Bethpage        

 
C-Liners #2402 #2003 Train #4012 at Bethpage - 9/22/1963 Archive: Mike Boland

Train 8057 westbound at quadrant-gated Stewart Ave, Bethpage  View S  4/19/15 Photo: Joe McMahon

CENTRAL PARK: ORIGINALLY OPENED AS “JERUSALEM” c. 1854. STATION STOP LOCATED ONE MILE WEST OF BETHPAGE JCT. DOES NOT APPEAR ON LIRR TIMETABLES BETWEEN 1842 AND 1855, HOWEVER IT DOES APPEAR IN AN APRIL, 1854 LIRR ADVERTISEMENT IN THE “New York Times.” POST OFFICE CHANGED NAME OF TOWN TO CENTRAL PARK IN 1867 AS IT WAS LOCATED MIDWAY BETWEEN HYDE PARK (LATER NEW HYDE PARK) AND DEER PARK. NAME OF STATION STOP VARIES AS FOLLOWS:
MAP OF 1873 = JERUSALEM 
TT OF 1877 = CENTRAL PARK
TT OF 4/1878 = CENTRAL PARK
ETT AND TT OF 11/1878 = JERUSALEM
TT OF 3/1879 = JERUSALEM. 
ETT OF 9/1879 = JERUSALEM

YET PHOTOGRAPH TAKEN OF DEPOT BY GEORGE BRAINERD IN SEPTEMBER, 1879 SHOWS “CENTRAL PARK” STATION SIGN ON DEPOT. 
TT OF 7/1880 = CENTRAL PARK (TT info. courtesy of Art Huneke)

POSSIBLE FINAL CHANGE OF NAME ON LIRR TIMETABLES IN 9/1879.
2ND DEPOT BUILT: 1884, RENAMED “BETHPAGE”: 10/1/36.  Research: Dave Keller

Bethpage  Broadway grade crossing MP28 View E 10/01/1944 (Weber-Morrison)

2nd Central Park Station 1905 Archive: Dave Keller
The team track is visible in the foreground, stubbing out at the station platform with no bumper! Notice in the right background, a woman is about to hang the mailbag on the mail crane! 

 
Bethpage Station - Night 1952 
Archive: Dave Morrison

Bethpage Junction 1911 Manual switches controlled by signal cabin "BG" Archive: Dave Morrison

 
Bethpage - Starlight Fuel Co. coal silo - View E- Vanderbilt Motor Parkway steel bridge in the distance. 10/01/1944 (Weber-Morrison)

Central Park Station post card 1913
 Archive: Dave Morrison

Central Park Station c.1920
Archive: Dave Morrison

BETHPAGE: BUILT: 1884 AS “CENTRAL PARK”, RENAMED BETHPAGE: 10/1/36. RAZED WITH OPENING OF THE NEW DEPOT.
2ND DEPOT OPENED: 10/12/57 (per NY Daily News article of 10/06/57) AGENCY CLOSED: 8/19/2009. DEPOT BUILDING USED FOR STORAGE (Dave Morrison data). Research: Dave Keller

LIRRer Bethpage Station  11/21/1956
Archive: Dave Morrison

Bethpage Station View N  1967 
Photo/Archive: Dave Keller
Note the old-style, mid-track picket fence 
still in use as late as this image.

Bethpage Station View N 4/08/2018 
Photo: Dave Morrison

Bethpage Station View E 4/08/2018 
Photo: Dave Morrison

Bethpage Station View SW 4/08/2018 
Photo: Dave Morrison

Emery Map MP27-28  05/1958
Archive: Dave Keller

Emery Map MP28-29  05/1958 Archive: Dave Keller

Bethpage Map 1950 Drawing: Jim Boerckel
Archive: Dave Morrison

Old South Oyster Bay Rd crossing relocated 1951 
view S 8/15/2015 Photo: Dave Morrison

Long Island Railroader March-April 1951 
South Oyster Bay Rd, Archive: Dave Morrison

A siding was installed for the new General Motors Parts Distribution warehouse on June 1, 1965. The switch was interlocked, becoming B Tower Number 11, the eastbound home signal, Number 8l, was moved west 385 feet. Low home signal number 8r was installed governing movements from the siding.

Bethpage G.O. 12-2 - GM siding 5/27/1965 Archive: Art Huneke
Bethpage - GM interlocking 1966
Archive: Art Huneke

RF-65, with the LIRR #166, waits for the signal to depart GM siding to proceed west. Although "B" Tower, which can be seen in the distance, was still manned, most movements were already being controlled remotely by Divide Tower in Hicksville. Within a few months, the third rail seen in the photo will be live, regular electric service will begin, and B Tower will be permanently closed. April, 1987.  Info/Photo/Archive: Jay Bendersky

Central Branch Track profile maps 1994

“B” TOWER:1 BETHPAGE (JCT. OF CENTRAL BRANCH EXT. TO MAIN LINE) WOODEN TOWER OPENED 8/21/25, SOUTH SIDE OF TRACKS. SAXBY & FARMER 24 LEVER
MECHANICAL MACHINE. PERMISSIVE BLOCK ASPECT ADDED TO BLOCK SIGNALS: 6/25/28. ADDITIONAL US&S 5 LEVER STYLE TC TABLE MACHINE TO
CONTROL “PW” IN SVC: 7/29/30. BOTH MACHINES OUT OF SVC: 5/28/36 AND TOWER RAZED ON ACCOUNT OF CONSTRUCTION BETHPAGE STATE PARKWAY.

“BE” CABIN: BETHPAGE JCT. TEMPORARY BLOCK STATION BUILT 1925, SOUTH SIDE OF TRACKS, JUST WEST OF CONSTRUCTION SITE, FOR USE DURING CONSTRUCTION OF “B” TOWER. CLOSED 8/21/1925 WITH OPENING OF “B” TOWER.  

"B" Tower:1 Bethpage and "BE" Cabin - View NW  7/1925 (Osborne-Keller)

"B" Tower:1 Bethpage View W  c.1928 (Osborne-Keller)

This is the first "B" tower constructed in 1925. Looking west in James V. Osborne's c. 1928 image we see the Long Island Motor Parkway trestle just visible in the distance beyond the semaphore block signals. The switch to access the Central branch is in the immediate foreground and appears to be set for a westbound train. This tower's site was smack-dab in the way of the planned parkway to access the new Bethpage state park in 1936. As a result, the 1925 wooden tower was razed and the replacement brick tower constructed slightly east to allow building of this parkway and railroad girder trestle overhead. Compare the 1925 blueprint with the 1936 blueprint for location of tower versus location of parkway. In this image you can see the tower and tracks were built on an embankment with the surrounding ground at quite a lower level from the tracks. It was probably considered an ideal spot for the girder trestle for the parkway, as special grading of the ROW probably didn't have to take place and the tracks could stay pretty much undisturbed during the bridge installation. (Dave Keller data)

The photo was taken by block operator James V. Osborne from the back of a moving train eastbound on the Central branch.  Note the smoke from the locomotive that has just passed.! Main line tracks are to the right.  Long Island Motor Parkway trestle is visible in the distance.

To the right of the tower is "BE" temporary block office cabin that handled the switches and signals while the tower was under construction.  It's probably the only view ever taken of that temporary cabin.

I'd say the image was shot July of 1925, as it looks nearly completed. Info: Dave Keller 

"B" TOWER:2  BETHPAGE REPLACEMENT BRICK TOWER 230’ EAST OF FORMER LOCATION AND SOUTH SIDE OF TRACKS. INTERLOCKING RELOCATED 85’ SOUTH OF FORMER LOCATION ON ACCOUNT COMPLETION OF BRIDGE OVER BETHPAGE STATE PARKWAY. 19-LEVER US&S MODEL 14, STYLE F, ALL ELECTRIC MACHINE IN SVC: 5/28/36. 
UNATTENDED BLOCK SIGNAL IN SVC: 11/1/37. OUT OF SVC: 4/27/87.

Tower B Model Board
Bethpage Junction 3/18/79
Jeff Erlitz photo, Dave Keller archive

Tower B Interlocking Machine Bethpage Junction 3/18/79Jeff Erlitz photo, Dave Keller archive

LIRR #1552 Westbound 
Archive: Joe Tischner ⁽³⁾

 
Warren L. Kessler, Inc  LIRR #1558 RS3 Westbound in 1957 Photo: Joe Hagan (4)

LIRR #25 & Train #4227 Central Islip State Hospital Train 6/1949 elevated view from LI. Motor Parkway overpass view E toward Tower B Archive: Dave Keller

LIRR C420 #221 Westbound commuter accelerates away from "B" Tower after brief stop for a signal at Bethpage, NY 5/06/1967

LIRR  #608 8/01/1972 westbound
 Photo: Brian Woodruff

LIRR #455  8/01/1972 
Photo: Brian Woodruff

 B Tower - LIRR MP15 155, 164, Freight entering Central Branch - Bethpage Junction 3/18/1979 View NW See Emery Map MP28-29 for location
William Madden photo, Dave Keller archive

LIRR #1520 RS2 Westbound freight switching Sturtevant Coal at Broadway Ave

B Tower  #4250 eastbound 1/1979
Photo: Jim Gillin

GP38-2 #261 passing B Tower, Bethpage
View NW 3/18/1979 Photo/Archive: Jeff Erlitz

Saturday, February 19, 1983 was a day fairly similar to today on the Island, with snow melting from a storm a few days prior. Train 4054 flies past B Tower and down the Central Branch with the 259 on point and the 617 on the rear.
Photo: John Scala  Archive: Dietrich Ryan

B Tower - FA train c.2000
Photo/Archive: Steve Torborg

(1) Compare this early shot taken by George Votava looking east toward “B” tower with Joe Tischner’s photo, marked (3).

Bear in mind Votava’s view was shot from the remains of the old, unused, Long Island Motor Parkway overpass over the LIRR AND over Central Ave. (Formerly Central Park Ave.)

(2) Joe Tischner’s shot marked (2) is looking the other way.  Joe mentions that the bridge abutments (shown in line with the 2nd hopper) are those for the overpass over Central Avenue . Votava’s photo (1) shows Central Ave (formerly Central Park Ave. ) AT GRADE. See how close to Central Ave. the siding began? Compared to the old photo above, it would have passed right in front of the door to the crossing watchman’s outhouse had it been laid prior to elevating the ROW and tracks and/or depressing the crossing of Central Ave. or a combination of both to make the grade less steep for trains to climb!  Dave Keller

(3) This shot is looking in the same direction as the old shot marked (1).  Look at the tower in the right background and siding branching off in the foreground and compare to Votava’s photo, using the tower in the right background for reference . . . . . . no siding back then, of course and Central Ave. was at grade.   Input: Dave Keller

(4) Passing Warren L. Kessler, Inc., 300 Broadway Ave., Bethpage, NY  Manufacturer of  lamps, candle holders, etc.

In l939 (the company operated from 1938-1978 )Warren Kessler built a factory on the site of the Feuchsel Pickle Works, located north of the railroad tracks, east* of Broadway.  This company manufactured lamps and lighting units for all the American embassies around the world.  Exquisite Kessler lamps were included in the remodeling of the Truman White House. Motto in l946 "What Bethpage Makes - Makes Bethpage."  Warren L. Kessler, Inc.  Manufacturers of lamps and decorative accessories.  Known throughout the nation for exquisite glass products. Source: Encyclopedia of the Unincorporated Village of Bethpage 

Kessler Empire Style Candelabra Lampe

In the year 2000, a CVS drug/convenience store was built on the site of the Kessler factory east of the tracks on 300 Broadway Ave. 

Photo: Al Castelli

KESSLER GLASS Historical Marker
Site of Warren Kessler Inc. manufacturer of hand-blown lamps & vases 1938-78 that have graced the White House and U.S. Embassies worldwide 
Donated by the Kessler Family 

Photo: Al Castelli

(5) The General Motors siding was the interlocked siding by B Tower east of Bethpage. The crews used to have to tie up the interlocking to switch it, by using the block operator to throw the switches for them. Quite interesting! The switch was removed probably when the line was electrified. As mentioned, the building still stands, but it is not GM anymore. The building is now a Sleepy's mattress.  Info: Pat Scopelliti