The purpose of this page is to compile historical information, reports, tables, opinions, and any other information obtained that may be lost to future LIRR rail researchers. Steven Lynch

Historical question about the LIRR's reason it came into being:

In response to your historical question about the LIRR's reason it came into being:

http://rapidtransit.com/net/thirdrail/0103/reif1.htm A must read. Start here, a super history... :-) 
http://www.trainsarefun.com/lirr/lirr100/lirr100.htm  LIRR 100 Year Anniversary Pamphlet 1934 History
http://www.dunton.org/archive/LongIslandRailroad.htm History Of the Long Island RailRoad by Peter Ross
http://www.trainsarefun.com/lirr/lirrmapexpansion.htm Bob Andersen LIRR expansion maps

Long Island's geology played a major role in the early rail lines development. The flat post glacial flood plain in the center of the Island had no major obstacles to cross, near zero grades and no horse crossings to deal with. That's why the Pine Barrens was chosen. High speed all the way to Greenport to get the NY City to Boston traffic. The rail line and investment was purely to get the NY- Boston traffic. 

With the ability to bridge the rivers of southern Connecticut as technology advanced the LIRR link to Boston died.
Info: Steven Lynch

They were American Indian names. Since Long Island had a very historical American Indian heritage, many towns were named after Indian tribes or titles. These names were also used, in turn, on the old heavyweight parlors:

Amagansett
Aquabogue
Asharoken
Commack 
Copiague
Cutchogue
Jamaica (An American Indian name, not the Caribbean Island)
Manhasset
Massapequa
Mastic
Matinecock
Mattituck
Merrick
Mineola
Moriches
Nesconset
Noyack
Onteora (an upstate NY Indian name)
Patchogue
Peconic
Quogue
Ronkonkoma
Sagtikos
Setauket
Shinnecock
Teckawitha
Wantagh
Wauwepex means "place of good water".
Wyandanch

In addition to the LI names, there were the upstate NY names, which were taken from the six-nation Iroquois 
Confederacy:

Cayuga Club
Mohawk Club
Oneida Club
Onondaga Club
Seneca Club
Tuscarora Club

There were originally 13 tribes on Long Island and they were listed in the old poem:

“The thirteen tribes of common stock 
Peopled this isle called Paumanok    (Paumanok translated: fish-shaped island)
Before the white man came along 
And took it over for a song . . . . “

Research: David Keller

Alco S and RS1s and the Baldwins were delivered in black

Tichy (All passenger cars, some DD1 electric locos) 11/1/49 to 11/1/52 through 1955
Tichy (Diesels: C-liners arrived in this scheme 1950. 1950-1955 Others were repainted up until 11/1/52)

Tuscan Red with gold Deluxe lettering Until 1940-41 (all passenger cars, loco tenders)
Tuscan Red with gold Futura lettering 1940-41 (some passenger cars, loco tenders)
Tuscan Red with gold Deluxe lettering spaced 1942-1950+ further apart (all passenger cars, loco tenders) 

Tichy (all psgr cars, some DD1 electric locos, 1950-1955 some diesel locomotives) 

Dark gray with orange (all psgr. cars, diesel 1955-1961 locomotives)

Charcoal gray (Goodfellow gray) (all psgr. cars) 1962-1964
Charcoal gray (Goodfellow gray) with orange nose (diesel locomotives)
Charcoal gray with orange stripe (N.Y. World’s Fair 1964-1968 colors: passenger cars) 
Charcoal gray (Goodfellow gray) with orange wave (diesel locomotives)

MTA blue and yellow (diesel locomotives) 1968-1976
MTA Platinum Mist (passenger cars) 1968-end of push-pull service 

Research: David Keller

LIRR Assigned Letters and Numbers to all their Stations Scheme

The letters designated the branch. The numbers designated distance from LI. City.

L23 was L for the Long Beach branch and 23 for 23 miles from L. I. City = Long Beach station
H21 was H for the Hempstead branch and 21 miles from L. I. City = Hempstead station

They couldn't use M for Montauk branch because M was used for the Manhattan Beach branch (Vanderveer Park, located on the Bay Ridge branch, but originally a station stop on the Manhattan Beach branch) and still in use as a freight station in the 1950s was still referred to as M-11) and G (Greenport branch) was used for the Main Line, so they used S for South Shore, representing the Montauk branch. Hence:

S16 was S for the Montauk branch and 16 for 16 miles from L. I. City = Valley Stream station.

Oyster Bay branch was O
Port Wash branch was N (North Side branch: original name for Port Wash branch)
Bay Ridge branch was B
Bushwick branch was also B
Belmont Park was Z
Far Rock branch was F (although Inwood was Z-20!)
Atlantic branch was A
Port Jeff branch was P
Evergreen branch was E
Central branch was C, which included Garden City (C-20), Island Trees (C-26) and South Farmingdale (C-29) (Strange about Garden City, because Stewart Manor was H-16 and Nassau Blvd. H-17 . . . . Hempstead branch)
Main Line, as mentioned above, was G, however, Jamaica was S-10!
West Hempstead branch was W
Long Island City was X, a carry over from the days when the main dispatchers' office at LIC pre-1913 Jamaica was referred to as "X"
Sunnyside Yard was S

Research: Dave Kelller