MTA LIRR Double Track Project - Ronkonkoma to Farmingdale

[gamer4616]

New south side platforms at Wyandanch / Pinelawn open to the public tomorrow.

[MNCRR9000]

As the LIRR slowly migrates away from control towers, is the plan for Divide to still control the Main Line east of Hicksville once the double track project is complete? Or is the larger plan to wait until the 3rd track project is complete and then make a cutover to Centralized Train Control?

From what I was reading Divide will still control the Main Line east of Hicksville once the double track project is complete.
In regards to the Third Track Project Queens interlockings, Bellrose, new and existing Hempstead, Nassau 1, 2, 3,4 and Locust will be controlled from the Jamaica Control Center (JCC). Nassau Tower will be demolished.

[milepost39]

Does anyone know if Deer Park station will be receiving a similar upgrade to that of Wyandanch?

I dropped someone off last week at the Farmingdale station. Good to see the restoration of the depot there. It kinda reminded me of Oyster Bay! Are platforms getting upgraded as well?

Thanks.

[newkirk]

Milepost 39 wrote: dropped someone off last week at the Farmingdale station. Good to see the restoration of the depot there. It kinda reminded me of Oyster Bay! Are platforms getting upgraded as well?

Not the platforms themselves. The platform fencing was replaced a few years ago. I see what looks like preliminary work to upgrade platform lighting, replacing those hideous prison yard platform lights that seem to light up the entire area. Those safety cones are spaced apart for what should be shorter decorative poles with LED lighting.

Can't wait to see the finished interior of the station building. I guess the disused ticket office will be history.

[Head-end View]

Just a guess, but I think Divide tower will probably keep control of their entire Interlocking that goes to about a mile west of Hicksville Station. Also, just a point of trivia, there is no actual Bellerose Interlocking. It's part of Queens Interlocking.

[MattAmity90]

With this being the first day after the September 8th-9th weekend outage, here's what it is like for your trains:

1.) Both tracks are officially in service as you depart Ronkonkoma.
2.) Full double-track service in both directions at Central Islip, Brentwood, and Deer Park.
3.) Trains are being diverted to the new track (MAIN2) at JS, with MAIN1 being temporarily out of service.
4.) Trains are platforming at Wyandanch at Platform B only.
5.) Trains are diverting back to MAIN1 at DANCH and Platform A at Pinelawn is in service, Platform B is not.
6.) Once you hit FARM it goes back to two tracks.

They are doing something with a signal hut at Wyandanch next to Platform A, in fact I think the remaining work that will be done through the outage will be conducted by the signal department. MAIN1 is out of service from JS to DANCH, and then MAIN2 is out of service from DANCH to FARM.

Yes, at Brentwood and Deer Park cones are spaced out on their platforms because they are replacing the Cup Lights, with the light fixtures you see at Wyandanch, and Pinelawn. Wyandanch has its' pedestrian bridge in service, and as a joke with the elevators not in service yet, they put signs that say "Preventive Maintenance."

[krispy]

Eventually everything will be remoted to a future JCC, but that's not in the near future. Divide controls everything up to Nassau's home signal on No 1 track by the Meadowbrook pkwy, and at Divide's home signal at bridge 1 on No 2, and everything east thereof. Bellerose was an interlocking until the Queens rebuild a few years back, and then it became Queens 3, as did Floral Park's interlocking became Queens 4. And of course this may change as they rebuild for the future third track. As mentioned earlier Queens and Nassau will go to JCC and Nassau will get demolished. I'm not sure if it's worth saving as it's really rickety now when they took out the frame of the old model 14. It really shakes if a big freight goes through and can be scary when that Montauk would go flying by late in the evening, especially in the old days when they would have that monster puddle there.

[hrfcarl]

With most east bound trains going to use the southern track (main line 2), is the LIRR considering installing stairs on the west side of Deer Park's pedestrian bridge going all the way down to the street/parking level to help relieve congestion on the platform and stairs while allowing riders to spread over more cars on the trains? Never understood why this was not done when the current stairs were rehabbed a few years back, especially when temp stairs were installed on the west side to allow this work to be done.

[MattAmity90]

I'm not sure if it's official or not, but after looking at departures on MTA's website I think the Double Track Project is COMPLETE!

Both tracks are in service at Pinelawn, Wyandanch, Deer Park, Brentwood, Central Islip, and Ronkonkoma! If so, it took 37 months to complete (August 2015-September 2018). Right now though service at Ronkonkoma is only on Track 1.

[Head-end View]

Are they single tracking thru Farmingdale Sta. right now? Reason I'm asking is the signal at the east end of Hicksville Sta. for main-line trains shows "approach-medium" nowadays (where it used to always show "clear") indicating that the signal at Beth Interlocking may be at "medium-clear" which would have eastbound trains crossing over to Track-1 thru Farmingdale. I've observed this during several evening rush-hours at Hicksville in the past month.

[MNCRR9000]

Are they single tracking thru Farmingdale Sta. right now? Reason I'm asking is the signal at the east end of Hicksville Sta. for main-line trains shows "approach-medium" nowadays (where it used to always show "clear") indicating that the signal at Beth Interlocking may be at "medium-clear" which would have eastbound trains crossing over to Track-1 thru Farmingdale. I've observed this during several evening rush-hours at Hicksville in the past month.

This evening and for the past few nights when I drive over the Broadway crossing in Bethpage when I look down the tracks towards the Beth Interlocking Track 2 shows a clear indication while track 1 shows a stop indication.

[MNCRR9000]

Pulled up Wyandanch on LIRR Train Time and it's now showing tracks. 1 and 2 in use.

[MattAmity90]

I saw a video on YouTube that was uploaded on Friday in which they give you a tour of the new Wyandanch station. Now, this was before this past weekend's outage so Track 1 and Northern platform were temporarily out of service due to the signal hut at Straight Path. I had no idea that now when a train pulls into a station the P.A system says (in the case of the video): "Ladies and gentlemen, the [insert time] to Ronkonkoma is now arriving on Track 2 Platform B. Please stay behind the yellow line and step over the gap." I'm guessing that was a change and upgrade to all stations since I was last on Long Island in November 2013.

The only work left is the renovation of the station depots at Brentwood and Deer Park, and the installation of new platform lights at those respective stations since the platforms have cones aligned along them.

[SwingMan]

Are they single tracking thru Farmingdale Sta. right now? Reason I'm asking is the signal at the east end of Hicksville Sta. for main-line trains shows "approach-medium" nowadays (where it used to always show "clear") indicating that the signal at Beth Interlocking may be at "medium-clear" which would have eastbound trains crossing over to Track-1 thru Farmingdale. I've observed this during several evening rush-hours at Hicksville in the past month.

The signal on station track 3 at Divide 4 displays Approach-Medium for trains lined for the Main Line 2 and Medium-Clear for trains routed either to Main Line 1 or Port Jeff 2. It was a simple way of downgrading the code through Hicksville. There is a 40mph speed restriction from the west end of Hicksville passenger station and the easterly limits of Divide Interlocking. All this signal does is lower the code to something closer to the speed through the area, it has nothing to do with the next signal ahead. The next signal at Divide 5 will display a Clear Indication unless a train is right ahead, completely unrelated to the previous Approach-Medium. It is fairly common practice on the LIRR, not necessarily the best option but one that was easily implemented with the system that was in place.

[workextra]

At Divide as in many other locations, due to political pressure from unqualified personal, they were forced to falsify the cab signal system to act as the “maximum authorized speed indicator” thus in a speed signal based operation your essentially a speed failure as your system is not functioning as its intended to in conjugation with “true” signal indications. They’re falsifying the condition of be block to force the medium/limited speed code in the rail which in turn drops the corresponding fixed signal associated with thet section of track.
This is a non issue with RAS cause the cab signal could double as your MAS indicator of they want it to be and therefore reduces the fixed signal to nothing more then a control point protector.
It’s a poor mans PTC.
Case closed.
As for the double track, it looks good and Wyandanch of all stations is a gem now. Really came out nice there. But Suffolk and NYS dropped the ball by not eliminating straight path as a level crossing.