Keystone number plate conversion Oct.- Dec. / 1942
Keystones have large numbers Pre-1945
Keystones have smaller numbers 1945
Research: Dave Keller

The #44 went to scrap in Modena, Pa., wearing all its plates and marker lights.  Quite a few LIRR Consolidations and G5s' wound up wearing all their jewelry with the exception of whistles, which were bronze.  The three lugs on the back of the plate were normally attached with bolts inside the smokebox door.  In this case, each was sawn halfway through with a hacksaw, then either burned or simply broken off to complete the cut.  The paint on this particular plate has become infused with carbon or another source of dirt, yet appears to be original.  Surviving LIRR steam plates include 35, 36, 38, and a reproduction of 39.   Research: Richard Glueck

"LONG ISLAND EQUIPMENT TRUST SERIES K FIDELITY PHILADELPHIA TRUST CO AND M.S. ALTEMOSE TRUSTEES OWNERS AND LESSORS"  3' x 8" Trust Plate LIRR 

G5s #21 tender Class 110.P.82A builder plate 4/1987
Photo/Archive: William Mangahas

Transportation Department Uniform patch Archive: Steve Melrose

LIRR Special Services Attendant Patch
Archive: Steve Melrose

LIRR Special Services Supervisor Patch
Archive: Steve Melrose

LIRR Parlor Car Service Attendant Badge c.1995
Archive: Steve Melrose

The blue badge with the LIRR 1834 logo was revived with the LIRR 175th Anniversary back in 1984 and dates from 1984 to 1989. I remember that Ticket Agents/Clerks were required to display the badge with their first name
and IBM number when they were selling tickets during those years. Mike McEnaney

Employees immediately complained that access to their names resulted in a barrage of malcontent patrons' harassment of them at home. Their first name and IBM Number was then substituted and replacement badges arrived. Since the employee's IBM Number served as his account number at the LIRR's credit union, employees then feared that public access to that number compromised their personal savings accounts. The unions petitioned the Carrier, who complained that employees' huge life savings were at risk and the badges were dropped. They were never widely used, and no attempt was made to require their use in most crafts.

Gold badges followed a couple of years later. One of the many presidents, anti-labor Bruce McIver saw the tellers across the street at Chemical Bank wearing them, and felt they "looked cool". A few hundred were ordered and distributed, but that's as far as it went. I don't believe many, if any crafts required employees to use them, again because unions pushed back about displaying their names to the public at large. Several people liked and used them, but they were few. Neither of these articles were issued to train crews, but only supervisors, some ushers, some station employees and perhaps a few other crafts.

Even the trainmen's newer badges, when first issued to the Transportation Test Team as a trial, contained IBM Numbers. They were replaced by a different set of numbers after complaints.

When we worked there each pair of badges (we got two) arrived in an envelope, like so many other things, with no explanation or direction and were never worn. The blue one sits on our desk today, as it sat at work thirty years ago. It's cute and with my pension check reminds me of the many good years in the past.  Kelly&Kelly

The Legion was part of the early 1960's upgrade and PR campaign of the Goodfellow era which aimed to improve facilities and put a more human face on the railroad after years of terrible service and run-down equipment.

By joining the Legion, you could earn "units" (points) coupons based on ticket purchases to exchange for merchandise.  If you were really enthusiastic about this program, you could buy a Legionnaire hat (a buck) and pin (2 bits). There was a free catalog of merchandise, regular newsletters, etc.    A buck for the hat was way too much for me to spend back then (pretty cheap, eh?)!  (Heck, it was only 17 cents for a ticket to Lindenhurst!)

By the time I started selling tickets in July 1963 the program had run it's course. Archive/Info: Brad Phillips

Legion of Influential Rail Riders pin. This program was run by the LIRR in the 60's. 

Mill Neck Station
 Archive: John Hammond

 
Metro-North "Cosmopolitan" cars testing on the LIRR  view SW Flushing Meadows  9/24/1972 Photo: Doug Grotjahn, Archive: Joe Testagrose

 
LIRR turbine car truck detail c.12/1966
Photo/Archive: Tom Harmon

August 22, 1969: A late summer afternoon sun lights up FEC's Lake Okeechobee on the rear of LIRR train #22 at the west switch of WH. In that first summer of all lightweight "parlors", #22 was the "City of Everywhere" with surplus sleepers/lounge cars used as parlors cars from at least five different railroads. 
Photo: Richard F. Makse

PRR N5 caboose 477604 on LIRR property Hempstead 04/05/34
Photo: George E. Votava
Dave Keller Archive

MU #2509 Two car train Princes Bay,  Staten Island 04/28/1973 
Back in the early 1970s, the LIRR loaned or leased six (6) MU cars to the Staten Island Rapid Transit for their use.  These two LIRR MU cars are seen in SIRT service, stopped at Princes Bay station on Staten Island on April 28, 1973.

The LIRR never had any stations that looked like this structure and located in a cut.  Also . . . . check out that shelter shed across from the depot building!  Certainly not “Pennsy style!”  Archive/Info: Dave Keller

LIRR MP72 train is use on Staten Island 1973  Photo/Archive: Joe Testagrose
Prior to R44 subway cars delivery to Staten Island, LIRR cars were used due to an equipment shortage.  Info: John Perry
 

LIRR FA1 #616 westbound at Old Northport Junction on 2/26/77.  Old Northport spur branched off to the left.  All traces of it are long gone.  (William Madden photo, Dave Keller archive)

 
Syosset c. Summer 1944
Photo: Fred Weber Archive: Dave Morrison

PRR standard design angle iron power poles Woodside Station parking lot view south. 

Visible on several different portions of the LIRR. Along the main line between Harold and Mineola, the Port Washington Branch, the Montauk Branch to RVC/Freeport, and even on the abandoned Rockaway Beach Branch. 

Ushers worked at all 3 major LIRR terminals: NY Penn, Flatbush Ave and Jamaica.  Duties: Announce trains arriving and departing over the loudspeaker.

Use a long-handled stick to change the train numbers and times on the platform boards at Jamaica.

Answer customer questions regarding trains leaving and arriving (This was in addition to the ticket clerks on duty inside the info booth at NY Penn)

Knowledgeable as to which tracks/ trains were to be arriving on and departing from. Photo/Archive/Research: Dave Keller

This car is in the "as-built" color scheme. The modernization numbers (red and yellow circles) were applied when these cars were new "as delivered" in 1955-56, to make the public aware that each was a fresh, new car for their riding pleasure. Note that the modernization number on the new Pullman-built cars like this one (red circle with yellow rim and numbers) is the color-opposite of that used by LIRR on the older cars which were overhauled by the railroad shop (tile floors, vinyl 3/2 walkover seats, recessed liteing fixtures, new outer doors) and given yellow circles with red rim and numbers when they were shoved back into service (usually with a new number, like 7000 added to the old original number, so, for example, ping #2 became #7002). The modernization numbers lasted about 15 years, until the next repaint. Art Single

This car s not owned by HVRM, but rather by Island Rail Preservation LLC. It is on lease to the museum. The car roof is brunswick green roof, with the color matched to PRR drift cards for an exact match as I painted it. The underbody, per LIRR spec, is gloss black. Mike Koehler

Bar Generator cars, Class BG72B in the 2101-2104 series, which had a large diesel generator installed inside a large compartment in the carbody, with a bar in the other end of the car located mid-train. These cars had large vents in one side of the car body. These were rebuilt from MP72T coaches while the railroad was converting to push-pull operations.

The primary purpose of these 4 cars was to provide HEP (600 VDC) via trainline to push-pull equipped coaches in trains that did not have a cab control powerpack unit or an MP-15AC to provide HEP. The Bar Generator cars were equipped 2 gensets. The engines were Detroit 8v71's rated at 318hp equivalent to  237 KW electric power output. So, the car could supply 474 KW of power for the HEP trainline. Info: Jack Deasy

LIRR #2103 Mineola 06/01/1977 
Photo: Tim Darnell

Note: The window sign that says "Coach Club Car" in script lettering. Info: Jack Deasy

Bar generator car #2102 - Oyster Bay  11/1982
Photo/Archive: Jay Bendersky

At least one B/G car lasted long enough to be painted in the this, the "low-tide", scheme. These cars were modified with internal diesel generators. The generators would perform the same function as the power packs, providing heating and lighting to the train. - minus the operating cab. This car, along with its sisters, would soon be retired from service.
 

Two trains received MP-54 combines: #212 to Greenport and #12 to Montauk. There just weren’t enough bars to go around. The “beer well” consisted of a 55 gallon oil drum (relatively cleaned up) and lined with plastic and lined-plastic brown bags. This was used to chill the beer. Two more oil drums served as the “bar”, with a piece of Formica-covered plywood placed over the drums to support what was essentially a bar-cart sized inventory. I don’t remember working one of these but they were awful too look at. 

The photo Jack Deasy got from a video shows a full baggage car. While I was there in 1968 (the c.1968 date Jack gave), I never saw a full baggage car in bar service so this might have been only an occasional event on #212 since my first-hand recollection was a combine. Obviously in its mid train position it was being used as a bar car, but negotiating the gap from a P-54 to a baggage car was not all that easy since their buffer plates were different. But you could pack more passengers into the baggage car!

My recollection is that the bars only ran on these trains during July and August. Mr. Mac permitted attendants to sell out the rear of the parlor during the other months. So in July and August, #212 ran with 2 parlors, 2 coaches, 1 combine and 2 coaches. #12 ran with (off the top of my head) up to five parlors and four or five coaches plus the combine. I often worked as parlor car attendant in #212 because it was the highest revenue per passenger with the shortest day. The Shelter Island and Mattituck drank a lot. #12 was a notorious poor drinking train—too early in the afternoon and most of the customers were a bit more stodgy than the rest. The best drinking train, always, was #24. Three to four drinks per passenger AVERAGE! Courtesy of Dick Makse
 

There were other reasons they were not popular. At Hunterspoint Ave., they would shut down on cue due to lack of ventilation. The generator would frequently catch on fire too.   One bar generator was regularly assigned trains 605/658 for many years and was actually operated as a bar in the afternoon. Pt. Jeff had four regular bar cars, plus bar carts which would detrain at Huntington. Train 664 did have a bar into the C3 era, but unsure if it still operates.

BTW: The Special Service Department always made a net profit (and I believe still does). While Metro North continues to operate bar cars, they were de-emphasized on the LIRR (along with true parlor cars) so the carrier could concentrate on their "core business". Info:  Ben Jankowski

Here are some photos I took of the move of LIRR G-5 #35 out of Eisenhower Park in East Meadow, LI on June 17, 1978 Some of you may recognize a few of the people in the photos. I could not even drive that day. I was only out of the hospital a short time after having my appendix removed. My Mother drove me because I had to see and photograph this event. Photo/Info: Jim Gillin

Goodwin Gallagher Sand & Gravel retail facility on the East River about 1/4 mile north of the Queensboro Bridge. Goodwin - Gallagher "mined" sand from Port Washington and the sand was used to pave New York City streets. Upon receiving the images, I subsequently created a webpage: Goodwin Gallagher Sand & Gravel provides further details; Locomotives Roster, Tugboat Roster, etc. 

The four stacked industry behind everything, is the Manhattan Power Plant on York & 75th Streets.

I've also been in contact with Judith Byrdie, who is historian of the Roosevelt Island Historical Society, and confirms that is the steeple of the Chapel of the Good Shepard , the white porched structure is the "Alms Homes". She has seen other images looking east in the Astoria Historical society that shows a frontal view of the sand dealer, but no one has responded to my inquiries as yet to obtain an copy of the image. 

The photo was taken 06/06/1917 and according to Judith Byrdie, was originally part of the Transit Museum holdings as the neg identification codes match other negs and images used by the Transit Museum surveyors. She believes they were either surveyors photos for the subway tunnel projects or works in progress recordings.

The 1920 issue of "MVUS" (Johnson's Merchant Vessels of the US) lists 4 powered vessels for Goodwin-Gallagher Sand and Gravel Corp., 551 Fifth Avenue, NY   Collection: Roger McEnery, Research: Philip M. Goldstein

Luzerne Coal Co. was east of East New York Station and just west of the old Warwick Street station on the elevated viaduct at Warwick Street marked "X'.

R. Emery map indicate siding and switch connecting it to the main were removed in 1942 along with Warwick Street station.  Info/Map: Dave Keller

DD1 with the string of milk cars with caption is by Harold Fagerberg From: Electric Heritage of the Long Island Rail Road: 1905-1975 by Ron Ziel with John Krause

 
LIRR Milk Car #3000 Builder's Photo
Archive: Steven Lynch  

The LIRR Milk Car Mystery  Solved
BY WALTER WOHLEKING

Milk Train Elec Eng Runs Except Sundays LIRR ETT #117 1932
PRR brought milk cars thru PENN to Sunnyside
Research/Archive: Art Huneke
Note: Daily setouts to Sheffield Farm

The Sheffield Farms cars are a publicity photo of cars built for Sheffield by General American Refrigerator Car Company in 1928 Source: Carstens Publications
From: Electric Heritage of the Long Island Rail Road: 1905-1975 by Ron Ziel with John Krause

 
Sheffield Farms Milk Truck 
Greenwich Village, NY City

Milk Train Elec Eng Runs Sundays LIRR ETT #117 1932
PRR brought milk cars thru PENN to Sunnyside
Research/Archive: Art Huneke

The Grandview Dairy car  is a builder’s photo, judging by the typical masking of all background and the roster shot of a nice, shiny, new car. 
Source:  Carstens Publications From: Electric Heritage of the Long Island Rail Road: 1905-1975 by Ron Ziel with John Krause

 Grandview Dairy car,  was a Pfaudler tank car. Pfaudler started making these cars in the 1920s.  My December, 1930 ORER shows 105 cars in the GPEX, 40 foot (inside dimension), 6,000 gallon milk tank car series numbered 700-804.

No outside dimensions are given for the cars, but the inside length between tanks with bulkheads in place was 40 feet, the inside width was a little over 8'9" and the inside height was 7'7". A note states, "Cars in this series are passenger equipped, having glass lined tanks and are used for transportation of milk in bulk, capacity 6,000 gallons." While no capacity data is probvided in this ORER, subsequent issues list "95,000 lbs." Research: Walter Wohleking

IRT 9th Avenue Line:  Motor #3041 on 3-car shuttle between 155th St . and Burnside Ave. at Polo Ground station – 155th St. and 8th Ave. – NY, NY – 6/28/40  (View looking NW.  Polo Grounds stadium in background.  “N. Y. Giants” sign visible at rear.)  George E. Votava Photo, Dave Keller Archive  

  IRT 3-car shuttle EL train at the Polo Grounds station was taken in 6/28/40, the 9th Ave. portion of the EL structure at the left of the photo was already out of service two (2) weeks but was not yet into the demolition stage.  That would explain why the area looks so abandoned when it should be full of people and cars, etc. Info: Dave Keller Archive

  IRT 9th Avenue Line:  Close-up scan of entrance to Polo Grounds stadium from negative of scan #3  above.  Showing “N. Y. Giants” sign behind 155th St. station. (View looking NW) George E. Votava Photo, Dave Keller Archive  

Elevated Line Polo Grounds truncated line 1950's  Info: David Pirmann

These photos and more at David Pirmann's site: www.nycsubway.org

The 9th Ave. EL was torn down in 1940. The 2nd Ave. EL  lasted until 1942.  Info: Joe Hagan 

The short portion that is of the truncated section.  See photos above. Dave Keller

Unification of the privately owned transit lines with the Independent City-Owned Rapid Transit Railroad (IND System) occurred in June of 1940. Municipal operation of the IRT would begin on June 12th, 1940, two weeks after the City of New York took over the BMT. As part of the Unification deal, the 2nd Ave. El north of 59th Street and the 9th Ave. El in Manhattan would close forever at 12:01am on June 12th, 1940. There were no special ceremonies held for the closing of these lines. The last train on the 9th Ave. El, a 7 car train filled with 500 people, left South Ferry at 11:14pm, arriving at 155th Street at 12:06am. Free transfers at 155th St , Manhattan , and 161st St. in the Bronx , were made available to the Independent's Concourse line when the El closed. The only remaining portion of the 9th Ave El, the "Polo Grounds Shuttle" to Burnside Ave (later 167th Street), closed for about 1½ hours at the close of 9th Ave. El service, to prepare this portion of the line for its new service pattern. Source: David Pirmann's site: www.nycsubway.org

The shuttle ran from Burnside Ave. in the Bronx , stopping at Sedgwick Ave., Bronx , then on to the Polo Grounds at 155th St. and 8th Avenue.  I believe ALL service on that line ended in 1958.  It was only there to service the Giants games and then they left NY and there was no immediate need to keep the EL.  Info: Dave Keller

The "Polo Grounds Shuttle", as it was called, saw little patronage because of the redundant IND Concourse Line running so closely nearby. In addition, the New York Central's Putnam Division stopped running, and in 1957, the Giants played their last season in the Polo Grounds. With so little ridership, the "Polo Grounds Shuttle" ceased operation at 11:59pm on August 31st, 1958. Source: David Pirmann's site: www.nycsubway.org

The Mets began playing there in 1962, but no one had planned for that back in 1958.  They might have left the EL standing and shuttle running had they known this was going to happen. But, they had the underground  IND train as late as those 1940 photos and it connected between there AND Yankee stadium as well as with the rest of NYC, so there really was no need for the EL  Historical input: Dave Keller

Sands Street Terminal Brooklyn , NY by Dave Keller  In the early days of the Elevated railway system in New York City, small steam engines of the Brooklyn Bridge Railway, and later the Brooklyn Rapid Transit (BRT) pulled trains from the Park Row terminal in Manhattan, traversing the famous Brooklyn Bridge, finally entering the massive Sands Street terminal building in Brooklyn at the middle level.  Some years, later, the steam engines were replaced with all electric trains, and the BRT went bankrupt, re-emerging as the Brooklyn Manhattan Transit (BMT).  The Fulton Street EL line of the BMT ran trains over the bridge, utilizing the two terminals.

Another BMT EL, the Myrtle Avenue line, came into the terminal building on the upper level, entering in on one side to discharge passengers at platforms adjacent to the loop track which ran outside the building, so the train could run around the loop, then, stopping at another set of platforms on the other side of the building, pick up passengers before re-entering and passing through the building for the return trip.

The Fulton Street El which utilized the middle level of the structure also had a spur that ran on the west side of the terminal, under the above mentioned loop, and, after making a connection at Sands Street with access to the large structure via a long, covered walkway, continued on towards the Fulton St. Ferry.  In later years, as the Fulton Street line already ran trains over the bridge, and the Fulton St. Ferry was discontinued, the elevated line under the loop was no longer required and was demolished.

Besides running trolleys at street level, the B&QT (Brooklyn & Queens Transit), a subsidiary of the BMT created to operate all their street lines, also ran cars at the middle level of the Sands Street terminal and over the Brooklyn Bridge , operating on the outer tracks.

The 1939 view, below, looking northeast (due to the situation of the tracks and terminal in relation to the bridge, the loop side of the building facing west) shows a Peter Witt-type streetcar headed eastbound off the bridge, approaching the terminal building. (The connected trolley pole always trailed behind the car.)
 

This massive terminal in Brooklyn , as well as the Park Row terminal in Manhattan, was demolished in 1944 and that ended any EL train service over the
Brooklyn Bridge. Trolleys continued to run over the bridge until 1949, using
more modified and smaller trolley stations. Thereafter, the bridge only
accommodated automobile and pedestrian traffic.

 
View looking south Collection: Brooklyn Public Library

BMT Terminal at Sands Street , Brooklyn – 1939  (View looking NE) 
Collection: Dave Keller

 Aerial view of the Sands Street Terminal  System: New York City Transit
Line: BMT Fulton Ave. View looking north towards NY
Collection: Herbert P. Maruska

Collection: Brooklyn Public Library

Collection: Brooklyn Public Library

View looking east.  Fulton Street EL line to the Fulton Street Ferry visible under the loop.  View also shows the  long, covered walkway to connect to the bridge station.

Leased Units on the LIRR

BARs on Long Island Railroad Research - St. Maarten PLAYER DEVELOPMENT - TRAINS authored by Roger, age 10

I was paging through a Long Island Rail Road book looking at the different engines. I have to tell you the paint jobs were NOT impressive, no sir. Blue with white or yellow. Gray and orange. Then, as I turned a page I saw it: a really beautiful engine.  It had stripes from front to back, with colors like black, red and gray with a thin white stripe in between. I read the caption. It said BAR 69 GP-7.

Huh? A bar? I know the LIRR had parlor cars, and if you bought a drink and it came in a souvenir glass with Dottie the Dashing Commuter on it, and you got to keep the glass. But it didn't seem to me like there should be a bar in a locomotive. I am just a kid, but I was thinking that was a bad idea. Then I did some more reading, and I found out that BAR stands for Bangor and Aroostook Railroad, the trains from Maine. BAR was known for shipping potatoes, wood and paper. All that could be sent to Long Island, but most railroads kept their engines and just let the other railroads haul the freight cars with their own engines.

Photo: B&A GP7 #69 at Morris Park 1974

Well, it turned out that the LIRR had rented the engines from Maine. It happened in 1972 when the LIRR had to deal with some unhappy employees, 5000 of them, to be exact. The 12 unions represented most of the railroads maintenance workers, like carmen, teamsters, clerks, electrical workers, sheet metal workers and other non-operating employees of Long Island Rail Road went on strike. In other words, not the conductors or engineers, what they called the trainmen. It all started when earlier that same year when 1,500 Long Island Rail Road trainmen received raises. That meant trainmen were getting a daily rate of $51.75, while the non-operating group were being paid about $27.20. the trainmen got big raises – like 20% - but the maintenance guys were only offered a 6% wage increase. The strike started November 30, 1972. Approximately 170,000 passengers had to look for other means of transportation. Most of the passengers needed the train to get to and from work. The strike continued until January 18, 1973 when the government stepped in and worked out a deal for a 90 day cooling off period. The unions were given an 6 percent raise dated back to January 1972, for returning to work while negotiations continued.

After the cooling off period, it was announced that an agreement had been reached. But both the LIRR and the Unions agreed to keep it secret. The Unions did say, “They got everything they asked for.” It was estimated about 10 percent of the commuting passengers never returned to the trains. They had found other ways to get to work and they stuck with their new routines. But the strike had caused another problem. Since the trains had been sitting idle for all those months, and they had not been well maintained during that time, when they tried to get it all back to full service, they found out that nine of their Alco switcher locomotives had frozen up. Their engine blocks had cracked. The locomotives could not be used. Long Island Metro, the official LIRR employee newspaper, reported in issue 29, February – March 1973, that all nine of the damaged engines were scraped. So LIRR asked the Bangor and Aroostook Railroad if they could rent some engines. And BAR said yes.

In all, eight BAR engines saw service on Long Island. LIRR also rented engines from Precision National. Three Bangor and Aroostook locomotives were sent on January 21, 1973: the GP-7s BAR 66, BAR 72 and BAR 74. BAR 66 would stay until March 10, 1976 while 72 stayed until April 6, 1977 and 74 returned to Maine April 22, 1977. Engines 62 and 64 were sent to Long Island on January 23, 1973. Both would stay on the island until March 10, 1976. Engine 60 and 65 was sent to LIRR on April 1, 1974 and would stay until March 10, 1976. The last loaner engine, BAR 69, was sent on May 18, 1974 and it would stay in service until April 22, 1977. The Maine Railroad was happy, the lease was a good deal for BAR. They had bought a lot of powerful locomotives for their busy season which had been all about the shipping of potatoes during the winter. In 1969 BAR sent the potatoes in heated box cars to the interchange run by Penn Central. New York Central and the Pennsylvania Railroad had recently merged.

In the past, the yard crews keep the box car heaters fueled and running until the cars continued their journey. This year not. The crop was ruined. It would be 40 years before Maine famers would once again ship potatoes by rail. Just to give you an idea of how important potatoes were to the railroad, the 1949 Maine harvest yielded 46,856 boxcar loads of crop. The potatoes were shipped all over the United States. Some were taken to the shipping port and sent off on cargo boats across the Atlantic to Europe. Belgium got 246 boxcars of potatoes and Germany got 1,458. Spain got a lot of Maine's potatoes too: 4,042 boxcars full! So when the potatoes business came to an end, BAR had extra engines. So they were glad to rent them out.

But, do not worry they did not lay off the engineers or even rent the crew to the LIRR. I learned that when a train has a lot of cars it may take two, three or even four engines to pull the load, but they still just need one engine crew. The engines are connected together and operated from the lead unit. Oh and when I went back and looked at the book I realized I had seen several BAR engines but they were painted blue and I just thought they were LIRR. It's interesting to learn about all these things that happened back then. And just so you remember the LIRR did not have Bars in their engines.
 

LIRR #209 Reading leased RS3s
at Valley 1967

Reading leased RS3's #469 and #470 in the late 1960's.  Lacking ASC, they spent their time as trailing units and on jobs between Holban and Long Island City via the Montauk Line. Info: James Mardiguian

BAR #69 GP7 Morris Park 1974

BAR  #69, #65 Ronkonkoma Wye 
Photo: Brian Woodruff

BAR #65 Ronkonkoma

BAR #74 Oakdale view S 1975

BAR #74 and PNC #1506, double heading a westbound LIRR freight at Holban Yard, Hollis 10/16/1976  
Photo: George E. Votava Archive: Dave Keller

BAR #66 Ronkonkoma 1/1975 
Photo: Ed McKernan

BAR #66, #72  LI City Yard A

PNC GP9 #1701 Pine Aire 7/21/1974 
Archive: Brian Woodruff

Two PNC GP9s, an RS3 and an RS1 on a power balance move, shown here in the siding at Pine Aire. PNC #1701 was ex-C&O 5918, later C&NW 4448. 
 Info: Vincent J. Benkovitz

 
PNC #1706 westbound Train #533 at Mill Neck 3/1975
Archive: James Scullin

PRR Station, NY City view 7th Ave 
The large cement waiting room was at center, where the rotunda is now, with the glass concourse behind it near 8th Ave, where the current  main Amtrak waiting room  is located. Archive: Bob Anderson

PRR Station, NY City view 34th-31st Streets c.1912 Archive: Bob Anderson

PRR Station, NY City view 2007
Archive: Bob Anderson

PRR Station, NY City Arcade Walkway, view west
Photo: www.nyc-architecture.com

The relatively new Pennsylvania Station is viewed looking west from an upper level of a building across the avenue on a chilly day in November, 1912. The old building at the lower left would be replaced by the famous Pennsylvania Railroad-owned Hotel Pennsylvania which opened on January 25, 1919 and which copied its fascia architecture from the terminal building across the avenue. Both the terminal and the fascia of the hotel were designed by the same architectural firm. Behind the terminal is the General Post Office building and in the distance, a steam ferryboat plies the Hudson River with the many docks and the Jersey shore beyond. At the right, a man dressed in a suit and wearing a derby hat stands on a lower roof. To the left of him, and across the avenue, are two signs advertising theatre shows. The Winter Garden Theatre is hosting the performance of "The Passing Show of 1912" which ran from July to mid-November, 1912 and the Casino Theatre is hosting "The Merry Countess" which ran from August to December, 1912. This image would have been photographed sometime between August and Mid-November, 1912 based upon those dates of performances.  The crisp quality of the smoke from building stacks in the distance identifies the air as cold, so this image would favor the November end of that photographic window. (Dave Keller archive and data)

OPERATION CHANGEOVER  10/08/1955

THE   DAY   THE   MUSIC   DIED  OCTOBER   16,   1955

Follow the links above to aRRt's Archives for more final steam action

The NY, NH & Hartford RR Scheduled Freight to Fresh Pond via Cedar Hill. Twice Daily April 28, 1929 Collection: John Fusto

These cars did look like the M1s but had a different configuration along the roofline, probably due to whatever special equipment the unit contained. They also had "DOT" logos on the cars (Dept. of Transportation). 

I have a shot of #4001, 4002 and two other GTE cars, making up 4-car Oyster Bay train #515 at Mineola in June of 1977. I have individual roster shots of 4 of the cars (4002, 4003, 4004, 4006) taken at Oyster bay in May and July, 1977, each with the DOT logo. I guess that 1977 was the test year. Don't know if they stayed around longer than that. 
Info: Dave Keller

Yes, there were two competing vendors and they were paid for with DOT funds. 

I believe Garrett made four and GTE (Budd) made four. The two sets were not compatible and had significant differences. They all looked similar to M-1's with different details. They had the two tone "M" logos with a Federal or DOT logo on the end doors and the sides. 

For a few weeks one set made regular trips to Greenport in overnight testing. They were horribly noisy, sounding like a 747 at takeoff. You'd watch the lights go on in the farm houses enroute as you passed. They used tremendous amounts of fuel -- kerosene, as I recall and they stunk up the entire North Fork. I had the opportunity to operate one of them and they had M-1 type controls, but with a weird turbine-induced lag to the throttle response. 

They had to be compatible with low level platforms, and each vendor came up with its own solution. One had a "trap door" in the vestibule that slid open to reveal stairs. Anyone on the trap door would fall out.  The other had folding stairs that dropped down under your feet -- another unnerving option. 

As Otto said, they had cool roll signs; I'm lucky enough to have grabbed one off the Garrett set before they were scrapped. 

The GE set was converted for Metro North into M-1's (maybe M-3's?) by the Long Island Rail Road in Hillside Shops. They are probably still running today. The Garrett sets had "drop in" turbines that took a substantial part of the car and were deemed too much trouble to convert to electric. 

Before those cars came, the LIRR had another experimental turbine car they kept in a shed on the old wye in Ronkonkoma. That was also a DOT funded project that, I believe was made from a converted Budd coach in the early 1970's. Clem

These were Gas-Turbine powered cars which were also Dual-Mode, and found their ways on diesel lines for a very brief time. The problem with that was they were break down prone, they found themselves out quickly. And a few made their way onto the Metro North lines before Metro North took over, and were converted to straight electrics.. They were taken out of service shortly thereafter. Some were made by Garret, and some by I believe GE.
M1 9147 

Actually, what looks like a ventilation system on the top of the car actually is where the Gas Turbine engines were. They took up a significant amount of the roofline and were located opposite of the motorman's cab.  Gas turbines really ARE that small. The one on the stillborn JetTrain was like the size of those garbage cans you see out on the curb on trash day.  And 5000 HP. Not much else packs that kind of power into such a tiny space.... I bet the generator 1/2 of those sets in the MTA cars was heavier and bigger...

Garrett Gas Turbine Ad

Garrett truck 11/13/1977 
Photo: Bill Mangahas

Budd Garrett turbine at Republic Station
11/13/1977 Photo/Archive: Bill Mangahas

Garrett turbine #4003 Oyster Bay 7/02/1977
(Votava-Boland)

Article on Gas Turbine test August, 1967
Archive: Paul Strubeck

GTE-1 Side view of low platform access 
1/13/1977 Fantrip  Photo: Bill Mangahas

 They do resemble M1 cars - with these noticeable differences: The U.S. DOT logo on the stripe below the front door window.  M-Metropolitan instead of M-Long Island on the upper right. The covered over vent on the upper right corner up above. Mike McEnaney


GTE-1 Interior 11/13/1977 - ERA Fantrip 
Photo: Bill Mangahas

General Electric GTE-1 #4008 at Mineola Station
1978 Archive: Carlton Bridges

LIRR Gas Turbine Tour Special
11/13/1977 Sign up Form

LIRR Budd M1 GTE  (gas turbine electrics) train set - Cars #4001-#4004 on the Oyster Bay branch approaching Roslyn Station June, 1976. LIRR had 2 versions in the 1970's, built by GE and Garrett. Only 8 of the M1's were built/modified this way.

GTE-1 sliding trap door  11/13/1977 - ERA Fantrip
Photo: Bill Mangahas

" YOUR MAIN LINE to the MAINLAND"

Port Washington Track Rehabilitation Mug
Collection: Mario Craig

Hicksville Ronkonkoma Electrification mug 12/1987
Collection: Mario Craig

NY Cross Harbor Railroad
A website dedicated to the NY Cross Harbor Railroad's past and present, featuring rosters, photos, maps and history's as well as operations of this once great short line in the heart of the Brooklyn Waterfront. A fabulous site on this industrial rail line.  By Paul Strubeck

Flushing Bridge Street station and crossing (now Northern Blvd. ) on the Whitestone branch. Archive: McEnery  Info: Dave Keller

I’d say shot at the conversion date from Tichy to Goodfellow Gray with Dashing Dan, around 1962.  You’ll notice in this shot how the lead car is nice freshly painted and the Tichy car with white roof is kind of worn.

These cars needed a paint job but the LIRR hadn’t gotten around to them as yet.

Can’t be any earlier than 1962, because that was the date the LIRR FIRST began the grey with Dan logo.

All the automobiles are all 50s with a 40s under the viaduct . . . . .  So you can’t go by that.  The conversion DID NOT occur in the 1950s. Info: Dave Keller

LIRR #505 Builder photo - wooden passenger car 1898

M1 Interior spotting features:

1.  Type of seating
2.  Shape of car roof
3.  Style of luggage racks
4.  Center-door lobbies (2 per car: we’re
     looking at one of them)
5.  Motorman’s door opened down
     at the  end of the car
Photo: Steve Hoskins c. 1970's

LIRR #7533 P74B ex-B&M - Osgood Bradley "American Flyer" at Montauk 4/26/1974 Photo/Archive: Tim Darnell

T54B #6508 Club/Bar- car built 1927 as #508  Jamaica Yard E 8/1970 Photo: Art Huneke

LIRR #1899 P54C 10/04/1948 
( Fred Weber - Dave Morrison)

MP54D #401/#4153  7/22/2017 CT Trolley Museum, East Windsor, CT 
Photo: Michael Kam

"Amagansett" parlor interior 9/01/1974
Photo/Archive: Edward Frye

P54 "Ping Pong" 
Archive: Richard Glueck

MP54A1 coach interior 4/24/1950 Newsday

C3  upper level interior 917/2019 Photo/Archive: Tim Darnell

C3 bi-level #4055 5/30/2022 Photo/Archive: C. Mark Sublette

Amagansett #2000 observation lounge Greenport 9/011974 
Photo/Archive: Edward Frye

Sebonac section 2/29/1976 - Montauk storage.
Photo/Archive: Edward Frye

Note: The "green tint" in (many of) these images is a deliberate portrayal of what it was actually like to be in these cars, shortly after Sunrise, with low-level sunlight beaming through the "Lexan"-tinted windows.
Photographer/Archive/Info: Edward Frye

Heavyweight parlor interior 7/08/1968
Photo/Archive: Richard Makse

LIRR parlor car antimacassar Photo/Archive: Richard Makse

Parlor car Interior Greenport to NYC 6/01/1970 View opposite the "buffet" end  (Newsday-Ike Eichorn )

The UP removed the cars’ original barber shop and valet in 1959, converting them to a “card” room and buffet counter. Info: Ed Frye 

E
UP Club Lounge (River series) rebuilt c.1959 Archive: UP RR Museum View toward the "buffet" end Courtesy: Ed Frye

During the 1960's, when Walter F. McNamara revived parlor car service and created three all-parlor cars trains (a fourth one in 1970), virtually every Montauk or Greenport train had at least one parlor. A popular Monday train was #9, 1:56 PM out of Montauk for those or four day weekends. Here on July 8, 1968, I shot a rarely-seen interior view of one of the old heavyweight parlors.

Every passenger had his or her own swivel chair at a window, with 14 rows totaling 28 seats. These were extremely plush and comfortable chairs. When the LIRR purchased these cars from the PRR, many received new seat covers since it had been many moons since the PRR reupholstered them. There was also a five-seat private room that required at least three first-class fares plus parlor seat charges. Back in the late Pullman era, parlor cars and Pullman sleeping cars charged a higher one way "first-class" fare plus the cost of the accommodations.

The headrests were a high-grade paper towel (in the golden days of railroading, even into the 60's on certain railroads, the headrests were cloth and were laundered). On the LIRR's parlor car service, we learned the proper name for headrests--antimacassar.

Macassar was a 19th century hair dressing that gave Victorian men that "greaseball" look which Kookie Byrnes revived in the late 50's, likely using Brylcreem. I have included a partial scan of a faded (but clean) genuine LIRR antimacassar.  Info: Richard Makse

Official Pullman Company (interior) photograph Double Bedroom in Pullman Plan 4069, which was PRR's Imperial-series 4-4-2 sleeper LIRR Wantagh, Wunneweta, et. al.

Photo: J. P. Van Vort Archive: Ed Frye

These photographs, above, were composed by the renowned Pullman photographer (1904-1945) J. P. Van Vort, identified by his unique "JP VV" signature on each Pullman negative he shot. Very little was written about Mr. Van Vort, but there is a "contemporary" homage to his craft in the May 1980 edition of Passenger Train Journal, in an article entitled "Dining a la Pullman", pertaining to the restoration of heavyweight 8-section restaurant sleeper Lotos Club by the late Peter Tilp, in which he photographed his car's interior in the spirit of J.P. Van Vort.  I -- in turn -- photographed the interiors of LIRR's classic parlor cars, with the same intent. 

As Pullman's principal photographer, John P. Van Vort chronicled every possible aspect of newly-constructed passenger cars, from complete exterior views, to detailed interior shots of every feature and accommodation. Unique to all his Pullman photography was his "signature" imprinted on every camera negative...the initials "JPVV", with the first two letters "blended" together.  Note this on the two photos below. Research/Archive: Ed Frye

Double Decker interior c.1950

LIRR's double-deck M.U.'s featured
a unique up-down seating configuration.
Classic Trains collection

Double-decker car interior c.1950

LIRR #2798 Push Pull 2700-series ZIP car Oyster Bay 09/25/84
Archive: Dave Keller

LIRR M7 Seating Photo: Mike McDermet

M7 interior Mineola 8/26/16 Photo: Mike Kam

Photos: H. Raudenbush  c. 1970.  2 pairs of LIRR M1s towed by P-C FL9s at Bridgeport CT for clearance and suspension checks.  Archive: Wayne Koch

K4s #5406 Train #4229 B Tower Bethpage 5/01/1947 Archive: Dave Keller

1947 facelift had the headlight and generator locations switched, and a foot platform added under the smokebox for the use of maintenance workers.  Research: Dave Keller