newkirk wrote: ↑Mon Jun 03, 2019 6:07 am
MACTRAXX wrote: The operation that was most interesting during this program were the diesel shuttle trains running
the 11 miles between between Hicksville and Babylon by way of Bethpage and the Central Branch.
Were there two of these shuttle trains in service?
I don't for sure or how many cars. The cars weren't teeming with people, obviously taking heed of other methods and avoid this. Whether you rode a Huntington or Ronkonkoma train, it looked like a 3 seat ride. And what about Port Jefferson diesel train, were they through routed to Hicksville rather than terminating at Huntington creating a 4 seat ride ?
Looking at the special Babylon schedule, connecting "extras" made local stops and not run express to Jamaica, making the trip even longer. Am I wrong ?
BM and Everyone:
The Special trains running on the weekend of June 1-2 between Hicksville and Babylon turned out to be two
8 car C3 trainsets - with two locomotives on each train. In the schedule they were meeting at Bethpage in
each direction hourly going towards their respective terminals.
This video shows both Hicksville-Babylon trains meeting at Bethpage on June 1 - Trains #9212 and #9213:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=voDa3iPjLw0
Train #9213 to Babylon: DE30 400/403 with 8 cars; Train #9212 to Hicksville: DM30 502/514 with 8 cars.
The setup at Hicksville was Huntington or Port Jefferson trains terminating on Track 3;
Ronkonkoma trains terminating on Track 1 with the Babylon shuttles running from Track 2.
Port Jefferson trains terminated at Hicksville during the special Cherry Lane Bridge program running every
two hours - there was no Huntington transfers scheduled. Trains to Syosset, Cold Spring Harbor and
Huntington were run during the hours through PJ service was not scheduled.
Many of the added Babylon Branch trains were "skip stop" trains making limited stops at Amityville,
Massapequa, Bellmore and Freeport (some also stopped at Lynbrook) and then Jamaica as compared
to traditional non-stop (or stopping at Freeport) expresses which were also in the schedule.
What made the Hicksville-Babylon shuttle trains interesting is that they were officially numbered to the
opposite direction to how they were actually run - odd number LIRR trains are westbound and even numbers
are eastbound. The shuttle trains west were covering eastbound runs and shuttle trains east were covering
westbound runs...MACTRAXX
EXPRESS TRAIN TO NEW YORK PENN STATION-NO JAMAICA ON THIS TRAIN-PLEASE STAND CLEAR OF THE CLOSING TRAIN DOORS