Massapequa and Wantagh Station Renovations

Fiftieth Anniversary by sphoto33, on Flickr

The museum at 1700 Wantagh Avenue is a half-mile north of the Wantagh Station. There is no bus service.

I know it's been a while since we've heard about the Wantagh station rehabilitation and the Massapequa Pocket Track. I just want to know a few things:

1.) How far are we along into the rehabilitation and construction of the new platform for the Eastern half at Wantagh? All I know is that the platform in the construction site was torn down along with the staircases and canopy trusses.

2.) Pocket track close to completion?

At Wantagh, the platform slabs have been removed from the Eastern half. From what I can figure out, it takes months to ready the old supports for the new slabs. I'm going by the procedure at Massapequa and Seaford previously. It seems they cannot just sit the new slabs on the old supports, but they seem (in the past) to work on them as a dentist preparing a tooth for a new cap.

At the Massapequa pocket track, the signal mast went up a year ago, and I have seen no signal work done since then. There are no signals, just the mast. Edit: This morning, 8.27.2016, I went to the east end of the Massapequa platform to look at the pocket track. Yes, it has third rail. It can hold 12 cars. The switches are powered (electric or electro-pneumatic??), presumably thrown remotely.

Wantagh LIRR by sphoto33, on Flickr

Wantagh LIRR by sphoto33, on Flickr

The elevator shaft is going to be someplace in the foreground of the above photos, but I cannot figure out where. Please compare with the view below.

Wantagh LIRR by sphoto33, on Flickr

Elevator will be put right next to the escalator behind the blue panels on the left side of the ground level waiting room, same as Seaford. Man, the platform is in worse shape than I thought! I knew it was bad when I hit that buckle and nearly smacked my head on the concrete.

Forget salvaging any of the supports, just replace all of them, Wantagh sees more commuters than Seaford. Time for some dentures on that station, don't cap the teeth.

Wantagh LIRR Track 1 by sphoto33, on Flickr

Near the east end of the presently available Track 1 platform at Wantagh this placard has appeared. I wonder whether it is intended to remind a conductor, an engineer, a contractor, or a surveyor about something. Yes, six cars fit the platform from this point west, but I don't know whether that is the message! Can anyone explain? Are these signs appearing elsewhere on the LIRR? I could not find a similar sign along Track 2. Thanks. Joe

I think you just answered your own question. I do indeed believe it is a reminding placard for engineers and conductors.

Also as an update for you on the Massapequa Pocket Track. I have a friend who is doing a project by getting as much M3 fan window footage as he can before they are taken off the rails (he has footage of every single branch except the West Hempstead where he still can't find a M3, and when he finds one he sees it from his car when it's not near the station). The new track is electrified, a buffer at the East end is put in, a new transformer was installed on an existing power line for the bottom four wires near the Y switch, but so far no signals have been put on the gantry yet (which has been standing there for a year). Also a few power poles have been replaced with new ones with new insulators and some they just chopped the top off leaving the four wires there and put an adjacent pole that holds up the top 6.

Today, 2.14.2017. the crane in Triangle Park, Wantagh, spent some time unloading a flatbed truck that had delivered some horizontal concrete pieces that will be used to support the platform slabs. I guess the next step will be to hoist these horizontal pieces up to the desired positions.

[img=480x640 https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2688/32901935805_54f4776cbc_z.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;[/img]Wantagh LIRR by sphoto33, on Flickr

Just as an update on the Wantagh station rehabilitation project, obviously bellstbarn's photos show the crane in Triangle Park hoisting new platform slabs and supports. Last time I checked it is going smoothly and more slabs are being added, but the construction completion of Phase I we don't know yet at the moment since this takes up all the way to nearly the escalator to the West of the waiting room where the elevator will be installed to make Wantagh ADA accessible for the first time in its nearly 50 years of elevated service.

Starting with the May schedule change, platform work moves to overnights as tie work takes over the midday outages, which are extended to run PORT-AMITYVILLE.

This weekend I think they are or have been doing concrete tie work from Rockville Centre to Merrick.

Yes,
there has been a tremendous amount of tie replacement going on from RVC east on the north track.
The South track has had most, if not, all of the ballast removed and the new rails laid out for installation. I watched the concrete tie replacement going on in Baldwin a while back and the crew did a fantastic job.
MADDOG

For several days now, the crane has been raising new platform slabs, and workers skillfully place them. I think the bricks indicate the elevator shaft.

Wantagh LIRR by sphoto33, on Flickr

Wantagh LIRR by sphoto33, on Flickr

Bellstbarn, I want to shake your hand for providing these photos, and yes no doubt the bricks will be the elevator that will be installed. According to blueprints, the elevator will be located in between the ticket office/platform waiting room and the Western escalator. It's coming along swiftly with the fact that they couldn't salvage old supports to integrate it into the rehabilitation.

As far as Phase II, the only place deemed appropriate for the crane would be closing off Railroad Ave. to the West of Wantagh Ave. next to the bike shop where the McDonald's is on the other side of the viaduct since the other side you would close off business to the Wantagh Inn.

Probably want to get the big lifting done before they move to night work.