The effects of Hurricane Sandy. Three weeks ago, much of the LIRR's Long Beach Branch was flooded by the hurricane's massive storm surge, leaving the railroad's substations and other infrastructure crippled. As repairs have been made by crews working 24/7 over the past couple of weeks, the LIRR has been running very limited diesel service, providing a rare opportunity to see locomotive hauled trains on a line that never sees them otherwise. One such train is seen here crossing the Wreck Lead drawbridge between Island Park and Long Beach. The railroad hopes to have electric service up and running by next week, as the area slowly struggles to return to normalcy.
Locomotive-hauled trains extend LIRR service from Midtown New York to the eastern reaches of the North and South Forks. Power has gone through four generations since steam service ended.
