LIRR-Long Beach

Back in late August I was vacationing in Long Beach. Primarily hanging out on the beach and watching JFK air traffic. One morning before going to the beach I dragged out the bike and road around. I was staying only about 4 blocks from the Long Beach station so I wanted to check that out.

When I got there, there was some really unusual equipment there. I've never seen anything like this nor have I seen any discussion about it.

When I got there they were ripping up several sections of track leading into the station. On one "disconnected" siding they had several cars with prefab track on them. Proabably about six sections one of which was a switch. All these cars were motorized and remote operated. In front of these cars was another unusual set up.

Picture a remote operated flat car with a rubber mat on top. It also has caterpillers so it can operate off track. On the car is sitting a unique looking crane. The cranes spine goes the full length of the flat car with four or five lifting points. It is completely independant of the car it sits on. The crane extends its feet over the side of the flat car and lifts itself off the flat car.

The flat car is them remoted out from under the crane. The prefab cars are then remoted underneath the crane. The crane picks up the prefab track. The prefab cars are backed out and the flat car is brought back in. The prefab track is then laid on the flat car and then secured. The process happens again and a second prefab track is brought onto the flat car and then joined with the first piece. Then they went and got a third piece and assembled that.

It was the coolest thing I ever saw. I was standing on the passenger platforms for hours watching this. I really got sunburned. I was hoping to watch this thing remote itself off the track and go around the corner but they went on break and I was too burned to stay outside any longer so I left. I regret that. I think this equipment was brand new. I got the impression that they were using this for the first time. I regret not bringing my camera but I never expected to see such an...event.

Did anybody else see this? I'm surprised that no one posted this.

I think this may be the same equipment(or atleast some of it may be) that I saw passing through Mineola in the early summer.

Is LB getting concrete ties?

All the prefab track were wood ties. I didn't see any concrete.

Long beach might be getting concrete,
i have noted that the xing at oceanside station hase ben concreted.
however i dont know if thats a sign of anything. ie maby the whole branch?
also the franklin ave xing on the WM branch has the same. tho i would say that was a waist of mta/lirr capitol if they want to tare of the line

Another interesting thing was how much rails really bend. When they're just sitting there and you walk on them, they don't move. Too heavy to pick up. But when the two front loaders picked up a section of prefab track the rails really started bending and flexing up and down. They looked like rubber bands in slow motion.

Well, I'll be back next year and we'll see what's going on. It was a great mini vacation. A little airtraffic, a little train traffic and a little "beach traffic."

"... Another interesting thing was how much rails really bend ..."

Last year two of us at the trolley museum at Branfoird CT installed a new guard rail on a curve. We took a streight piece of track and bent it, just a little, then a little more, then a little more. It only took a couple of crowbars & some spikes !