As a resident of Long Island’s North Shore, I’ve devoted over six years documenting the most interesting and unsung aspects of the LIRR. From webs of interlocking tracks beside historic signal towers in Queens to the vast pine barrens and farmland of the East End, this railroad truly has a lot of variety to offer. 

 

To convey the idiosyncratic beauty of a unique area along the Route of the Dashing Commuter, I want to share my work on the final remaining diesel branch lines operating under the rule of Double Track 251.

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While creating this photo essay, I received lots of advice and expertise from a handful of close friends who work for the LIRR and operate D-251 territory often. I'm just a photographer, so without their help, I would be lost in the wilderness.

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Current verbatim definition of “Rule 251”:

“On portions of the railroad and on tracks specified in the timetable, trains will run with reference to other trains in the same direction by block signals whose indications will supersede the superiority of trains.”   (The prefix “D” denotes when a rule is in effect on two or more tracks)

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The segments of track between Babylon Interlocking and Y Interlocking and Block Station on the Montauk Branch and between NASSAU Interlocking and LOCUST Interlocking on the Oyster Bay Branch are considered D-251 territory. There are no cab signals, so Engineers can rely only on wayside automatic block and interlocking signals. Eastward trains conventionally operate on track 2 and westward trains on track 1.

 

 This territory is only signaled in one direction with “automatic block signals”. They can display Clear, Approach and Stop-and-Proceed. A clear signal denotes the next two blocks are clear, and Approach denotes only the next block is clear. The next signal is probably at stop (if an interlocking signal) or stop-and-proceed (if it’s an automatic signal).

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Rule 251 will soon be supplanted by Rule 261, a more modern form of signaling that is commonly referred to throughout the industry as CTC or Centralized Traffic Control. Signal indications at interlockings supersede the superiority of trains in both directions. That means the Block Operator can route a train on any track in any direction. The LIRR eventually plans to upgrade these territories to 261, and to remove all of its Automatic Block Position Light signals. While the timeline for this project is still unclear, there’s one thing you should know for sure - if you want to make your own historic record of this disappearing feature of the LIRR, get your photos while you can.

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A more detailed article I've written on this signaling system and its photographic highlights will be featured sometime next year in Railroad Heritage. For now, enjoy some of my favorite shots of D-251 railroading in action - featuring roaring diesels, Position Light automatic block signals still performing their duties after generations of service, and the beautiful scenery of the North and South Shore.

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