Long Beach Branch  

Captions, Data, Maps and Photos by Dave Keller unless otherwise noted

Built by the New York & Long Beach R. R. Co. from Lynbrook to Long Beach: 1880
The Long Beach Marine Railway Co. extended the line 5 miles eastward from Long Beach to Point Lookout: 1881
The LIRR bought this line: 1886 and operated passenger trains to Point Lookout until 1890
Long Beach to Point Lookout abandoned: 1895
LIRR leased and operated the NY&LB RR: 1880-1904 at which time the NY&LB RR merged with the LIRR
Double track laid from Valley Stream to Lynbrook: late 1910
Double track in service from East Rockaway to Wreck Lead (“WL”): 1/15/27
Electrification from Valley Stream to Long Beach on main tracks: 9/1910
Electrification from Valley Stream to Long Beach on freight sidings: 1928-30
Color light signals installed: 1/1927   Info: Robert Emery 

SOUTH SIDE R. R. SVC. BEGAN:  10/28/1867 AS “PEARSALL’S CORNER.” DEPOT OPENED?  LATER BECAME "PEARSALLS." 2ND DEPOT BUILT: 1881. RENAMED "LYNBROOK": 1894. REMODELED: c. 1920. RAZED: 1938 WITH GRADE ELIMINATION. ELEVATED STRUCTURE, 1,113’ WEST OF FORMER LOCATION, IN SVC: 10/18/38   Research: Dave Keller

Lynbrook Station colorized post card c.1920 Archive: Dave Morrison

LIRR Express Receipt - Pearsalls Station (Lynbrook) (E. P. Frost Agent) - 6/03/1882

Note: The LIRR Express receipt does NOT indicate a station, but the agent, E. P. Frost, is the same agent on the freight receipt that is identified as Pearsalls. Info/Archive: Dave Keller
 

Lynbrook - LIRR 2-8-0 freight engine snow plowing
eastbound crossing Broadway at grade. View SW 1931

Note:  Perhaps running light eastbound to be rescue motive power east of Babylon, where electrification ends.  Or a rescue unit for a stalled freight along the Babylon branch.  Basically, though, the H6 and the H10 were primarily freight locomotives, although both had seen passenger service. 

A three-car MU train is westbound in front of the Lynbrook freight house and crossing over Earle Avenue in this 1935 image looking east. The elevated crossing tower, at the right, allowed the watchman to see over the spotted gondolas on the substation track. The coal silos of Dependable Fuel are visible in the distance. Info/Archive: Dave Keller

Lynbrook Station - White Castle and new construction location further east
c. 1970 Photo: John Cribben Archive: Art Mattson


ALCO RS1s freight eastbound - Lynbrook 9/28/1963 (Smith-Keller)

Lynbrook aerial - View E 6/12/1951 - NY State Archives

CENTER (CENTRE) AVE

FIRST BRICK DEPOT BUILT: _? AGENCY CLOSED PER "LIRR TICKET OFFICES OPEN FOR SALE OF TICKETS" OF 9/12/55. BRICK DEPOT SOLD TO PRIVATE PARTY: _?
AND LEFT IN POSITION TRACKSIDE. STILL STANDING: 2016. TRAILER TICKET OFFICE INSTALLED AND MONDAY-ONLY AGENCY REOPENED PER "LONG ISLAND RAILROAD TICKET OFFICE HOURS" OF 9/18/67. MONDAY-ONLY AGENCY CLOSED AND TRAILER REMOVED: _? PLATFORM SHELTERS IN SVC: _? 

 
Centre Ave. crossing, Lynbrook   - view E c.1920s Archive: Art Huneke

Lynbrook - Centre Ave. crossing sign "Notice this road crosses private property 
and is not a public thoroughfare" road sign

OPENED: OCT/1880, BURNED: c. 1942, STATION STOP DISCONTINUED: 12/11/51 WITH RELOCATION OF NEW, COMBINED STOP. 
2^ND , RELOCATED DEPOT OPENED: 12/11/51. AGENCY CLOSED, PER "L.I.R.R. TICKET OFFICES OPEN FOR SALE OF TICKETS" OF 9/12/55. MONDAY-ONLY AGENCY PER "LONG ISLAND RAIL ROAD TICKET OFFICE HOURS" LISTING OF 9/18/67. AGENCY CLOSED: ?  STILL A STATION STOP.

East Rockaway Station:  Not so long ago, a member of the Davison family reached out to HSERL to share with us a memoir written by her Grandfather, Oliver S. Davison II. It was the first time I had read this particular account of East Rockaway’s history, needless to say, it has been a huge asset to our collection, and we look forward to sharing more of these stories with you!

In the document, Mr. Davison shares a story his father, Russell S. Davison, had told him about the railroad coming through East Rockaway in the early 1880s. In those days, his great-grandfather, Oliver, and his great-granduncle, Charles, had owned the old mill, and most of the land south of modern-day Ryder Place. When the New York & Long Beach Rail Road was planning its route, which ran from Pearsalls to Long Beach, it needed to obtain land, not only for trackage but for passenger stations and freight houses. According to the story, representatives of the Davison family, likely Oliver & Charles, met with the railroad company to work out a deal. The Davison's agreed to gift a one-mile right of way through their property, in return for siding at their lumberyard. Siding is when a loop is built off of the main rail line. In this case, freight trains could stop to load and unload goods and materials, without disrupting passenger service. On November 5th, 1880, a passenger station and freight house were opened for service on the newly laid out Davison Plaza, where it would remain for many years.

This is where the story gets interesting.  As a part of the state’s initiative to eliminate grade crossings along the Long Island Rail Road’s, Montauk and Atlantic branches, tracks east of Jamaica were elevated. By 1938, the project reached Lynbrook. The plans called to elevate the Long Beach line to a point just south of the present-day Oceanside station and to consolidate both the East Rockaway and former Atlantic Avenue signal station, which once stood just south of Atlantic Avenue, into one elevated station situated where the present-day station now stands. According to the story passed down by Russell, his cousin, John W. Davison, who along with his brothers had inherited the lumberyard, after their father died in 1906, was infuriated by the railroad's proposal. Raising the tracks through East Rockaway would have eliminated the Davison’s siding, and violated the deal his father made nearly six decades earlier. John’s pushback on the plan was successful. The railroad canceled the station consolidation and elevation, at that time. It wasn’t until December 11th, 1951, five months after John’s death, that the railroad decided to move forward with their plan. By then, the elevation portion of the plan had been scrapped, but the consolidation of the two stations was completed, and the current East Rockaway station as we know it today was born.
Collection: Historical Society of East Rockaway & Lynbrook

OPENED: 5/1/15, BURNED: c. 1958-59  2^ND DEPOT BUILT: 1959, RAZED: SUMMER/2002  3^RD DEPOT OPENED: 2/26/2003. AGENCY CLOSED: 8/19/2009

 ISLAND PARK:  APPEARS AS SIGNAL STOP IN APRIL, 1898 TIMETABLE AS "THE DYKES." RENAMED " ISLAND PARK ":  7/1922 WHEN IT REPLACED THE ISLAND PARK STATION THAT WAS FORMERLY BARNUM ISLAND ( JEKYL ISLAND ).  AGENCY CLOSED AS OF 6/1946, BUT  OPEN AGAIN AS OF 9/12/1955.  AGENCY FINALLY CLOSED:  ?
 Research: Dave Keller

The Island Park office was closed in 6/1946.  The ticket purchased was printed during the GPA: Homer Bannard era 1946-1948 when the office had been open sometime during that period.  The station building was constructed prior to 1946, with a ticket office. 

Chances are, after the agency closed in 1946, the development in the area led to increased ridership (look at post-war Levittown) and the ticket agency may have possibly reopened in 1947 or 1948.  I do know the agency was indicated as "open" in the list of station ticket office hours that I have dated to 1955.  Note: The pre-printed ticket with two stops: Island Park and Center Avenue, was very odd for those two stations due to their proximately.  Blank stock would normally have been used.  Chances are, when the LIRR decided to re-open the agency, they tried to use up the already pre-printed ticket stock, rather than destroy all the older stock.  Info: Dave Keller

The station’s main operating equipment includes two steam electric units (Units 1 and 2) with a combined generating capacity of up to 370 megawatts (MW) that were placed in-service in 1956 and 1963, respectively. The northern portion of the site is developed with gas turbines (GTs), including eight General Electric Frame units (combined capacity of 120 MW) and four Pratt & Whitney aero-derivative twin-pack gas turbines (combined capacity of 160 MW) that were placed in service in 1970 and 1971, respectively. 

A dock facility located on Barnum's Channel allows barges to unload No. 6 fuel oil to an on-site fuel tank farm currently consisting of five (5) aboveground storage tanks (ASTs) with a combined capacity of approximately 20,160,000 gallons. There is an active wastewater treatment facility located on the southeastern portion of the property. The northeastern and southwestern portions of the property are undeveloped tidal wetlands

Barnum's Channel - Island Park View S
Google Maps 2018

Note: Referred to as Hog Creek/Channel at one time; as per Emery Map 1958 (below left)

SOUTH SIDE EXTRA:   In 1957 the Long Island Lighting Company (LILCO) opened a new coal burning power plant in Island Park. The railroad underbid a barge operator and won the contract to deliver their coal.  The coal trains were known as "South Side Extras"

EXTRA 206 East with C420 #212 east of Valley Stream - Photo/Archive: Art Huneke

EXTRA 209 East passing VALLEY Tower with three READING leased RS3s.
Photo/Archive: Art Huneke
 

EXTRA 220 East  C420s #220-221 Lynbrook Station 8/30/1968 Photo: Harold A. Smith Archive: Art Huneke

Emery map MP20-22 9/1958 composite

 Switching the Coal at Island Park by JJ Earl

"...the coal train used the trailing point cross over east of Long Beach Road to shove across into "The Light" (LILCO plant).  Loads would be placed in the empty tracks and empty cars gathered up and pulled out onto #2 main.

The engines uncoupled and were reversed at LEAD to come back west on #1, over the cross over and pull back west onto #1 stopping for a member of the crew to throw these hand thrown switches back to their rightful position.

All main line crossovers had/have what is called a locking bar halfway between the switches with a lever that, when thrown over, moves a rod that connects to a locking device in each switch that will not allow it to be thrown unless this security device itself is thrown." 

 "Moving Coal by Prayer" 
by Mark Smith (Retired LIRR Locomotive Engineer)

The following is an excerpt pertaining to the map (left):

"... After Jamaica, passenger trains were on your back as soon as you fell down at all.  After Valley Stream, the trains were on an hourly basis.  This means that you had to pull past the crossover at the coal siding, back your train in, cut off the hack, pull out and shove your train away, pick up the hack, place it on the westbound empties, pull out and run around the train on the main between regular trains.  This required some fancy operation by the crews..."

Island Park USGS 1979 topographic map of Island Park MP20-22

The new signal system brings full, bi-directional 261/410 speed control and cab signaling to the Long Beach Branch between LEAD Interlocking in Island Park and VALLEY Interlocking in Valley Stream. This will offer additional flexibility and brings this branch into line with what LIRR has in most other places on the railroad. Previously, the Long Beach Branch had cab signaling and speed control only in the 'normal' direction (meaning for westbound trains on track 1, eastbound trains on track 2). When trains operated in the 'reverse' direction, they did so under "Controlled Manual Block" and without speed control.

As part of the project, the railroad installed new Central Instrument Locations at LEAD Tower and Long Beach Yard, as well as new signal huts, impedance bonds, and battery sets along the branch. Most of the equipment has been built up on elevated platforms to make it more resilient to future storms. At LEAD Interlocking in Island Park, the old position light signals have been replaced with tri-color light signals, similar to what has been installed elsewhere along the South Shore over the last 15 years, including most recently as part of the Massapequa Pocket Track.
Source: thelirrtoday.com

WRECK LEAD  Opened:  C. 1898, As combination low cinder/low wooden platform.  No depot building.  On NE side of Wreck Lead (Reynold's) Channel at water's edge.  Closed:  12/31/27.
Ticket - Long Beach to Wreck Lead 8/22/1899 Archive: Brad Phillips
The "X" on the ticket dater die identified the die as being used by an extra ticket clerk.  Extra clerks worked busy stations and were assigned these "extra" dies to identify them while working there.   This Wreck Lead ticket was sold at LI City.  Why someone purchased it at LIC for the short trip between Long Beach and Wreck Lead beats me unless . . ..the rider bought a ticket from LIC to Long Beach and planned, in advance that they would make the short jaunt once at Long Beach to the fishing docks at Wreck Lead for some recreation.  They would have purchased BOTH tickets at LIC.  Info: Dave Keller

A lead is an old nautical expression for a navigable channel or passage that also found its way into railroading. That portion of Reynold's channel where the bridge is was more complex prior to the dredging operation, with several sand bars and islands in the midst of the channel and the shore of Barnum Island (southern portion of Island Park) farther north than it is today. The wider passage hugged the shore of Barnum Island and that was the original Wreck Lead. Whatever event (shipwreck of some sort, perhaps) that named it occurred before then. 

Approximately where the bridge cabins used to be, there were several smaller bars, the largest was called Inner Island and the smaller channel was called Inner Lead. Around the turn of the century, they dredged Reynold's Channel as you see now and just retained the name Wreck Lead for that portion.

Western Hempstead Township, Nassau County 01/1899 US Geological Topographic Survey Map close-up insert
Info: Steven Lynch

Please Note: The following from the 1899 map:
            a.  Curved ROW and tracks to the 1880-era depot on the beach.
            b.  Outline of location of depot in relation to the tracks and related railroad structures.
            c.  The tracks extending a short distance beyond the depot as the tracks were cut back from Point Lookout in1895!
            d.  See Emery's 1908 map (posted below) with 1895 track cutback location at far right of map   Info: Dave Keller

EAST SIDE OF SWING BRIDGE AT REYNOLD’S CHANNEL - LONG BEACH (PREVIOUSLY “WL” [WRECK LEAD] CABIN. 
RENAMED: 5/1/37.  US&S 7 LEVER STYLE TC TABLE MACHINE  OUT OF SVC:  4/29/88. SWING BRIDGE OUT OF SVC: 5/2/88)  Research: Dave Keller

LEAD cabin Swing Bridge open position 11/01/70

LEAD Cabin Swing Bridge Open at Reynolds Channel, Long Beach 
View S 2/05/1978 (Madden-Keller)

LEAD Cabin and Swing bridge (Wreck Lead) View S 6/1986
Photo/Archive: Jay Bendersky

Public timetable notice operating white headlights and red marker lights
1/18/1988 - Archive: Jay Bendersky

M1 electric MU cars had red markers lit alongside the headlights of the lead car. This was to alert people that it would be making a Jamaica stop and not a Penn Station express. The markers also indicated the train would be short cars from its normal consist. ANY LIRR train coming into Jamaica w/b that normally had, for example, 10 cars, only had 8 cars that day, so commuters seeing the markers on the train arriving (at a distance, say, before HALL Tower), could readjust their platform position and get a better seat or to not delay the train further by having to walk "up" from the east end of the platform. Believe it or not, that came from commuters who complained that the LIRR should let them know when a train was going to be short cars before actually arriving at Jamaica and then their having to run up to board and lose a potentially good seat to boot. (Robert Myers data)

LEAD cabin and  Swing Bridge Replacement - View N 4/17/1988 
(Jeff B. Erlitz photo, Dave Keller archive)

LEAD Cabin New Tower and Swing Bridge Replacement 
Reynolds Channel View S 5/15/1988 (Jeff B. Erlitz photo, Dave Keller  archive)

LEAD cabin and  Swing Bridge Replacement - View S 4/17/1988 
(Jeff B. Erlitz photo, Dave Keller  archive)

Reynold's Channel View S 2018 Photo: Unknown

That's the replacement "LEAD" tower and drawbridge.  The  waterway is "Reynold's Channel," formerly "Wreck Lead" hence the derivation of the name of the old block cabin and this replacement tower.  The drawbridge was placed in service on May 2, 1988 and the new tower on May 9, 1988.   Research: Dave keller

Although I worked at Lead occasionally, at the time, I always wanted to try something different for a photo before the old Lead Bridge was replaced. In September of 1987, I got the opportunity and took this photo of an M3 eastbound, from my Parent's boat while in Reynolds Channel. View W
Photo/Archive/Info:  Jay Bendersky

Note: LIRR May 25, 1970 ETT SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS:

Page 376 - Rule 1038-A - Lead Drawbridge: Class AS-6 locomotives 15 MPH; All other types PROHIBITED.
Page 389 - Rule 1160-B - Cars exceeding 210,000 pounds are prohibited between LEAD and Long Beach

DRAWBRIDGE – LONG BEACH AT REYNOLD’S CHANNEL (DRAWBRIDGE LOCATED 400’ EAST OF FORMER LOCATION
IN SVC:  5/2/88.  INTERLOCKING STATION RELOCATED 450’ EAST OF FORMER LOCATION ON S. SIDE OF TRESTLE ADJACENT TO DRAWBRIDGE IN SVC:  5/9/88)

The channel was once called "Wreck Lead Channel" (Click link to Telegraphic Call Letters page for WL, Wreck Lead and Lead) and the location was listed on employee timetables as "Wreck Lead". The original cabin/tower that was built there was thus called "WL" (Wreck Lead). A station was also built there using the same name and appeared on timetables.  It was short-lived, and was removed, but there has been a cabin/tower there ever since.  Research: Dave Keller

The Bascule Bridge is from Florida and was barged up. The Tower is called Lead Tower or simply "Lead", and it controls the tracks between east of Island Park RR Station and into and out of Long Beach yard and also, in conjunction with the Coast Guard and marine band radio, raises and lowers the bridge for marine traffic in Reynold's Channel...the LIRR's LEAD Tower Block Operator controls everything and has a liaison with the Coast Guard when necessary.

Due to the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, an all-day shuttle service was put into effect. 

The train was double ended and had two 400 series diesels, or "DE"s with 4 cars (held about 120 people each) and the track in Long Beach yard was lined and spiked for Station Track No. 6 as the entire train cleared the overhead canopies on the north side of the train.

The shuttle train would originate in Jamaica Storage Yard, go to Lynbrook RR Station, pick everyone up, make all local stops to Long Beach, go into Station Track No. 6 (the only track used all day long) and basically when one train left Lynbrook, another left Long Beach and so on...special train numbers were used (9,000 series numbers) for the electrics and their connecting diesels for both eastbound and westbound service.

In Valley Yard the shuttle would change direction and then go back into the Lynbrook RR Station, pick everyone up and head back to Long Beach. 

Both sets of diesels were virtually identical...two 400's and four cars...back and forth all day, with an approximate layover of 30 minutes on either end, with constant MU's feeding the two shuttles every hour. The Long Beach commuters were extremely grateful to have anything at all running to their terminal and we got plenty of good press.

I rode the first day of the shuttle (the second trick portion of course) and rode every shuttle back and forth from 2pm - 10 pm or thereabouts. Very interesting operation and good crews.

They had two Engineers that never "changed ends" and each performed a brake test at each location and were in place and ready to go, so no delays or engine problems...great idea. Info courtesy: Robert L. Myers, LIRR Transportation Manager (Retired)

Built: 1880, Closed: 1909 - 2nd Depot Opened: 6/1909, Restored: c.1988   Research: Dave Keller

Robert M. Emery hand-drawn map of the 1909-era Long Beach terminal facilities from a 1920 LIRR map.  As occasionally drawn by Emery and for some unknown reason, "North" is facing DOWN!  This map shows the curve of the original right-of-way to the former depot location on the sand of the beach as well as a rather large team yard and freight station.  Emery notes that the old right-of-way tracks were removed in 1910, so for some reason they remained in place after the new depot was constructed.

Robert M. Emery hand-drawn map of the Long Beach terminal facilities MP22.38 as they appeared in 1958.  Note that the team yard and freight station is no longer in existence, having been removed in 1943.  The curvature of the original right-of-way is still indicated.  

LEAD interlocking diagram from 4/15/2004 showing the terminal track configuration.
(LIRR documents, Dave Keller archive)
 

 
LIRR Long Beach 1966 track map - page 26

Electric Rail Service to Long Beach - Brooklyn Eagle ad 7/20/1910

Here's another view of the terminal facilities looking south in 1958.  An MU electric is laying up on track 4, awaiting departure.  (W. J. Edwards photo, Dave Keller archive)

Ocean Beach Park, Long Beach  Archive: Kevin Fehn

  
Long Beach to Kew Gardens ticket 9/2/1966
Archive: Brad Phillips

Long Beach Station and historical marker -  View NW 2023 MTA