David Morrison 128 pages softcover
The Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) is the oldest railroad in the country
still operating under its original name. Of the 126 LIRR railroad
stations, two are located on the island of Manhattan with the Long Beach
Station being the only other that is not located on geographic Long
Island. Situated on the barrier island of Long Beach, trains must travel
over a bascule drawbridge, going over the Reynolds Channel waterway, to
reach the Long Beach terminal. Train service began in 1880 at Long
Beach as a means for city dwellers to get to a beach resort. When the
island started to become heavily residential in the early 1900s, the
existing station building was erected in 1909. A short walk from the
world-renowned boardwalk and the Atlantic oceanfront, this station has
an annual ridership of over three million. The ridership spikes during
summer months, when the LIRR heavily promotes "Take the Train to the
Beach." The station building is an architectural gem, with three huge
brick archways on the front, a Spanish-style roof, and Moravian tiles
imbedded in the exterior stucco walls on all four sides.
