Winner: Cecelia
Celia jumped out to an early lead, and was perfect thru the first 12 rounds. She held on to win with only 2 wrong, and becomes the first female winner on this blog. Rookie quizmaster Jaime’s questions were appreciated by most, even the non playing kibitzers. She was soft spoken and supportive of the players, especially when you got one wrong – quite a change of pace from what we are used to with Daphne.
“Good Question!”: When did the Northport trolley start operation?
Answer: 1902
In 1867, the Long Island Railroad was extended from Syosset to Northport and a railroad station was established at Northport, near where the King Kullen shopping center is now. On April 25, 1868 the station opened within the village, and was an essential transportation link for the growing commuter population. It lasted only six years, however.
In 1870, when the Railroad decided to extend the main line to Port Jefferson, it was decided that the new line would start at Greenlawn and follow an easterly path which would bring it south of Northport. The first train ran on January 13, 1873. The new station located on the west side of Larkfield Road in East Northport was called the Northport Railroad Station.
To avoid confusion with the former station located in the village of Northport, train conductors would refer to the station in Larkfield as “East of Northport” because the station was located east of the Northport railway junction which directed trains north to the station located in the village. Despite the fact that Larkfield was primarily south of Northport, the area became known thereafter as East Northport.
The original rail spur to Northport would then be known as the Northport Branch. After the old bypassed village station closed in 1899, Northport decided to build a 2½ mile trolley line to take commuters between Main Street and the new Northport station located in Larkfield. The new commuter trolley opened in mid-April 1902. The trip took only 12 minutes and cost five cents each way.
The trolley would eventually become obsolete with the invention of the automobile and the trolley made its last scheduled commuter run on August 19, 1924. The Northport Trolley enjoyed a popular revival in the 1970s and 1980s, transporting weekend tourists along Main Street. Unlike the original electric trolleys, this nostalgic replica was horse driven (by “Frick” & “Frack”). It also ran on rubber automobile tires rather than utilizing the original rails which still remain a visible element of Main Street to this day.
Out of all the trolleys on LI this one has the most track still showing. These tracks can be dangerous for bike riders, if you are not paying attention – I found this out the hard way.
(sources: Wikipedia, Northport CofC, Flickr)
Good job Greg! Keep up the good work!!!!