Removal Of Trackage In S.I.!

S.I.? What's that? I have no idea where you are referring to.

I read that too...

Southeast Indonesia perhaps???

Staten Island?

Op is in NY, so my guess is Staten Island.  Betcha Ben would know.

Ed

I'm sure S.I. is Staten Island.   That's how us islanders refer to it in print.  I hardly ever type Staten Island.

One of out top modelers on this forum is S.I.R.T. (Staten Island Rapid Transit.)

Ralph:

Assuming you're on Staten Island, when you mentioned "tracks and ROWs are disappearing like no tomorrow" to what specific lines are you referring? I live in the New York City Metro area as well and many lines around here are seeing their highest traffic levels ever with capacity problems on some of them so I'm curious to know what you're asking about.

Bob 

L.O.L. 

Yeah!

Even you folks out West of N.Y. know what S.I. means!!!!!

Bob,

Staten Is-land had the Rapid Transit System, originally owned by the B.& O., I believe it covered all of S.I.

But, I moved out, back in '73' and i now live in Nassau County, N.Y., on the ISLAND!

I am curious to know, if and what trackage was removed, as we have trackage, R.O.Ws. and hobby shops that have disappeared!

It is a shame!

Ralph

You live in Nassau and haven't been back to Staten Island since the 1970's?  Is your name Van Kull?

SIRT is still around:  Staten Island Rapid Transit

MTA Staten Island Railway (SIR) today –

Main 17 mile commuter line is still there. Only freight sidings have been removed since the MTA bought out the B&O/SIRT in the 70’s. SIRT name along with freight dissappeared in that era.

The large St. George yard was replaced by a baseball stadium.

Modern improvments have been implemented by the MTA through the years.

As for new freight, a new Arlington yard and trackage have been partially built on the West shore to accommodate modern container traffic to/from N.J.

Theres not much excitement with modern day trains. When all the old historical fallen flags dissappeared, so did the variety of railroading.

Ya! Farmer Bill,

Kill Van Kull

and Thank you for the S.I.R.T. map.

Actually, the last I was on Staten Island was after our Father passed, moving our mother out and selling the house in Clove Vally, (Sunnyside), S.I., N.Y., that was around '98.'

Thank you SIRT, for your info. and as I suspected most of the freight traffic and S.I.R.T. System went by the wayside.

So, the Arlington Yards are where Port Ivory was, or there about?

The Proctor and Gamble Co. had quite a large facility in that North/Western area of S.I., before most all of it moved into Ohio.

Ralph

Here, in Nassau Co., L.I., N.Y. the trackage which is being torn up were the property of the L.I.RR. and it's R.O.Ws. are parceled off to developers for buildings, condominiums and houses!!!!!!

Ralph 

It would appear SOME of the people know what S.I. means.  Being a national forum however, there are those of us (like your humble writer in NC) who didn't have the foggiest idea what you were referring to.

A little bit of clarity in topics is always appreciated...

Kevin (who was thinking what Sports Illustrated had to do with railroads)

Kevin,

You have a point, I should have spelled it out and not try everyones geographical knowledge.

I stand corrected.

My apology to all,

Ralph

Just curious:  On the LIRR what lines and ROW's are being ripped up and parceled out to developers?  I'm aware that some of the freight sidings have disappeared as their customers have dried up, but that's not the same as losing branches.

Are they getting rid of the Garden City line perhaps?  I'm pretty sure that the "horn" line connecting the Main Line with the South Fork Branch left us in the 1930's....

Jon

Ditto that.  When I saw "SI", I automatically thought of the Duck Commander's brother.

Kent in South Dakota

The LIRR map still shows the Hempstead Branch and West Hempstead branch active.  I was not aware that the Hempstead Branch (what I referred to as the Garden City branch) and the West Hempstead branch ever connected.  At least not in my lifetime.   A 1938 LIRR map shows a gap between the two stations, but it does show the Garden City line continuing back into the Main Line at south Farmingdale.

I know the Creedmore branch, the Sag Harbor branch, and the aforementioned "Scoot" branch at Manorville have all been abandoned fr a long time.

Jon

Jon,

If, you google up a map of Nassau Co., N.Y., look at where the West Hempstead Station is and if you look northernly, across Hempstead Ave. and across Hempstead Turnpike and into the the property, just north of Hemp. Tpk., where there are houses, you will notice a gap between the houses.

This gap is the R.O.W. from West Hempstead Sta. northward into Hempstead and onward  into Garden City.

Back in the early '70's, due to the trackage being ground level, we had to wait for the train to cross, both Hemp. Ave. and Hemp. Tpk.

This line was just west of the intersection where Hemp. Ave., Hemp. Tpk., Front St. and Fulton St. met, still in the easternmost part of West Hempstead Village.
Ralph 

What does NC mean?  

Thanks Chris,

For backing up a one time Staten Islander!

Ralph

RJL,

    You must be older than I... I turn 50 in March, and your memories pre-date mine by quite a bit.  From Wikipedia:

The West Hempstead Branch was the indirect successor to the old South Side Railroad's Southern Hempstead Branch, which ran a similar route north from Valley Stream to Hempstead, before being torn up in the 1880s. Built in 1893 by the New York Bay Extension Railroad Company and merged with the LIRR in 1902, the West Hempstead Branch originally extended beyond its current terminus and through Hempstead. It connected with the current day Hempstead Branch at Country Life Press.^[8] From the Country Life Press station, the line had several routings it could take. It could loop west and continue down the Hempstead Branch to Jamaica. Through an elaborate wye system, trains could also loop east and continue down the Central Branch to Babylon (the split between the Hempstead and Central Branches occur just west of Country Life Press). Trains could also head north on the wye and continue all the way north to Mineola and connect with either the Main Line and Oyster Bay Branches.

On October 19, 1926, the entire line was elecrified. The connection to the Oyster Bay Branch was severed in 1928, while the portions of the line between Mineola and Country Life Press and between Country Life Press and West Hempstead were taken out of revenue passenger service in the late 1930s due to the costly grade crossing elimination improvements imposed upon the LIRR by the Interstate Commerce Commission, as well as the New York Public Service Commission. Freight trains and non-revenue rerouting trains continued down these portions until the late 1960s when they were finally torn up. The rights-of-way, however, remain intact.^[9]

 

Jon

Jon,

Great presentation.

Thank you for clearing up the travel history of the L.I.RR.

Did you live in Nassau Co., at one time.
Ralph

Amityville.  But my Dad grew up just south of Sunrise Highway in Wantagh, and Mom was from Bellmore.

Jon

Jon,

I moved into Lynbrook, Bob Keeshan's birthplace, in Jun. 1973.

In the mid. '50's. three of my father's sisters and their families moved into Levittown and one of their brothers and his family moved into the East Patchogue/Bellport area.

Ralph

Here's some info. of the Central Railroad of Long Island:

http://www.lirrhistory.com/central.html

Ralph