The Montauk Cutoff and Yard A; Farmingdale freight.

[dieselm]

So Iw as hoping to get some basic education from you guys.   

I worked in passenger servies many moons ago, but I have always beeen fascinated with geography.  So I have often wondered, what exactly was/is the purpose of hte Montauk cutoff?   

my understanding is that there is a Yard A over by Sunnyside, just northwest of it, right?   Why dont the LIRR tracks just come off the main line and feed into yard A?  Is the Montauk cuttoff the only way that a train coming from say jamaica, can get to Yard A?

I apologize since I have a pretty good understanding of all tracks east of Jamaica.  But I never understood why the Montauk cuffoff existed.




Also, is there a map available of the tracks that lie just west of republic airport, that used to serve PCRichards/Macys'  I ahppened upon it yesterday and was trying to envision how they were originally laid out.

[NYandW]

Montauk Branch Cut-Off The Montauk Freight Cut-Off was opened in 1910. From the time of the leasing of the old South Side Railroad in 1876 by the Long Island Railroad, most of the traffic from the Island of Manhattan and Long Island City was carried in steam trains over the Montauk Division through Richmond Hill.

But in 1910, with the opening of the East River tunnels, practically all the passenger traffic from Manhattan was carried in electric trains over the Main Line. This made it impossible to route freight trains from the old North Side yards over the Main Line, as had been formerly done, as it would interfere with passenger train operation. Accordingly, this elevated freight connection, known as the Montauk Freight Cut-Off, was built from the North Side yards to a connection with the Montauk Division at Dutch Kills Creek, a distance of over two miles.

Felix E. Reifschneider's 1925 Long Island Rail Road History

Folks: view this map it makes the scenario clearer. http://www.trainsarefun.com/lirr/images/lirrgrand1952.gif

Here's my page on this interesting area: http://www.trainsarefun.com/lirr/montaukcutoff/montaukcutoff.htm

Montauk Cutoff west leg into Yard A from Bliss cab view
Going from Bliss to yard A is considered west. 03/2005
Photo: Bob Anderson


http://www.trainsarefun.com/lirr/licity/lirrMontaukCutoff-viewfromCityStorageBldg11-07KevinKatta.jpg
Shows the switch. Photo: Kevin Katta 11/2007

[Ernie]

Also, is there a map available of the tracks that lie just west of republic airport, that used to serve PCRichards/Macys'  I ahppened upon it yesterday and was trying to envision how they were originally laid out.

I'm also fascinated by this area, especially as the main line switch seems to still be intact. I originally thought the track branched off the main to a fork with the fork closing in on itself like a model railroad layout. However, viewing on bing maps seems to indicate instead of directly looping the forks merely meet up again. Forks apart just before Glove Circle, east branch going straight across, the east fork curving along Glove and then crossing back.

That's about all I can make out on Bing.

I sort of remember someone here posting a map of this area, at least the portion on the other side of 110.

[alcoAL]

For the Farmingdale Price Parkway trackage, here's a google map that I added some notes to. There was a thread either here or another forum a few years ago. I used info that was posted then with what I saw & photographed. The 1978 LIRR Freight Maps have a good drawing of this along with the customers that were served. I don't have a copy of those maps but if someone else does maybe they can post this one.



Here's the text I have for the notes on the photo. Some of the info might have changed since then.

Farmingdale Price Parkway Rail Complex

Using Google Satellite image (Google Imagery, DigitalGlobe New York GIS ©2007) from 10/1/07.

This shows the area from several years ago.  Notable is that Levitz Furniture is still there, since replaced by Lowes Home Center, and the PC Richard & Sons north warehouse still has track behind it (which has since been removed or paved over.

From the annotated image, these notes are indicated by the numbers and represent what exists now:
1 – spur to warehouse taken out
between 1 and 2 – track taken out or paved over
2 – track exists
between 2 and 3 – track taken out
3 – small section of track in grass in parking lot
between 3 and 4 – track exists
4 – switch taken out
between 4 and 5 – track taken out or paved over
5 – switch to 2 tracks: one small section crosses road (Avon Court) and ends at low concrete wall along roadside; track is paved over in road; second track curves to west along roadside
between 5 and 6 – track visible in grass and pavement
6 – switch to 2 tracks
between 6 and 7 – track runs along roadside and is paved over or buried in dirt
7 – track crosses roadway, paved over but with rail visible
between 7 and 8 – removed or paved over through parking lot
9 – switch in weeds to 2 tracks between road and warehouse, both tracks in good condition
between 4 and 10 – track taken out
10 – 2 tracks and switch partially visible in grass in Lowes’ parking lot
between 10 and 11 – track exists
12 – switch from mainline and second switch to 2 tracks of the complex
between 12 and 1 – the section of track along Price Parkway to note 1 has been removed or paved over, with only a small section visible
13 – spur taken out

NOTE: - much of the track that is visible is in weeds
   - from the switch at note 5, the track had continued north to Daniel Street to service 2 or 3 warehouses as indicated in 1966 Freight Maps
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FYI #9 above was a Sears warehouse and #8 was a JC Penney building. I've also seen it mentioned somewhere that the track once ran further north to the State College. I haven't found the source for that again, so I don't know if that was really the case.