| By: | Tom Beckett |
| Dates: | 1/1/1980 - 1/1/2011 |
| Album Info: | The LIRR is a 24 hour operation. While its world is primarily daytime runs, it has a different character at night. Back in the mid 80's, I worked for Friendly Ice Cream as an assistant manager in their Albertson NY restaurant. My schedule was mostly nights, starting at 4 or 5 PM, working to close, which was either 11 or midnight, depending on time of year. After work, I'd go to Mineola and watch the late night parade, which in addition to the usual passage of MU trains, included diesel powered trains to Ronkonkoma, Oyster Bay, and Montauk. It was also a good time to catch the west end road freights, RF 11 eastbound, which usually followed the last Oyster Bay train through Mineola around 1:30; and RF 91 westbound, which was more erratic, sometime appearing between 1 and 3 AM, but often later. RF 11 was the train to see. It would follow the Oyster Bay train, which left the Main Line at Mineola, holding back west of Herricks Road til the passenger train cleared Nassau interlocking, then putting it up into Run 8 once he had the signal. He'd come through Mineola running flat out, gaining speed in an unbelieveable show of smoke, noise, and fire from the stacks of the C420's that were assigned to the train in those days. |
