Cross Island Trolley

Here’s a comprehensive history of the Cross‑Island Trolley (Huntington Railroad) in Halesite, NY:

🚋 Early Beginnings (1890–1898)

• May 1890: The Huntington Railroad Company was chartered to build a horse-drawn streetcar line from Halesite harbor through downtown Huntington to the local LIRR station—about 3 miles in length. [en.wikipedia.org], [farmingdal...ogspot.com]

• July 19, 1890: Service launched with horsecars running between Halesite and Huntington Station, organized into harbor and depot branches. Ridership quickly surged, with up to 1,100 passengers daily. [farmingdal...ogspot.com]

Electrification & LIRR Control (1897–1909)

• 1897: The system transitioned from horse-drawn to electric streetcars. [en.wikipedia.org], [farmingdal...ogspot.com]

• March 5, 1898: The Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) took control, creating the Long Island Consolidated Electric Companies (LICEC) to manage operations. [en.wikipedia.org], [farmingdal...ogspot.com]

• June 17, 1898: Electrified service began, modernizing the line. [en.wikipedia.org], [farmingdal...ogspot.com]

Becoming the Cross‑Island Trolley (1909)

• August 6, 1909: The line was extended southward from Huntington to Amityville, reaching 18.5 miles—the full length across Long Island—linking Huntington Harbor to Great South Bay. [en.wikipedia.org], [farmingdal...ogspot.com]

• This extension transformed the route into the only true cross‑island trolley on Long Island. [en.wikipedia.org], [bing.com], [tbrnewsmedia.com]

Route & Connections

• The line traversed a north–south corridor along:

  • Wincoma Drive, East Shore Drive, New York Avenue (through Halesite/Huntington),

  • Walt Whitman Road, Amityville Road, and through Farmingdale and Amityville.

• It served LIRR stops in Huntington, Farmingdale, and Amityville. [en.wikipedia.org], [farmingdal...ogspot.com]

Decline & Closure (1919–1927)

• As automobiles became dominant, ridership diminished.

• Service reduction began in 1919, with eventual full cessation between 1919 and 1927. [hmdb.org], [en.wikipedia.org], [longisland...change.com], [en.wikipedia.org]

Legacy & Historical Marker

• In Halesite, a historical marker on New York Avenue (Route 110), located by the Halesite Fire Department, commemorates the trolley’s north terminus. [hmdb.org], [longisland...change.com], [commons.wi...imedia.org]

• The marker reads:

  “1898–1927 North Terminus of the Trolley from Halesite to Amityville.” The line operated roughly from 1909 to 1919. [hmdb.org], [hmdb.org], [en.wikipedia.org]

In Summary

• Initially a horsecar line (1890), the trolley transitioned to electric in 1897–1898.

• From 1909 to 1919, it ran across Long Island, linking Halesite and Amityville, earning its name “Cross‑Island Trolley.”

• Dismantled by the mid-1920s, it remains memorialized through local efforts and plaques in Halesite.