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Speonk is an unmanned railroad station on the
Speonk station was originally built in February 1870 along what was then the Sag Harbor Branch. From 1895 to 1897 it was known as "Remsenburg station", acknowledging the hamlet of Remsenburg, New York, which lies just south of Speonk. The station was struck by lightning and burned on June 22, 1901, and a second depot opened in December 1901. Railroad conductors frequently accentuated the name when calling it out as the next station. This latter agency and depot were closed in 1958, and the station has been unmanned ever since. The former station was converted into a snack bar that is still operating as the Trackside Cafe restaurant.
When Eastport and East Moriches stations were closed by the LIRR on October 6, 1958, due to lack of usage, commuters were told to transfer either to this station or to Center Moriches station. The elimination of the latter on March 16, 1998, makes Speonk the next choice for commuters east of Mastic–Shirley station, almost ten miles away by road. The traffic from all three intervening stations which have been eliminated since 1950 has been transferred to these two stations.
As part of its program to upgrade all stations to high-level platforms, the LIRR relocated the functional portion of Speonk station between 1996 and 1997. A new platform was built on the west side of North Phillips Avenue, along with a new parking lot; the aforementioned station house and former low-level platform were located to the east. The new platform includes an outdoor enclosure, but no new station building was constructed. The new station includes ticket vending machines and elegant lighting in the parking lots. The former station house and current cafe is across the tracks from the yard.
The yard east of the station features a
SK Interlocking (The LIRR Today)Former Speonk Station(Snack Bar)
(Unofficial LIRR History Website) *TrainsAreFun.com
Speonk Freight Yard; 1950's or 1960's
Speonk Freight Yard; June 1, 2006
Old Water Tower; 1971
Speonk Railroad Station sign, by Joe Gregory
*Unofficial LIRR Photography Pages
Station from Phillips Avenue from Google Maps Street View
{{LIRR stations navbox Long Island Rail Road stations in Suffolk County, New York Southampton (town), New York Railway stations in the United States opened in 1870 1870 establishments in New York (state)
Montauk Branch
The Montauk Branch is a rail line owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U.S. state of New York. The branch runs the length of Long Island, 115 miles (185 km) from Long Island City on the west to Montauk on the east. Ho ...
of the Long Island Rail Road. It is located on Phillips Avenue at Depot Road in Speonk, New York, just north of Montauk Highway
Montauk Highway is an east–west road extending for across the southern shore of Long Island in Suffolk County, New York, in the United States. It extends from the Nassau County line in Amityville, where it connects to Merrick Road, to Mont ...
( CR 80). The station has two parking lots, one operated by the Long Island Rail Road, and the other operated by the Town of Southampton, both of which are free. It also lies adjacent to one of the largest railroad yards on Long Island's East End. This yard is mostly used to hold passenger consists, as a handful of trains terminate at Speonk rather than continue all the way to Montauk.
History
Speonk station was originally built in February 1870 along what was then the Sag Harbor Branch. From 1895 to 1897 it was known as "Remsenburg station", acknowledging the hamlet of Remsenburg, New York, which lies just south of Speonk. The station was struck by lightning and burned on June 22, 1901, and a second depot opened in December 1901. Railroad conductors frequently accentuated the name when calling it out as the next station. This latter agency and depot were closed in 1958, and the station has been unmanned ever since. The former station was converted into a snack bar that is still operating as the Trackside Cafe restaurant.
When Eastport and East Moriches stations were closed by the LIRR on October 6, 1958, due to lack of usage, commuters were told to transfer either to this station or to Center Moriches station. The elimination of the latter on March 16, 1998, makes Speonk the next choice for commuters east of Mastic–Shirley station, almost ten miles away by road. The traffic from all three intervening stations which have been eliminated since 1950 has been transferred to these two stations.
As part of its program to upgrade all stations to high-level platforms, the LIRR relocated the functional portion of Speonk station between 1996 and 1997. A new platform was built on the west side of North Phillips Avenue, along with a new parking lot; the aforementioned station house and former low-level platform were located to the east. The new platform includes an outdoor enclosure, but no new station building was constructed. The new station includes ticket vending machines and elegant lighting in the parking lots. The former station house and current cafe is across the tracks from the yard.
The yard east of the station features a wye
Wye may refer to:
Place names
*Wye, Kent, a village in Kent, England
** Wye College, agricultural college, part of University of London before closure in 2009
**Wye School, serving the above village
** Wye railway station, serving the above villa ...
to turn locomotives around.
Service
Some trains on the Montauk Line terminate in Speonk. Weekdays there are 14 westbound trains towards NYC (5 of which come from Montauk) and 11 eastbound trains from NYC (5 of which go to Montauk). There are two large parking lots nearby.Station layout
The station has one four-car-long high-level platform on the south side of the single track.References
External links
SK Interlocking (The LIRR Today)
(Unofficial LIRR History Website) *TrainsAreFun.com
Speonk Freight Yard; 1950's or 1960's
Speonk Freight Yard; June 1, 2006
Old Water Tower; 1971
Speonk Railroad Station sign, by Joe Gregory
*Unofficial LIRR Photography Pages
Station from Phillips Avenue from Google Maps Street View
{{LIRR stations navbox Long Island Rail Road stations in Suffolk County, New York Southampton (town), New York Railway stations in the United States opened in 1870 1870 establishments in New York (state)