Medford is a
station
Station may refer to:
Agriculture
* Station (Australian agriculture), a large Australian landholding used for livestock production
* Station (New Zealand agriculture), a large New Zealand farm used for grazing by sheep and cattle
** Cattle statio ...
in the hamlet of
Medford, New York
Medford is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Town of Brookhaven in Suffolk County, on Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 24,142 at the 2010 census.
History
The Long Island Rail Road established the Me ...
on the
Main Line
Mainline, ''Main line'', or ''Main Line'' may refer to:
Transportation
Railway
* Main line (railway), the principal artery of a railway system
* Main line railway preservation, the practice of operating preserved trains on an operational railw ...
(
Greenport Branch
The Ronkonkoma Branch is a rail service operated by the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) in the U.S. state of New York. On LIRR maps and printed schedules, the "Ronkonkoma Branch" includes trains running along the railroad's Main Line from Hicksv ...
) of the
Long Island Rail Road
The Long Island Rail Road , often abbreviated as the LIRR, is a commuter rail system in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, stretching from Manhattan to the eastern tip of Suffolk County, New York, Suffolk Co ...
. Medford is located on
New York State Route 112
New York State Route 112 (NY 112) is a state highway located entirely within the town of Brookhaven, New York, Brookhaven in Suffolk County, New York, in the United States. It runs from an intersection with Montauk Highway (formerly part ...
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
Yaphank () is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 5,945 at the time of the 2010 census.
Yaphank is located in the south part of the Town of Brookhaven. It is served by the L ...
station. 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 (NY 112) is a state highway located entirely within the town of Brookhaven in Suffolk County, New York, in the United States. It runs from an intersection with Montauk Highway (formerly part of NY 27A) i ...
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 plexiglass 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 team track for freight service, provided by the
New York & Atlantic Railway
The New York and Atlantic Railway (NY&A) is a short line railroad formed in 1997 to provide freight service over the tracks of the Long Island Rail Road, a public commuter rail agency which had decided to privatize its freight operations. An a ...
, since 1997, and formerly by the
LIRR
The Long Island Rail Road , often abbreviated as the LIRR, is a commuter rail system in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of New York, stretching from Manhattan to the eastern tip of Suffolk County on Long Island. With an average week ...
, for off-line customers, exists along the south side embankment of the track. This has been in place for several nearby building-products companies and their predecessors for many years since the elevation over Rte. 112 in the 1940s. 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
The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commerc ...
terrorist attacks.
LIRR Demonstration Farm #2
Due to the success of the Long Island Rail Road Demonstration Farm on the
Wading River Branch
The Port Jefferson Branch is a rail line and service owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U.S. state of New York. The branch splits from the Main Line just east of Hicksville and runs northeast and east to Port Jefferson. Sever ...
, 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 Road bridge over Long Island Avenue. Former President
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...
visited the farm on his 1910 "Whistle-Stop Campaign."
Station layout
This station has one high-level
side platform
A side platform (also known as a marginal platform or a single-face platform) is a platform positioned to the side of one or more railway tracks or guideways at a railway station, tram stop, or transitway. A station having dual side platforms ...
south of the track that is long enough for one and a half cars to receive and discharge passengers. Other than the freight spur served by the
New York & Atlantic Railway
The New York and Atlantic Railway (NY&A) is a short line railroad formed in 1997 to provide freight service over the tracks of the Long Island Rail Road, a public commuter rail agency which had decided to privatize its freight operations. An a ...
noted above, the Main Line has one track at this location.
Gallery
Image:NY 112 @ RR & Ohio Avenues.JPG, NY 112
New York State Route 112 (NY 112) is a state highway located entirely within the town of Brookhaven in Suffolk County, New York, in the United States. It runs from an intersection with Montauk Highway (formerly part of NY 27A) i ...
near 1940-built LIRR Bridge; Taken 1986-1994.
Image:Medford Station 9-11 Memorial Garden.jpg, Medford station's September 11, 2001
The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commerc ...
Memorial Garden
File:Medford Station from Long Island Avenue.JPG, Medford station as seen from Long Island Avenue on the north side of the tracks.
References
External links
Original Medford StationOld Medford Station (LIRR Unofficial History Website)Medford Railroad Station by Thomas R. Bayles (Longwood's Journey)*Unofficial LIRR Photography Site (lirrpics.com)
Medford Avenue entrance from Google Maps Street View
{{LIRR stations navbox
Long Island Rail Road stations in Suffolk County, New York
Railway stations in the United States opened in 1844
Brookhaven, New York