Greenport & Hempstead

While visiting the Island last week, I noticed at Greenport, the main line ended just feet from the water, with a slight turn to the right for the last couple of yards. The dock is named Railroad Dock (Peir?). I noticed in a picture from the 40's that the yard at Greenport was a lot larger. My questions are, did the LIRR used to put trains on barges here, and if they did, how many, and when? Thank-you ancients....



P.S. Hempstead has .........changed.......The Roman Empire ceased not with a bang, but a whimper....

The tracks used to continue onto the dock for the purpose of convinience. The reason LIRR was created was as a way for people to get from NYC to Boston. People would ride the LIRR to Greenport. Trains would pull onto the dock, next to the ferry. People would step off the train and onto the boat. From there, they took the ferry to I think Groton, where they boarded another train to Boston.

Here is a shot of the Budd RDCs on the rail dock at Greenport:



And yes. . . . the yard was larger. There was even a small roundhouse at one time, which, surprisingly enough, while it was close to (east of) the turntable, did NOT lead off the turntable but was acccessed by a switch off one of the siding tracks!!!

There was a water tower and section shanty at the west end of the yard. The freight house is still standing as the RMLI's Greenport museum.

Dave Keller

Hell will freeze over, and the MTA may add another train (yeah right). Couldn't the RDC's saftey issues been corrected and kept?

De 402...

The RDC's were discontinued out there because at the time, most of the crossings out there, did not have automatic gate protection. There was a grade crossing collision with an RDC and a truck carrying potatoes where the Engineer was killed. So, at the very vocal "behest" of the Engineer's union, the RDC's were nolonger used. An Engineer's life was worth far more than adding convenience to passengers with more frequent train service that an RDC may have afforded.

The issue was raised again with the advent of the C-3's, but nowadays, most grade crossings have automatic crossing protection and collision standards are much better.

The RDC hit a Lizza Co. sand dump truck at the Blue Point Road crossing east of Holtsville station in 1967. The truck was being used in the construction of the LIE through that part of the island at the time.

The crossing had no gates or lights at the time (added in 1969). Only the old crossbuck signs.

The engineer, Patsy Molese was, I think, 70 or 72 years of age and was just about to retire.

He was killed when the front end of the car was pushed in upon impact.

Both cars were removed from service at that time. As far as I know there was no damage to the 2nd car but it was put in storage and was later traded to the B&O for the closed-end observation "Nappannee."

Dave Keller

Dave,

What operational reasons would have the RDCs out on the dock? They weren't transferring pasengers to a ship by then (or at least I don't think they were!) Did they put them there just to clear the yard?

Was there a lot of freight activity using the Greenport dock?

I remember them still being there in the early 1980s with track, but disconnected from the mainline.

No idea, actually.

I have a shot taken around 1954 showing a string of P54 cars sitting out there as well.

In the photo I attached previously, it appears the one car has been spotted directly in front of the depot.

Perhaps there was a "boss" on board and the motorman tried to save him some steps.

I have only seen a freight car on the dock once and that is in a c. 1925 negative I have that was shot by the late block operator Jim Osborne. The scene is looking westward towards the station from a boat tied up at the dock. There's a wooden LIRR boxcar on the dock, and the dock looks in absolutely great shape! Obviously very well maintained in the 1920s.

No scan available; sorry

I photographed the dock from in front of the depot in 1972. The tracks were still connected to the main but the dock was rotted through pretty badly and there was a chain-link fence stretched across it to keep people off.

It had been used for many years as a fishing pier.

Dave Keller

Maybe for convinience for those connecting to the Shelter Island ferry.

Hmmm...

That's a trip I've always wanted to make; by rail to Greenport and then by Ferry to Shelter Island Heights.

(Great Place! -I'd move there in a heartbeat if I had the $$$$!)

Nice trip.

I did it two different ways.

One time, a friend of mine and I drove to Greenport and brought our bicycles.

We parked in Greenport and rode over on the ferry with just our bikes.

We rode around awhile over there until the hills killed us then we came back.

Another time my family and I took the car on the ferry, rode through Shelter Island, took the south ferry off the island, docking at Sag Harbor, parked, walked around the town, ate lunch, then down to Montauk Hwy and either return west or go east to Montauk! We went to Montauk and Montauk Point. I took railroad photos at Montauk, then we went further east and saw the lighthouse, etc. As I said . . . really nice trip!!

What is really great is looking back at the depot and old rail dock from the ferry! You can get some terrific overall photos of the terminal as you slowly move further and further away.

Be sure to do this on a bright, sunny day. It's much more enjoyable!!!

Dave Keller