Amityville - Cross-Island Trolley Opening Day 8/25/1909
The building is known as the "Triangle Building" - located at Broadway and Park Avenue
 looking south. Collection:  Robert Emery, SUNY Stony Brook

August 25, 1909, was celebrated in downtown Amityville as opening day for the Huntington-Amityville trolley. "Welcome to our city," the sign says. Amityville Historical Society
The Huntington trolley used this station as a stop from 1909 to 1919.

Amityville Station trestle view E c.1900 for the Cross-Island Trolley line ran 18.5 miles from the Halesite, south, to the Amityville docks on the Great South Bay from 1909-1919.
Photo: William J. Rugen Archive: Queens Public Library

Huntington Railroad (Cross-Island Trolley) extended service to Farmingdale and on to Amityville began 8/25/1909.  That year the power plant was added to the west side of the Farmingdale station building.  Research: Dave Keller

Amityville Emery map - MP30-31 08/19/1958

 
Amityville Emery 1958 backdated c.1930's
Diagram: Steven Lynch

PRR K4s #5362 westbound at Broadway, Amityville crossing
c.1935 - Archive: Dave Keller

Amityville - Emery ledger map 1958

Emery's finished product maps in his collection sold to SUNY Stony Brook. All drawn in ledger-sized spiral notebooks and illustrated with actual photos.
Info: Dave Keller

 
Amityville freight station 5/1964 View E
Photo/Archive: Brad Phillips

Amityville temporary station facilities and tracks view E from crossover bridge late 1968 
Archive: Dave Keller

LIRR maps Amityville-Copiague 6/1966
Archive: Dave Keller

AMITYVILLE Station History:
S. S. R. R. (South Side R.R.) SVC. BEGAN:10/28/1867. DEPOT BUILT: NOV-DEC/1868. MOVED TO PRIVATE PROPERTY (29 RAILROAD AVE.): 1889. STILL STANDING: 1/2020.
2ND DEPOT OPENED: 7/25/1889, RAZED: 5/29/64. REPLACED WITH TEMPORARY STATION BUILDING. IN SVC: 5/29/64. OUT OF SVC: 10/25/68 DUE TO RELOCATION OF TRACKS AND FACILITIES FOR GRADE CROSSING ELIMINATION. BLDG. RAZED.
2ND TEMPORARY STA. BUILDING ACCOUNT OF GRADE CROSSING ELIMINATION IN SVC: 10/25/68.OUT OF SVC: 8/7/73 AND RAZED.
ELEVATED STRUCTURE IN SVC: 8/7/73  Research: Dave Keller

Modeling Amityville - The CANNON BALL Fall 2024
Sunrise Trail Division, Northeast Region NMRA
By: Steven Lynch
 

Except for an occasional movement to the East end, freight is a rarity in Amityville these days. This writer can recall when there was a lively freight traffic on the Long Island Railroad and when Amityville was an important stop, not only for passengers, but also for goods. Just before electrification to Babylon in 1925, there was a daily freight serving way stops from Rockville Centre to Babylon.

In those days there were a number of sidetracks adjacent to the passenger depot, a freight station for less than carload shipments at John Street and a loading platform for baggage and local business near Birch Avenue for City bound shipments.

On the east bound main track there wee at least three sidings. The longest extended from the westerly end of the passenger platform to a point west of County Line Road. This track was used for boxcars containing autos, motorboats and other heavy goods. Tank cars were spotted on this switch to supply the Sunony Oil Plant. From this long siding another track led to the General Ice Company's plant and was used to deliver coal. Still another turnout led to the distribution plant of the Welz and Zerwick Brewing Company. A siding led to Wilbur Heinley's Coal Yard just west of Broadway. Later another siding was provided to serve Amityville Creamery. Carloads of fresh milk were delivered each day for many years.

The daily freight usually chugged into Amityville in mid-morning and the crew lost no time in going about the business of setting out loaded cars and picking up empties. Since Amityville was the largest village between Freeport and Babylon, it was a major distribution point for coal and lumber. Many carloads of coal, lumber and related products were delivered to the Wood Lumber Company's yard bounded by John Street, Sterling Place and Broadway. A long siding led to the lumber sheds and pocket at the time. The railroad earned considerable revenue from coal, which was the heating fuel in use at the time. All year long, and especially in summer and fall, the locomotives spotted hopper and gondola cars loaded with coal for storage in silos or pockets for delivery to consumers by truck. The Sunrise Coal Company on Mill Street was another anthracite dealer in the village with a sidetrack to its yard.

Train watchers were provided with plenty of action when a freight puffed in from the west. As soon as it arrived, it was divided, if necessary, to permit traffic to cross John Street or Broadway. Cars were then shunted to sidings by a shove from the steam locomotive, a brakeman riding the car and stopping at the proper location by applying the hand brake. Sometimes the conductor would rearrange his cars in preparation for switching operations beyond.

The conductor had to be alert for scheduled passenger trains, and utmost care was taken not to interfere with such traffic, especially the east and west mid-morning express trains to and from Amagansett.

When the line was electrified to Babylon, the sidings were equipped with the third rail and DD1 motors were assigned to the freights. Sometimes the engines would stall where there were gaps in the third rail at turnouts. Jumper cables provide a connection between the energized rail and the engine contact shoe.

The last siding was torn out in 1969. The sights and sounds at the depot have changed. The melodious whistle of the steam passenger locomotive is long gone along with the shrill blast of the freight engine. Gone too, is the honk of the diesel and the whine of the traction motors of the Long Island MP54 multiple unit electric passenger cars.