The morning of Wednesday, June 17, marked a momentous event in Oyster Bay! A 'vintage' LIRR passenger coach made its way from Marienville, PA to Oyster Bay, arriving at approximately 8 AM. It did not however, travel by rail. The 64 foot car was temporarily fitted with "boagies" for the trip. This is a rubber tire and axle assembly that allows the coach to be trailed behind a truck, across the roads of the Keystone State (see photo) to its final destination at the OBRM rail yard, where it will serve as a permanent exhibit. Once it arrives at the yard it will be hoisted by crane, the steel wheels will be re-fitted, and lowered onto the track.
To the average commuter on the LIRR during the middle of the twentieth century, there is probably nothing that symbolized their hours spent riding the rails more than the inside of a Ping Pong coach. The P-54 class coach operated on the LIRR from 1923 to 1974. The nickname "Ping Pong" was given to them due the rougher ride they provided, when compared to the heavier wooden coaches they replaced. This car, #7433, was rescued from the scrap yard thanks to the hard work of the Oyster Bay Railroad Museum leadership and the generosity of Island Rail, LLC, a corporate sponsor of the project. To the best of our knowledge, #7433 is the last of its kind to be preserved with original seating and equipment. This car is a very important piece of LIRR heritage, and we hope you are as excited about its preservation as we are.
The Oyster Bay Railroad Museum is dedicated to preserving the rich legacy of Long Island's railroad history. The Museum's Preview Center at 102 Audrey Avenue is open Saturdays from 12 to 4 PM and Tuesday evenings from 6 to 8:30 PM. It features interactive, hands-on audio visual exhibits, an operating O gauge train layout, descriptions of the plans for the Museum, and a gift shop.
For more information contact: Bill Bell, Director of Development - 516-426-5556
Preview Center Improvements Completed Work on the new and improved OBRM Preview Center is completed. The Center, located at 102 Audrey Ave. in downtown Oyster Bay, has been doubled in size, providing the room for exciting new exhibits, including an operating model railroad, interesting artifacts from Long Island's railroad history, and an extensive wooden play train set for the younger visitors.
October 13, 2008
Turntable painting project completed.
The OBRM continues to make progress towards its goals. The latest achievement is the completion of the turntable paint project. After being completely sandblasted and coated with long-lived high quality paint, today the turntable gleams. Looking at the transformation, it is easy to imagine that it has just been installed and stands ready to spin its first steam locomotive.
Of course, this is just one step in the process of refurbishing the turntable and bringing it back to full operating condition. Future tasks include the re-laying of the turntable ring rail, replacing the ties and rail on the turntable itself, the completion of reconditioning of the electric motor that drives the turntable, and installation of power to the device.
Caboose 12's Restoration Completed
This important artifact will be an accurate reflection of a bygone era on the Long Island Railroad. With funds provided by a grant from New York Senator Carl Marcellino, our contractor, CZ Construction, completed all major bodywork on both the interior and exterior of the caboose. Our dedicatd volunteers have replaced and/or repaired all of the interior parts athat had been previously removed. On Wednesday, December 17th, caboose 12 was moved to its current display location next to caboose 50. Final touchups and painting will follow in the Spring of 2009.
