LIRR mail trains

I remember that place. They got Sunday papers late Saturday eves. Dad would take me for a quick ride there, for the Daily News. Chinese food on the corner.
You would not recognize that area today.
Joe

Joe,
I know, The chrysler/dodge dealer bricked-up the front of the stores and made it part of the dealership. I had many memories of the LIRR in the 50's thru 70's, but no more.
Ed

The LIRR operated an M.U. RPO to the Rockaways via the Rockaway Beach Branch and Far Rockaway Branch until the NYCTA takeover of service via Jamaica Bay to the Rockaways ended the RPO. Think of it. The rapid transit line used by the A and C trains on the penninsula was actually once a RAILROAD! Herbert George's book has photos of an M.U. train headed by an M.U. RPO car, and freight trains on the elevated line (!) on the penninsual behind Alco S-1 and S-2 diesels, with position-light signals in the background.

Ah, what has been lost!

"...As for the baggage car in mid-train - I was watching a video recently and it was stated that the mid-train baggage car was serving as a bar car..." Pure nonsense for the LIRR, cannot comment for the railroad in the video. However, perhaps they meant it was a rebuilt car. (Steve Lynch)

http://www.trainsarefun.com/lirr/baggag ... aggage.htm

Baggage Car #7715 Train #4 preparing newspaper delivery Patchogue 07/1971 interior view

1. The express/baggage houses were at the far east end of the eastbound station platforms and at the far west end of the westbound station platforms so these cars, which were ALWAYS the head-end car on both eastbound and westbound trains back in the day when baggage and express were carried (pre-mid-1960s), could be spotted at their respective platforms and be unloaded. If it was single track through the station facilities, there would be an express house at BOTH the far west end and the far east end of the low-level station platform to accommodate these cars.

See my Patchogue page for the maps: http://www.trainsarefun.com/lirr/patcho ... chogue.htm The baggage house was east of the station before PD tower.


The REA Express/west Baggage House was west of Station



2. Because the average commuter was not permitted to walk through said car.

AND . .. to set up a fixed bar in a baggage car meant rebuilding the interior of the car. Baggage cars were not neat and finished off inside as were passenger cars. They were rough.

AND . . in later years when the baggage cars only carried the newspapers, they were always on the head end EASTBOUND when they were in service. You would see them on the rear end of a westbound train ONLY when they were deadheading back west.

Montauk train #4 and Greenport Train #204 usually had one baggage car on the head end behind the engine heading east in the morning.

Newspaper bundles were tossed or thrown as were the rolled individual papers.


Courtesy: Dave Keller LIRR Historian

I worked for creamy egg creams in the late 60's. Two Jewish Guys, Sy and Nat owned the place.
Worked as a High school kid there on the weekends, putting the sunday papers together, and working behind the counter.
Sy and nat were nice guys, and smart too. They told me and the other guy I worked with we could have all the fountain soda we wanted free.
After a few weekends of fountain soda, I could not look at it again without getting sick.
The sweetness and stickiness of it, combined with the newspaper ink, was too much after awhile.
We found water was a better thirst quencher.
To this day 40 years later, I still cant drink soda. I drink home made Iced tea without sugar!
Creamy egg creams is Long gone, as is the store on northern blvd.
As another poster said, the Chrysler dealer took it over. ( remember Stanley S. Killburn?)
They originally moved across the street, but sold out years ago.
There is still a newstand across the street, but not the same owners.

I revisited Bayside in 2004 after a 40-year absence. The changes were stunning. I used to go to all the shops mentioned, largely seeking out different paperback novels, but I never passed up an egg cream at Creamy Egg Creams.
The owners of Bob & Terry's sold the store in the late 1950s, but I ran into Terry in 1964 at a store in Manhattan, just south of 125th Street and several blocks north o Columbia University. The store there was not unlike the one in Bayside.
I rode the LIRR between Bayside and Manhattan for several years up until 1964, when I moved away. I was very sorry I didn't have time to take that ride again in 2004. I'd have liked to have seen how the entire environment changed.

Eventually all of the smooth-sided cars MTA/LIRR acquired from other roads were repainted into MTA/LIRR colors

I say too bad they didn't paint the locomotives to match the KCS cars instead. A railfan's dream.

I remember The name Bob and Terrys.. where was it again?

Bob and Terry's was on East side of Bell Blvd, at 41st Ave. 2nd business south of 41st Ave. I worked there, for Lester, in late '70's.