Setauket was a station stop along the Port Jefferson Branch of the Long Island Rail Road. The station was located on the north side of the tracks just east of the bridge where Gnarled Hollow Road passes under the tracks in East Setauket.[2] Access to the station was through a driveway which emptied onto Gnarled Hollow Road just north of the bridge on the east side of the road. The station opened in July 1873, and closed on June 27, 1980.

Setauket
The site of the former Setauket station in 2010
General information
LocationGnarled Hollow Road
East Setauket, New York
Coordinates40°55′55″N 73°05′55″W / 40.931979°N 73.098607°W / 40.931979; -73.098607
Owned byLong Island Rail Road
Line(s)
Platforms1 side platform
Tracks2
Other information
Station codeNone
Fare zone10
History
OpenedJuly 1873
ClosedJune 27, 1980[1]
Services
None
Preceding station Long Island Rail Road Following station
Former services
Stony Brook   Port Jefferson Branch   Port Jefferson

History

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The station was established by the Smithtown and Port Jefferson Railroad (a Long Island Rail Road subsidiary) in July 1873,[2] marked by a sand bank. In February 1877, a new freight deport was built. No depot appears to have been built until January–February 1883.[3]

In June 1912, the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) began and completed work to install a larger platform around the station depot.[4] In 1938, agent service at the station was discontinued, though it was restored during morning hours in October 1947.[5]

On August 9, 1959, the LIRR petitioned with the New York State Public Service Commission for permission to discontinue all facilities and services at the station except for the handling of carload freight.[6] Ticket service was discontinued in November 1959, as the LIRR planned to replace the station depot with a shelter.[7] This depot was razed on October 3, 1960.[8] In April 1980, the Suffolk County Legislature ceased paying the $5,677 cost to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority for the maintenance and operation of the station, which consisted of a 12 foot by 5 foot concrete slab. There was no station sign at the stop. The station had a shelter, though it had fallen down about a decade earlier and was later burnt down. At the time, the station had three weekday westbound trains, five weekday eastbound trains, and no weekend service.[9]

It was discontinued as a stop on June 27, 1980 due to vandalism and low ridership.[1]

Station layout

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The station had one track and one small side platform on the north side of the track. Today, the site, across the tracks from the current location of the All-Flags & Flagpoles company (formerly the site of the American Flagpole Factory[2]), is occupied by pole-tech.

References

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  1. ^ a b "Setauket Station Closing". Newsday. June 27, 1980. Retrieved March 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ a b c The Three Village Historical Society (2005). The Setaukets, Old Field, and Poquott. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing. p. 89. ISBN 0-7385-3866-3. Retrieved 2011-11-23.
  3. ^ Seyfried, Vincent F. (1966). The Long Island Rail Road: The age of expansion, 1863-1880.
  4. ^ "Improving Setauket Station". The Brooklyn Times Union. p. 8. Retrieved March 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Station Agent for Setauket". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. October 10, 1947. Retrieved March 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Legal Notice". Newsday. April 17, 1959. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  7. ^ "End Ticket Service at Setauket Station". Newsday. November 24, 1959. p. 15. Retrieved March 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ LIRR Station History (TrainsAreFun.com) Archived 2017-05-26 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ "Suffolk Cutting Station Funds". Newsday. April 8, 1980. p. 17. Retrieved March 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
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