Oyster Bay station facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Oyster Bay
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Oyster Bay's old LIRR station, now a museum.
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| Location | Shore & Maxwell Avenues Oyster Bay, NY |
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| Owned by | Long Island Rail Road Town of Oyster Bay |
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| Line(s) | Oyster Bay Branch | ||||||||||||
| Distance | 32.9 mi (52.9 km) from Long Island City | ||||||||||||
| Platforms | 1 side platform | ||||||||||||
| Tracks | 2 | ||||||||||||
| Connections | Oyster Bay Taxi | ||||||||||||
| Construction | |||||||||||||
| Parking | Yes; Free | ||||||||||||
| Disabled access | Yes | ||||||||||||
| Other information | |||||||||||||
| Fare zone | 7 | ||||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||||
| Opened | June 24, 1889 | ||||||||||||
| Rebuilt | 1902 | ||||||||||||
| Traffic | |||||||||||||
| Passengers (2006) | 225 | ||||||||||||
| Services | |||||||||||||
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Oyster Bay Long Island Rail Road Station
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 Location in New York
Location in the United States
Location in the United States
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| Location | Railroad Avenue, Oyster Bay, New York, USA |
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| Architectural style | Tudor Revival | ||||||||||||
| NRHP reference No. | 05000666 | ||||||||||||
| Added to NRHP | July 6, 2005 | ||||||||||||
Oyster Bay is the very last stop on the Oyster Bay Branch of the Long Island Rail Road. You can find the station off Shore Avenue, between Maxwell and Larabee Avenues. It has a covered, raised concrete platform. It sits near the old station building, which you could reach from Maxwell, Audrey, and Hamilton Avenues. Both the new and old stations are next to Roosevelt Park.
The first Oyster Bay station opened on June 24, 1889. It was updated in 1902. There were once plans to make the train line go even further east. A large pier was built to help load train cars onto a ferry. This ferry went to Wilson's Point in South Norwalk, Connecticut. The Flowers Oyster Company now owns this pier.
The old Oyster Bay Station and the Oyster Bay Long Island Rail Road Turntable were both added to the National Register of Historic Places on July 6, 2005. People are now working to turn the old station into a railroad museum. There are no public buses here, but you can find local taxis.
Contents
About the Station Platforms
This station has one high-level platform. It is long enough for four train cars. This platform is next to the south track. The north track is a "passing siding." This means trains can wait there while another train goes by. This track then joins the south track. It leads to a large train yard with seven tracks. The old station building is just east of the new one. Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Park is just north of the siding track.
A Look Back at Oyster Bay Station History
On June 24, 1889, a company called the Oyster Bay Extension Railroad finished building the train line to Oyster Bay. This company was part of the Long Island Railroad. They built a beautiful Victorian-style train station. The land for the station was given by Col. Robert Townsend. At first, eight trains ran each day from Long Island City. The first station had a big wooden platform. It also had an elegant porte cochere. This was a covered porch big enough for horse-drawn carriages to drive through.
In 1891, the Long Island Rail Road built a 1,000-foot-long (300 m) wharf. This connected the land to the sea. It allowed train cars full of people to be loaded onto a ferry. This ferry was named the Cape Charles. It would take passengers to Connecticut. From there, they could connect to other train lines and go to Boston. This special train-to-ferry service from New York to Boston stopped. This happened when a new land route across Connecticut was built.
On September 9, 1891, a train engine exploded at the station. It was Locomotive No. 113. It was waiting for passengers when it blew up. People as far away as East Norwich felt the blast. Sadly, three train workers were killed.
When Theodore Roosevelt became the head of the New York City Police Board in 1895, he often took the train from this station. Later, in 1901, he became the President of the United States. Because of this, big plans were made to expand the station. They expected more visitors to come to Oyster Bay. The updates in 1902 included removing the porte cochere. They also added 400-foot-long (120 m) covered sheds to protect people from the weather. Inside the station, a large fireplace was added. Outside, a special plaster was used that had real oyster shells in it.
The person who designed the 1902 updates was Bradford Lee Gilbert. He also designed the updates to Grand Central Station in 1898. By the end of the 1900s, the station was in bad shape. A new station and platform were built nearby. This new station could handle bigger, double-decker trains.
Future Railroad Museum
The Oyster Bay Railroad Museum is a group working to create a museum. The Town of Oyster Bay now owns the original LIRR Oyster Bay train station. It is not open to the public right now. It is being studied and reviewed to start its restoration. The goal is to turn it into a museum.
The Oyster Bay Railroad Museum Preview Center is now open. You can find it at 102 Audrey Ave. This is a short walk from the station building. It is near Oyster Bay Town Hall. You can call them at 516-558-7036. The museum group has started working to make the station its new home.
The Historic Turntable
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Oyster Bay Long Island Rail Road Turntable
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Oyster Bay Station Turntable (behind chainlink fence).
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| Location | 40°52′29.8″N 73°31′42.9″W / 40.874944°N 73.528583°W Railroad Avenue, Oyster Bay, New York, USA |
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| Built | 1902 |
| NRHP reference No. | 05000667 |
| Added to NRHP | July 6, 2005 |
Oyster Bay has one of the few remaining Long Island Rail Road stations with an original turntable. A turntable is a large spinning platform. It is used to turn train engines around. This turntable was built in 1902. It replaced a smaller one that came from the Locust Valley station. This turntable is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is a Town of Oyster Bay Landmark. You can also see it on the Oyster Bay History Walk audio tour.
See also
