Stony Brook
Port Jefferson is the terminus of this namesake branch that is one of three that run into Suffolk County, ending approximately in the middle of geographical Long Island. The station is approximately 59 miles from Penn Station; and receives off peak service from diesel scoot trains to and from Huntington every 90 minutes or better with one seat ride peak hour service to and from Penn Station, Long Island City, or Jamaica. Reverse-peak service is extremely poor with no trains leaving the station (entering service) between 4:06pm and 8:34pm, just a bunch of terminating peak hour trains arriving. Electrification was supposed to be extended out to Port Jefferson in the 1980s, but instead this money was diverted to building the West Side Yard. The stop received one seat ride service to Penn Station starting in 1991 when new experimental bilevel C1 cars were purchased to be pulled by second-hand FL9s from Metro-North. This service continues to this day with two peak-direction rush hour trips between Port Jefferson and Penn Station using C3s pulled by DM30AC dual-mode locomotives.
The Port Jefferson Station itself consists of trains stopping at a modern 10 car long side platform, that has a gentle curve. This platform is on the northernmost of what are 4 siding tracks through the station area. After leaving the yard area, the line becomes single tracked. The siding tracks in the station area are used by freight and maintenance of way trains; passenger trains continue beyond the station, (out of site from the station) across the Columbia Street grade-crossing to reach the 9 track Port Jefferson East Yard for relaying or train storage, this includes terminating shuttle trains normally proceed to the yard on their layovers before returning to the platform to re-enter service.
The platform begins just east of the grade-crossing of Main Street (NYS-25A) with stairs and a ramp up the from the plaza that surrounds the historic station depot that is just off of Main Street. It ends with a pedestrian footbridge at it’s eastern end (a modular structure manufactured in Minnesota that is fully covered but has fencing and mesh walls) that leads across the 4 tracks to two large parking lots across Railroad Avenue designated for commuter parking. The platform looks more modern than the rest of the stations on the Port Jefferson Line this platform has the 1990s features of a Green Fence and two brown and cream on platform shelters providing the only covering for waiting passengers on the platform. This is different than the rest of the station’s on the Port Jefferson Line that received 12 car long high-level platforms in anticipation of never arrived electrification in the mid-1980s.
The station's depot is a gem designed by Stanford White who was also the architect of New York’s now demolished Pennsylvania Station. The single-story depot was built in 1903 and is a brick building, with a distinctive porch on all 4 sides held-up by Doric columns at regular intervals. On the sides of the depot hangs a clock, and black with grey text Port Jefferson Station name signs. The chimney of the depot contains a weathervane in the shape of a sailboat. Inside is a wood paneled waiting room with some benches and green accent paint on the coffered ceiling. A pot-bellied stove (that's inoperable) is in one corner to add to the historic feel; but waiting passengers must sit on modern wooden benches. Some display panels have historical photographs of the station. The station is only open when the ticket office is open, 7 days per week (generally for one shift in the morning closing at 1:30pm, with an evening shift on Thursdays only extending the hours to 6:00pm, as of Fall 2021).
Photos 1-49: June 20, 2014; 50-61: October 8, 2014
