Bethpage Branch

 

 

The Bethpage Branch was a branch of the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR), running from the present-day split between the Ronkonkoma Branch and Central Branch (then called the Bethpage Junction and now called Bethpage Interlocking) north about 1+³⁄₄ miles (2.8 km) to present-day Old Bethpage, New York.

This branch was originally built by the Central Railroad of Long Island (CRRLI) in June 1873, primarily for the purpose of serving Alexander Turney Stewart's local brick manufacturing plant (Bethpage Brickworks), so he could deliver bricks for his project building the planned community of Garden City, New York. Several pickle factories near the brickyards also used the line to deliver their freight.

Though passenger usage was not part of the original plan, one passenger stop at each end of the branch was instituted. The passenger stop at the northern terminus of the branch was called Bethpage, located near present-day Winding Road and Battle Row (just north of the old Stewart brickworks, and south of the present-day Old Bethpage Village Restoration). The stop at the southern end, called Bethpage Junction, was also a transfer point. From Bethpage Junction CRRLI (replaced after 1876 by LIRR) trains went north to Bethpage, and southeast to Babylon and beyond. CRRLI (and later LIRR) trains went west towards Garden City (and beyond), while LIRR trains went west to Jamaica (and beyond), and east towards Ronkonkama (and beyond).

Proposals to extend the branch north to Huntington were abandoned after amalgamation of the CRRLI with the LIRR in 1876. Designated a siding as of May 24, 1909, the Bethpage Branch was abandoned on November 10, 1942.

Station	Miles to Fulton Ferry Terminal	Location	Start	Station	Notes	History
Bethpage Junction	29½	at current LIRR Bethpage Interlocking site -- between present-day Bethpage (LIRR station) and Farmingdale (LIRR station)	First listed on timetable in June 1873	platform only	Also a transfer point, originally between LIRR and CRRLI	appears on LIRR timetable for 1924; reconfigured in 1925 to connect Main Line to Babylon
Bethpage	31¼	near Winding Road and Battle Row (just north of old Stewart brickworks) in present-day Old Bethpage, New York	November 9, 1874 as an accommodation to farmers	platform only	Northern terminus of Bethpage Branch	One round-trip a day. During 1876 and 1877, summer service only was provided. Appears on LIRR timetable for March 1879. Siding only in 1909

External links

• 1873 map showing railways on Long Island
• Bethpage Branch Track Maps by Bob Emery (Unofficial LIRR History)
• B-Tower May 11, 1947
• B-Tower, April 24, 1966
• B-Tower; 1986
• B-Tower July 1993
• 1952 Photo of Bethpage Junction
• The L.I.R.R.'s Bethpage Branch (Arrt's Archives)
• Bethpage Junction History (Arrt's Arrchives)
• Trains Are Fun: Bethpage
• Old Bethpage Village Restoration