Fish Train

OK, here's something that's news to me, although it supposedly took place during a time that I thought I knew everything about the LIRR. Was there an early-morning run to Montauk known as the "fish train?" I'm talking something (I don't know if it was daily or once a week or what) that left around 4:00 am to arrive out east in time for the fishermen to board their boats for the day.

I'm told there was a baggage car filled with ice for the catch on the run back at night. True or apocryphal? Imagine the road doing this today!

Thats true, In terms of time I don't Know, but they did run a fishermens train to the east end, and i beleive it was on weekends?

Dave, JJ, Cliner2005?

the truth in the story of Fish Trains would be found in Arrts Arrchives... follow the link


http://www.arrts-arrchives.com/whatsnewpage3.html

Bad, you got it, thats the sight i was thinking of when he mentioned the fish train.

Thanks man.

i have been on that site for hours on end, it is awesome.

Thanks for the link, bad! I too have been on that site, but I somehow missed the Fish Train bit. Man, that predates me, too.

The Fish Train ran in the 1930s thru the early 1950s.

Not only did it run to Montauk but it stopped at Canoe Place, a station stop consisting of a low, cinder platform at the southeastern end of the Shinecock Canal railroad trestle. (You old timers remember the Canoe Place Inn??) Canoe Place was the old name for the area around Shinnecock Canal)

The stop was made ONLY for the Fish Train, from 1935 to 1953.

The train also went on to Montauk. Prior to the 1938 Hurricane, the LIRR owned a bunch of small fishing cottages north of the tracks and west of the depot. They would rent these to fishermen for weekends, etc. They were all in the vicinity of the old railroad fishing dock.

They were all destroyed in the 1938 hurricane. I have several shots of their destruction, including one showing an Express/Baggage car on the fishing dock.

The Fish Train was nothing to mess with. It was considered a "hotshot" special and I was told by block operators of the day that one DID NOT hold up the Fish Train for any reason short of a track washout!!!!

And yes . . . they iced up a baggage/express car . . . probably the reason that car was sitting on the rail dock in my photo. Unfortunately the hurricane hit, destroying the fishing village in the process.

Dave

While it may have had a K4, I've read it usually commanded an E6 for better speed.

I believe they even had employees in the baggage car that would clean your fish for you enroute.

The remains of the Canoe Place station is still there - a pile of broken up concrete where the platform was. The area is now used for a parking lot for a waterfront restaurant, the White Water Grill.

Dave what do you mean by "old timers"? I've spent a few Saturday nights at the Canoe Place Inn. Since you live in Florida now, it's now been renamed the Canoe Place Inn once again (CPI for short) after a stint as the Oak Beach Inn East back in the 1980's.

Jay

Hi Jay:

It was called the Canoe Place Inn, if I remember correctly, as far back as the 1920s and into the 30s and 40s.

I remember it being OBI East back in the late 70s, I believe.

Good to hear it went "back to its roots!"

Dave

I know it's never going to happen. But if there were intrest in this kind of a train today could the railroad run some kind of a baggage car or box car with the C3 and motive power it has today?

such a car probably does not exist on the roster... besides, no LIRR employee would clean the fish either.. unless they were collecting OT.

I've spent a lot of time on Art's website & don't remember seeing that page. I remember Richie Harrison talking about Angler's Paradise in his slide shows at Project 39 meetings. I almost thought I didn't remember it correctly until I saw it on Art's site.

(BTW, the 1933 ad Art has there has LIRR spelled out both ways, with railroad as one and two words. Talk about consistency.....)

Through the years, the LIRR has informally been spelled as Railroad or Rail Road.

The original charter was literally "Rail-Road" hence the name
Long Island Rail Road. Spelling it that way shows you how old the LIRR really is.

Question..wasn't the old B&O also spell Rail Road? Be great if someone knows for sure.

Great stuff shows how the Rail road used to be. They should run a fishermans special to greenport. The fishing boats are right on the dock in front of the train. remind me to tell you about the Disco trains that used to be run