Amityville while being elevated.

I was wondering if anyone has pictures of Amityville at Grade Level during the elevation? I would prefer after the temporary station opened, maybe an M1 at the station, and a description of the shoo-fly tracks to the West. I've seen photos already of the lo-level station, and the construction of the temporary hi-level platforms.

The link below to Dave Keller's photographs from the Train's are Fun website show Amityville under construction. Scroll down the page to reach the Amityville photos.

http://www.trainsarefun.com/lirrphotos/ ... BRANCH.htm

The Shoofly tracks were laid north of the existing right of way from Amityville to Lindenhurst, covering a distance of about 4 miles. They probably started just east of the Sunrise Highway (NY 27) bridge in Massapequa Park/West Amityville and re-joined the Montauk Branch somewhere east of Deleware Avenue and west of Great East Neck Road in the vicinity of MP 34.

In that stretch, was Amityville, Copiague, and Lindenhurst all hi-level platforms? Also did anyone see a M1 stop at the temporary Amityville station? This means did Amityville, Copiague, and Lindenhurst look like New Hyde Park or Merillon Avenue?

Wow, great Pictures. some of them say 1968, so it took them 5 years to complete it, since the elevated section from Amityville to copiague did not open until August 1973.
I also recall that shortly after opening the elevated section, they discovered that they had some sort of a grounding problem with it, which required daily track work for months.
They had to single track off peak trains through the area, while they corrected whatever the problem was.
This was of course, after the temporary tracks were taken out.
Perhaps tool can shed some light on what the grounding problem was, i forget the exact details.
We are of course talking about almost 39 years ago.. seems impossible.

Doc, you also have to remember that shortly after the Western Suffolk County temporary tracks were put into service, they started to lay the temporary tracks for Bellmore and Merrick. Also I was wondering, that after the NY27 bridge did it go downhill at a grade for the Unqua Road grade crossing.

Not that it matters much, But what was the reasoning behind doing grade separation through Amityville -Babylon? Sunrise Hwy was not immediately adjacent to the Railroad at these location? I understand they probably would have each had several grade crossing in each community but probably would have been cheaper to maintain.
There's more to the reasoning behind these segments of the grade separation project then the cost of maintenance and Sunrise Hwy being immediately adjacent to the railroad.

At Babylon, It amazes me that they did not think to keep the Central Branch running adjacent to Montauk No1 track after the separation.
Today this feature would have gotten them out of jams and provided a much smoother operation then they currently have.

For example, Westward Diesels would be able to depart No1 Station and go down the branch with not affiliation to the standing MU on 2 station. which could depart at the same time on Montauk No1 track
The crossing of the Diesel would take place outside the Tower in addition of where it does now to come on and off the Central Branch.
This would probably be a nice project to include in the reconstruction of Babylon interlocking and station which are both in dire need of repair.

As in today, the Transportation Department when A-C-L grade elimination was planned had virtually no input into its design.

Usually, the Transportation department head is an unqualified hack who is more concerned about not making waves than assuring the road's future operating integrity. Back then it was a drunk, today it is an Affirmative Action dependent fighting a bevy of sexual harassment charges. Don't expect anyone to stand up and argue for operating efficiencies. You won't see it.

I'm still puzzled, were the temporary stations for Amityville, Copiague, and Lindenhurst hi-level for the grade separation project?

The NY 27 (Sunrise Highway) LIRR overpass was replaced and completed around 1965. Looking at a Dave Keller photo from the Trains are Fun website, if you scroll down to the 28 APR 1963 photo of a MU train nearing Amityville you can see 4 tracks, which most likely represent the alignments to the old and new LIRR overpasses for NY 27.

http://www.trainsarefun.com/lirrphotos/ ... BRANCH.htm

The Amityville depot was demolished in 1964 in anticipation for the grade crossing elimination project and a temporary depot constructed (exisiting low platforms remained). Several years later in 1968, the temporary tracks were laid and a wooden temporary station with high platforms was constructed with one passenger overpass (the first temporary depot building lasted from 1964-1968, the second temporary depot lasted from 1968-1973). The same high platform and pedestrian overpass design used at Amityville was used at Copiague and Lindenhurst. The Lindenhurst depot was relocated in 1968 and moved a few blocks away where it is now on display as a museum. The Copiague depot was razed DEC 1967. 1968 was the year the M-1 was introduced and South Shore stations needed high platforms installed and started installing them in early 1968. I have seen many photos before and during the Amityville elevation, and have not come across one with an M-1 at the temporary station (but have seen photos of Merrick/Bellmore & Massapequa Park with a M-1 stoped at the temporary stations).

Now, at Merrick and Bellmore, wooden high platforms were also constructed in 1968. At Merrick, the original station location was between Merrick and Hewlett Avenues. When the 1968 high platforms were constructed, they were built just west of Merrick Avenue with one passenger overpass. During summer of 1969, temporary tracks were laid south of the Montauk Branch from the just east of the Meadowbrook Pkwy to the Wantagh Pkwy for the grade crossing elimination project. As a result, new temporary stations for Merrick and Bellmore were contructed in 1969 with high platforms. They were painted red and also each had one passenger overpass. Due to delays in funding from Albany, construction of the new elevated tracks for Merrick/Bellmore did not commence until February 1973, completing in June 1975.

At the Massapequa Park location, temporary tracks were laid in late summer 1977, south of the existing Montauk Branch from just east of the Massapequa Station to just west of the NY 27 (Sunrise Highway) overpass. As a result of the steep grade, the Unqua Road grade crossing was closed and converted to a pedestrian/bicycle gated crossing (no vehicles could use Unqua Road from 1977 to 1980) while the temporary tracks were in service. The temporary station design was identical to the Merrick/Bellmore temporary stations with wooden high platfroms painted red, but with two pedestrian overpasses with a capabilty to platform 12 M-1 cars. Train speed limit through the construction zone was 60 MPH. Back in the mid-1960's, the Montauk Branch speed limit from Babylon to Jay was 65 MPH (not sure when it was raised to 80 MPH, probably occurred sometime after M-1's were placed in service).

Amityville/Lindenhurst/Copiague do not look like today's New Hyde Park or Merillon Avenue Stations which have concrete slab high platforms on cylindrical bases with no pedestrian overpasses. I have a photo of New Hyde Park from Oct 1966 and it does show wooden high platforms painted green at that location. I would say closest thing to old Amityville now with it's former 5 grade crossings and turn of the 20th century depot would be Farmingdale.

In term's of operational and maintenance cost, Was the decision to elevate A-C-L a good one or no?
Considering they didn't have to relocate the tracks due to Sunrise Hwy (NY27)
This large structure looming over the neighborhood effecting dividing it in two, allows for the sounds to be more ambient and travel farther then if left at grade.
Were these stations elevated to just conform to the remainder of what we call the "Babylon Branch" Were the grade crossing there really that big of a problem?
In hindsight was the grade separation a good or bad move in the A-C-L segment?
Including community input?

While on the "branch" if I may ask. Why were designers so short sighted to not connect the Central branch into track 1 in Babylon Station? Running as it did when at grade along the North side of Montauk 1. This would have provided a major point of versatility that they today. All these years later the railroad would have greatly benefited from it. From the Look of it, Without doing any studies and EIS's, It appears that they could still add this in if they can secure the funding when Babylon interlocking and station are reconstructed.

Workextra - I don't understand why you take exception to the layout of Babylon interlocking with reference to the Branch. You can hit any platform from the Central branch as it's set up now, even while paralleling a route off of the Montauk. Why do you think you can't do that now, or what versatility is lost from the current setup?

LB- Thank You SO MUCH! I just needed to be sure. By the way, the closest photo I've seen of an M1 at Amityville in the early 1970's is a photo taken by Brad Phillips on the station's first day of elevated service on August 7th, 1973, with a Babylon-bound M1 stopped on Track 2, and you can see the temporary station off to the right. What's really interesting is that the metal power lines were not up next to the viaduct when the station went into service in 1973, the wooden poles next to the grade level station were still up. I grew up in Amityville and Wantagh, and I have been a fan of the Long Island Railroad since I was only 2 years old. The Babylon Branch is my favorite branch, because my mom drove next to it everyday. After hearing that it used to be at grade, I was always fascinated with the vision of the past with M1's running along the ground level tracks. Then I found the old photos and was awestruck by it, and wondered if M1's stopped at Amityville when it was grade level. Thank you for the fastidious input.

I've always wondered when the large smoke stack on the south side of the tracks in Amityville was demolished. It appears in pictures as far back as 1905 and is present in the August 1973 opening day photo of the new Amityville station.

Yeah that always questioned me, the smokestack and the silo. I was also wondering if Amity Interlocking was built along with the elevation, because I know when Wantagh opened in 1968, Wantagh Interlocking wasn't built and put into service until 1971. I'd also like to know when the metal poles were put in next to the viaducts at the A-C-L stretch.

Krispy, I'm looking at it in a operational manor. How many times especially when there is some kind of disruption along the branch does it cause central branch trains to wait out on the curve for the branch to clear and trains to turned. Even if there is a spot in the station, you are still held out because they have both main tracks plugged.
Same for when they schedule a westbound out the same time and eastbound is due in. and they have the room in the station to bring the diesel in buy can't because they don't have the central running north along the Montauk main into the station.
Run through some different situations, and see the flexibility that is created.

Simple Example: Note: The diesel is scheduled to use the Central on a daily basis.
You have a WB Diesel coming into Babylon running through to Jamaica via the central- A local MU departing off 2 station in Babylon and and EB MU arriving on 3 station. The diesel leaving 1 station in the case can depart at the same time as the MU with no obstruction or detention to the MU leaving 2 station.
This is just a simple example that does not involve turning equipment trains between bridges 2 and 3 thus plugging a main track effectively single tracking from the station to bridge 2.
Some don't see the same versatility and flexibility that I see in this, that's fine. Just shearing what I think would be beneficial.