LIRR Mainline Third Track Project

[MattAmity90]

It says that the School Street box-jacking of the bridge into place is on the schedule is for the weekend of October 3rd-4th. I thought the weekend outage and box-jacking of the bridge would take place on the next weekend (September 12th-13th).

I think we are going to see further construction of new temporary platforms at Carle Place, Merillon Avenue, and New Hyde Park. They are focused on getting Platform A at those three stations in service by the end of the year (although half of Platform A at Carle Place is already open).

I'm wondering where to the East of Mineola they will be installing that new switch. Is it a new switch next to NASSAU tower, or a switch around Roslyn Road? East of Floral Park we have interlockings in between New Hyde Park and Merillon Avenue, they created a new NASSAU in between Merillon Avenue and Mineola (old site of the old NASSAU), one just West of Carle Place, and of course DIVIDE from Hicksville to just East of Urban Avenue.

[Head-end View]

MattAmity90, where are you hearing that info about Oct 3-4? I've heard that locally also but like you, I thought it was going to happen next weekend. Maybe it's been postponed?

[Tinyplaces]

The switch they are referring to is for Nassau 3 Interlocking, mentioned in this article : https://lirrexpansion.com/2020/09/01/mi ... uction-15/
Project Activity Map for N3 Interlocking : https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gqCM-Q ... inIX7/view

The School St bridge install date was changed when the Project activity maps were updated ( dated 7/30) but there was also an article published back in May that stated September, so I guess they changed things around. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QMgj9q ... 1KFWd/view

I also recall earlier this year that the date for the Willis Ave bridge push was supposed to be Nov 2020 but that changed to March 2021 : https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yr_ImE ... R4IRq/view

*Note: The project activity maps are usually updated the 1st or 2nd week of the month on the LirrExpansion site, so what I linked in this post may change this upcoming week.

[MACTRAXX]

Everyone: The addition of October 3-4 to the upcoming list of Main Line
construction closures makes -SEVEN- consecutive weekend shutdowns
for the Third Track Project. This change was added yesterday (9/6) after
I made my previous post and MTA link listing the six weekends.

The most significant projects along with the new Nassau 3 interlocking
is the School Street-Westbury grade crossing elimination and the bridge
modification at Meadowbrook Parkway.

New timetables are available effective Monday September 8
along with special schedules for all of the upcoming weekends:
http://web.mta.info/lirr/Timetable

This is adding to a very busy 2020 work season for 3TC...MACTRAXX

[MattAmity90]

I can see why they would move the School Street bridge installation to the weekend of October 3rd-4th. Excavation still has to be done both to the North and South. One thing will be different about the bridge compared to the others, in that School Street will be green, while the others are yellow. I looked at the plan for NASSAU Interlocking as well.

On the map:

NASSAU-1 moves from in between New Hyde Park and Merillon Avenue to almost the original location before Herricks Road was eliminated.

NASSAU-3 moves slightly further West to in between NASSAU-2 and the Meadowbrook Parkway.

[Head-end View]

Re: Nassau-1 Interlocking. Good to hear that it will be just west of Mineola Station. That means from the station platforms we will be able to see signals. The bad news is they will probably just be those dopey looking reduced aspect signals.

[MattAmity90]

Yeah, I hate those RAS's or as I call them "Ronkonkoma Branch Signals." I mean the signal gantries that will be taken down or have been taken down were installed in 1998. The one West of Mineola was a product of the Herricks Road grade crossing elimination, and the NASSAU-3 gantries were erected in 1998 because that one was under construction and opened up after the project. I guess unless it is a massive interlocking, RAS's are the way to go, but it wouldn't hurt if they made them pedestal at least. Interlockings like VALLEY, PORT, WANTAGH, AMITYVILLE, BABYLON, DIVIDE, QUEENS, JAY, DUNTON, HAROLD couldn't function with the RAS's.

They are probably doing this because of the space being used, and there might not be enough wiggle room to put up gantries. Literally from left to right both ways it goes: Sound Wall, Track 2, Track 3, Track 1, Power Pole, Sound Wall. Kind of like the Babylon Branch without the embankment and concrete viaducts, a "U" shape.

[Head-end View]

The reduced aspect signals have nothing to do with space. The MTA is saving money by using them. Both money for gantries (signal bridges) and money for the older systems with more signal aspects, hardware, etc. Pure economics.

[MattAmity90]

This past weekend was the first of seven straight weekend outages due to switch replacement/work. Edwards photos have showed the following, and of course one confirmation that will take place on the weekend of October 3rd-4th.

-Trees and foliage are being cleared East of Mineola for the new third track.
-Relocation of utilities at Willis Avenue continue.
-Trenches at Mineola, removal of subgrade at New Hyde Park.
-The current Track 2 near Urban Avenue is seeing rail/tie replacement work.
-All of the switches for NASSAU-2 have been laid on flatbed trucks in a parking lot for later installation. They are located in a parking lot containing a Wells Fargo, a Guitar Center, and a PC Richard & Sons.
-Obviously in previous replies, the School Street bridge will not be box-jacked into place until the weekend of October 3rd-4th.

[MattAmity90]

Also noted:

1.) Nearly all of the brush/trees have been cleared in Mineola to make way for the third track. There is room on both sides for a track East of Roslyn Road.
2.) New switches that were installed this past weekend are just to the East of the signal gantry at Roslyn Road.
3.) Sound retaining walls to the North have been erected at the West end of Mineola.
4.) Unfortunately the spot that I stood at in that photo of me is gone

[REM3Night]

Today, Saturday, September 26 the RR is replacing (westbound) ties at Carle Place and its approaches. Earlier this week they removed ballast from between the ties with a vaccume. Today they had a train of various cars that lifted the rail, removed the wood ties, replaced them with concrete ties and reattached the rail. All quite interesting.

[photobug56]

How could they have operated trains on a section of busy track without ballast for a number of days?

[REM3Night]

They removed the ballast that was between the ties - not under.
Last night they brought in the ballast train and dropped the ballast. Today I went over around noon and the ballast was in and they were reinstalling the third track. Usually the third rail is attached to a special long wood tie. With the concrete ties they attach a metal "bracket" and attach the third rail.
The new ties start just east of the Ellison Avenue bridge and extend well west of Carle Place (beyond view).

[photobug56]

Understood. Thanks!

[MattAmity90]

Edward Hand posted new photos as he has always done so at the end of every weekend. Aside from what I read:

1.) Rail-tie replacement around Ellison Avenue-Carle Place, vacuuming ballast.
2.) New NASSAU-3 under construction with the MI Jack near the former site of the Vanderbilt bridge
3.) Extension of temporary platforms at Merillon Avenue.

Check it out, T-5 days until School Street has its bridge box-jacked into place. A little over 4 months after the road was closed.

Looking North at School Street. Edward Hand.
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