Oyster Bay Branch

Oyster Bay Branch
Double-decker Train #6506 to Oyster Bay at Mineola
Overview
Type	Commuter rail
System	Long Island Rail Road
Status	Operational
Locale	Nassau County, New York, USA
Termini	Jamaica Oyster Bay
Stations	10 (2 others closed)
Services	Oyster Bay Branch
Daily ridership	6,000[1]
Operation
Opened	1865-1889
Owner	Long Island Rail Road
Operator(s)	Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Technical
Track gauge	4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Electrification	750 V (DC) third rail (to East Williston)
Route map Legend Oyster Bay Yard Oyster Bay Turntable 34.7 mi 55.8 km Oyster Bay Mill Neck closed 1998 30.8 mi 49.6 km Locust Valley 29.7 mi 47.8 km Glen Cove 29.1 mi 46.8 km Glen Street 28.5 mi 45.9 km Sea Cliff 27.2 mi 43.8 km Glen Head 26.0 mi 41.8 km Greenvale North Roslyn closed 1924 24.0 mi 38.6 km Roslyn 22.6 mi 36.4 km Albertson Zone 4/Zone 7 End of electrification 21.6 mi 34.8 km East Williston Former spur to West Hempstead Branch Main Line 20.3 mi 32.7 km Mineola Intervening stations served mostly by Port Jefferson and Hempstead Branch trains Zone 4 Zone 3 10.8 mi 17.4 km Jamaica AirTrain JFK Main Line continues Distances shown in miles from Pennsylvania Station.

The Oyster Bay Branch is a rail line and service owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U.S. state of New York. The branch splits from the Main Line just east of Mineola station, and runs north and east to Oyster Bay.^[2]

History

Early history

Locust Valley, the line's eastern terminus in 1869

The first phase of what is now known as the Oyster Bay Branch opened in January 23, 1865 as a branch of the Long Island Rail Road to Glen Head known as the Glen Cove Branch Rail Road.^[3] Two years later the railway was extended to Glen Cove^[4] and on April 19, 1869 the line was extended further to Locust Valley.^[5]

By the early 1880s, there had been pressure to expand rail service eastward.^[6] At this time another railroad, the Northern Railroad of Long Island threatened the Long island Rail Road's monopoly.^[6] The Northern Railroad was incorporated on March 23, 1881, and it planned to build a road from Astoria to Northport via Flushing, Great Neck, Glen Cove, Oyster Bay and Huntington.^[6] By June 1881, construction plans were authorized and in mid-July the building contract was signed, with work set to begin in August.^[6] The Long Island Rail Road attempted to undermine the Northern Railroad's project before it could sell stock and acquire a roadbed.^[6] It was going to link its north side branches together as a continuous railroad to Northport.^[6] Construction cost from Great Neck to Roslyn and from Locust Valley to Northport was approximately $400,000.^[6]

In February 1883, Austin Corbin, president of the Long Island Rail Road, offered to supply iron and rolling stock for the extension to Oyster Bay if local residents provided the right-of-way.^[6] While citizens considered the offer, the Northern Railroad folded since not enough money was raised.^[6] With the threat eliminated, the extension of rail service to Oyster Bay was temporarily delayed.^[6] The project was revived in 1886 when some citizens offered to secure a right-of-way.^[6] In June 1886, a public meeting was held and a committee of fifteen was appointed to secure land.^[6] Although officials were still contemplating a through line to Northport, the LIRR organized the Oyster Bay Extension Railroad on August 31, 1886, which authorized a five-mile road from Locust Valley to Oyster Bay.^[6] Ground was broken for the project on August 15, 1887.^[6] One phase of construction was the building of a bridge over what is now Tunnel Street in Locust Valley.^[6] The masonry project began in October 1888 and the arch was finished on April 13, 1889.^[6] The entire bridge was completed by September.^[6]

On June 24, 1889, the extension opened with a huge celebration in Oyster Bay.^[6] A ceremonial train of ten cars left Long Island City about 9:30 a.m. and was met at Locust Valley by ten young ladies who decorated the locomotive with flags and wreaths.^[6] Upon arrival at Oyster Bay, an organized procession commenced, which was viewed by 5,000 residents and visitors.^[6] On Tuesday, June 25, the extension opened for regular passenger service with eight round trips daily to and from Long Island City.^[6]

The line ended at Locust Valley for two decades until a final extension added four miles to Oyster Bay. One of the reasons for building to Oyster Bay was to create a connection to New England. A large pier, now owned by the Flowers Oyster Company, was built to facilitate the loading of passenger cars onto a ferry, specifically to the Danbury and Norwalk Railroad station and ferry pier in Wilson's Point section of Norwalk, Connecticut. Service lasted only a few years as overland service from New York to Boston, once thought impossible, commenced.

20th century to present

Until 1928, a direct connection to the West Hempstead Branch existed just east of Mineola station. This spur crossed the Main Line, then terminated at the end of a wye at what was often called the Garden City Branch. Until passenger service was abandoned along this branch, passengers would transfer between the two lines at Mineola Station itself.^[7][8]

Except for the section between East Williston and Mineola, this branch is not electrified and thus can only be served by diesel powered-locomotive trains (except for one AM peak train that originates at East Williston and ends at Penn Station using Electric-Multiple Units). There were plans to electrify the entire branch in June 1934, but that never occurred.^[9]

In 2009, the LIRR replaced the bridge over West Shore Road between Locust Valley and Oyster Bay Stations.^[10]

Stations

Zone	Station	Miles (km) from NYP[11]	Date opened	Date closed	Connections / notes
3	Jamaica	10.8 (17.4)	1836		LIRR; Atlantic, Belmont Park, Far Rockaway, Hempstead, Long Beach, Montauk, Oyster Bay, Port Jefferson, Ronkonkoma, and West Hempstead Branches NYC Subway: (at Sutphin Boulevard – Archer Avenue – JFK Airport) NYCT Bus: Q20A, Q20B, Q24, Q30, Q31, Q43, Q44, Q54, Q56 MTA Bus: Q6, Q8, Q9, Q25, Q34, Q40, Q41, Q60, Q65 NICE Bus: n4 AirTrain JFK: Jamaica Station Route
4	Mineola	20.3 (32.3)	1837		LIRR: Montauk, Port Jefferson, and Ronkonkoma Branches NICE Bus: n22, n22X, n23, n24, n40, n41 Originally Hempstead, then Branch or Hempstead Branch
	Main Line diverges
	Former West Hempstead Branch diverged until 1928
	East Williston	21.6 (34.8)	1880[12]		NICE Bus: n27 Terminus of electrification
7	Albertson	22.6 (36.4)	1875		NICE Bus: n27
	Roslyn	24.0 (38.6)	1865		NICE Bus: n23, n27
	North Roslyn			1924	Originally Wheatley Hills
	Greenvale	26.0 (41.8)	1866		NICE Bus: n27 Originally Week's
	Glen Head	27.2 (43.8)	1865		NICE Bus: n27
	Sea Cliff	28.5 (45.9)	1867		NICE Bus: n27
	Glen Street	29.1 (45.2)	1867		NICE Bus: n21, n27
	Glen Cove	29.7 (47.8)	1895		Originally Nassau
	Locust Valley	30.8 (49.6)	1869
	Mill Neck		1889	1998	Originally Bayville
	Oyster Bay	34.7 (55.8)	1889

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Oyster Bay Branch (category)

• Oyster Bay Branch Stations (Unofficial LIRR History web site)
• NYCSubways.org: Oyster Bay Branch
• Oyster Bay Branch (The LIRR Today)