.gif)
Speonk (LIRR station)
Encyclopedia
Speonk is an unmanned railroad station on the Montauk Branch
of the Long Island Rail Road
. It is located on North Phillips Avenue at Depot Road, in Speonk, New York
, just north of Montauk Highway
(CR 80). The station has two parking lots, one operated by the Long Island Railroad, and the other operated by the Town of Southampton, both of which are free. It also lies adjacent to one of the largest railroad freight yards on Long Island's East End. This yard comes into play for passenger service as well, as most scheduled trains terminate at Speonk rather than continue all the way to Montauk
.
. From 1895–1897 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 this 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 2000 and 2001. A new platform was built on the west side of North Phillips Avenue (the aforementioned station house is on the east side), along with a new parking lot. The new platform includes an outdoor enclosure, but no new station building was constructed.
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 from Long Island City on the west to Montauk on the east...
of the Long Island Rail Road
Long Island Rail Road
The Long Island Rail Road or LIRR is a commuter rail system serving the length of Long Island, New York. It is the busiest commuter railroad in North America, serving about 81.5 million passengers each year. Established in 1834 and having operated continuously since then, it is the oldest US...
. It is located on North Phillips Avenue at Depot Road, in Speonk, New York
Speonk, New York
Speonk is a hamlet located in the Town of Southampton, Suffolk County, New York.-History:As early as 1712, meadows in Speonk were leased to cattle owners from Southampton. Most of the early residents came west from Southampton and Bridgehampton in the 1740s, building farms and clearing the forests...
, just north of Montauk Highway
Montauk Highway
Montauk Highway is one of the original through highways of Long Island, New York, extending from Jamaica, in the New York City borough of Queens to Montauk Point in Suffolk County, a distance of approximately 100 miles ....
(CR 80). The station has two parking lots, one operated by the Long Island Railroad, and the other operated by the Town of Southampton, both of which are free. It also lies adjacent to one of the largest railroad freight yards on Long Island's East End. This yard comes into play for passenger service as well, as most scheduled trains terminate at Speonk rather than continue all the way to Montauk
Montauk, New York
Montauk [ˈmɒntɒk] is a census-designated place that roughly corresponds to the hamlet with the same name located in the town of East Hampton in Suffolk County, New York, United States on the South Shore of Long Island. As of the United States 2000 Census, the CDP population was 3,851 as of 2000...
.
History
Speonk Station was originally built in February 1870 along what was then the Sag Harbor BranchSag Harbor Branch
The Sag Harbor Branch was a branch of the Long Island Rail Road that was the eastern terminal on the south shore line of Long Island from 1869 to 1895 and then was a spur from Bridgehampton to Sag Harbor, New York from 1895 to 1940....
. From 1895–1897 it was known as "Remsenburg Station", acknowledging the hamlet of Remsenburg, New York
Remsenburg, New York
Remsenburg is a hamlet located in the Town of Southhampton, Suffolk County, New York.There are no stoplights and very few commercial businesses.-History:...
, 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
Eastport (LIRR station)
Eastport was a railroad station built on the former Manorville Branch of the Long Island Rail Road in Eastport, New York. It was opened in 1870 and closed in 1958....
and East Moriches Stations
East Moriches (LIRR station)
East Moriches is a former railroad station on the Montauk Branch of the Long Island Rail Road. It was located near Pine Street and Railroad Avenue in East Moriches, New York.-History:...
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 this 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 2000 and 2001. A new platform was built on the west side of North Phillips Avenue (the aforementioned station house is on the east side), along with a new parking lot. The new platform includes an outdoor enclosure, but no new station building was constructed.
Platform and track
The station has one four-car-long high-level platform on the south side of the single track.External links
- Former Speonk Station(Snack Bar) (Unofficial LIRR History Website)
- TrainsAreFun.com
- Unofficial LIRR Photography Pages
- Station from Phillips Avenue from Google Maps Street View
