RONKONKOMA STATION LATE 1950s THE BRIDGE IS THE OLD BRIDGE THAT WAS REPLACED IN THE 1980s AND THE ROAD WAS REDONE TO CARRY MORE TRAFFIC FROM THE TWO LANE ROAD IT WAS. THE BRIDGE WAS AN ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN THE ROADBED WAS MADE OF WOOD PLANK AND TWO CARS COULD BARELY PASS EACH OTHER.
WHEN THE RAILROAD RIPPED THE WHOLE AREA APART THEY BULLDOZED THE TOPLESS BAR "BIRDS PLACE" AND SOME OTHER CHOICE PLACES, THE WHITE GAS STATION BUILDING WAS ON THE CORNER AND AT THE BOTTOM OF THE BRIDGE AND WAS A GAS STATION, THE OLD STATION A BRICK BUILDING WITH A WAITING ROOM WITH BENCHES ATTACHED TO THE WALLS WAS OPEN ALL THE TIME AND WHEN BOARDING THE TRAIN YOU HAD TO STEP UP AND CLIMB INTO THE TRAIN CARS, AND THE LIRR RAN A BAR CAR AND SMOKING CARS DURING RUSH HOUR! YOU COULD ACTUALLY WALK THROUGH THE TRAIN AND STEP INTO THE BAR CAR AND HANG OUT LIKE IT WAS THE LOCAL WATERING HOLE. THE LIRR DID AWAY WITH THESE COMFORTS THE TRAIN FARE WAS REASONABLE AND THE RAIL ROAD ACTUALLY TOOK CARE OF THE COMMUTER! IMAGINE THAT!! NOW GETTING IN TO YOUR STATION ON TIME IS A LUXURY! WHEN I THINK ABOUT IT IS TOTALLY UNBELIEVABLE THAT THE RAIL ROAD TOOK CARE OF THE COMMUTER WITH THESE LUXURIES AND DID IT WITH LESS MONEY!
The_Rider516
Dispatches From The Federated LIRR RIDERS UNION Editor LIRR_631 Assoc. Editor The_Rider516 Contributing Rider212FEDERATED_RIDERS_212 AND THE FEDERATED RIDERS UNION631/718/516/212/646/917_LOCAL_555 "WE RIDE TO WORK AND WORK ON THE RIDE"
