White Line (Long Island Rail Road)

The White Line was a short-lived branch of the Long Island Rail Road in western Queens County, New York. Officially known as the Newtown and Flushing Railroad, the line was chartered in 1871, but was only in service from 1873-1876.

History

In the first two years of its existance, the Long Island Rail Road enjoyed a monopoly of rail service on Long Island. This came to an end in the early-1850's when competition came in the form of the Flushing Railroad, which ran along the north shore of Queens County, New York. In 1859, the FRR became the New York and Flushing Railroad, but as they attempted to expand into eastern Queens(now Nassau County, New York) and service declined, the LIRR decided to buy our the F&NS in 1867, and to build an additional Woodside Branch. The Woodside Branch, which was chartered under the subsidiary Flushing and Woodside Railroadbut was never finished, and northern Queens residence felt betrayed by the purchase of the NY&F. Therefore they convinced wealthy residents to buy the former railroads from the LIRR and chartered the Flushing and North Side Railroad as its replacement. Still seeking to compete with the Flushing and North Side for customers on the north shore of Queens, the LIRR chartered a subsidiary called the Newtown and Flushing Railroad. Due to the bright white passenger cars used on the line, it was nicknamed the White Line.

The service began at the original Hunter's Point station, todays Long Island City (LIRR station) and ran along the main line through Woodside Station. Southeast of Winfield Junction it split off between the Main Line (Long Island Rail Road) and what is today the Port Washington Branch. Running on a separate right-of-way south of the Port Washington Branch and north of the Main Line, it had it's own Newtown Station, then the line curved northeast where it had a station for Corona called Corona Park station, and finally terminated in Flushing at Great Neck Junction, where the Central Railroad of Long Island branched off to head towards Garden City, Bethpage and Babylon.^[1] After the Flushing and North Side and and the Central Railroad of Long Island were consolidated into the Flushing, North Shore and Central Railroad in 1874, which itself was later merged into the LIRR in 1876, the LIRR no longer saw any need for the White Line and it was abandoned.

Station list

• Hunter's Point (LIRR station)
• Woodside (LIRR station)
• Winfield (LIRR station)
• Newtown (LIRR White Line station)
• Corona Park (LIRR station)
• Flushing (LIRR station)

References

1. ^ 1873 Newtown Map (Brooklyn Geneaology Website)

External links

• The Newtown and Flushing Railroad: The White Line (Arrt's Arrchives)