Merrick is a station on the

Babylon Branch The Babylon Branch is a rail service operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U.S. state of New York. The term refers to the trains serving Montauk Branch stations from Valley Stream east to Babylon; in other words, the Babylon Branch is a ...

of the Long Island Rail Road. It is officially located on

Sunrise Highway New York State Route 27 (NY 27) is a long state highway that runs east–west from Interstate 278 (I-278) in the New York City borough of Brooklyn to Montauk Point State Park on Long Island, New York. Its two most prominent com ...

, between Hewlett Avenue and Merrick Avenue, in

Merrick, New York Merrick is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, on the South Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. , the population was 20,130. Geography According to the United States Census Bu ...

. However, the parking areas for the station expand well beyond the given location.

History

Merrick station is typical of the elevated

stations that were rebuilt during the mid-to-late 20th Century. What's not so typical are its origins. The station was originally built on October 28, 1867, by the

South Side Railroad of Long Island The South Side Railroad of Long Island was a railroad company in the U.S. state of New York. Chartered in 1860 and first opened in 1867 as a competitor to the Long Island Rail Road, it was reorganized in 1874 as the Southern Railroad of Long Isl ...

, but in 1869, it was expanded into a hotel built by SSRRLI President Charles Fox. This hotel was burned to the ground in 1908. A second depot was built in 1885 and a third was built in 1902. The station was razed in June 1969 as part of the grade elimination project. A temporary station was installed on December 4, 1970, but the elevated fourth station wasn't opened until June 28, 1975.

Station layout

This station has one 12-car-long high-level

island platform An island platform (also center platform, centre platform) is a station layout arrangement where a single platform is positioned between two tracks within a railway station, tram stop or transitway interchange. Island platforms are popular on ...

serving trains in both directions. A 10-car-long awning exists, with the easternmost part of the platform uncovered. The rail line has two tracks at this location. Each Fall, this railroad station, like Bellmore station plays host to a Street Festival/Fair courtesy of Merrick Chamber of Commerce. Merrick station is home to a memorial to Roxey (d. 1914), a dog who frequented the LIRR in the early 20th century and became a mascot for the commuters and staff. The small gravestone is located on the south side of the station, along the guardrail separating the parking lot from the Sunrise Highway, in a patch of lawn about 20 feet east of Merrick Avenue.

References

External links

Merrick Station Clock
(Merrick Chamber of Commerce)
Merrick Station as seen from Sunrise Highway (Steve Alpert's Roads.net)

Merrick Avenue entrance from Google Maps Street View

Station House from Google Maps Street View

Hewlett Avenue entrance from Google Maps Street View
{{LIRR stations navbox Long Island Rail Road stations in Nassau County, New York Railway stations in the United States opened in 1867