LIRR Mainline Third Track Project

LB, Norton and Everyone:

The Meadowbrook Parkway Bridge once carried a long-removed siding track which began right on
the bridge structure itself - and explains why the south part was built at an angle. Will construction
call for a "wedge" to be built for the third track addition or will the extra section be removed and
replaced with a completely new single track bridge section?

MACTRAXX

Not sure which option will be used for the Meadowbrook PKWY. They'll probably just build a 3rd trestle.

Head-end View wrote:Matt, are you sure about the track numbering scheme in item #4? LIRR doesn't normally number tracks that way. At least not in the 4-track area. Normally the inside tracks are 1-2. And the outside tracks are 3-4. Are they going to have a separate numbering scheme just for the stretch from Floral Park to Hicksville?

I don't know about that, but I already knew that the Northernmost track that sees service is always TRACK 1. What I applied was that at Woodside the two Northernmost tracks (Port Washington Branch ONLY) are TRACK 1 and TRACK 2. For the four tracks to the South of the Island platform, TRACK 3 is designated the Northernmost of the four since the island platform services it. TRACK 4 is the Southernmost track because it is serviced, and TRACK 5 and TRACK 6 are the two express tracks in between with 5 being next to 3 and 6 being next to 4.

At Woodside, the tracks are numbered as follows, from North to South:

Port Washington 1
Port Washington 2
Mainline 3
Mainline 1
Mainline 2
Mainline 4



All parts of the system with 4 tracks, are numbered 3,1,2,4 from North to South. There hasn't been any official documents I've seen as far as the new third track. I don't know if it will be 1,2,3 or 1,3,2.

gamer4616 is correct re: the normal LIRR track numbering in 4-track areas. The tracks at Woodside Station could be numbered as MattAmity90 suggested as LIRR does number station tracks differently at major stations like Jamaica and Hicksville. Don't know if that applies at Woodside or not. Maybe 'cause you couldn't have two different tracks numbered 1 and 2 at a station as far as the public is concerned. Anyone here who can confirm?

Yes, I can confirm.

At Woodside, the tracks are numbered as follows, from North to South:

Port Washington 1
Port Washington 2
Mainline 3
Mainline 1
Mainline 2
Mainline 4


I am qualified on the physical characteristics of the LIRR

Thanks gamer4616 for the authoritative info. I guess the other poster misunderstood the diagram. LOL. I just realized the duplicate track numbers are not an issue at Woodside as the Mainline platform tracks are 3-4, not 1-2. Thanks again.

Getting back to Mineola, wouldn't the LIRR style numbering have to be either 3-1-2 or 1-2-4 from north to south unless they plan on doing something different from past practice?

LIRR was a ward of the PRR for a long time, so this was a PRR practice, with the 3rd track, the convention at Mineola will be:
# 3 track, westbound local
# 1 track, center track, bidirectional Express
#2 track, eastbound local
As is the current practice, all tracks will be CTC 261,ie any track, any time, any direction.

That should cover the entire distance of the 3rd Main all the way to Divide Tower.

Well that's the most logical set-up. They could number them 1-2-4, but no sense having a track-4 when there's only three tracks.

PRR was similar in track numbering to the NYNH&HRR AFAIK. NH line trains were 3, 1, 2, 4 east to west (inbound). NYC I think was 1, 2, 3, 4...

I arrived at 3-1-2 as the logical outcome a different way: if you continue the tracks from Queens (since the Hempstead branch westbound track is now becoming the Main line eastbound track) they would have the same numbers.

Jeff Smith wrote:PRR was similar in track numbering to the NYNH&HRR AFAIK. NH line trains were 3, 1, 2, 4 east to west (inbound). NYC I think was 1, 2, 3, 4...

Just found this thread; both NH and NYC numbered their tracks 3,1,2,4 reading from north to south on east-west lines, meaning that NH trains made a shift at Woodlawn, and I believe still do. NYC had an important exception between Buffalo and west of Albany reading 2,1,3,4 from south to north to preserve numbering for express passenger as 1 and 2, and local and freight 3 and 4 on that unique stretch of trackage. The PRR numbered from south to north on e-w lines and east to west on n-s lines regardless of the direction or type of traffic--with some important exceptions.

Dumb trolling elsewhere on this forum aside, Third Track seems to be the nail in the coffin for direct NYC-OB service. If it were to be shuttle-ified, I assume they'd build a new platform at Mineola? This one, IINM, has been studied by the LIRR over the years -- was wondering if anyone could offer more insight.

There will still be only two platforms at Mineola.

Jeff Smith wrote:There will still be only two platforms at Mineola.

For third track, yes. I’m asking whether or not that holds true in assessments of making OB into a shuttle — the new interlocking config at Mineola seems to beg that course of action.