Port Washington Branch
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2008-07-02T22:23:51Z
DanTD
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old image revived
{{Infobox rail line
|name = Port Washington Branch
|image = Bombardier M7 7799 enters Flushing.jpg
|image_width =
|caption = Port Washington Branch train enters the [[Flushing (LIRR station)|Flushing station]].
|type = [[Commuter rail]]
|system = [[Long Island Rail Road]]
|status = Operational
|locale = [[Queens]] and [[Nassau County, New York|Nassau County]], [[New York]], [[United States|USA]]
|start =
|end =
|stations = 12
|routes = {{rail color box|system=LIRR|line=Port Washington}}
|ridership =
|open = 1854 (as Flushing and North Side Railroad)
|close =
|owner = [[Long Island Rail Road]]
|operator = [[Metropolitan Transportation Authority (New York)|Metropolitan Transportation Authority]]
|linelength =
|tracklength =
|gauge = {{RailGauge|ussg}}
|el = [[Third rail]]
|map =
}}
{{commons}}
The '''Port Washington Branch''' is an [[electrified (rail)|electrified]] two-track [[rail line]] and service owned and operated by the [[Long Island Rail Road]] in the [[U.S. state]] of [[New York]]. It branches north from the [[Main Line (LIRR)|Main Line]] at [[Winfield Junction]], just east of the [[Woodside (LIRR)|Woodside]] station, and runs roughly parallel to [[Northern Boulevard]] past [[Shea Stadium]], [[Flushing, Queens|Flushing]], [[Bayside, Queens|Bayside]], [[Douglaston, Queens|Douglaston]], [[Little Neck, Queens|Little Neck]], and then crosses into [[Nassau County, New York|Nassau County]] for stops in [[Great Neck, New York|Great Neck]], [[Manhasset, New York|Manhasset]], and [[Plandome, New York|Plandome]] before terminating at [[Port Washington, New York|Port Washington]].<ref>[http://mta.info/lirr/html/lirrmap.htm MTA LIRR - LIRR Map]</ref><ref>[http://www.mta.info/lirr/html/ttn/p.htm LIRR Port Washington Branch Timetable]</ref>
The branch has the distinction of being the only LIRR service whose trains do not serve [[Jamaica (LIRR station)|Jamaica]], as it branches off the Main Line several miles west of that station.
[[Image:Port Washington Station - Main Street & Haven Avenue.jpg|275px|thumb|left|Port Washington Station from the corner of Main Street and Haven Avenue in [[Port Washington, New York]].]]
<br clear="both" />
==Route description==
{{Port Washington Branch}}
The line has two tracks from the Woodside to Great Neck, and one track from east of Great Neck past [[Manhasset (LIRR station)|Manhasset]] and [[Plandome (LIRR station)|Plandome]] stations to Port Washington. This often causes massive delays during two-way rush hour operations. A second track cannot be added through Manhasset and Plandome due to the proximity of businesses to the narrow right-of-way in Plandome. Also, the trestle between Great Neck and Manhasset also runs only one track. {{Fact|date=February 2007}}
To eliminate as many delays as possible on the heavily-used line, most peak-hour trains are either local from Penn Station to [[Great Neck (LIRR station)|Great Neck]] (making all stops in between the two) or express from Penn Station to [[Port Washington (LIRR station)|Port Washington]] (making stops only at Great Neck, Manhasset, Plandome, and Port Washington, although some trains make their first stop at [[Bayside (LIRR station)|Bayside]]).
During rush hours, there are also some trains that run express back to Penn Station from Great Neck, stopping only at Flushing Main Street and Woodside.
Extra service is offered during the [[U.S. Open (tennis)|U.S. Open]] tennis tournament and for [[New York Mets]] home games, both of which are held in [[Flushing Meadows-Corona Park|Flushing Meadows–Corona Park]]. These trains stop at a special [[Shea Stadium (LIRR station)|Shea Stadium]] station between Woodside and [[Flushing Main Street (LIRR station)|Flushing Main Street]].
The route originally terminated in Great Neck until the building of a train trestle over the marshes at the southern end of Manhasset Bay. According to Manhasset's website, "in 1897, a contract was given to the Carnegie Steel Company and a subsidiary, the King Iron Company, undertook the job of constructing the bridge." The trestle bridge cost about $60,000, and the first train to cross it was on June 23, 1898.
The bridge stands {{convert|181|ft|m}} tall and runs {{convert|678|ft|m}} across the bay, offering a spectacular view of the Manhasset Bay. According to the Manhasset Website, scenes from the silent film serial "The Perils of Pauline" were shot on the trestle.
{{-}}
==Station listing==
{| class="wikitable"
!Station/<br>location
!Station<br>link
!Miles (kilometers)<br>to [[Pennsylvania Station (New York City)|Penn Station]]
!Connections/notes
!History
|-
|[[Pennsylvania Station (New York City)|Pennsylvania Station]] {{LIRR acc}}<br>[[34th Street (Manhattan)|34th Street]] and [[Seventh Avenue (Manhattan)|Seventh Avenue]], [[Midtown Manhattan]]
|[http://lirr42.mta.info/stationinfo.asp?station=008]
|0 (0)
|Subway: [[1 (New York City Subway service)|1]] [[2 (New York City Subway service)|2]] [[3 (New York City Subway service)|3]] ([[Manhattan]] to [[The Bronx]] and [[Brooklyn]]) (7th Avenue) and [[A (New York City Subway service)|A]] [[C (New York City Subway service)|C]] [[E (New York City Subway service)|E]] ([[Manhattan]] to [[Brooklyn]] and [[Queens]]) (8th Avenue)<br>Bus ([[New York City Bus]]): M4, M10, M16, M20, M34, Q32
|
|-
|[[Woodside (LIRR station)|Woodside]]<br>61st Street and Roosevelt Avenue, [[Woodside, Queens|Woodside]]
|[http://lirr42.mta.info/stationinfo.asp?station=009]
|5.1 (8.2)
|Subway: ({{NYCS Flushing}})<br>Bus (New York City Bus): Q18, Q32, Q53
|Opened [[November 15]], [[1869]] on north side of tracks west of 58th Street; closed 1914 and demolished 1916 (replaced with current structure during grade crossing elimination)
|-
|''[[Winfield (LIRR station)|Winfield]]'' <br> [[Woodside, Queens|Woodside]]
|
|
|
|Opened July 1854 on southeast corner of 50th Avenue and 69th Street; moved to the junction in August 1876 to also serve the [[Main Line (LIRR)|Main Line]]<!--but the F&NS main line was moved before then!-->; closed 1929
|-
|''[[Elmhurst (LIRR station)|Elmhurst]]'' <br> [[Elmhurst, Queens|Elmhurst]]
|
|
|
|Opened 1855 as Newtown; name changed to Elmhurst June 1897; closed 1985
|-
|''[[Corona (LIRR station)|Corona]]'' <br> [[Corona, Queens|Corona]]
|
|
|
|Service began [[June 26]], [[1854]]; station opened [[April 2]], [[1855]] on west side of National Avenue as Fashion Race Course; renamed West Flushing when 108th Street was abandoned, and Corona in June 1872; closed 1963
|-
|''[[West Flushing (LIRR station)|West Flushing]]''<br>[[Corona, Queens|Corona]]
|
|
|
|Opened September 1854 on north side of line and east side of 108th Street; later abandoned and name assigned to later Corona station
|-
|[[Shea Stadium (LIRR station)|Shea Stadium]] (seasonal service)<br>[[Flushing Meadows Park]], south of Roosevelt Avenue
|[http://lirr42.mta.info/stationinfo.asp?station=017]
|8.6 (13.8)
|Subway: ({{NYCS Flushing}})
|
|-
|[[Flushing Main Street (LIRR station)|Flushing Main Street]]<br>Main Street and 41st Avenue, [[Flushing, Queens|Flushing]]
|[http://lirr42.mta.info/stationinfo.asp?station=018]
|9.5 (15.3)
|Subway: ({{NYCS Flushing}}) <br>Bus (New York City Bus): Q12, Q17, Q20, Q25, Q26, Q28, Q34, Q44, Q48, Q58<br>Bus ([[MTA Long Island Bus]]): N20, N21
|Service began [[June 26]], [[1854]]
|-
|[[Murray Hill (LIRR station)|Murray Hill]]<br>150th Street and 41st Avenue, [[Flushing, Queens|Flushing]]
|[http://lirr42.mta.info/stationinfo.asp?station=019]
|10.3 (16.6)
|Bus (New York City Bus): Q15
|
|-
|[[Broadway (LIRR station)|Broadway]]<br>162nd Street and [[Northern Boulevard]], [[Flushing, Queens|Flushing]]
|[http://lirr42.mta.info/stationinfo.asp?station=020]
|11.1 (17.9)
|Bus (New York City Bus): Q12, Q13, Q28
|Service began [[October 27]], [[1866]], as '''Flushing - Broadway''' station. Elevated between [[1912]] and [[1913]].
|-
|[[Auburndale (LIRR station)|Auburndale]]<br>192nd Street and Station Road, [[Auburndale, Queens|Auburndale]]
|[http://lirr42.mta.info/stationinfo.asp?station=021]
|11.7 (18.8)
|Bus (New York City Bus): Q12, Q13, Q28, Q76
|
|-
|[[Bayside (LIRR station)|Bayside]]<br>213th Street and 41st Avenue, [[Bayside, Queens|Bayside]]
|[http://lirr42.mta.info/stationinfo.asp?station=022]
|12.6 (20.3)
|Bus (New York City Bus): Q13, Q31
|
|-
|[[Douglaston (LIRR station)|Douglaston]]<br>235th Street and 41st Avenue, [[Douglaston, Queens|Douglaston]]
|[http://lirr42.mta.info/stationinfo.asp?station=023]
|13.9 (22.4)
|
|Originally '''Little Neck Station''' between 1866 and June 1870.
|-
|[[Little Neck (LIRR station)|Little Neck]]<br>Little Neck Parkway and 39th Road, [[Little Neck, Queens|Little Neck]]
|[http://lirr42.mta.info/stationinfo.asp?station=024]
|14.5 (23.3)
|Bus (New York City Bus): Q12, Q79<br>Bus (MTA Long Island Bus): N20, N21
|
|-
|[[Great Neck (LIRR station)|Great Neck]]<br>Middle Neck Road and Station Plaza at Great Neck Road, [[Great Neck, New York|Great Neck]]
|[http://lirr42.mta.info/stationinfo.asp?station=025]
|15.7 (25.3)
|Bus (MTA Long Island Bus): N20, N21, N25, N57, N58
|Service began on [[October 27]], [[1866]], and served as the terminus of the line until 1898.
|-
|[[Manhasset (LIRR station)|Manhasset]]<br>Plandome Road and Maple Place, [[Manhasset, New York|Manhasset]]
|[http://lirr42.mta.info/stationinfo.asp?station=026]
|17.2 (27.7)
|
|
|-
|[[Plandome (LIRR station)|Plandome]]<br>Off Stonytown Road and Rockwood Road, [[Plandome, New York|Plandome]]
|[http://lirr42.mta.info/stationinfo.asp?station=027]
|18.3 (29.5)
|
|
|-
|[[Port Washington (LIRR station)|Port Washington]]<br>Main Street, between Haven Avenue and South Bayles Avenue, [[Port Washington, New York|Port Washington]]
|[http://lirr42.mta.info/stationinfo.asp?station=028]
|19.9 (32.0)
|Bus (MTA Long Island Bus): N23
|
|-
|}
==References==
*[[wikisource:The Long Island Rail Road: A Comprehensive History, Part Two: The Flushing, North Shore & Central Railroad|The Long Island Rail Road: A Comprehensive History, Part Two: The Flushing, North Shore & Central Railroad]]
<references/>
==External links==
*[http://www.lirr.org/lirr/ MTA Long Island Rail Road]
*[http://www.lirrhistory.com/pwstas.html Port Washington Branch Stations] (Bob Andersen's Unofficial LIRR History Website)
*[http://world.nycsubway.org/us/lirr/lirr-portwash.html NYCSubway.org: Port Washington Branch]
*Forgotten New York:
**[http://www.forgotten-ny.com/SUBWAYS/pwbranch/pwbranch.html Pride in Port (The Jekyll & Hyde Branch of the Long Island Railroad: Part One)]
**[http://www.forgotten-ny.com/SUBWAYS/pwbranch2/pwbranch2.html Pride in Port (The Jekyll & Hyde Branch of the Long Island Railroad: Part Two)]
{{Long Island Rail Road}}
[[Category:Long Island Rail Road]]
[[Category:Transportation in Queens]]
[[Category:Transportation in Nassau County, New York]]