LIRR Montauk Yard

It's owned by the MTA which is the government, basically. They pay no taxes, perform no upkeep, so it's free land. 

I used to sit there on lunch hour and watch the trains come and go during the 1990's.  My telephone company office was right down the road.

Some of them have a locomotive at each end, during the summer Friday-night rush.  I guess the extended lengths of the trains require more power, so they put one at each end.

My most recent info points to the following (I spend my summers, and occasional Christmas, at my home on the ocean in Southampton):

No freight south of Speonk. Pulver gas trucks their stuff now. 

The Montauk station has an art gallery in it. I assume MTA still owns it. 

The wye is not used much anymore, the current EMDs not really needing it with the cab car but it is still used occasionally and especially to turn non-passenger diesels. 

The CannonBall always has 2 engines, one on each end (also, both engines have cool drumheads on the nose, special for the Cannonball - see photo below found online). 

I imagine the RR doesn't want to give up the property. Never know when the might need it. There was a MAJOR uproar a few years ago regarding the idling diesels. Not sure what, if anything, was ever done. 

Somebody at the railroad had good sense.  You can never tell when the rear locomotive might have to be set out en route. And, as you pointed out, there are occasional movements with equipment not normally used on the line.  In railroading, it's always smart to have some kind of backup for times when operation is not normal.

This question is off thread, but has anyone heard any further developments on movement of the LIRR G5 4-6-0 to Strasburg for restoration ?