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Medford (LIRR station)
Encyclopedia
Medford is a station
in the hamlet of Medford, New York
on the Main Line
(Greenport Branch) of the Long Island Railroad. Medford is located on New York State Route 112
between Peconic Avenue and Long Island Avenue. Access to the station is available from a narrow curving roadway leading off Route 112. This roadway used to connect with the Ohio Avenue intersection until Ohio Avenue was closed north of Peconic Avenue in 2007. It is also accessible from the north end of Oregon Avenue, although the Medford Fire Department periodically closes the Oregon Avenue access road for drills or other exercises.
. On August 20, 1863, the station burned down, but wasn't rebuilt until 1889. This version was a two-story structure located near an at-grade crossing with NY 112
that was considered one of the most dangerous crossings on the Long Island Rail Road. Demands for a bridge were ignored throughout the 1920s and 1930s. Only when a relative of a government official was killed at the crossing in 1940 was there any effort to build a bridge over Route 112. When the tracks were elevated, the station was rebuilt as a two-level station house along the embankment with the passenger waiting area on the top floor and an REA Express freight depot near the parking lot at ground-level. The bridge across NY 112, which has a low clearance of 12 feet, 9 inches, was designed for two tracks, but the second track was abandoned in the early 1960s. The station house was closed in 1958, with the first floor blocked off and second floor torn down in 1964 and filled in with dirt. A small wooden shelter was added to the platform in 1988, and was later replaced by a plexiglas one.
In the late 1990s the station was rebuilt again in preparation for the new fleet of double-decker coaches, which require high-level platforms for boarding, and for future electrification of the line. In the rebuilding, the former ground-level platform was elevated, with a new stairway and a wheelchair access ramp
from the parking area, and a small shelter was constructed at platform level. Parking at Medford station is free and unrestricted, in sharp contrast to the situation at many other LIRR stations.
A freight spur exists along the embankment of the track in the parking lot. This was built for a nearby building-products factory and was one of numerous spurs and sidetracks that have existed in Medford since the LIRR came through the town. When Holtsville Station
was closed on March 16, 1998, commuters from Holtsville
were advised to use both Medford and Ronkonkoma Stations
, although more use Ronkonkoma. The station also contains a memorial to the victims of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
bridge over Long Island Avenue. Former President Theodore Roosevelt
visited the farm on his 1910 "Whistle-Stop Campaign."
south of the track that is long enough for one and a half cars to receive and discharge passengers. Other than the siding noted above, the Main Line has one track at this location.
Train station
A train station, also called a railroad station or railway station and often shortened to just station,"Station" is commonly understood to mean "train station" unless otherwise qualified. This is evident from dictionary entries e.g...
in the hamlet of Medford, New York
Medford, New York
Medford is a hamlet in Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 21,985 at the 2000 census.Medford is a community in the southwest part of the Town of Brookhaven...
on the Main Line
Main Line (Long Island Rail Road)
The Main Line is a rail line owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U.S. state of New York. It begins in Long Island City and runs along the middle of Long Island about 95 miles to Greenport...
(Greenport Branch) of the Long Island Railroad. Medford is located on New York State Route 112
New York State Route 112
New York State Route 112 is a New York state highway, entirely within the Town of Brookhaven in Suffolk County. It runs from Montauk Highway, formerly part of NY 27A, in the village of Patchogue to NY 25A in Port Jefferson Station. It is known locally as Medford Ave in Patchogue...
between Peconic Avenue and Long Island Avenue. Access to the station is available from a narrow curving roadway leading off Route 112. This roadway used to connect with the Ohio Avenue intersection until Ohio Avenue was closed north of Peconic Avenue in 2007. It is also accessible from the north end of Oregon Avenue, although the Medford Fire Department periodically closes the Oregon Avenue access road for drills or other exercises.
History
Medford Station was originally opened on June 26, 1844 when the main line terminated at the former Carman's River Station east of Yaphank StationYaphank (LIRR station)
Yaphank is a station in the hamlet of Yaphank, New York on the Main Line of the Long Island Rail Road. It is located on Park Street near Suffolk County Road 21 . It is also accessible from streets in and around Suffolk County. The distance between Yaphank and the next station, Riverhead, is the...
. On August 20, 1863, the station burned down, but wasn't rebuilt until 1889. This version was a two-story structure located near an at-grade crossing with NY 112
New York State Route 112
New York State Route 112 is a New York state highway, entirely within the Town of Brookhaven in Suffolk County. It runs from Montauk Highway, formerly part of NY 27A, in the village of Patchogue to NY 25A in Port Jefferson Station. It is known locally as Medford Ave in Patchogue...
that was considered one of the most dangerous crossings on the Long Island Rail Road. Demands for a bridge were ignored throughout the 1920s and 1930s. Only when a relative of a government official was killed at the crossing in 1940 was there any effort to build a bridge over Route 112. When the tracks were elevated, the station was rebuilt as a two-level station house along the embankment with the passenger waiting area on the top floor and an REA Express freight depot near the parking lot at ground-level. The bridge across NY 112, which has a low clearance of 12 feet, 9 inches, was designed for two tracks, but the second track was abandoned in the early 1960s. The station house was closed in 1958, with the first floor blocked off and second floor torn down in 1964 and filled in with dirt. A small wooden shelter was added to the platform in 1988, and was later replaced by a plexiglas one.
In the late 1990s the station was rebuilt again in preparation for the new fleet of double-decker coaches, which require high-level platforms for boarding, and for future electrification of the line. In the rebuilding, the former ground-level platform was elevated, with a new stairway and a wheelchair access ramp
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 is a law that was enacted by the U.S. Congress in 1990. It was signed into law on July 26, 1990, by President George H. W. Bush, and later amended with changes effective January 1, 2009....
from the parking area, and a small shelter was constructed at platform level. Parking at Medford station is free and unrestricted, in sharp contrast to the situation at many other LIRR stations.
A freight spur exists along the embankment of the track in the parking lot. This was built for a nearby building-products factory and was one of numerous spurs and sidetracks that have existed in Medford since the LIRR came through the town. When Holtsville Station
Holtsville (LIRR station)
Holtsville was a station stop on the Greenport Branch of the Long Island Rail Road. It was located off of Waverly Avenue between Long Island Avenue and Furrows Road in Holtsville, New York.-History:...
was closed on March 16, 1998, commuters from Holtsville
Holtsville, New York
Holtsville is a hamlet in Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 17,006 at the 2000 census....
were advised to use both Medford and Ronkonkoma Stations
Ronkonkoma (LIRR station)
Ronkonkoma is a major railroad station and transportation hub along the Main Line of the Long Island Rail Road in Ronkonkoma, New York. The station is the eastern terminus of the Ronkonkoma Branch and the western terminus of the Greenport Branch....
, although more use Ronkonkoma. The station also contains a memorial to the victims of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
LIRR Demonstration Farm #2
Due to the success of the Long Island Rail Road Demonstration Farm on the Wading River Branch, a second one opened east of Medford Station from 1907-1927. The site was also known as the Medford Prosperity Farm, and the remainder of site of the farm can be found near the Horse Block RoadCounty Route 16 (Suffolk County, New York)
Suffolk County Route 16 is a main thoroughfare through central Suffolk County, New York. Its western terminus is at Middle Country Road in Smithtown, on the eastern border of the Village of the Branch, and its eastern terminus is at Montauk Highway in Brookhaven near Southhaven...
bridge over Long Island Avenue. Former President Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
visited the farm on his 1910 "Whistle-Stop Campaign."
Platform and track configuration
This station has one high-level side platformSide platform
A Side platform is a platform positioned to the side of a pair of tracks at a railway station, a tram stop or a transitway. A pair of side platforms are often provided on a dual track line with a single side platform being sufficient for a single track line...
south of the track that is long enough for one and a half cars to receive and discharge passengers. Other than the siding noted above, the Main Line has one track at this location.
External links
- Original Medford Station
- Old Medford Station (LIRR Unofficial History Website)
- Unofficial LIRR Photography Site (lirrpics.com)
- Medford Avenue entrance from Google Maps Street View
