Freight Along the Port Washington Branch

Sometime back, someone asked about past freight activity on the Port Wash branch.

Here's an interesting development that someone just sent me:

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?BRD= ... 12624781&P

Dave Keller

That person would be me. Thanks for the update on that. Pretty cool.

You're quite welcome.

Dave Keller

I know near the ex Elmhurst station, there's a freight siding in the bushes. No switch to it. Also, did the post office by Manhasett ever get it's mail from the LIRR? there's what looks to be a concrete area for a mini platform right on the opposite side of the platform there, in a position that looks like it had a passage to the post office.

What other freight was there on this line? I can't think of anything else.

Oyster bay also didn't have much - there WERE sidings at Glen Street, and at Sea Cliff someone had one too (it was a three track crossing), Locust Valley I think had remants of one until recently, and Oyster Bay served the waterfront. But, none of those were in service for years. I don't know when the last freight on the OB line was, but it was quite a while ago.

If you locate the earlier thread under similar title, created by Nimbykiller, you will find where I listed all the freight sidings that appeared on the Port Washington branch over the years.

I didn't keep a copy of it to re-post, but you should be able to go back to the initial thread and find the listing.

As for the Oyster Bay branch, there were a number of sidings along there, including a bunch at East Williston and let's not forget Jakobsen Shipyard in Oyster Bay (I once was a shipfitter and built tugboats there at an earlier time in my career! The siding was still in at the time, but we never received any freight during my tenure there: early 1980s. We did, however, once use the air-powered 1/4 turntable!)

Dave Keller

Freight at "East Willy" was west of Hillside Ave crossing, just after leaving Nassau's limits.
A brakeman was run to the crossing to insert his key into the box so that the gates would go up while we were in the " Mineola Hole"
The only consignee that I rememmber in there was Pittsburgh Plate Glass, but there were several others, including a lumber yard , and at trackside, a coal company.(Albertson Coal?)
JJ Earl

Pappy, check the thread about freight into the Hicksville PO.
I wrote a reply there concerning that MU mail job.
It was probably the same crew that did the other pickups around the railroad during the wee hours of the morning.
JJ Earl