Railroad Museum of Long Island marks 180th anniversary of LIRR service to Greenport

On July 27, 1844, the first Long Island Rail Road train steamed into Greenport, culminating a 10-year effort to connect New York City and Boston.

That first train, 180 years ago, and the subsequent growth of the railroad, helped transform Long Island and spur the development of communities that thrive today, officials said.

More than 150 people gathered Saturday morning at the Railroad Museum of Long Island, located adjacent to the Greenport train station, to commemorate the anniversary and celebrate a milestone in Long Island's transportation history.

“The Long Island Rail Road built this island as we know it,” said Don Fisher, president of the museum, which also has a location in Riverhead.

The rail line to Greenport allowed travelers to avoid the boat or stagecoach trip from New York City to Boston that could take several days, Fisher said. Instead, the LIRR train and the ferry across Long Island Sound from Greenport to Stonington, Connecticut, sliced the journey down to about 11 hours.

“For people in 1844, that was rocket speed,” Fisher said.

Just after 10:50 a.m. Saturday, a LIRR train slowly pulled past the museum and into the Greenport station carrying nearly 100 guests as part of the MTA Away program. The trip began as far as Penn Station for some of the travelers aboard the excursion car.

The trio of Bob Barta and the Sunnyland Jazz Band entertained guests as they stepped off the platform and walked toward the museum. 

Surie Atiqah celebrated her 37th birthday Saturday with an early departure for Penn Station to catch the 7:50 a.m. train to Greenport — her first visit to Long Island, she said.

“It’s been quite a ride,” she added.

A native of Singapore who now works in New York City, Atiqah became interested in trains from her mother, she said. The train ride was “fascinating,” she said, learning history like what the seats looked like on early trains and the uniforms worn by conductors. 

Giancarlo Mainardi, 21, of Queens, boarded the train from Jamaica. He said he had been on a similar tour to Montauk and saw this as a unique opportunity.

He said the people aboard the train had “a shared interest.”

“A lot of folks were telling stories about trains back in their day where they came from,” he said.

The museum encouraged guests to wear nostalgic attire if possible. Robert Reichel, who prints the museum’s newsletters out of his Sayville business, entertained the crowd by riding his high-wheeler — an old-fashioned bicycle with a giant front wheel that was common around the 1870s.

Elected officials from Southold Town, Suffolk County and New York State presented proclamations to the museum and LIRR for their dual celebrations of the 190th anniversary of railroad's founding. The LIRR is the oldest railroad in the country still operating under its original name.

Southold Supervisor Al Krupski wore a black top hat as he spoke of the “cultural and economic role” the railroad played in the town’s history.

County Executive Edward P. Romaine said the LIRR "changed the history of Suffolk County." And Assemb. Fred Thiele Jr. (D-Sag Harbor) referred to the railroad as a "critical part of the history of Long Island."

To cap the festivities, the museum unveiled a historic marker recently placed near its entrance that designates the site of the terminal established in 1844 as an "early waypoint between Brooklyn & Boston."

The museum received grant funding through the William G. Pomeroy Foundation for the marker.

By Joe Werkmeister

joe.werkmeister@newsday.com

Joe Werkmeister covers the towns of Southampton, East Hampton and Shelter Island. He is a graduate of St. Bonaventure University and previously worked as the editor of two North Fork community newspapers.

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