LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Long Island Railroad: Long Island City
built 230 days ago
On a clear evening, when the sun begins to fall behind the skyline of mid-Manhattan, the shadows of the tall buildings begin to envelop the low-rise Long Island City riverfront, less than half a mile away. They darken the vantage points from which magnificent skyline and river views abound. They further obscure the historical landmarks of a century ago which attest to a very different place-- an independent city, a hub of employment, trains, and ferries-- the busiest place in Queens County. Because of the special demands of twentieth-century transportation, the hundreds of thousands of commuters passing through Long Island City on the same clear evening see virtually nothing of its views and landmarks. Most travel under it, some travel over it, and a very few travel by way of it. Fewer still know its secrets. They are obscured not only by the shadows of taller buildings, but ... by those cast by lofty plans.
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The Main Line runs from Long Island City east to Greenport; trains using the East River Tunnels from New York Penn Station join the line at Sunnyside Yard. It is electrified west of Ronkonkoma; diesel trains continue to Greenport. The services that run along this line are named after the branches that they use; trains beyond Hicksville, where the Port Jefferson Branch splits, are known as Ronkonkoma Branch and sometimes Greenport Branch trains. A short unnamed electric branch from Queens Village serves Belmont Park on race days.
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Jack Eichenbaum holds a PhD in urban geography and is an urban information system specialist He has been exploring Long Island City for twenty years. Jack has toured the neighborhood under the auspices of the Queens Historical Society, the 92nd St.Y, Hunters Point Community Coalition, American Institute of Architects and Shorewalkers. Over the years, Jack has developed a series of three walking tours of Long Island City which highlight the most visible of its charms, surprises and problems.
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The Montauk Branch runs from Long Island City to Montauk, meeting the Main Line at Long Island City and Jamaica. It is electrified from Jamaica east to Babylon; only diesel trains use the "Lower Montauk" section west of Jamaica or the outer section east of Babylon. Only trains east of Babylon are considered part of the Montauk Branch service; the line from Valley Stream (where the West Hempstead Branch splits) to Babylon carries Babylon Branch trains.
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The program opens with a visit to the Long Island City yards for a look at morning rush hour, with both arriving and departing trains. The action continues at Mineola, where express trains roar through the station at high speed, while others enter and leave the scenic Oyster Bay Branch.
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