MTA LIRR Double Track Project - Ronkonkoma to Farmingdale

MA90 and Everyone: What is ironic about the Carleton Avenue grade crossing is that the MTA Police District 1-Suffolk County station house is on the northwest corner of the track(s) there on the site of the old Central Islip railroad station. The picture of the wrecked car is looking east towards CI1 and the current station. The MTA PD facility is across Carleton Avenue and is behind the stopped train involved. Even with the MTA PD right there it did not deter this driver from either ignoring the crossing gate or somehow getting stuck on the track there...

MACTRAXX

Yipes, Darwin at work, but Murphy interfered to the benefit of the occupants.

Just to tell you guys I have no sympathy/remorse for drivers who ignore the grade crossing signals on the island. When Herricks Road was still around we had 305 crossings, since 1982 we have eliminated about 12 of them including Herricks Road (I found a picture of the Ford Econoline Van that was involved). I wonder if double-tracking KO might lead to more grade crossing eliminations in addition to the Main Line West of Hicksville?

I don't fool around with train safety, I keep a watchful eye out. In addition to the double-tracking I hope they do something about the Executive Drive crossing next to Deer Park.

Crew now working on grading the new ROW from the pedestrian bridge at the east end of Wyandanch station east.

All of the ballast for the new track in between Ronkonkoma and Central Islip has been evened out with the current track, but a ton of ballast has to be removed in between the rails, and a good polishing. Some portions West of Central Islip has the second track in place and the whole ROW to Brentwood is officially prepped for installation of ballast. I saw the steel I-Beams driven into the ground near Wyandanch, with most of the right of way prepped heading into Wyandanch and West of Wyandanch. Near Pinelawn, it's prepped, and the Long Island Ave/Conklin Street/Wellwood Avenue intersection is being reconfigured and arcing to the left to make room. It looks like a roundabout. I saw it in one of my friends YouTube videos.

Also that switch West of the Ocean Avenue crossing is still there, any idea if that will be removed?

MattAmity90 wrote:Also that switch West of the Ocean Avenue crossing is still there, any idea if that will be removed?

I am told that it is a temporary switch. It will be removed when there is another way to get equipment into the new WB track, from one of the two ends. It's not part of the "final layout"

That will probably happen when they connect the new track from where the temporary switch is to the track when it goes through both crossings to where KO Interlocking ends East of Pond Road.

Don't know if its related to the double track project but for the past couple of overnights LIRR MOW crews have been working in the vicinity of the switch on the west side of the passing track on the grade between Wyandanch and Deer Park Ave overpass.

Probably going to convert or replace that passing track into the second track no doubt. There are many areas in between Central Islip and Farmingdale that have a second track installed previously, but they were for freight traffic or sidings to industry.

Yesterday and today crews are working on the passing track on the east side of the Carls Straight Path crossing in Deer Park. Today they had the track removed from the crossing up to the switch that leads to that trucking terminal just south of the tracks. I wonder if that switch is coming out altogether? A little further east is a team track off the passing siding.

Is that Pinter brothers off the route 231 DEF that's coming out?

That siding sees a fair amount of use for overflow (off-spot) storage for Astro Ready Mix..

Wow haven't thought about Pinter Brothers for a long time. I can remember their trucks passing my Junior High School on their way to and from the terminal. I can also remember getting held up at the Carl's Path crossing as LIRR RS3's or RS1's were switching the siding back in the early 70's.
Wouldn't be a surprise if they were removing the switch into the old Pinter Brothers siding. It hasn't been used for many decades.
The track that overflow Astro cars are stored on I believe is going to be part of the new mainline. There is a shorter double ended siding a short distance to the east of the switch to the old Pinter siding that I've seen Astro cars on.

There was work going on yesterday at the New Highway crossing in Farmingdale along the south side of the right of way. Traffic was blocked by flagmen so trucks could back into the work area.

Your Junior High School...I guess that now would be the JFK Intermediate School on Lake (my son's school, daughter's middle school is Robert Frost). No activity since before Xmas. Track is missing from the switch to the Carls Path Xing with the old ties piled up off to the side.

Teutobergerwald wrote:There was work going on yesterday at the New Highway crossing in Farmingdale along the south side of the right of way. Traffic was blocked by flagmen so trucks could back into the work area.

That's the final stretch of the Double Track project that will go there. As of right now, from West of Ronkonkoma through Pinelawn has been prepped. The ROW to the West of Wellwood Avenue through New Highway is being prepped for the second track as that is the Western end point of the project: FARM Interlocking to the East of Rt. 110.