Massapequa SSRR_South-Oyster-Bay-Station_c. 1867_Huneke.jpg (69447 bytes)
South Side Rail Road - South Oyster Bay Station 
c.1867 Archive: Art Huneke

MASSAPEQUA: ORIGINALLY OPENED AS SOUTH OYSTER BAY BY THE SSRR c. 1867. LOCATED WEST OF THE HICKSVILLE RD. CROSSING. RENAMED "MASSAPEQUA" IN MAY, 1889. (Art Huneke data)
2ND, RELOCATED DEPOT BUILT: MAY-JUNE/1891, EAST OF HICKSVILLE ROAD CROSSING. RAZED: 1/1953 WITH GRADE ELIMINATION.
TEMPORARY STATION RELOCATED WEST OF FORMER LOCATION IN SVC: 1/12/53. ELEVATED STRUCTURE IN SVC: 12/14-18/1953


Brooklyn Eagle Massapequa LIRR ad  3/18/1906 Archive: Tom Bergen
Emery_Massapequa_MP27-28_pre 1953.jpg (186196 bytes)
Emery Massapequa MP27-28 pre-1953

Emery_Massapequa_MP27-28_7-1958.jpg (123898 bytes)
Emery Massapequa MP27-28 7/1958
Archive: Dave Keller

Massapequa-Station_1896_Massapequa-Historical-Society.jpg (73759 bytes)
Massapequa Station 1896  View N
Archive: Massapequa Historical Society

Massapequa Station 1897 Photo: Hal Fullerton Archive: Chris Klug
 
Massapequa Station c.1900 Summer  View NW
Archive: Massapequa Historical Society
Massapequa Station_Hotel Carriages_c.1900-winter_Massapequa-Historical-Society.jpg (65361 bytes)
Massapequa Station - Massapequa Hotel Carriages 
Winter c.1900 View NE Archive: Massapequa Historical Society

The LIRR business car #200 behind D52  #32 (4-4-0) inspection train. The same consist photographed over Carmen's River east of Yaphank in 1897 by Fullerton. Research: Dave Keller
 


Hicksville Road Grade Crossing open and retracted View N 5/12/1936  west of station Archive: Massapequa Historical Society


RR STOP RR - Warning street barrier close-up at Hicksville Rd., Massapequa Grade Crossing 5-12-1936 Note: The sign on the Crossing Signal mast: RXR BARRIER to indicate this barrier (below left). The smaller signs at the tracks read: "Caution - Electric Rail".  The Signal Control box cabinets are open in this photo; perhaps a LIRR employee took this photo?


Massapequa - Hicksville Rd. street barrier - Ford Model A c.1931


AUTOMATIC RXR BARRIER sign close-up
Massapequa-Station_1930_Massapequa-Historical-Society.jpg (106238 bytes)
Massapequa Station 1930 View W
Archive: Massapequa Historical Society

Massapequa Station - center island crossing signals
12/16/1930 View E - Archive:
Mike Boland
Massapequa_LIRR--1966-map.jpg (53657 bytes)
LIRR 1966 Massapequa map Page 31
Station-Massapequa (View NW) - 1966 (Keller-Keller).jpg (73038 bytes)
Massapequa station view NW - 1966 
(Dave Keller photo and archive)
Station-Massapequa (View NW) - 07-87 (Keller-Keller).jpg (94956 bytes)
Massapequa station view NW - Baggage/express elevator at
far right - 7/1987 (Dave Keller photo and archive)

Massapequa Pocket Track - View W 2/2020
Photo/Archive: Edward Hand

Massapequa Pocket Track - 3/2020 Photo: The LIRR Today


MP15ACs 1500s in the pocket track Massapequa eastbound to Speonk 8/03/2021 Photo/Archive: Daniel Foran

The intent of the pocket track is to enable more Babylon Zone trains to turn around without clogging up the main or going all the way to Babylon. Grouped with the other East Side Access readiness projects, it has been put on the back burner repeatedly as the opening date for East Side Access has also been pushed back. While not having this project has not had a debilitating impact on service, the delays on this project are a great example of the knock-on impacts of late projects. Never being towards the top of the priority list, the completion date was allowed to slide years because track and signal resources were more urgently needed to continue performing work for longer periods of time on other projects that had fallen behind schedule.

Massapequa Pocket Track LIRR/MTA - 11/18/2020
      Massapequa Park     

MASSAPEQUA PARK: ORIGINALLY EASTBOUND AND WESTBOUND PLATFORMS ONLY. IN SVC: 12/3/33 (G.O. 121-2) SHELTER SHED ON EACH PLATFORM ADDED: ? TICKET OFFICE BUILT INTO CORNER OF WESTBOUND SHELTER SHED. TRAILER INSTALLED AS TICKET OFC: 8/3/65 (Brad Phillips data) REPLACED BY TEMPORARY STATION DURING GRADE CROSSING ELIMINATION PROJECT: 12/21/77. TEMPORARY STATION ON ACCOUNT OF GRADE CROSSING ELIMINATION IN SVC: 12/21/77. OUT OF SVC: 12/13/80 AND RAZED. ELEVATED STRUCTURE IN SVC: 12/13/1980. AGENCY CLOSED: 8/19/2009

Emery_Massapequa-Park_MP28-29_pre-1953.jpg (102272 bytes)
Emery Massapequa MP28-29  pre-1953
Archive: Dave Keller
Emery_Massapequa-Park_MP28-29_8-1958.jpg (167898 bytes)
Emery Massapequa MP28-29  8/1958
Archive: Dave Keller

 

Massapequa-Park-Station_Opening-12-03-1933_Massapequa-Historical-Society.jpg (66629 bytes)
Massapequa Park Station - Opening 12/03/1933
Archive: Massapequa Historical Society
Massapequa-Park-Station_1939_Massapequa-Historical-Society.jpg (112328 bytes)
Massapequa Park Station Shelter - North Side 1939
Archive: Massapequa Historical Society
Massapequa-Park_1944_Massapequa-Historical-Society.jpg (76099 bytes)
Massapequa Park 1944 View E
Photo:  Fred Weber Archive: Dave Morrison
Massapequa-Park-Station_c.1950s_Massapequa-Historical-Society.jpg (73087 bytes)
Massapequa Park Station c.1950s View W
Archive: Massapequa Historical Society
Station-Massapequa Park-Shelter Shed with Tkt Ofc and Temp Tkt Ofc Trailer (View NE) - 1966 (Keller-Keller).jpg (90003 bytes)
Massapequa Park station shelter shed with integral ticket office on west end and temporary ticket office trailer beyond - View NE - 1966 (Dave Keller photo and archive)
Station-Massapequa Park-Temp Facilities-M1 Westbound-12-30-77 (Madden-Keller).jpg (77400 bytes)
 A westbound M1 train at the Massapequa Park temporary station facilities during the grade elimination project, photographed on 12/30/77  (Wm. Madden photo, Dave Keller archive)
Station-Massapequa Park-Grade Elim. (View E) - 04-29-79 (Erlitz-Keller).jpg (100142 bytes)
Massapequa Park station under construction for grade elimination project.  View E - Temporary tracks and station at far right.  Stanchions for elevated station in center and concrete beams loaded on trailers at far left - 4/29/79 (Jeff B. Erlitz photo, Dave Keller archive)
Station-Massapequa Park-Grade Elim. (View W) - 04-29-79 (Erlitz-Keller).jpg (120735 bytes)
Massapequa Park station under construction for grade elimination project.  View W - Temporary tracks and station at far left.  Stanchions for elevated station in center.  Girder bridge segment in center background - 4/29/79 (Jeff B. Erlitz photo, Dave Keller archive)
Station-Massapequa Park-Grade Elim. (View E) - 05-26-80 (Madden-Keller).jpg (90495 bytes)
Massapequa Park station under construction for grade elimination project.  View E - Temporary tracks and station at right and center.  Permanent tracks set on new elevated structure.  High level platform in position and stanchions in place to support platform roof.  5/26/80 (Wm. Madden photo, Dave Keller archive)

MP15AC #169 is leading this extra on 10/06/1979 on the shoo-fly tracks through Massapequa Park during the grade crossing elimination project. It's about to cross Broadway, a little east of MP29 Photo/Archive: Jeff Erlitz
  Station-Massapequa Park-EB M1 Train (View NW) - 07-87 (Keller-Keller).jpg (77252 bytes)
Massapequa Park station with eastbound M1 train making station stop.  View NW - Ticket office in separate structure below station name.  7/1987 (Dave Keller photo and archive)
 

I was the first ticket clerk to be assigned to the “new” trailer ticket office in August of 1965. Before the trailer opened, tickets were only sold on Monday mornings from a small “closet” in the northwest corner of the westbound shelter.  The tickets, dater, etc. were kept in a travelling box at Massapequa which was picked up by the assigned extra early on Monday mornings, similar to several other Monday-only offices around the railroad (many of which I worked over the years).

I was assigned effective on a Monday.  I picked up the ticket box and proceeded to sell tickets from the corner closet.  After closing down that day at about 10 am, per the official schedule, I started setting up the new ticket office in the trailer. A major plus was air conditioning!

Being the enthusiastic guy that I am, I stayed late into the night getting everything set up to be able to start selling tickets the next day (Tuesday).  I must have worked until 7 or 8 that night, but was ready to go at 6 am Tuesday. No visits by any officials on that Monday (Tom Merkel was agent stationed in Massapequa and the division super was …. Harold Remple?? (I can’t be sure of his name or the spelling).

I opened to the surprise of many commuters at 6 am Tuesday.  Later in the day, Mr. Remple (or whoever) stopped by to see how things were going and was surprised to see everything set up and tickets being sold.  In discussing how this happened, I mentioned my heroic (!!) efforts of the previous day.  I was young and naďve and didn’t even think of a: asking to work OT, or b: getting approval for said OT.  Happily, Mr. Remple was very pleased that things had proceeded well and authorized the time I worked as OT, which was a bonus for me as I had no intention of asking for payment.  I just enjoyed being able to set up the office.

About a week later, I was unceremoniously bumped from this nice, close to home, job and assigned to Southampton, which is a whole ‘nuther story.  (This guy followed me around the railroad bumping me from place to place, why I never did find out.) Brad Phillips