. I guess LIRR likes to reinvent the wheel.

[MattAmity90]

They also have a pedestal signal of the same manner just past the WB platform at Pinelawn between the station and Wellwood Avenue grade crossing. Honestly, I would have preferred them on masts than have them situated that low to the ground, especially at Deer Park where Pilgrim's siding is.

[RestrictOnTheHanger]

Those reduced aspect signals look cheap and useless. Wrong on so many levels (lunar used for cab signals, no speed info, red on top, etc) and adds another system to memorize.

At least with regular color lights installed in the last decade they are very close to NORAC/Amtrak rules.

That said, many thanks to the photographer(s) documenting the changes! Nice pics!

[Head-end View]

Yeah, they do look really goofy. And I sympathize with all the things that are wrong with them. Metro-North has similar signals, but they standardized theirs system wide in the space of a few years, back in the 1990's, saving their engineers the trouble of having to know multiple systems. They also only have two basic aspects except for a few special signals in Grand Central Terminal.

If our friend Dutch from Metro-North is with us maybe he could tell us how M-N's engineers felt about the change to reduced-aspect signals and whether they got to like them better over time.

[Absolute-Limited Advance-Approach]

MN still has standard Norac signals in their rule book for their nortern diesel operations last I checked, so they still learn the standard signals we learn (unless they do partial qualification) as well as 'green means go'.

[MACTRAXX]

What I am interested in particular is which platform westbound trains will be serving Central Islip.
As some know CI is the only 1987 station building that is on the south side-Platform B. With the
timetable beginning in September westbound trains may continue to serve Platform B by using the
south track out of Ronkonkoma and then crossing over at the new CI interlocking over to the north
track. All eastbound trains would serve the north side Platform A and then continue to KO on that
track. If all westbound trains were to use the "proper" north track at CI riders would have to use
either the overhead bridge or the Lowell Avenue crossing sidewalks at the east end to cross over.
This could be addressed by placing added TVMs and/or a new waiting room on the north side. I am
looking forward to see what the CI platform assignments are under the new September schedule...

MACTRAXX

Everyone: Back on August 15, 2018 (bottom of Page 32) I posted about a potential problem with
westbound trains at Central Islip using Platform A - the north platform. From News 12 LI on 2/5:
http://longisland.news12.com/story/3991 ... islip-lirr" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I predicted correctly that there would be problems at Central Islip if westbound trains served
Platform A. One incorrect statement in the News 12 report is that ALL trains served Platform B.
Platform A had limited service with its passing siding status noted in the Ronkonkoma Branch TT.
MTA Police have been ticketing riders ducking under the Lowell Avenue crossing gate at the east
end of the platforms crossing over in front of arriving westbound trains.

It will be interesting to see the LIRR's response to the Central Islip problems...MACTRAXX

Everyone: I went to the Central Islip Station this weekend to get a general idea how far apart the
station building is from the pedestrian overpass and the walkway at the Lowell Avenue crossing.

The pedestrian overpass is 5 car lengths (85 feet x 5) or 425 feet from the station building west.
The walkway at the Lowell Avenue crossing is about 200 feet east of the building - the third car
of eastbound trains (or the 10th car of westbound 12 car trains) platforms at the station building.

There still is the two full-service TVMs that are trackside at the building. A third TVM on Platform
A (in one of two shelters) would be a welcome addition for westbound riders boarding at CI.

MACTRAXX

[MattAmity90]

First off it's good to be back, it took me a while, and I can see that I've missed quite a ton of work and forums since early May. Anyway, thanks to Edward Hand I've been kept up to date along with the A Modern LI website. Replacement of Track 1 with rail/tie replacement along the Ronkonkoma Branch is coming to a conclusion between Farmingdale and Deer Park. New CWR has been laid along the tracks between Deer Park and Brentwood, and along Track 1 between Brentwood and Central Islip. For the past few months, only the new second track has been in service.

[MattAmity90]

UPDATE: Since I'm the one that is keeping track of work on the Ronkonkoma Branch, as you all know they have been doing rail/tie replacement of the original track (Westbound) by ripping it out and putting a new one in. Thus far, the rail/tie replacement work is completed from Farmingdale to DANCH Interlocking, meaning the track is completed and electrified. The track is currently having the third rail, brackets, insulators, and the covers installed past DANCH Interlocking, through Wyandanch, and going up the grade towards Deer Park Avenue where it will conclude at JS Interlocking. CWR has been laid for both tracks from Deer Park to Central Islip, with the CWR laid from JS Interlocking to where the second track was laid East of Brentwood for the Eastbound track, and CWR from JS Interlocking all the way to where the second track was laid East of Central Islip.

This will create single track service from POND to JS, and then go back to both tracks in service from JS Westward.

[BM6569]

Thanks for the updates!

[MattAmity90]

This weekend or for the last couple of days, one section of replacing Track 1 is near completion while one section of replacing Track 1 is undergoing work.

The entire stretch from FARM to JS Interlocking has been stabilized, installed, and once they get the third rail covers on from Commack Road to JS the track will be back in service.

Meanwhile from near CI Interlocking to where the new track connected to the old track East of Central Islip has been torn up. Third rail is gone, all the wood ties are ripped out, a ditch lies next to Platform A at Central Islip, Lowell Avenue is closed, and concrete ties are being laid from both ends to meet in the middle.

I would say that within the next few days, the Ronkonkoma Branch will have both tracks in service from DIVIDE to JS.