January 16, 1964
Medford Railroad Station
By Thomas
R. Bayles
When the railroad
first came through the main line to Greenport in July 1844, it was a
day of great rejoicing for the people of eastern Long Island. The
iron horse had finally arrived, and the long trip by stage coach to
the city that had taken two or three days was now made in as many
hours.
Medford was an
important station by the early days, as it was the station for
Patchogue on the south and Port Jefferson and the mid-island
villages on the north.
The railroad did not
come to Patchogue until 1868, which was the terminal until 1881,
when it was extended east to connect with the line from Manorville
to Sag Harbor at Eastport, which had been built several years
before.
Mail and passenger
stages met the trains at Medford for Patchogue and Bellport and
carried all the passengers and mail for those villages, as well as
for Port Jefferson, as the railroad was not extended to that village
until 1872.
Now a little over 100
years later, the main line stations at Medford and other villages
east of Ronkonkoma are closed and being replaced with small
shelters, and only one train operates each way daily. The railroad
bus line from Greenport and Riverhead to Huntington has replaced the
railroad for passenger travel.