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Discussion of the past and present operations of the Long Island Rail Road.

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 #1610447  by photobug56
 
As I recall, MTA / LIRR scrapped its 3 FL9AC's for no particular reason - I'd guess that some tourist RR's would have loved to have gotten them.
 #1610474  by RGlueck
 
The FL9's were New Haven locomotives, not LIRR. They were stored in Harmon for a awhile, then deteriorated to the point where scrapping was probably the only thing left to do, after parting them out. Don't mourn the FL9's. Mourn the C420's and the real LIRR locomotives.
 #1610499  by newkirk
 
RGlueck wrote: Was that the final run of the ALCO C420's? They were repainted for the occasion.
Retiring that fleet of perfectly operable locomotives was a real waste. They never saw service again and were cut up at Naparano.
I believe that fan trip was to signal the end of the C-420's. Weren't some the L-2's sold to other railroads ? I know most of the L-1's were.
 #1610501  by photobug56
 
RGlueck wrote: Fri Nov 18, 2022 8:25 am The FL9's were New Haven locomotives, not LIRR. They were stored in Harmon for a awhile, then deteriorated to the point where scrapping was probably the only thing left to do, after parting them out. Don't mourn the FL9's. Mourn the C420's and the real LIRR locomotives.
It's still a huge waste. I don't know how familiar you were with them, but beyond the early computers and the inverters, they ran well, were fairly fast, and amazing to look at and listen to, unlike the junkers that were bad even when new. But then again, LIRR never, apparently, wanted them, would love to drop service in diesel country if they could get away with it, and from everything I've heard, has never taken proper care of them.
Attachments:
FL9AC-FirstDay.jpg
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 #1610512  by RGlueck
 
The L1's went to various locations including the D&H and Roberville & Saguenay (Quebec). I believe three remain in existence today. At least one should be donated to a Long Island museum, if only as a empty shell.

The younger L2's were retired in operable condition and sold to Naparano. They were put up for purchase, but nobody "bit". Consequently, these beautiful locomotives were cut up to recover the scrapper's investment.
 #1610560  by ErnieM
 
This week I saw some MOW equipment spotted on the secondary by the Clinton Road Station. Got these shots on my way back.

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 #1610711  by MACTRAXX
 
newkirk wrote: Thu Nov 17, 2022 4:11 pm Anyone have any info on this fan trip using LIRR hacks and passengers coaches ?
It was a very warm and I heard that the cabooses were stifling.
(Garden City - Sept 10, 1989)

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BM - This was the Long Island Sunrise Trail-NRHS Caboose Coach fantrip on September 10, 1989.
I remember it well since I was aboard for that trip...The day was hot and humid - the two 2900 series coaches
were a welcome respite from the heat that day...C420s 225 and 229 were specially painted in their original
blue and yellow color scheme and were "unveiled" during a photo stop at Clinton Road in Garden City.
The cabooses really were not that bad when the train was moving - stopping is when heat and humidity
caused problems for riders. We were given choices of caboose and coach riding to give all attendees a
chance to ride both - I chose cabooses AM and coach PM (coach AM-cabooses PM the other option) being
that I was a car host on my first LIST trip - I joined LIST earlier in 1989...

RG, SL and H-E: For the record the first electric train to Huntington ran on Monday October 19, 1970.
There was a schedule change effective that day - LIRR Form A folder shows the new services with the
completion of the Mineola-Huntington Electrification project...I recently looked at timetables from
that era and what actually astonished me is how little new service there was at that time - and even
more interesting is that the limited level of initial electric service to Hicksville and Huntington was
kept until a major schedule change went into effect June 26, 1972 - push-pull diesel service on both
the Port Jefferson Branch between Huntington and Port Jefferson and on the Ronkonkoma Branch
between Hicksville and Ronkonkoma were introduced for the first time along with expanded 7 day
a week electric service to Huntington...MACTRAXX
 #1610713  by Head-end View
 
MACTRAXX, that date of 10/19/70 for the Huntington electrification sound right. That's the month I remember it beginning.

The limited electric service for the first year and a half was likely because the M1's were still coming into service and there were probably not enough of them available to provide a higher level of service until 1972. As I recall, only the new M1's were used for the Huntington service, no rattletrap MP54's that were being junked as fast as the M1's replaced them.
 #1610715  by nyandw
 
More on the trip here: LIST Freight Branch Excursion September 10, 1989  - "Caboose Coach trip"
http://www.trainsarefun.com/lirr/lirrfa ... ntrips.htm 80% down the page

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LIRR SW103 at Yard A. On the way to the Garden-Mitchel Field Secondary, the train stopped behind Morris Park and swapped SW103 for the FA609 and C-420s #225 & 229. (photos below)
Photo: John Fusto 

The trip consist was as follows: cabooses #64, 56, 65 & 51 then the two coaches #2913, 2975, then cabooses #62, 50, 70 & 63 and finally the LIRR SW103, LIRR FA ALCO #609, LIRR ALCO C420 #229, 225 Info: John Fusto
 #1611059  by workextra
 
Of The cabooses on this trip.
5 are still on LI
2 are out of state
1 is scrapped


C50 owned by LIRR condr at OBRM
C51 owned by LIRR
C56 owned by Grey Granite RR, Gladstonebury CT. **
C62 owned by NYAR -is at the Louisville & Indiana RR (anacostia pacific subsidiary)
C63 owned by Twin Forks chapter NRHS
C64 owned by Twin Forks chapter NRHS
C65 owned by and is now NYAR 52
C70 (NYAR)scrapped 2003.

SW1001 103 is now painted blue and yellow and is in the rotation for the Richmond-hill yard drill engine, sharing duties with 100 and 105.
Occasionally these 3 will venture to hillside/Holban but they tend to stay close to home these days.

** also has C61, both have had their interiors completely ripped out.
One is riding on the ATSF trucks taken from the flatcar scrapped from under Twin Forks.
 #1614166  by newkirk
 
NYCTA "gate car" #1349 in Holban Yard prior to scrapping. Painted front suggests work car.(May 1959)
Anyone here remember this ?

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 #1614599  by newkirk
 
I posted the above image on another site and received a response that these elevated cars as well as IRT Lo-Vs were scrapped in Holban yard.

I would love to see pictures if they exist.
 #1614637  by RGlueck
 
I don't remember that particular car, but I remember when barges took scores of NYC subway cars offshore and dumped them in the New York Bight as artificial reef structures. Once in awhile you can find photos of the old cars, taken by scuba divers, with swarms of fish darting in and out.
 #1614764  by newkirk
 
I [ don't remember that particular car, but I remember when barges took scores of NYC subway cars offshore and dumped them in the New York Bight as artificial reef structures./quote]

Do you mean the reefing program of twenty years ago ? I don't recall dumping old car bodies in the ocean 50 or 60 years ago.
August 2003 - 207th St yard

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 #1614773  by RGlueck
 
I remember the dumping of "redbirds" but yes, subway cars were being dumped in the early 1960's. All manner of trash was being disposed of offshore. I recall submersible barges with retractable floors. The idea was to fill it, tow it into deep water. retract the floor and allow water pressure to squeeze out the air, leaving the bulk of the garbage out of sight on the seabed. Viola! Hospital waste on the beaches!
But yes, old steel carbodies were dumped to, allegedly, create fish habitats, which they did.
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