| White Line (LIRR) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | |||
| Status | Abandoned | ||
| Locale | WesternQueens County, New York | ||
| Termini |
| ||
| Stations | 8 | ||
| Service | |||
| Type | Passenger and Freight | ||
| Operator(s) | Long Island Rail Road | ||
| History | |||
| Opened | November 10, 1873 (1873-11-10) | ||
| Closed | April 17, 1876 (1876-04-17) | ||
| Technical | |||
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) | ||
| |||
TheWhite Line was a short-lived branch of theLong Island Rail Road in westernQueens County, New York. Officially known as theNewtown and Flushing Railroad, the line was chartered in 1871, but was only in service from 1873 to 1876.
In the first two decades of its existence, the Long Island Rail Road enjoyed a monopoly of rail service on Long Island. This came to an end in the early-1850s when competition came in the form of theFlushing Railroad, which ran along the north shore ofQueens County, New York. In 1859, the FRR became theNew York and Flushing Railroad, but as they attempted to expand into eastern Queens (nowNassau County, New York) and service declined, the LIRR decided to buy out the NY&F in 1867, and to build an additionalWoodside Branch. The Woodside Branch, which was chartered under the subsidiaryFlushing and Woodside Railroad was never finished, and northern Queens residence felt betrayed by the purchase of the NY&F. Therefore they convinced wealthy residents to buy the former railroads from the LIRR and chartered theFlushing and North Side Railroad as its replacement. Still seeking to compete with the F&NS for customers on the north shore of Queens, the LIRR chartered a subsidiary called theNewtown and Flushing Railroad on March 8, 1871.[1] Due to the bright white passenger cars used on the line, it was nicknamed the White Line.[2]
The service began at the original Hunter's Point station, today'sLong Island City station and ran along the main line through Woodside Station. Southeast ofWinfield Junction it split off between theMain Line (Long Island Rail Road) and what is today thePort Washington Branch. Running on a separate right-of-way south of the Port Washington Branch and north of the Main Line, it had its own Newtown Station, then the line curved northeast where it had a station for Corona called Corona Park station, then passed through the southern end ofGreat Neck Junction, where theCentral Railroad of Long Island branched off to head towards Garden City, Bethpage and Babylon. Finally, the line ended along the south side of the Flushing and North Side main line atFlushing station. After the Flushing and North Side and theCentral Railroad of Long Island were consolidated into theFlushing, North Shore and Central Railroad in 1874, which itself was later merged into the LIRR in 1876, the LIRR no longer saw any need for the White Line and it was abandoned. Horsecars replaced the trains until 1880, and the depots were destroyed either before or after being moved to other lines.
Few traces remain of the White Line today. One vestige of the line's existence is the alignment of Justice Avenue in Elmhurst, which roughly follows the White Line's path.[3][4]
The entire line was abandoned in 1876.
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