Great River (LIRR station)

Great River
The current westbound Great River LIRR sheltered high-level platform
Station statistics
Address	Connetquot Avenue and Hawthorne Avenue Great River, New York.
Coordinates	40°44′26″N 73°10′12″W / 40.740476°N 73.17°W / 40.740476; -73.17Coordinates: 40°44′26″N 73°10′12″W / 40.740476°N 73.17°W / 40.740476; -73.17
Lines	Montauk Branch
Connections	Suffolk County Transit: S40, 3C Comfort Ride Taxi
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	2
Parking	Yes; Free
Other information
Opened	1897
Rebuilt	1943, 2001
Accessible
Owned by	MTA
Fare zone	10
Traffic
Passengers (2006)	311[1]
Services
Preceding station   LIRR   Following station Islip toward New York terminals Montauk Branch Oakdale toward Montauk

Great River is a railroad station on the Montauk Branch of the Long Island Rail Road, at Connetquot Avenue and Hawthorne Avenue in Great River, New York.

History

Prior to the establishment of passenger service, the site of Great River Station was occupied by a freight only station built by the South Side Railroad of Long Island known as Youngsport Station.^[2] Great River Station was originally built in 1897 but burned down in 1943. Between that time, a sheltered-platform was added to the other side of the tracks. In 1945 a modernist station designed by architect Antonin Raymond replaced it,^[3] but it was burned down in 2000. The third station with high-level platforms was built between 2000-2001. The original shelter, however was restored by the East Islip Historical Society, and remains within one of the parking lots along the eastbound platform.

Club House Station

East of Great River Station, the SSRRLI built a private station called Club House Station in 1869 to serve the South Side Sportsmen's Association This station was located between Mileposts 45 and 46 inside today's Bayard Cutting Arboretum, and was among a number of privately owned stations along the SSRRLI, which weren't so uncommon during the 19th Century. It was closed in 1897.^[4]

Notable Places Nearby

• Connetquot River State Park
• Bayard Cutting Arboretum
• Heckscher State Park

Platforms and tracks

The station has two high-level side platforms each four cars long. The north platform next to Track 1 is generally used by westbound trains; the south platform next to Track 2 is generally used by eastbound trains. The Montauk Branch has two tracks here.

References

1. ^ Average weekday, 2006 LIRR Origin and Destination Study
2. ^ Youngsport-Great River Station (Arrt's Arrchives)
3. ^ Helfrich & Whittaker, Kurt & William (2006). Crafting a Modern World, The Architecture and Design of Antonin and Noemi Raymond. Princeton Architectural Press. p. 56. 
4. ^ Image of the old Club House Station; 1870-1897 (Arrt's Arrchives)

External links

• Official LIRR station information page for Great River
• Station timetable for Great River
• Great River Station (East Islip Historic Society)
• Great River Station History (TrainsAreFun.com)
• Westbound train approaching Great River Station (YouTube)
• Unofficial Lirr Photography Site (www.lirrpics.com)
  • Great River Station
• Station from Connetquot Avenue from Google Maps Street View

The old LIRR shed at Great River Station.