EVOLUTION OF LONG ISLAND RAIL ROAD CAP BADGES

1880s to the PRESENT DAY

 

Compiled by

David Keller

 

  

                                                                                                   

Pre-1870s (?)

Worn with the black uniform.   

Other positions?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    c. 1870s – c. 1880s (?)

 

     Note:  This badge does NOT have provenance 
     via period photography.

 

 

 

c. 1880s-1890s (?)

 

Note:  This badge was worn by a veteran LIRR engineer in the 

late 19th century but may have been custom-made.

 

 

 

  

c. 1880s thru c. 1908

All positions are brass. Worn with the black uniform.

 

Asst. Station Agent

Conductor

Ticket Collector

Trainman

Station Agent

(Others?)

 

    

c. 1908 thru c. 1923

All positions are nickel. 

Pennsylvania Railroad style badge (due to PRR-ownership of the LIRR).

Worn with the blue uniform.

 

Agent, Asst. Baggage Master, Asst. Station Baggage Agent, Asst. Station Master, Assistant Steward, Attendant, Baggage Agent, Baggageman, Baggage Master, Brakeman, Captain (tugboat service), Collector, Conductor, Engineer, Engineman, Fireman, Flagman, Guard, Mail Clerk, Messenger, Porter, Station Agent, Station Baggage Agent, Station Master, Station Porter, Steward, Ticket Clerk,  Ticket Examiner, Trackman, Trainman, Usher, Watchman (Others?)

 

“Station Agent” is only one I’ve seen identified by full railroad name. 

 

Also in existence is one other style that reads “L.I.R.R. Guard.”

                                             

Cap Badge-LIRR-Guard-Var-1.jpg (305985 bytes)

 

 

 

Used in LIRR and PRR tug boat service

 

 

    

 

                           c. 1923 thru 12/1949

 “Conductor” and “Station Master” are brass, all other positions are nickel. 
Worn with the blue uniform.     

 

 (Same positions as indicated above: c. 1908 – c. 1923)

 

 

 

 

c. 1942 thru 12/1949

 

Woven Weave Style (Also a Pennsylvania Railroad Style)

 

Worn concurrently by men with above scalloped style during those years. Only style 
worn by the women who replaced the train crews serving in the armed forces 

during WW II. Worn with the blue uniform.

 

Asst. Station Master, Conductor, Trainman, Usher

 

 

  12/1949 thru 1959

All positions are brass. Worn with the blue uniform.

 

Attendant, Conductor, Special Service Attendant, 
Station Master, Trainman, Usher

 


“Conductor” lettering has serifs

 

 

Cap Badge-LIRR-Special Service Attdt.jpeg (37066 bytes)

In use after the creation of the Long Island Rail Road ’s “Special Services” 

Department in 1957.  Designed to be worn by attendants in full uniform.  

Discontinued “official” use in the 1960s.  Worn “unofficially” in the early 1970s by only 

two people: Dave Keller and an old, ex-Pullman Porter attendant whose name eludes me.

 

 

 

 

1959 thru 1971

 

 

All positions silver-toned. 

Red lettering for summer uniforms, blue lettering for winter uniforms. 
Worn with the “Goodfellow Gray” or “Postal Carrier Gray” uniforms.   

 

Assistant Station Master, Conductor, Long Island Rail Road , Trainman, Usher 
(There was a variation in “Conductor” lettering and “Usher” had serifs.  
“Long Island Rail Road” had wider lettering 

than that shown below under “MTA: 1971 - c.1982.)

 

 

 

      1971 thru c. 1982

All positions silver-toned.  Some lettering 
black, some lettering light blue, some

lettering dark blue. Worn with the MTA blue uniform.

 

Assistant Station Master

Conductor

“Long Island Rail Road” (see below)
 Trainman, Usher

 

 

 

 

                  

 

 

LIRR Ushers, in addition to their “Usher” Badges, sometimes wore these when out on the platform making announcements for special programs, etc.

 

The badges were possibly also worn by LIRR tour guides from the Group Sales Department.

 

 

   c. 1982 thru 1/01/89

“Conductor” is gold-toned. All other positions are silver-toned. 
Worn with the MTA blue uniform.

 

Assistant Conductor

Collector

Conductor

 

 

lirr23456badge.jpg (33226 bytes)

 

Variation:  Reportedly issued to exemplary employees to monitor bogus complaints 
from customers who would report the employee’s “ID” number  
(Scan courtesy of Steve Melrose)

 

 

 

                             1983-1984

             “Asst. Conductor” is silver-toned

                   “Conductor” is gold-toned

 

           Assistant Conductor and Conductor only

 


 

Members ordered by United Transportation Union to not wear in service due 

to display of employee 5-digit IBM employee numbers. As a result, they were 

not distributed generally and were only worn by special duty teams, nicknamed 

the “Mod Squad”- entry level management positions used to monitor ticket 

servicing.  Dressed as train crews, they relieved crews from collecting tickets 

when monitoring certain trains, while the train drew operated the doors and 

kept the train on time. They were the only ones who wore these badges, 

and did so in a LIRR poster campaign during the early 1980s 
(Information courtesy of an anonymous LIRR employee.)

 

  
Same style badge produced with a 4-digit “Uniform” number 

which WAS approved for use, but was never issued. 

(Information courtesy of an anonymous LIRR employee.)

 

 

 

   1/01/89 thru Present

Issued with 4-digit “Uniform” number.

 

“9000”-series number indicates a temporary replacement badge. 
All positions are gold-toned. Worn with the MTA blue uniforms.

Assistant Conductor

Conductor

Usher