Ronkonkoma.

Anybody know if two sets of equipment were dispatched from Ronkonkoma eastbound for Greenport early this morning?

Win - On Fridays an extra evening train is operated - and a set of equipment is deadheaded east for this service.
During this period the "Scoot" equipment - two C3 cars and one DE30 locomotive - is swapped out weekly.
Eastbound: (5/23/2022 schedule)
Friday Only - Train #254
Leave Ronkonkoma 5:21 PM
Riverhead 6:05 PM
Arrive Greenport 6:45 PM
(Extension of #252 Ronkonkoma-Yaphank)

Monday-Friday - Train #258
Leave Ronkonkoma 7:03 PM
Riverhead 7:47 PM
Arrive Greenport 8:27 PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Westbound:
Train #255 - Friday Only - Through to Jamaica
Leave Greenport 8:43 PM
Riverhead 9:22 PM
Leave Ronkonkoma 10:03 PM
Arrive Jamaica 11:04 PM

Monday-Friday - Train #257
Leave Greenport 9:41 PM
Riverhead 10:19 PM
Arrive Ronkonkoma 11:04 PM

On Fridays both sets of Greenport "Scoot" equipment are scheduled to be "side by side" at Greenport
between 8:27 and 8:43 PM - when #255 leaves westbound to Jamaica.

All Ronkonkoma-Greenport "Scoots" serve all six stations on the route: Medford, Yaphank, Riverhead,
Mattituck, Southold and Greenport. The exception is trains that terminate/originate in Yaphank.

MACTRAXX

Any reason as to why there aren't more direct Jamaica-Greenport trains in each direction? Why doesn't 254 pick up passengers at Jamaica and then run as an express to Ronkonkoma before continuing to Greenport?

MACTRAXX,
Thanks for the information.
On most mornings an early equipment move passes through Southold east bound around 4:45a. Yesterday morning the equipment move was followed several minutes later by another movement either that or my hearing was fooled by the "doppler effect".

Win -
I checked the current May 23, 2022 Ronkonkoma Branch timetable for the Greenport "Scoot" schedule
and noted on weekdays Train #200 Ronkonkoma-Greenport - making only THREE stops eastbound:
(Arrive Ronkonkoma from NYP 2:42 AM - 1 hour 3 minute connection)
Leave Ronkonkoma 3:45 AM
Medford 3:56 AM
Riverhead 4:29 AM
Arrive Greenport 5:09 AM - Turns for Train #201 - Leave Greenport 5:25 AM
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Saturday, Sunday and Major Holidays (Monday May 30-Memorial Day)
Train #6200 (Connection Arrives at Ronkonkoma from NYP at 4:14 AM)
Leave Ronkonkoma 4:19 AM
Riverhead 5:04 AM
Arrive Greenport 5:44 AM - Turns for #6201-Leave Greenport at 7:01 AM
There are four round trips on the current weekend schedule making all stops between
Ronkonkoma and Greenport - all four round trips make all six stops on the route.

PF - There are TWO main reasons that Friday Train #254 deadheads from Jamaica to Ronkonkoma:
1 - Flexibility - This deadhead equipment train can be sent east when ready to protect the 5:21 PM
eastbound leaving time at Ronkonkoma instead of being "restricted" in the schedule...
2 - A two car nonstop run between Jamaica and Ronkonkoma on a Friday afternoon - prime "getaway"
time - may attract a crowd that would be too large for the two-car train to handle adequately...
Running Train #255 through to Jamaica at 10:03 PM on a Friday night westbound is easier because
the travel demand is much less at that point in the evening offering a nonstop Ronkonkoma-Jamaica option...
MACTRAXX

Pensyfan19 wrote:Any reason as to why there aren't more direct Jamaica-Greenport trains in each direction? Why doesn't 254 pick up passengers at Jamaica and then run as an express to Ronkonkoma before continuing to Greenport?

Shortage of equipment and crews ?

newkirk wrote: ↑Mon May 30, 2022 9:54 am

Pensyfan19 wrote:Any reason as to why there aren't more direct Jamaica-Greenport trains in each direction? Why doesn't 254 pick up passengers at Jamaica and then run as an express to Ronkonkoma before continuing to Greenport?

Shortage of equipment and crews ?

BM - This is due to the equipment situation...There is only so many C3 cars and DE/DM locomotives
to go around - in the Summer the LIRR Diesel Fleet is stretched out to its limits...

Adding new locomotives and multilevel cars (mentioned elsewhere) will help the LIRR meet added seasonal
demand and keep all four diesel routes from experiencing the equipment shortage problems that arise with
the limitations of the existing fleet...MACTRAXX

Even with reduced service during the pandemic, 254 has been canceled due to shortage of equipment. Usually a 1 or 2 car train.

Pensyfan19 wrote: ↑Sun May 29, 2022 1:19 pm Any reason as to why there aren't more direct Jamaica-Greenport trains in each direction? Why doesn't 254 pick up passengers at Jamaica and then run as an express to Ronkonkoma before continuing to Greenport?

Running express to Ronkonkoma would draw a crowd that would disembark in Ronkonkoma after trashing the train.

Running the summer drunk tank trains out east does wreak havoc on diesel country service, and has for years. It's gotten worse and will keep getting worse. They used to lease some old junkers from other commuter railroads. My guess is their loco capacity has reached the breaking point with all the frequent breakdowns.

It would be nice if they were to buy mostly off the shelf locos and cars that (ignoring poor maintenance) would be a bit smaller - just enough to fit through the ESA tunnels - like they could have back in the 1990's, but I doubt they will even consider it. If indeed they buy new diesel equipment before the existing DE DM C3 fleet is unusable.

Back when the LIRR brass was searching for new toys- they were more concerned with having the newest toys that nobody else had. That's it. NJT has those GP40s- why- WE have to get BETTER toys than that! People with little or no expertise in acquiring motive power were chosen to lead. Several for reasons I won't get into here. The people in the know were excluded. Politicians got involved- and that's all she wrote. These DE/DM debacles are the result. The entire fleet was junk on the drawing board, and the dollars burnt on initial purchase and the never ending repairs and over-modification are a scandal. What other railroad would routinely make the same mistakes over and over. For over two decades now.

I've posted about this before, but perhaps its time to revisit again.

In a stroke of managerial genius, LIRR President Charles "Chuck" Hoppe delayed the acquisition of new diesel equipment reasoning the capital outlay for "only" thirty percent of the ridership wasn't a good expenditure thus delaying the purchase. Most if not all of the diesel coaches were purchased by Ken Bittman for just under 100k. When the C3 DE/DM order was delayed, Ken then leased back the coaches for a tidy profit. The seats and interiors are leased for movie and TV. Some of them can be seen on an episode of "The Big Bang Theory".

Some of the other follies are in the Rauch Foundation report posted under the third track thread. In short, every C3 regular train gets shorted of cars during the summer for the extra summer service.

ESA tunnels are like, just enough above subway loading gauge you can fit an M-series unit into them, from my understanding.

In the early 90s I recall that electrification had been extended from a previous terminus to Ronkonkoma.
Where was that terminus and about when did this occur?
Thanks
Andy

Andy - Electrification to Ronkonkoma was extended in the late 1980s -
The HICKSVILLE-RONKONKOMA ELECTRIFICATION Project was the title
The construction period was between June 1985 and December 1987
Full electrified service to Ronkonkoma began on January 18, 1988.
For more information read this topic that I started 15 years ago in 2007 -
hicksville-ronkonkoma-electrification-1 ... 35219.html
(6 pages 81 posts) The RR.Net LIRR Forum Archives are there to answer historical questions
such as this one...MACTRAXX