Question About Former LIRR Track.

Dave the ROW is 95% intacted, biggest obistical would be the 5 corners at franklin st. and the NIMBYSs and thats the 5% of trubble other then that the ROW is 100% re useable

i remember as a yung kid around 5yo. the tracks still went "north" east of WM and proceded to the road where they ended and had bumper blockes installed ended. (in thoes days i was just happy to see a trian, and did not know much about ROWs)

Dave Keller writes[/quote]I'm not sure when the last freight ran there and the tracks were removed: possibly mid-1960s. I remember seeing the ROW clear as day around 1967 when I photographed the West Hempstead station (but not the ROW!!!) JJ Earl . . . any ideas here?

My first winter (1958) with the LIRR, I fell one day for te Rockaway freight.
We left Holban late due to a shortage of enginies what with the snowy conditions and all. We headed out through Hollis and went into Belmont Wye to switch Dugan's Bakery, where the TA bus garage now stands.
I thought,"How do we get to Rockaway from here?"
From Dugan/Belmont, we proceeded along the Hempstead Branch to Country Life Press, where I found out, by walking ahead of the train with red flag in hand across I don't remember how many crossings until we arrived at West Hempstead.
Time didn't permit going to Far Rock on that day and we headed for Holban via St. Albans.
In 1963 I found myself on the road extra list and on MWF I requested the L-46 (Rockaway freight). The job did West Hempstead, Far Rock and Long Beach. (Don't forget, the outlaw was 16 hours in those days)
The WH branch ended at West Hempstead at that time.

nice story JJ.

Thanx JJ!

So . . . as early as 1963 it appears the spur was no longer in use.

Switch and connection out at the CLP end between 6/ 1960 and 6/1961.

All sounds about right.

Dave Keller

Thank-you Dave & JJ, as always, fascinating stuff. I know the WM-CLP was still there in 1964, we used to walk it to go to White Castles in West Hemp. I remember seeing the 3 flats just southwest of Franklin Ave that year. There was a standard RR lock for the switch at CLP, we found it unlocked some time in 1964, and as far as I know, my friend still has it as a souvenir. I remember daily freights in 1973 on the Mitchell line, mostly servicing Newsday & the A&P warehoused.
NIMBY, the tax payers will not appreciate you using the LIRR as your 1:1 scale railroad. I would love to see these lines come back, but it is a dream. The secondary is only a mile to two from the main line. It would be cheaper and faster for, lets say, a student going to NCCC, to take the train to Carl Place or Westbury, and then a cab to the college. As far as passengers, they would be more south of the line in East Meadow and Uniondale. It also is a fact that the jobs in NYC that produce passengers, stock market, advertising, etc..., are disapearing. My guess is that if the population on the island continues to rise, they'll just extend the subways out onto the island....

Well if you are comeing from the Montauk branch, Long Beach or Far Rock branchs, the Main line is no help nor is the line to hempstead. thoes people including my seld NEED the CRR rebuilt from WM-NCC so we can take the train also.

I had to take a train once, and never again will i do is because i got raped by my railroad becaus i had to go to jamaica. a fare that would be 3 maby 5 dollars costed around 10. and thats alot of money when you are a college student. remember that there is no break for us with taxes and so on. so we the future of america have post HS education hard unless daddy had a fortune.

for me i would take a train at Valley or Westwood- and get off at NCC. a once possible and fast trip. gets me right where i need to be. and i have no parking to worry about. only poor weather.

didn't Long Island Screw there transportation up real dam good.

Also the Main line is not close to the CRR at eiszenhower park -B tower. its a CENTRAL branch to serve the CENTER of long island. and it WOULD free up the main and montauk for MORE people to USE public transportation.

A little further research and I've come up with these extra facts:

1. Passenger service was suspended between Valley Stream and Mineola in 1935, due to the Public Service Commission demanding the elimination of grade crossings between West Hempstead and Mineola. (Hempstead Crossing was still removed in 1939.)

2. The track connection at CLP that I mentioned earlier as having been removed between the 6/1960 and 6/1961 ETTs was removed in October, 1960.

3. Third rail between CLP and West Hempstead stations was also removed in October, 1960.

Dave Keller

P.S. Hey JJ! I have a photo taken around 1948 of a DD1 electric locomotive pulling a freight along this branch, closer to the West Hempstead end and it's about to cross a street at grade. There appears to be a brakeman walking ahead of the locomotive and I had no idea what he was doing there. Obviously it was for just the same reason you had to walk the line years later!! DK

Damn right, Dave.
Like the guy on the horse riding ahead of the NYC trains on the west side line, we couldn't cross any unprotected crossings without flag protection.
'Still can't.

JJ:

I saw a photo years ago of the guy on horseback preceding the West Side NYC trains and carrying a flag!

I thought it was absolutely amazing that they had to do this.

Still do.

Dave Keller