Railroad Forums 

  • Port Jefferson and Central Branch Electrification

  • Discussion of the past and present operations of the Long Island Rail Road.
Discussion of the past and present operations of the Long Island Rail Road.

Moderator: Liquidcamphor

 #1500717  by Herring
 
I have been hearing about the Port Jefferson electrification for close to 40 years.

In this MTA LIRR video dated 2/6/19, 56 seconds into video, if we are to believe the MTA LIRR they are moving forward "to begin Central Branch and Port Jefferson Electrification" planning and scope are underway".

MTA LIRR Customer Conversations Hicksville 02/06/19

I thought these projects were taken out of the capital program last year? Does anyone have more info?
 #1500724  by MattAmity90
 
No, last year they announced that the Central Branch was going to be electrified, but I'm shocked that Port Jefferson electrification is on the table. Phillip Eng is bringing new life into the LIRR, and he wants to get the job done unlike previous presidents. When it was electrified to Huntington, they converted Port Jefferson through Greenlawn to high-level platforms in anticipation. Instead they double-tracked from AMOTT to just West of Huntington, and electrified the Ronkonkoma Branch for the customers in the Central Corridor of Suffolk County. Before 1987, electrified service in Suffolk County was limited to only 6 stations. Huntington and Cold Spring Harbor on the PJ Branch along with Babylon, Lindenhurst, Copiague, and Amityville on the Babylon Branch. The electrification of the Ronkonkoma Branch brought electrified service to Ronkonkoma, Central Islip, Brentwood, Deer Park, Wyandanch, and the Pinelawn cemetery in Suffolk, along with Farmingdale and Bethpage in Nassau.

If they do the long overdue electrification to Port Jefferson, it will be done in phases, and it won't be the only construction for the project.

-First phase will probably go to Northport.
-Second phase will have it go to Smithtown.
-Third and final phase will go to Port Jefferson.

Other construction:

-Double-tracking in certain areas (Northport has plenty of space to the South of the ROW for a second track).
-Track and tie replacement work.
-Grade crossing renewal.
-Rehabilitation of platforms such as Platform B at Greenlawn, along with construction of additional platforms at Northport, St. James, and Port Jefferson. Some tracks would be ripped out at Port Jefferson to make room,
-Route 112/Main Street crossing being converted to a fully-four quadrant gated crossing (like Little Neck Parkway).
-Port Jefferson yard converted to electric with a few more tracks laid.
-Would be interesting to what they would do with the linear/siding track in between Huntington and the Park Avenue grade crossing.
Last edited by MattAmity90 on Sat Feb 16, 2019 11:41 pm, edited 1 time in total.
 #1500732  by freightguy
 
MattAmity90 posted:

Phillip Eng is bringing new life into the LIRR, and he wants to get the job done unlike previous presidents.

That’s a pretty bold statement. There were a lot great operating men before him that had a lot less to work with. Not to take anything away from Phillip Eng, but LIRR has had some decent presidents over the years. Probably the toughest operating climate to work around in terms of politics and Long Island demographics. It always seems to flip flop they’ll probably go back to someone with operating experience the next time vs like a political/ office appointee.
 #1500759  by berlintransit
 
Herring wrote:I have been hearing about the Port Jefferson electrification for close to 40 years.

In this MTA LIRR video dated 2/6/19, 56 seconds into video, if we are to believe the MTA LIRR they are moving forward "to begin Central Branch and Port Jefferson Electrification" planning and scope are underway".

MTA LIRR Customer Conversations Hicksville 02/06/19

I thought these projects were taken out of the capital program last year? Does anyone have more info?
I would not expect a full electrification of the Port Jefferson branch to happen soon. Rather, with the new mid-branch electric yard most probably materialising in between Northport and Kings Park, electrification will be extended there - I guess the remaining section will not receive a third rail so soon.
 #1500990  by BuddR32
 
freightguy wrote:MattAmity90 posted:

Phillip Eng is bringing new life into the LIRR, and he wants to get the job done unlike previous presidents.

That’s a pretty bold statement. There were a lot great operating men before him that had a lot less to work with. Not to take anything away from Phillip Eng, but LIRR has had some decent presidents over the years. Probably the toughest operating climate to work around in terms of politics and Long Island demographics. It always seems to flip flop they’ll probably go back to someone with operating experience the next time vs like a political/ office appointee.
Absolutely, next President will be an operations guy, to cure the operational woes. After a few years of that we'll have another customer service / politician to be a face, then back to a railroader again.

,,,Dermody, Williams, Nowakowski, Eng,,,
 #1501005  by milepost39
 
Double-tracking in certain areas (Northport has plenty of space to the South of the ROW for a second track).

Years ago Northport had a second track from well east through the station, until it was removed and cut back to the present siding start just east of Larkfield Road for the "meet at Northport". I'm thinking it was removed in the 60s along with all the sidings and freight depots, as the parking lots were expanded?

The house I grew up in, in the 70's was on a cul-de-sac behind milepost 39, just east of the Elwood Rd crossing. I distinctly remember my parents and neighbors talking about a planned electrification around that time. The talk was that the line would be double tracked, the Elwood crossing eliminated, which in turn would result in our house and three others right along the line demolished via eminent domain. The talk was what would they offer for the house and whether they should fight it? Nothing further ever came of it.
 #1501053  by alchemist
 
Jusr east of the building on the right was Alexander Karp Hardware, on the west side of Larkfield Road. They still carried several grades of coal in the 1950s. The railroad would spot a hopper car on the siding and Karp would shove a belt loader under it and transfer the coal into the appropriate bin in their yard.
 #1501076  by Teutobergerwald
 
Karp's is still there, an excellent example of the local hardware store that still exists in areas where Home Depot or Lowe's are far away. Always has customers in the store, and I recognized the building immediately in the picture.
 #1501335  by NIMBYkiller
 
Just out of curiosity, does the state still own the grounds of KP Psych? Could that property be used for a mid branch yard? KP Fire Department would probably need to be relocated so that's probably not wort the hassle unless other locations present a more significant backlash from the community.
 #1504078  by Publius Plunkett
 
My goodness, how far that Branch has come. I remember when Port Jefferson and Stony Brook were part time block stations and even remember forgetting to cut-out the ASC heading east leaving Post. You had 12 car trains with one GP38 and to keep the schedule, you left the throttle wide open to charge the hills and stations or else the train would simply die. Now, it's a kindler and gentler branch. And maybe soon, will have M7's and 9's operating on it. Port Jefferson was a challenging branch to operate on when the old equipment was still on the property. Things have really changed.
 #1598323  by chaoscraig
 
Hey all, New to the forum.

Any updates on the central branch?

I work as a QC inspector for a subcontractor on the main line project mainly covering signal, substation, communications, and utilities.. Now that the project is winding down I need to consider jumping ship. The central branch would be a nice gig for me communing from south shore Suffolk county.
 #1599643  by gamer4616
 
Port Jefferson Branch electrification is back in the news. This was from a recent article on longisland.com
At the Stony Brook train station recently, officials gathered to renew the call for the LIRR to electrify the Port Jefferson line. The idea - which dates back to at least the 1980s - would provide a much-needed boost to the local economy and benefit the environment, according to a statement released by Brookhaven Town Supervisor Ed Romaine.

This is what caught my eye...
If electrification does happen in Port Jefferson, it could also mean a solution for the Lawrence Aviation Superfund site nearby, contaminated by decades of illegal chemical dumping. The chemical plume wound its way underneath Port Jefferson Village and emptied into the harbor. The EPA is currently remediating the site. The Lawrence Aviation Industries site could be utilized as a rail yard by the LIRR for electric trains.

There does seem to be enough room to build a electrified yard there. Multi-track electrified yard with 12 car capacities would fit there. There's room for crew facilities as well.
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 #1599899  by gamer4616
 
I guess it depends what the plans would be (if electrification were to be extended). As of now, only 1 track out of 9 yard tracks in Port Jefferson can hold a 12 car train. Four out of the 9 tracks can only fit a 6 car MU. If plans were to operate these trains as scoots to Huntington/Hicksville or run direct to Brooklyn/HPA, the current yard setup is fine.

If electrification were to be extended to Port Jeff and it's going to be trains to Penn/GCT, I would think you would need more tracks with a 12 car capacity in Port Jeff Yard. Very few 6 car trains operate through Harold. I believe 875/892 and trains 149/1304/1303 are the ones that do. I'm not sure how 6 car train could handle GCT as far as any gapping issues.


Of course, you could originate the trains in Penn or GCT, and just spin them in Port Jeff station to go west. Then, trains could be any length.