#2103 at Oyster Bay


#2101 Mineola   7/01/1978
Other side view of Bar Generator Car Photo: Tim Darnell

ex-LIRR Bar generator car at former Brooklyn Army Terminal

#2103 at Port Jefferson c. 1980 Photo: Len Torney

 #497103 Holban Yard 04/1936
 Archive: Dave Keller
         

Double-end wedge plow/spreader #s 497762, 497763 Acquired:  1935  Withdrawn from service:  c. 1953-54  Research: Dave Keller

Double-End Wedge Plow-Spreader # 497762 
Holban Yard, Hollis 7/05/54 (Votava-Keller)
 

LI 6050-6086 Gondola GBS Class - Specialty Open top car, having fixed sides, fixed or drop ends and solid bottom.

LI #6070 gondola Binghamton 5/08/2010 
Photo: Austin MacDougall
 

The 66' gondolas, 15-20 series 6200’s, open ended for welded rail recovery.  AAR Clearance Plate C with cushion couplers on each end.  Built Dec 2023-Jan 2024 by Ebenezer Railcar Services in Buffalo, NY.
Info: Barry Johnson, LIRR Road Foreman Engines NRHS-LIST

In 1953, Pullman Standard delivered as lot 6911, plan W52354 twenty 128-seat commuter coaches for intermediate (non-control) use. All were retired save for one retained as instruction car I-121, according to Randall's Official Pullman-Standard Library, Volume 10 Northeast Railroads. Can any reader identify how long this car served and 
what sort of instruction was offered?

  Technical Support Group LIRR Training Car 1981
 

T Track Department
S Signal Department
B Buildings and Bridges
D Stations Department
P Power Department (3rd rail)
C Communications Department
E Electric traction (3rd rail)
H High Tension
W Maintenance of Way
L Lighting Department

Hi-rail truck TC-155 eastbound on Main Line Track 4 at Woodside Station dropping new third-rail segments. The looks from the passengers watching are priceless. The New York City subway 7 Line is up above.
6/1983 Photo/Archive: John Krattinger

Long Island Railroad Fuel Tanker
 

LIRR "Environmental Response System Safety" SUV 
St. James 9/14/2008 Photo: Mike McDermet

Oakdale LIRR Vac-Con vacuum truck, it's used to clean out mud spots between ties and to clean out storm drains and culverts for ballast where track work was going on.  They call it the "Super Sucker".
12/31/07 -  Photo/Archive:  Mike McDermet

Communication maintenance truck 148C
6/21/2024  Photo/Archive: Leonard Wilson

175T Kings Park 10/19/2008
 Photo:  Mike McDermet

That's the welding gang. Normally they work around the clock and handle emergency track repairs. It is a very senior crew. Track Foreman, welder and two trackmen. Very highly paid and experienced guys who can fix anything short of a major wreck. Their boss is the Supervisor of Track.

LIRR 270T boom truck - Mineola 7/11/2020 Photo/Archive: John Ciesla

LIRR 309T Boutet truck - Mineola 7/11/2020 Photo/Archive: John Ciesla

LIRR 225T Thermite welding truck - Mineola 7/11/2020
Photo/Archive: John Ciesla

LIRR 851 Freightliner chassis boom truck - Mineola 7/11/2020
Photo/Archive: John Ciesla

Suffolk Life newspaper, the date was around October of 1980. I was in the St James Volunteer  FD and responded to this. It reeked of diesel fumes for hours.
 Info/Archive: Len Torney

LIRR/MTA bus c.1970

 
LIRR Blue Bird Vision 253T bus Copiague 10/08/2022 Photo/Archive: Julian Leary

LIRR MOW petroleum dust subduer at work. 

Poling Car #497994  Holban Yard 11/22/1947 Archive: Dave Keller

  
LIRR #2 portable substation builder photo American Car & Foundry Co. 1906 Archive: Mike Boland

Portable substation cars #1-#2 at Belmont Park Archive: Art Huneke

The Electrification of The Long Island Railroad - Street Railway Journal, 1906

LIRR PORTABLE SUBSTATION CARS:  
 Dave Keller research

Builder: American Car & Foundry Co:  1906

1.  Manufacturer per stenciled name on wheel as seen in builder's photo

2.  Date and quantity per Street Railway Journal of 1906

3.  Numbered cars 1 and 2

4.  Still listed on the 1917 Official Railway Equipment Register / Long Island Railroad (one word) p. 176, indicating cars 1 & 2.

Cars either replaced or two more added per Railway Review (12/28/1918)

1.  Builder:  Railway & Industrial Engineering Co. - 1918

I believe these cars may have been the cars that later were numbered 70553, 70554   (photographic evidence) c. 19__?___

Cars 70553, 70554 also bore concurrently numbers 3 and 4 (photographic evidence 1957) and were later renumbered to S1, S2 (photographic evidence) c. 1960.  I have no idea of the disposition of the American Car & Foundry Co. car 2 (and possibly car 1?).

Large Portable Substation, Long Island Rail Road - Railway Review, 1918

Hempstead Crossing View E from Franklin Ave c.1930 Archive: Art Huneke

Portable substation storage LIRR valuation photo 1/27/1919 Archive: Art Huneke

World's Fair two substation cars #3, #4  FAIR Cabin view W 1939 
(Rod Dirkes-Dave Keller)

 
LIRR #70554 portable substation Hillside Archive: Mike Boland

LIRR #70553 portable substation at Island Park 1948 Archive: Mike Boland


LIRR S1 portable substation 1960
Archive: Mike Boland

LIRR #70554 portable substation at Wantagh LIRR substation #13 2/1957

LIRR S2 portable substation at Wantagh LIRR substation #13 1957
Photo/Archive: John Scala

Portable substation Car W. Hempstead 1974 Photo/Archive: Tim Darnell

This is one of those unusual sights that many have never seen. For decades, the LIRR had portable substations that the railroad moved from place to place when power demand increased (usually timetable-based).

Prior to this December 11, 1965 photo at West Hempstead, the portables were last used at the 1964-65 Worlds Fair. Substation #6 at West Hempstead was always a light weight and depended on its parent feed from Nassau (recall that a lot of this is early electrification and Nassau fed the old "Hempstead Branch" (Mineola to Hempstead Crossing in Garden City).


Old timetables showed an incredible complexity of traffic between the Rockaways, Valley Stream, West Hempstead, Mineola and even Oyster Bay.
Photo/Archive/Info: Richard Makse

Equipment roster  10/01/65, the following five in use:
W23    no data
W27    Built: 11/1906   Acquired 12/52
W29    Built: 09/1906   Acquired 04/52
W39    Built: 12/62       Acquired new: 12/62
W70    Built: 08/64       Acquired new: 08/64    Research: Dave Keller
 

LIRR #497998 c.1927 float reacher car Archive: Bill Mangahas

 W16 LI City - View NE 4/05/1958
(Faxon-Keller)

W13 Sand Service Only - Morris Park 1960's
Photo: Bill Rugen Archive: Art Huneke

LI  #6006 LI City 10/21/07 
Photo: John McClusky

W94 LI City 5/13/1973
Archive: Dave Keller

W95 Richmond Hill 8/1982
Photo: Tim Darnell

Ex-RDG #92100 W95 Morris Park 1/1969 
Photo/Archive: Jim Gillin   Note: Steam connection

The LIRR used available cars converted to MOW usage as storage supply cars for track work, the Electric Dep't, and 3rd rail work, for example. Info: Art Huneke
Fuel storage cars, AAR classification MWM, were usually a box car, assigned to transport company material.  

MOW Supply car #489699 ex-MB45 baggage car at VD Yard 4/1933 (Votava-Boland)

LIRR Snow flanger car W-84 is a converted electric MU coach that sprays alcohol on third-rails as a de-icer. Huneke recalls that the LIRR had a tank car in recent years to store the alcohol used in W84. Two other alcohol cars were ex- Boston & Maine and later LIRR coaches.

Jet Snow Blowers: LIRR seemed to have reused the same numbers for the Jet snow blower. The first  (TC900) arrived in 1967 as shown in the LI Railroader Issue 12/28/1967 photo below.
 

        AF1 Snow Blower  in action 12/25/2010

The AAR has assigned the classification letters MWC to Caboose and tool cars which were generally used as a lookout on wreck trains. On other roads they would be fitted with bunks, stove, and water storage.

Many tool cars never leave their assigned location, especially if the gang they are assigned to has a small territory and is highly mobile. I have assumed the LIRR also followed this practice. Anyone with contrary information is encouraged to respond.
 

VW "Gandy Wagon"  GW-5 Track Inspection Car #1040
9/1960  Photo: Henry Maywald  Archive: Dave Keller

VW Track Inspection c.1962 - Archive: Martin Quinn

LIRRer  "Gandy Wagon Inspection"
Volkswagen 7/02/1959 Archive: Dave Morrison

 VW Rail Bus #1036 inspection car Collection: Art Huneke

LIRR #1041, VW Rail Bus inspection car

Sperry SRS 126 head end at Locust Valley 1963


Sperry SRS 140 rear end 1966
 

SRS 126 and 140 both electronically scanned the inside of steel rails to detect internal flaws, which were either innate or the result of wear and tear.  In the days of these photos, the LIRR would contract with Sperry to test the entire RR yearly.  These days they do it at least thrice yearly.

Both detector cars utilized two different systems for detection:  an ultrasonic system which used high frequency sound like sonar, and a magnetic induction system which induced a current into the rail to create a magnetic field and then measure anomalies in the field which would represent internal flaws.  The latter system was the original system invented by Dr. Elmer Sperry in the early twenties.

SRS 126 and many of its sisters were built on second hand gas-electric passenger vehicles that many roads used for passenger service on branch lines during the late twenties and into the very early 50's (kind of the forerunner of the Budd RDC's).

SRS 140 was a relatively brand new car in this photo and was built into a NYCTA car body so that it could also be run over the TA's rails, as the older cars like SRS 126 wouldn't fit TA clearances.  Prior to the 140 class, SRS used a remodeled Mack Railbus equipped with just an ultrasonic system for detection on the TA.

In the pictures we're looking at, the head end of the SRS 126 and the rear end of the SRS 140. Cars detected only in the forward mode which made for lots of deadheading on multiple track branches. Both cars were only operated from the head end.  However, they could operate MAS backwards, with an operator on the head end and with the operator on the rear end signaling on a buzzer system to the head end.

Note:  Sperry #126 was numbered 9900 and in service as a gas car/"doodlebug" on the C&NW at Belvidere, IL on Jan 3, 1931.
In Aug, 1937 it was acquired by the Sperry Rail Service, and turned into a detector car.  Dave Keller

Sperry Inspection Car SRS #140 - VALLEY Tower 1969 (Hoskins-Lynch)

SRS 140 has a very unique history: it is actually a leftover IRT R33 shell built by St. Louis Car sometime in 1963, but assembled and completed by Sperry in Danbury 1965. The R33 order was for 540 IRT cars, but in late summer of 1963 (likely under influence from Moses, Fair Chairman), there was a push to get some of the new "Blue Arrow" cars to the Flushing Line sooner so all cars would delivered in time for the fair opening in nine months. So the last 40 R33s ended up as single units for the Flushing Line, with large picture windows and two-tone turquoise livery along with 390 R36s (all pairs). However this resulted in some leftover R33 shells for the IRT Main Line ("conventional" equipment in bright red with yellow grab irons, standard drop sash windows). 34 of the leftover R33 shells were assembled and delivered at the tail end of the R36 order between late July 1964 and early 1965 and known as "Main Line R36s", completing the 424 car R36 order. These would be the very last passenger equipment in North America with the conventional drop sash windows (excluding historic replicas). Other leftover R33 shells at St. Louis remained and Sperry purchased at least one, which became 140. 140 is now in private ownership in Australia.

So in a sense Sperry 140 owes its existence to Moses, with the rush for new cars on the Flushing Line in time for the fair resulting in leftover R33 shells at St. Louis Car Company. Research: Kevin Wong
 

Sperry Rail Service Inspection Car #129 at 
PD Tower, Patchogue 1972 (Keller- Keller)

Sperry Rail Service Inspection Car #128 at KO Ronkonkoma,  04/18/08
Photo and Collection: Ernie Murphy

Sperry Rail Service Inspection Car #128 at KO Ronkonkoma 11/01/2015 
Photo: Edward Hand

Sperry Inspection Car  #402 at Montauk
12/05/63 (Newsday -  Max Heine)

Sperry Inspection Car  #143 behind Hall Tower, Jamaica 05/08/1986
Archive: Dave Keller

Sperry #128 is making its annual tour of the LIRR and testing on the Port Jefferson Branch while waiting out the weekend on the passing siding at Greenlawn.  Built by St. Louis Car and out shopped 9/1925
with s/n 1386B-363.  Originally B&O #6007,  returned to St. Louis Car 12/1926 and then sold to the Lehigh Valley as their  #15. Sperry purchased it from the Lehigh Valley in 3/1939. Info/Photos/Archive: Jeff Erlitz
 

TC81 Grand Ave., Maspeth 12/03/1990
Archive: Dave Keller

Before there was the TC82, there was the TC81 and before that, the TC-80! Here the TC-80 is proceeding west on the Garden Mitchel Secondary, going past the former Clinton Road Station, which is now Garden City Fire Department Station #3. 12/1985 Photo/Archive: Jay Bendersky

TC81, Plasser Track Geometry Car, 
 Jamaica Station 1995 Photo: Phil Goldstein

LIRR TC82 Track Geometry Vehicle Jamaica 08/28/2007 Photo/Archive: Joe Gregory

LIRR TC82 Track Geometry Vehicle

TC82 - Floral Park  4/04/2019 
Photo/Archive: Tim Darnell

     
Trackmobile #4250 12/19/2007 Morris Park
Photo: Mike Scholz

Shuttlewagon  #203 Morris Park Demolition  Aug-Oct 2008

W-52 Wreck Train Car at Morris Park 7/2/1966 (Rugen-Huneke)

Track Maintenance Cars on the LIRR

Plasser METRO 4x4 rear cab

The BDS-200 can be equipped with one or two ballast brooms to sweep the excess ballast from the track and a conveyor to load excess ballast to the BDS100 or to a Plasser MFS-Type Conveyor and Hopper Car. The machine can also be equipped with a water mist system in order to reduce dust created during the operation.

All photos: Calverton, NY 5/17/2017 Steve Rothaug

Plasser American Unimat 09-16 4S switch and production tamping machine. The LIRR purchased two of these machines which were delivered in 2005; #TC-033- 034.  They are used to tamp the track while correcting the track geometry; surfacing and alignment to improve the ride quality for passenger confront and safety of keeping the trains on the track. They have 16 tamping tools to “pack” the ballast under the ties and are capable of production tamping on plain track as well as tamp switches.  Tamping switches requires being able to work around the rails as the transition and all of the hardware in a switch to allow it to operate.  This is a 09 series tamper which means it has a satellite which contains all the working components. During operation the satellite moves from tie to tie while tamping while the mainframe moves in a continuous motion which allows the machine to work at a higher production rate while reducing wear and tear on the machine.
Courtesy: Ronald Olds, Vice President Sales & Marketing Plasser American

There is a tank car the LIRR owns, number 5001.  I think there is now, or was, a number 5000 as well.  It's actually believed that 3 tank cars used to exist for the purpose of fire suppression, but that would have to be confirmed with the Railroad for actual truth.  I do have a friend that has a LIRR equipment roster updated as of 1994, so I may be able to check that and confirm myself, though the only car I know the whereabouts of is actually located in Speonk yard on the wye tail and has been there for months - and that is the 5001. It is painted black with white spray painted stencil lettering.

When the wild fires occurred near Westhampton in the Pine Barrens, the #5000 was used to combat the flames.  There is a gasoline powered pump located on that tank car which pumps water to the nozzle.  I believe that the tank has to be filled for it to work. In other words, the car cannot be connected to a fire hydrant with the pump running because it won't work.  It's capacity is 10,000 gallons and is used for water only.  Joe Tischner  09/14/2006

LIRR #5000 Speonk, NY 06/01/2006 Photo: Nick Kudreyko LIRR #5000 Speonk, NY 06/2007 Photo: Joe Gregory LIRR #5000 Ronkonkoma 5/20/16 Photo: Edward Hand	LIRR #5001 Ronkonkoma, NY 05/22/08 Photo: Ernie Murphy LIRR #5001 Ronkonkoma, NY 07/07/08 East end of yard by Knickerbocker Ave. Photo: Mike McDermet The small motor under the middle of the car so it can pump its own water. Info: Bob Anderson LIRR #5001 Ronkonkoma, NY 07/07/08 East end of yard by Knickerbocker Ave. Photo: Mike McDermet
MNCW #601 Fire Protection Car, LIRR #257 Westhampton c.1989 Thomas Collins photo, Dave Keller archive Note: Metro-North AAR reporting mark is MNCW for Maintenance of way equipment. Info:  John McCluskey	MNCW #601 Fire Protection Car Croton-Harmon Shops/Yard 10/19/1996 Photo: Jason R. DeCesare
I remember back when there was the wildfires out east in the mid-90's the LIRR borrowed a few of these from MN, ended up buying their own, 5000 shows up in SK yard every summer around the beginning of dry season.  The track dept. used them sometimes to water down the stone ballast cars during big projects to keep down the dust in the hot dry summer .   Info: Joe Gregory
RT&S Railway Track and Structures magazine November 21, 2024 News  - MP5AC #165 water tank car #5001 Photo: MTA/LIRR LIRR Provides Pumper Tanks to Local Fire Departments Written by Jennifer McLawhorn, Managing Editor SPEONK, N.Y. - The Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) provided pumper tanks to Suffolk County fire departments in order to battle brush fires. According to the MTA, LIRR President Rob Free joined Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine to “inspect a pumper tank that is helping to control brush fires in the county.” The pumper tanks from LIRR hold around 10,000 gallons of water and are in Ronkonkoma and Speonk during brush fire season. Normally, LIRR uses the tankers to spray down right of ways. This keeps the brush moist and therefore less of a fire hazard. The MTA says the tankers were shut down and stored for the season when it received a request from the Town of Southampton for the tanks. New York and the surrounding area has been experiencing a severe drought. The pumper tanks are available to local fire departments, and they can fill the trucks when fighting fires near the LIRR right of way. Courtesy of MTA LIRR President Rob Free said, “The LIRR is part of every community on Long Island, and we are happy to do our part during this challenging time to keep firefighters, our customers and local residents safe. . . With severe drought conditions persisting in our region, the operation of our water pumper tank car helps prevent brush fires from starting along our right of way.” Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine thanked the MTA and the LIRR “for their support and commitment to protecting the residents of Suffolk County. As we have faced the threat of wildfires, knowing this equipment is available is a great comfort to our first responders.

W84 MP54  Built 12/1920
 Photo: Tim Darnell 11/1985

W84 MP54, ex LIRR 1691
Built 1920 Photo: Art Huenke

W85 P74B Morris Park 1/1979
Photo: Tim Darnell

W85 ex-7526 Ronkonkoma
2/2/2006 Photo: Mike Arnold

W85 #7526  Ronkonkoma, now at RMLI Riverhead 
Photo: Paul Strubeck

W85 Alcohol car ex-B&M car #7526 at Ronkonkoma 
Photo: Paul Strubeck


LIRR #2907 Ronkonkoma 10/02/2006
Photo: Paul Strubeck 

W86 in Morris Park in the yard behind the shops.
Project 39 tour of  Morris Park Photo: Al Castelli  6/06/1987

Alcohol:
W84- MP54, ex LIRR 1691, I believe this was part of a restaurant in Water Mill. Disposition unknown - Scrapped?
W85- P74B, ex B&M 4590, in KO 
W86- ex B&M, Scrapped in 2004

Sandite:
2907, P72, built Pullman Standard 1955, LIRR as a bar car and sandite car, at RMLI
2909, P72, built Pullman Standard 1955, in Morris Park

Alcohol/Sandite
E401 M1  ex-9401 Scrapped Summer 2023
E591 M1  ex-9591 Scrapped Summer 2023
E775 M3  ex-9775 painted orange with white stripe
E932 M3  ex-9932 
E901 M3  ex-9901 painted dark blue with a bright yellow stripe
E902 M3  ex-9902
E869 M3  ex-9869 Morris Park 4/01/2024

The LIRR currently uses two M-1 cars to "slime" the rails during falling leaf season. Modified M1's 9401 & 9591 (now E401 & 591) are utilized sandwiched between a pair of MP15's.They operate entirely at night and are serviced at
Richmond Hill during the day.

There are also leaf crusher trains. These consist of two MP15's and gravel hoppers. They crush the leaves on the Oyster Bay , Pt. Jeff, Montauk, and Greenport branches. These trains are based at KO and Wellwood siding and operate at night."  

Both sandites and leaf crushers have run on the branch simultaneously, and have been on the branch with both. Leaf
crushers are operated on the branch to pulverize leaves that may be wedged in the circuits for the crossing gates. If leaves are not crushed, the potential for leaves to impede a circuit and crossing gates to stay up while a train goes through a crossing increases. All leaf crushers are run at the direction of the train dispatcher.
Information courtesy: Ben Jankowski, Oyster Bay RR Museum 2019
 

Spotted in Morris Park - M3 9869 has been converted to a work car, with a “new” number of E869. After losing its mate (9870) in a crossing accident, it was paired with 9772 until the most recent rounds of M3 scrapping. 9772 was taken off property, while 9869 seems to have been spared the torch by way of work service. (4/01/2024) Thomas Farmer

  Leaves on the tracks can lead to slippery rail conditions. view LIRR/MTA video 
 

Crushed Autumn leaves create an oily residue, pectin, causing wheel slip and slide. This slip-slide creates wheel flat spots and track damage.  Wheels must be taken out of service for reshaping, termed truing.
 

Alcohol Trains

Power wash travel is 2x faster with increased pressure washing by 400%.  Laser technology decreases wheel slip traction problems caused by fallen leaves
and to increase wheel adhesion to the rail by burning the slippery residue (pectin) off the rails. Info: John Deasy

Choo Choo, Pew Pew: How a New York Railroad Uses Scorching Lasers to Stay on Schedule
TheDrive.com December 28, 2019

Laser trains may sound like an invention of the 2030s, but they’re already a real tool for the Long Island Rail Road.

New York’s Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) has struggled for years with decaying leaves on the line during what its president Phillip Eng calls “low-adhesion season.” Trains can struggle to accelerate or stop on the rails' slick surfaces, sometimes locking their brakes and squaring off their wheels, which forces them to be removed from service for repairs. As the busiest commuter railway in the United States, the LIRR can’t afford delays or service interruptions and has adopted a novel solution to its traction problems: Burn the rails clean with powerful lasers.

The LIRR partnered with Netherlands-based company Laser Precision Solutions (LPS), which operates a single laser-equipped vehicle on LIRR's most-trafficked lines. Though the LIRR and LPS have only the one laser train in operation, the railroad now considers it to be the most effective weapon in its arsenal against seasonal delays. Furthermore, it calls lasers “a game-changer for the Long Island Rail Road, and a game-changer for the industry.”

LIRR President Phillip Eng reported that train cancellations through November 2019 have fallen 48 percent year-over-year versus 2018, and that frequency of lighter, but less capacious, ridership-reducing "short trains" is down 32 percent. Delays are down too: 90.7 percent of trains were on time in November 2019, an improvement of 3.8 percent over the year prior, and delays of 15 minutes or more are down 30 percent. Weather-related delays as a whole shrank 65 percent, all thanks to pioneering laser technology that most railroads are too scared to try out.

“No railroad wanted to try it because... It’s not service-proven. Somebody’s got to be the first to do it,” remarked Eng, who is so pleased with the laser train’s effectiveness that the LIRR is reportedly working on leasing the technology for future use, as well as outfitting a second train with the same system. 

 LIRR/MTA 2016 (left) typical high pressure water jet leaf removal examples.  Photos/Archive:  Laser Precision Solutions