By Thomas
R. Bayles
The Advance for January 28, 1893
carried the following article:
"It is understood
that a bold plan to secure the right of way on the south country
road from here to Brooklyn is being laid by the projectors of the
Bicycle Railroad. The surveyors who were at work here this week
were very close mouthed and little information could be secured from
them. We understand, however, that the Company intends to build the
railroad at the side of the main road from Bellport to Brooklyn. No
town or county official who has the interests of the people at heart
could think of granting this right. It would ruin the road for
travel. No man or animal could get used to electric trains whizzing
by every 30 minutes at 90 miles an hour, and on Main Street in
Patchogue would ruin the street for business. It is safe to say the
Brookhaven Town Board would never grant such an outrageous
franchise."
The Advance for April
29, 1893 carried an article that had appeared in the "Electrical
World," and we quote in part from it:
A novel experiment is
to be tried on Long Island, some 50 miles from Brooklyn, in the near
future, which consists of the operation of a bicycle railroad
operated by electricity, over a two-mile track already constructed.
The car runs upon two wheels placed fore and aft as in the familiar
bicycle of the day. These wheels, five feet in diameter run on a
single heavy iron rail resting on 12-inch stringers and bear the
whole weight of the car. Directly over this rail at a vertical
distance of nine feet, are suspended the guide and trolley rail.
The former consists of an inverted wooden trough, in the channel of
which is fastened an iron rail, which does service as conductor for
the current. In the car which has just been completed and christened
"The Rocket," but one motor will be employed. Ms car is 65 feet
long, four feet wide and is divided into six compartments, each
containing two double seats seating four people. Each compartment
has a separate door of its own on the same side of the car, and
these doors are controlled by the conductor so they may be opened or
closed from his end of the car. At Hagerman a power station has
already been erected for the initial link of this road with a
Westinghouse generator of 75 kw capacity, a New York Safety engine
of 100 horse power and tubular boilers of the locomotive type.
"For various reasons
the New York and Suburban Investment Company of New York, which owns
large tracts of land near Hagerman, and which is the real backer of
the scheme, preferred to transport this car from Brooklyn to its
destination over the country pikes instead of by the Long Island
Rail Road. They procured an enormous four wheel truck, upon which
the boat shaped car was placed, and to this they attached 14 yoke of
oxen, and on April 4 pulled out upon their journey through the
wilderness and jungles of the great Long Island. Many were the
adventures that were met, and many of the country bridges over the
numerous streams were constructed to bear no heavier burdens than a
well filled hay wagon or a drove of cattle."
The "Rocket" finally
reached East Patchogue, and as it passed, through the villages along
the way attracted so much attention that people rushed to purchase
some of the stock in the company.
The Advance for July
S.1893 carries the following account of the trial nm of the
car.
“This week a trail of
the bicycle car was successfully made at East Patchogue with
President Dunton and Secretary Hagerman on hand together with Supt.
Boynton. The car flew over the track at 40 miles an hour. Some
changes and improvements will be made before the public is invited
to ride. A great many have been down to see the car speed over the
track."
The Advance for May
4, 1899, carried a full-page article with pictures of the car, and
the following quotation is from the article:
"Yesterday Messrs.
Dunton and Boynton were here with their supervisors from Queens and
Suffolk counties, who were introduced to the bicycle railroad and
shot over the ground at a mile a minute. The inspection was
satisfactory and no one doubts this novel system of rapid transit.
The Bicycle car has been running every day this week and will run
Thursdays and Saturdays from 10 am. to 4 p.m. Free stages will run
from Patchogue and Bellport stations.”
We have been unable
to find any further mention of the bicycle railroad in the Advance
until the following item in the Bellport news of the November 14
issue in 1902.
"The Bicycle
railroad, which held out such glittering promises of rapid transit
to New York, will soon be only a memory. The framework of this novel
contrivance is about to be tom down. Fast time was made in their
experimental runs, but the promoters failed to Interest sufficient
capital. J. W. Overton has bought the timbers and will bring them
down to his lumber yard here to be utilized for various purposes
requiring yellow pine lumber."
The bicycle railroad
was a complete failure, and the two- mile piece of experimental
track was all that was ever laid. Those who bought stock in the
company lost their whole investment.