Overview:

The LIRR’s Main Line offers some rich history. From the moment the train leaves Jamaica station, it can be a pretty fast run to Hicksville, and offers a mixture of elevated, and at grade stretches. The Main Line is home to five different branches that use all or part of the 25 plus miles of track from Jamaica to Hicksville. Port Jefferson and Ronkonkoma trains make up the bulk of the LIRR’s main line. Some Montauk trains occasionally use the main line, before branching south to Babylon once it passes Bethpage station on the Ronkonkoma branch. Oyster Bay trains usually start at either Jamaica or Mineola then tail off towards the north shore upon leaving Mineola. Finally, Hempstead trains follow the main route from Jamaica to Floral park, before angling to the right, en route to its branch terminal. Port Jefferson line is a branch of the LIRR main line from Hicksville and serves Long Island’s north shore. The current main line from Jamaica to Hicksville was complete in 1837.

The current main line from Jamaica to Hicksville was complete in 1837, with the Port Jefferson branch not taking shape until over 35 years later in 1873 (that was a long time back then). Consistent with the growing population, and the advent of the automobile, the main line became elevated at various stages from the early 30’s to the mid 60’s and when necessary in order to conflict with grade crossings. The current Port Jefferson branch line is 59.4 miles from Penn Station end to end and operates electric service 24/7 to Huntington. From Huntington, diesel trains operate to Port Jefferson at all times except from 1:30 to 4:30 AM when there is no service. Some diesels can operate to/from Hicksville, Jamaica, and at least one train to/from Hunters Point station in each AM and PM rush period. Additional peak AM and PM rush electric trains to Huntington also originate from Flatbush Ave terminal. The original line actually ran to Wading River, 11 miles east of Port Jefferson with stations at Mt. Sinai, Millers Place, Rocky Point and Wading River. The portion between Port Jefferson and Wading River was open for passenger service on 6/27/1895 and was discontinued on 10/9/1938.

The line is 2 tracks from main line to Huntington. After Huntington, there is no third rail and the line is only one track, with two tracks at all stations except Northport which is single track. These tracks are used as passing sidings. The Port Jeff Branch was ALWAYS single tracked, except for passing sidings. There NEVER was a second running track. When the high level platforms were put in, many of the passing/freight sidings became revenue tracks within the stations. Many trains meet in the stations to pass each other.

Floral Park (shared with Hempstead Branch Trains, which provide the majority of service at this station). The station has 4 tracks, 2 side platforms and one center island platform. Track and platform configuration is similar to Woodside station, and are as follows (from north to south). Platform A is a side platform for Main Line inbound trains. Platform B is an island platform for Main Line outbound and Hempstead-only inbound trains. Platform C is a side platform for Hempstead-only bound trains. There is ample parking and staircases below the entire length of the station. Most trains stop here hare from the Hempstead branch, only a very limited number of Main-line trains make a scheduled stop at this station. The ticket office/waiting area is on street level near the west end of the station. The station house was built along with the elevated station in 1960 and replaced a grade level station and station house.

This station opened in 1879 and a new station house was built in 1909. it was a classic style railway station with a hipped roof, and classic canopies on either side. The canopies were supported by renaissance style columns, with brick pedestals. The handsome brick stationhouse was almost identical to the one in Hicksville built the same year, the only difference that Hicksville’s canopies were hip roofed, while Floral Park’s were peaked. The station house was razed along with the 1960’s grade elimination of this station. Looking east of the station, from any platform, you can see the Hempstead tracks tail off to the right side, while the mainline tracks continue straight on the left side. These lines run parallel to each other as Far East as Mineola/Garden City stations respectively.

New Hyde Park 2 tracks, 2 platforms at grade level; the station sits to the west of New Hyde Park Road and is at grade. The station was renovated in 2003, and the station house on the north side is also new, despite the restored pre-war appearance. This station house is the 3^rd depot on this station; the other 2 station houses were built in 1870 and 1947 respectively.

Merillon Ave 2 tracks, 2 platforms, parking at both sides, 1950 station house at east end of inbound platform. Although the station gives the appearance at grade level, the street that is named after goes underneath the RR trestle at the easternmost end of the station. The station house is the second for the station, built in 1958 and replaces the original depot, built in 1912. An 7-eleven store is ideally located behind the parking lot at Merllion Ave which allows commuters to grab a bit to eat before boarding the train.

Mineola At grade, however the main roadway (Mineola Ave) goes over the RR tracks as a bridge just to the east of the station. This was the site of the very first grade crossing that was eliminated in the history of the LIRR. It is now a bridge. The station has an overpass and parking nearby. A plan to make the station as an intermodal transit facility is in the works to have all connecting LI Buses use a new indoor bus area on the south side. There are two station houses, both are undergoing restoration. Looking east of the station, you might see some evidence of grade-level tracks tailing off to the south. This long removed trackage was formerly the line that would run from Mineola to today’s West Hempstead branch.

Electrification reached Mineola in 1926. The station building was built in 1923, and replaces the original Mineola station building that was built in 1883. The 1923 station is built in the style of many other stations built in that era, as a gambrel roofed Dutch Colonial. Many of the station agents lived upstairs in these station buildings…with their families! Mineola, Northport, and others even have second floor decks/balconies above the station canopies for the station agent families to be able to use, and for their kids to play safely.

Interestingly, Mineola was built set back from the tracks, probably in anticipation of adding a third track as demand needed. This will be a welcome fact finally after all these years, as the LIRR is planning to add a third track to the mainline, and thankfully, because of the well thought out planning of Mineola in 1923, the stationhouse will not have to be razed or relocated to build this third track.

Carle Place Partial elevated, partial at grade, 2 tracks, 2 side platforms, one overpass, very limited parking at north side. There is no station house; a shelter shed was removed in 1950. There are ticket machines, but nothing much else. A small bent trail on the south platform leads to street. LI Bus route N22 stops at Cherry Lane, at the west end of the station.

Westbury Elevated, 2 tracks, 2 side platforms, general parking on south platform, Westbury residents use the parking lot on the north side. The station house is on the elevated platform on the westbound side. The current station house was built in 1914 and went through a renovation in 1972. There is an underpass underneath the elevated station house to access the eastbound platform. There are a set of stairs on the west side leading to street level and buses.

Hicksville Elevated. The present station is ADA accessible and has 2 island platforms and 3 tracks. Platform A uses Tracks 1 and 2, usually for Jamaica and Penn-bound trains, while Platform B uses tracks 2 and 3, mostly trains to Eastern LI use Platform B. The Ticket office/waiting area is at center stairs, along with elevators from street to platform. There are also additional stairs at the extreme eastern and western end of the platforms that lead to various Parking Lots. Route 106 (Broadway) is the main roadway in front of the station’s main entrance. The original station was at grade. Steam service to Hicksville was discontinued on 10/8/1955. The current elevation was done in 1962, in conjunction with the new Divide Tower located 500 feet east of the station which also was operational the same year.

The original Hicksville station was a handsome classic brick railway station, very similar to the one that was at Floral Park. Unfortunately, the building had to be razed in the grade crossing elimination project. One interesting note on Hicksville is that in the parking lot, is one of the original Penn Station eagles that were removed from Penn Station when the station building was razed in 1963. Hicksville’s Penn Station eagle is one of many scattered all over the place. Two still exist on 7^th Ave between 31^st St and 33^rd St, at the entrance to the current Penn Station, and Madison Square Garden.

After leaving Hicksville, we come up to the Divide Tower, which is aptly named for the tower that is located where the Port Jefferson and Ronkonkoma branches split. The current divide tower, opened in 1962, sits at eye level with the passing trains directly at the horizontal "Y" split so LIRR personnel inside Divide can see the trains as it switches over to the appropriate track. The Divide tower also controls the switch at the turn off towards Ronkonkoma with the single track towards Babylon (an occasional Montauk train uses this track) a few miles east of the tower as well as all switches within Hicksville. The original Divide tower was on the south side of the old grade level ROW of the main line a little closer to Hicksville station. This is the only part of mainline in Nassau County that is elevated (the Southern main line to Babylon is mostly elevated). After passing Divide, the line remains at grade throughout the trip, although the line passes over some limited access highways. All of the following stations east of Hicksville are at grade level.

Landia  was located at grade just south of the Robbins Lane crossing. There has been a good deal of talk about rebuilding this station as part of the redevelopment of the former Cerro Wire plant, which has been demolished. If rebuilt, it is planned to have a park-and-ride facility.

Syosset This station is renovated and at grade. The station has 2 tracks, 2 side platforms with wheelchair ramps but is not fully ADA compliant. The current station house was built in 1948 and is located at the westbound platform near the grade crossing. Parking is available at both sides of the station. An overpass is at the extreme east end of the station.

The original Syosset station building has an interesting story. The stationhouse was built in 1872 for Lockwood’s Grove. Where is "Lockwood’s Grove" you may ask – well, it was on the LIRR Rockaway Branch, between Beach 21 St and beach 22 St in Queens, on what is now the NYCT’s Far Rockaway line. The old stationhouse was located roughly between the present Wavecrest station and Mott Ave station – when the line was at grade of course. Well, in 1873, the Village of Syosset had no decent building, and the then LIRR president, Oliver Charlick, offered to pay part of the expense, if the village could come up with the rest. Unfortunately, their efforts failed, and they couldn’t raise enough money. In 1872, the LIRR abandoned the Lockwood’s Grove station on the Rockaway line. When Syosset couldn’t raise the money to build a stationhouse, the LIRR decided to move the Lockwood Grove stationhouse all the way to Syosset! And that’s what they did in 1877. The station looked a lot like the current St James station. This building was heavily renovated in 1944. But interestingly, in 1948 they decided to demolish the station, only 4 years after the renovation, and built the current building.

Cold Spring Harbor (Originally Woodbury) 2 tracks, 2 side platforms. The Ticket Office is at westbound platform. Parking at W/B side and it covers entire length of station platform. Overpass at east end of station.

Cold Spring Harbor’s station was originally built as Woodbury in 1875. In 1880, the name was changed to Cold Spring Harbor. In 1902, they moved the station across the county line to its present location. The building was razed in 1948, along with neighboring Syosset, and the present building was built.

Huntington On 10/13/1970, electrification between this station and Hicksville was inaugurated. A small abandoned freight yard is also at the west side of the station, plus a 3^rd layover track is used for Diesel trains to/from Port Jefferson. 2 tracks, 2 side platforms, trains from both directions can use either track and it is not uncommon that E/B and W/B trains use opposite platforms. The station is fully ADA accessible and has a total of 3 overpasses. An indoor multi-level parking lot is connected to the middle overpass, allowing customers to remain dry from their car to the station platform. The present station house at Platform A opened in 1909 and was built by William Ahern. The station was renovated in 1998 and the MTA Arts for Transit artwork at Platform A is titled "For My Grandmother" done by Joe Zucker, whose grandmother Noye Pride was a locomotive engineer. The artwork uses porcelain glass.

After leaving Huntington, the line becomes single track with passing sidings at stations.  The Line never had two tracks!

Greenlawn 2 tracks, 2 side platforms. Platform B is now abandoned and all trains use Platform A. Originally built in 1911, the ticket office has been renovated recently. It replaced the first ticket office which was destroyed in a 1909 fire. Parking is at both sides of the line with an overpass leading to the south parking lot and street only.

Northport Village (Abandoned) Northport Village was the original terminal for what became the Port Jefferson Branch. The North Shore branch reached Northport Village in 1868, and almost immediately there was outcry to extend the line further, to Port Jefferson. Just 5 years later (and a tribute to how fast they got things done years ago), the Port Jefferson Branch reached Port Jefferson in 1873. The catch was though that the line was extended from a Junction south of the terminal in Northport Village, and a new station erected there, in the location of the current Northport station. The original line to Northport became a spur, and was operated for some years afterwards as a shuttle, but it was finally put out of it’s misery in 1899, and abandoned.

Northport  (Also originally called Northport East) One track, one platform.  The original Northport station was similar to the current St James Depot. It was built in 1873, and moved to a private location in 1927 when the current depot was built.  The original depot survived as a sign shop until finally it was razed in it’s new location in 1959. The current Northport station was built in a similar style to Bay Shore, Mineola, and Manhasset, and had station agent quarters on the upper level for the station agent, and his/her family. Northport never got two platforms.  Nothing was removed, because it wasn't there to begin with.  They may have taken out the passing siding, but it went from one low level platform, to one high level platform.  None of the stations on the Port Jefferson line east of Huntington ever had two platforms.  They went right from "rural" railway stations, with one low platform in front of their station houses, to two high level platforms, with the second one usually built along the respective station's freight/passing siding.

Kings Park (originally called St Johnland) before entering station, the line becomes 2 tracks to allow trains in opposite directions to pass each other. The station is 2 tracks, 2 side platforms, parking at both sides with an overpass. A renovated station house office is at the extreme eastern end by RR grade crossing; the current station house opened in 1948 and replaced the old 1872 station house. Leaving Kings Park, the line becomes single track again until we reach the next stop, Smithtown, where there is another passing siding within the station.

Smithtown 2 tracks, 2 side platforms, parking lots are on both sides, station house at Platform A opened in 1937 and was renovated in 1987. The station is unusual because it is the only station on the Port Jefferson branch that the direction of trains arrives on opposite platforms. So all westbound trains depart from Platform B (south platform), while Port Jefferson train depart from Platform A (the exception is some peak express trains use the alternate platform, consistent with most LIRR peak trains using the reverse track.). Leaning St. James, the line becomes single track again. It’s among the slowest stretches of the LIRR due to the tight curves along this route.

St. James has 1 track, 1 platform. There is evidence of removed freight lay-up tracks at the north side. The station house at the eastern end of the station, by RR crossing was built in 1873 and is still standing to this day. It was last restored to its original splendor in 1997. St James is the second oldest station building on the LIRR (Hewlett is the oldest, which was built by the South Side RR). St James is the oldest surviving station built by the LIRR.

Flowerfield  opened as a station in 1909. It closed as a stop in 1958, and was razed a year later.

Stony Brook 2 tracks, 2 platforms, one overpass. This station is home to SUNY at Stony Brook College and has very high passenger volumes during school days. The station house, built in 1873, is at the north side, parking at south side. The station was originally identical to that of St James station. In 1917, it was heavily altered and renovated into the design it has today, almost indistinguishable from its original design. If one looks closely though, you can see the lines of the original station (if thinking of St James) through all the alteration. The alteration however, made it one of the most attractive station on the whole island. The tracks used to pass right in front of the building, as they do at most stations, however, in the late 80’s the line was realigned to remove a sharp curve in the station, and the tracks were moved away from the building, 50-100 feet, and high level platforms built. The parking lot now follows what used to be the Railroad ROW.

Setauket (Abandoned) The stop originally only had a freight house that was built in 1877. In 1883, they built a passenger depot, with a combo freight building. The station was two stories high. The building was torn down in 1960, and the station stop abandoned 20 years later, in 1980.

Port Jefferson Two tracks, 2 side platforms, all facilities at north side of station. Station is just to the east of Rt. 112. The Northport Branch finally reached Port Jefferson in 1873, and it became the Port Jefferson Branch. Port Jefferson was the Terminal. In 1895, the line was extended once again, and Port Jefferson became just another station on the line which became the Wading River Branch. It all came full circle in 1938, when the Wading River Extension was abandoned, and the line truncated once again at Port Jefferson, which once again regained its status as the terminal.

The ticket office building opened in 1903 and was designed by Stanton White who also commissioned the original Pennsylvania Station. The station house has distinctive columns which matched those of the Belle Terre Pergolas (also located near Port Jefferson and designed by Mr. White) The 1938 hurricane destroyed the Belle Terre structure but the PJ ticket office was unharmed. The original PJ building was built in 1873 and was west of Route 112. At one time from 1895 to 1938 it was converted to a freight house before it was abandoned and subsequently demolished later on in 1963. Currently, before a W/B train leaves Port Jefferson, a conductor must use a key on the station platform to activate the RR grade crossing at Rt. 112 adjacent to the station before the train departs.

Wading River Extension (abandoned)

By Chris Sattler

While the railroad had reached Port Jefferson by 1873, the line was further extended eastward in 1895, and originally called the North Shore Branch. Most know this route as the Wading River Branch or Extension. Passenger service unfortunately ended on October 9, 1938, after just 33 years. The line was officially abandoned in 1939. The right of way still exists, and houses high tension power lines for the Long Island Power Authority. It is easy to trace the ROW by following those power lines, just north of Route 25A.

Miller Place This was the first station after Port Jefferson on the Wading River extension. Originally the station was called "Miller’s Place". Miller Place was not lucky with its railroad station. The first station was built in 1898, on the east side of Sylvan Avenue. However, a mere 4 years later, in 1902, the station building burned to the ground. It was replaced with a small, but handsome little hipped roof structure with clapboard siding, and a wooden platform. Unfortunately, exactly 25 years later still, history repeated itself and the little depot burned down a second time. This time, the station was not replaced, and it’s little wooden platform, absent of a station house served the community, until the line was abandoned 13 years later in October of 1938.

A visual inspection of the location shows no evidence remaining at this location, other than knowing the ROW was there, because of the LIPA electric lines.

Rocky Point had an interesting depot. It was also a hipped roofed structure, like Shoreham and Miller place, however also had typical railroad style canopies on either side of the structure. They were pretty large, almost clumsily so, almost overpowering the actual building itself. These canopies were built to protect the large summer crowds, as Rocky Point began as a summer community of summer bungalows. It had clapboard siding. The structure was a combination ticket agency and freight house. It also contained graceful brackets under its eaves.

The station was closed to passengers in 1938 when the rest of the Wading River extension was closed. At that time, the Rocky Point depot had it’s canopies ripped off, and the building was trucked to a nearby lumber company for use as it’s yard offices. A visual inspection of the old location shows no evidence of the old station stop (other than the power lines marking the ROW). However, a nearby lumberyard still does exist along the old ROW, just a little way down from the old station location. The Rocky Point structure survives there today, with some alteration and additions, but the basic outline of the old station can be readily seen, and still has the old original clapboard siding, although painted blue.

Shoreham Originally opened as Wardenclyffe when the Wading River line was cut through in 1895. It is unclear if a station building was built at that time in that location. Its original location was short lived, because just 7 years later, the stop was moved just slightly east, at that time in 1902, and station building was put up, and in 1906 the stop was renamed "Shoreham". Like Miller Place, Shoreham boasted a hipped roof station, although Shoreham was a little larger, and sided with cedar shakes. It also had graceful decorative brackets under its eaves, making for a very attractive station. It also had wide wooden stairs going down a small hill where the station was located, to platform level a few yards lower. In 1935, they closed the ticket agency, but the station remained open until 1938 when the whole line was closed to passenger service. Shoreham’s station building lasted right to the end of passenger service.

The station building was used as a private business for some years after the railroad’s abandonment. It was razed in 1950. No evidence of the old station stop remains today, other than knowing where the ROW cut through because of the power lines.

Wading River Wading River became the terminal of the Port Jefferson Branch when the line was extended to there in 1895. Another hipped roofed structure was built there, similar to the other stations on the Wading River extension. The depot doubled as a passenger depot, as well as a freight depot. In 1906, the structure had a complete second story added to it.

The station ticket agency closed in 1933. The depot lasted until the end of passenger service in 1938, and was demolished after the tracks were torn up in 1939.

It’s quite unfortunate that the Wading River Branch extension was closed. While the line was sparsely used near its end, had it survived just a decade or two longer, it would have seen a revival. And especially today, it would have been a useful line, as the areas along the old line have been built up considerably over the last few decades. The extreme traffic on both Route 25A and Route 347 show how much the line could have been patronized had it survived. Technically, the line could be resurrected, because the ROW route is intact via the LIP power lines, however, there is no talk of ever revising the old rail line, so it sits as an electrical power line ROW, sadly probably never to see trains again.