YAPHANK        


Ticket LI City to Yaphank 10/05/1889
Archive: Dave Keller
 

 
Yaphank Station 1879 Photo: George Brainerd Archive: Brooklyn Museum

The Railroad War of 1844

The Long Island Railroad came to Yaphank in 1844. Before the railroad, a stage carrying passengers and mail took 2 ˝ days to reach the middle of the island.

When the railroad was completed, it was received with anticipation that great changes would come with it. You could now travel from Yaphank to NYC in a stunning two hours. Mr. Pfeiffer could now take his wagon to Yaphank and pick up an order and bring it back to his Middle Island general store. By 1890, you could go to the Yaphank freight office and place an order from a Sears or Montgomery Ward catalog. The order filled and shipped back to the freight station. The Amazon of its day.

The railroad would also bring some unforeseen problems for our farmers. One of the most valuable assets for a farmer was his woodland and the cordwood it produced. Many farmers including William Weeks of Yaphank hired laborers to cut cordwood to be sold in the city and elsewhere. Wood was king for much of Long Island.

It began in a dry period in April and May when sparks from passing locomotives caused forest fires. In May 100,000 acres of timber was destroyed. These fires would often sweep in whatever direction the wind blew and a fire that started in Manorville could make its way to Rocky Point before being controlled. Robert Randall of Ridge lost 1000 cords of firewood to one of the fires. The estimated loss of his firewood amounted to $2,500.

So, the farmers appealed to the LIRR for redress, but their pleas fell upon deaf ears. It wasn’t long before threats replaced appeals.  Local farmers loaded their wagons with men and tools and began lifting rails along the tracks. Not wanting to injure passengers a huge bushy pine tree was felled across the track giving warning for the engineer.

In a show of force the railroad responded by arming laborers to guard the tracks. Undaunted, the farmers of our area took the tracks off near Calverton causing a locomotive to leave the track and settle in a swampy area. The next attack on a train was at the Carmen's River bridge.

One night, a single armed guard was inspecting the track line when he was approached by two armed farmers. As he stopped about 100 armed men emerged from the woods. He was soon relieved of his weapon and sent back to the station. He was told to please extend an invitation to the rest of his company and if they were to come they would find out just how handy the farmers were with shotguns and crowbars. That was the last guard that ever passed down the track.

With a significant loss in ridership and money the LIRR decided to settle. They paid money to the farmers for the destroyed woodland and in other cases agreed to pay for the destroyed cordwood.

Who were these farmers that took on the mighty railroad? Some of them had Revolutionary War blood flowing in their veins as their fathers had served during the Glorious Rebellion. The names of the men who participated were never divulged and no written stories of their actions were ever found. All that was ever mentioned of the participants was that they were some of the most respected members of the community.  Credit to Paul Infranco
 

YAPHANK: 1st Depot appears on timetable of 6/14/1845 as “Milleville” probably replacing the temporary Carman’s River/ Fire Place station opened at or near the site in 
June, 1844 with temporary end of track. Renamed “Yaphank”: 1846.
2nd Depot built: 1875. Agency closed: 1958, razed: 1961
3rd Depot built with hi-level platforms: 2000-01   Research/Material/Archive: Courtesy Dave Keller except as noted

Emery_Yaphank_MP58-59_10-57.jpg (80888 bytes)
Emery map Yaphank MP58-59 - 10/1957
 

Emery map Yaphank MP58-59 - 10/1957

 
Emery map Yaphank MP60-61 - 10/1957


Emery map CU Jct. MP62-63 10/1957
 Emery Yaphank maps: Archive: Dave Keller 

Yaphank-Station_c.1890.jpg (41243 bytes)
Yaphank depot c.1890 view SE


The baggage wagon on the platform reads "Long Island Express"  that was in business from 1882 to 1913.


Emery map Supp ML-2 Brookhaven National Lab 10/1957 Archive: Dave Keller

Yaphank-Station_c.1890_closeup.jpg (79606 bytes)
Yaphank depot c.1890 view SE close-up 

LIRR-maps-1966_page70-Yaphank-Keller.jpg (17375 bytes)
LIRR map - Yaphank 6/1966 Page 70

LIRR-maps-1986_page56-Yaphank_JeffErlitz..jpg (37456 bytes)
LIRR map - Yaphank 1986 Page 56 Archive: Jeff Erlitz


Yaphank Station Caboose #51 on eastbound freight
View SE 4/24/1959 Source: eBay

 Yaphank-depot_c.1900_Keller.jpg (61643 bytes)
Yaphank depot c.1900 view SE 
Archive: Dave Keller

Yaphank-depot_c.1921.jpg (56378 bytes)
LIRR valuation photo  1921 Yaphank depot
 view E Archive: Dave Keller


Yaphank Station - View E c.1947
(Smith-Morrison)


 


Ticket between Yaphank-Medford - GPA Weiss 8/21/1958
Archive: Jerry Landesman
 

German-American-Bund_Camp Siegfried-Yaphank_  c.1930s.jpg (94779 bytes)
Special train to Camp Siegfried, Yaphank 
View SW c.1930's 

During the early to mid-1930's, the German-American Bund met at Camp Siegfried, Yaphank for outdoor events and speeches made by Nazi-American leaders followed by picnic lunch and traditional German music.  Yaphank had a rather large German community and the streets near the camp had Nazi-related names during this era. Photo right.

Special trains ran to Yaphank carrying Nazi-Americans from other parts of Long Island and the metropolitan NY area.  The photographer appears to be standing on the old baggage wagon as he captured this elevated image looking southwest as one of those specials arrived at the station, being welcomed by many followers of Herr Hitler. Photo left. Research: Dave Keller

Yaphank_Camp-Siegfried_Hitler-Str._c.1930s.jpg (90347 bytes)
Adolf Hitler Strasse (street) c.1930's 
Camp Siegfried, Yaphank 

“YA”  YAPHANK (1878 BOOK OF RULES AND 1903 CR4) TRAIN ORDER OFFICE IN TICKET OFFICE. BLOCK OFFICE IN SVC: 5/28/18.
UNATTENDED BLOCK STATION SIGNAL IN SVC: 5/23/28.
PERMISSIVE BLOCK ASPECT ADDED TO BLOCK SIGNALS: 6/25/28. BLOCK OFFICE IN STATION OUT OF SVC: 9/2/58.
BLOCK LIMIT STATION SIGNAL IN SVC: 9/2/58  Research: Dave Keller
 


YA block signal - View E c.1947
Photo: Harold Smith Archive: Dave Morrison
Note: Western Suffolk Produce Potato House
on team track at far left.


AQUEBOGUE westbound at Yaphank
8/1971 Photo/Archive: William H. Birkholz


Western Suffolk Produce Potato House - View NE c.1952 (Emery-SUNY-Stony-Brook)


Yaphank Station view E at night 10/1952
Archive: Simcha Hellinger

Ex-Western-Suffolk-Produce-Potato-House_viewN_4-03-2018_SteveRothaug.jpg (44932 bytes)
Ex-Western Suffolk Produce Potato House  View N 4/03/2018 Photo/Archive: Steve Rothaug


Yaphank, Friday, August 18, 1972. The L-63 with RS-3 1555 is clear of the main well in advance of the YA time of #212. 212 had two parlor and four coaches behind RS-3 1552. Info/Photo/Archive: Richard F Makse

RS-1_463_YA-Yaphank_1970_WilliamHBirkholz.jpg (94811 bytes)
RS-1 #463 YA, Yaphank View NE at Accent Flooring
1970 Photo/Archive: William H.  Birkholz
Note: Rear engine unit truck derailed


B&A #74 west of Yaphank c.1973 Photo/Archive: William H. Birkholz

Shelter Island Express LIRR #213 westbound at Yaphank
c.1973 Photo/Archive: William H. Birkholz


Sperry #130 YA, Yaphank - View NE 2/2020 Photo: MTA/LIRR

The Sperry Rail Car, a bright yellow, self-propelled train car equipped with ultrasonic and induction test equipment that detects internal rail defects not visible to the naked eye, has been a longstanding and crucial component of our efforts to ensure the continued safety and reliability of the rails. This scene was captured in Yaphank, back in 1992, during a snowy winter season, and depicts the Sperry Rail Car having moved to a siding to let a westbound train pass. Photo by Paul H. Espersen, courtesy of our friends at the Long Island Sunrise Trail Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society.  


RMLI-Historic-Fence.jpg (390629 bytes)

RMLI-Historic-Fence_2.jpg (294529 bytes)

RMLI-Historic-Fence_3.jpg (298602 bytes)

Historic LIRR Fence comes to the RMLI  - Fall 2015 Postboy pages 4-6 Courtesy: Yaphank Historical Society

Yaphank-Arcadia_Yaphnak-Historical-Society.jpg (122227 bytes)
"Yaphank" by Arcadia Press
Courtesy: Yaphank Historical Society
LIRR - Yaphank - Fan Trip_11-5-61_ BradPhillips.jpg (104638 bytes)
LIRR Yaphank Fan Trip 11/05/61 
Photo/Archive: Brad Phillips

yaphank-shelter_c.1960s.jpg (81702 bytes)
Yaphank shelter c.1960's
Archive: Dave Keller


Yaphank 10/08/2006 Photographer: Unknown

yaphank_1-03-2013.jpg (63171 bytes)
Yaphank 001/03/2013
Photographer: Unknown

High-wide-load_Georgia-Pacific-Yaphank_12-21-81_BobBender.jpg (92254 bytes)
Conrail - High or Wide Load Hold form to Georgia-Pacific, Yaphank 12/21/1981 Archive:  Bob Bender

"High and wide" or out-of-dimension (OOD) cars are cars that exceed certain dimensions that can be allowed within a specific portion of that railroad. I don't know how it's figured out now but there used to be a guide from the AAR called an equipment register and it had to fit within the dimensions of a certain size to be classified Plate A, B or C, if I recall. That specific one you posted listed "C. Hill" and I'm guessing thats Cedar Hill in New Haven, CT. Cedar Hill was the old New Haven RR's big freight yard just before hitting what used to be the limits of their catenary, so it would've been vital to them that the rail car wasn't high enough to arc to or strike the wire. They also couldn't be too wide so you wouldn't have a sideswipe in two or more track territory, again the NH had a few curves that were notorious for tight clearances, such as the Jenkins Curve in Bridgeport. Any exceptions of this would either be moved in the middle of the night with no adjacent traffic, on another route or not at all.

Certain portions of the LI have height restrictions, for example the Atlantic Branch west of Dunton, under the subway bridge at Pond, etc. So a move with a OOD car would be done very carefully and are often associated with parts of electric company parts, such as tranformers, etc. Another thing mentioned is "lading", which is how things are loaded into a car such as a gondola, such as railroad ties, etc. The loaded car must fit within the limits set by the railroad the car is coming into, and the employees are taught to watch out for lading that has shifted out of the dimensional limits. An example of lading that has shifted is when Nassau Tower got struck back in the 1920's which gave the tower a haircut, I'm sure many of you have seen that picture somewhere...

YAPHANK - APRIL 3. 2018
Photos: Steve Rothaug


Yaphank Station View E

Yaphank-Station_4-03-2018_SteveRothaug.jpg (70573 bytes)
LIRR Yaphank Station sign

 

 

 

 

Yaphank-Station_viewW_4-03-2018_SteveRothaug.jpg (55279 bytes)
Yaphank Station View W

Yaphank_NYA-passing-siding_M1s-team-track_ViewE_4-03-2018_SteveRothaug.jpg (51055 bytes)
Yaphank NYA #151 on passing siding with M1s
stored on team track - View E
 
Yaphank NYA passing siding - M1s team track View E 4/03/2018
Yaphank_NYA-151_passing-siding_4-03-2018_SteveRothaug.jpg (45011 bytes)
Yaphank NYA #151 passing siding 4/03/2018
 

Yaphank_NYA-151_passing-siding_ViewW_4-03-2018_SteveRothaug.jpg (48289 bytes)
Yaphank NYA #151 passing siding - View W  4/03/2018

Yaphank-River-Rd.-bridge_ViewN_LIRR-1021am_ 4-03-2018_SteveRothaug.jpg (66326 bytes)
Yaphank, River Rd. bridge View N
Yaphank-River-Rd.-bridge_ViewS_LIRR-1021am_ 4-03-2018_SteveRothaug.jpg (49955 bytes)
Yaphank, River Rd. bridge View S