LIRR locations - Before & After

Here's the latest and perhaps the closest same angle/location I have ever seen.

http://www.trainsarefun.com/lirr/before_after.htm

Malverne Station 1954 at Hempstead Ave., view N Archive: Dave Keller


West Hempstead Ave. - Malverne 10/1973 Photo: Brad Phillips

My interpetation from the other side of the tracks I have since corrected the gate colors.
vince

Yes very good match, even down to the bicycles waiting to cross the tracks! Gate colors were starting to change in 1973, as you see one striped B&W and the other striped Red & White at Hempstead Ave in the Malverne shot.

Since red paint was around long before 1973, let's see if anyone knows why the Railroad used black and white for the gates prior to the 1970's? There was a very good reason.

Red paint may have been around, but red Scotchlite paint was invented I believe around 1973. This is also when highway barricades went to orange as well.

What I have read is that the gates were placed at eye-level height of a horse and striped in black and white since horses are color-blind and can detect the contrast between white and black better than with any other color (did they give a horse an eye test, with the horse pawing the ground once if he can detect red or green and twice if he can't?). After World War II red was introduced, I believe at the same time as automatic gates. I don't know whether they waited until the last horse was retired. I'll bet no horse ever pulled a carriage into the side of a moving train.

You've got it Con. Black and White was the PRR standard as it was legislated in many municipalities. The contrast was believed to be most visible to horses. The NYCTA also used it on their elevated structure abutments.

jayrmli wrote:Red paint may have been around, but red Scotchlite paint was invented I believe around 1973. This is also when highway barricades went to orange as well.

Jay and Everyone:

Scotchlite is reflective sheeting that was invented by the 3M corporation back in I believe the early 1960s...The LIRR began to use red replacing black on crossing gates beginning in the early
70s and began using hollow fiberglass box beams to replace wooden crossing gates...

I also note the round reflectors on the black sections of the wood gate in the 1973 picture - I remember them being the same white reflectors that were sold in hardware stores and used on bicycles and placed on roadside objects to make them more visible...

Sometime during that early to mid 70s time period a decision was made to install gates at all LIRR crossings replacing those with only signal lights or crossbucks regardless of how much train traffic there was over any given line...Perhaps Tool may remember when and why this decision was made concerning grade crossings...

For the gate protection program, I think they announced it around 1974 and installations really got rolling by 1976.

The old signs had reflectors on them as well, before reflective paint and tape were used.

Vintage RR Sign
http://i1054.photobucket.com/albums/s48 ... e711d3.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

When did they take the "stop on red signal" signs off the grade crossings?

They were removed because of confusion between a flashing red and a steady red signal. The New York law provides for a flashing red signal to denote stop and then proceed, unless at a railroad crossing where it signals to stop and wait for a passing train. The signs predated the law and it was determined that they somehow caused confusion. They were removed around 1971 on the LIRR.

Here's a new one: LI City Float Docks - Gantry Park

Float Docks LI City c.1955+ view NE


LIRR Gantry Park 4/2015 view NE Photo: Tone Rivera

Eastbounds at Sayville 45 years apart AND in between

LIRR #207 leading 3 engine train #4012 of a parlor, bar and coaches at Railroad Ave, Sayville 1970 Summer only Montauk eastbound - Return train #4011 “the Sundowner” the Sunday all parlor to Jamaica with two units. Photo/Archive: Bob Bender


LIRR #259 GP38-2 train #4012 Sayville 1/05/80 Photo: Bob Bender


LIRR #418 DE30 Railroad Ave, Sayville to Patchogue eastbound 7/11/15 Photo/Archive: Bob Bender

nyandw wrote:Eastbounds at Sayville 45 years apart AND in between

LIRR #207 leading 3 engine train #4012 of a parlor, bar and coaches at Railroad Ave, Sayville 1970 Summer only Montauk eastbound - Return train #4011 “the Sundowner” the Sunday all parlor to Jamaica with two units.

Thanks for the memories of seeing #4012 on a Sunday afternoon.

To be exact, two of the three units take The Sundowner west to Hunters Point Avenue, arriving there around 10:00 p.m., using parlor equipment from one of the Friday all-parlors (Canon Ball or Adv. Weekender).

docsteve wrote: To be exact, two of the three units take The Sundowner west to Hunters Point Avenue, arriving there around 10:00 p.m., using parlor equipment from one of the Friday all-parlors (Canon Ball or Adv. Weekender).

Thank you for the info; added to the site.

Is Adv. Weekender: "Advanced Weekender" and if so how does that differ from Weekender?
I have seen "Advanced Cannonball"; also...

I'm working on named trains with photos: http://www.trainsarefun.com/lirr/lirrex ... D%20TRAINS

And here's a list from Christopher T. Baer, September 8, 2009: http://www.trainsarefun.com/lirr/lirrex ... rTBaer.pdf