David Morrison 128 pages softcover
The Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) is the oldest railroad in the country
still operating under its original name. It is the busiest railroad in
North America, with 90 million annual riders on 735 trains covering 11
different branches. The Port Washington Branch carries 14 million riders
annually and is the third-busiest branch on the LIRR, behind the Port
Jefferson Branch (19 million riders) and the Babylon Branch (18 million
riders). Port Washington Branch trains converge with the main line just
east of Woodside Station. The branch has been electrified since 1913 and
is double-track to a point just east of Great Neck Station. The highest
bridge on the railroad is the Manhasset Viaduct, which goes over
Manhasset Bay. The branch has serviced the 1939 New York World's Fair
and the 1964 New York World's Fair as well as the stadium of the New
York Mets baseball team. The Whitestone Branch, which was abandoned in
1932, diverted from the Port Washington Branch at a point a bit east of
the current Mets-Willets Point station.
