Class of 63 Train Ride
By: John Albin
In 1963 we did not have a senior trip as such. But we did come up with a novel idea Instead. We rented a train from the Long Island Railroad to go from Patchogue New York to Montauk Point and back. After the graduation ceremony at the Patchogue theatre. We went home to change our clothes and meet the train at the Patchogue station for a midnight departure. The train consisted of a diesel engine of course, a bar car (for soda and hot dogs served by chaperones) and two box cars, where the Band was playing in one of the three regular passenger cars. The train then proceeded to go east to Montauk Point at about 10 mph and we arrived in Montauk Point at about 6:00 AM in the morning and then we were bused to a resort on the ocean for breakfast and swimming. After a carefree morning we departed Montauk Point in that morning at about
9:00 AM on the LIRR train going west back to Patchogue.
Some of our friends we're lining up near the tracks in East Patchogue to hand us some liquid refreshments that were unavailable in the bar car! Along the way the train stopped several times to ensure a timely arrival. That led to the only incident that could have marred our senior trip. It was happenstance and luck that at one of those stops, one of the senior student decided to hop off the train to relieve himself. Fortunately, some of his friends stopped him from jumping off the train, because we were stopped on a bridge over the Shinnecock canal! That would have been a disaster.
On the return trip to Patchogue, we all helped clean the train, which put us in a good standing with the Long Island Railroad. After our arrival at the Patchogue station, we went home and changed our clothing, and then we took the ferry at the dock in Patchogue to Davis Park on Fire Island, for a day at the beach. Needless to say, by the end of the day we were totally exhausted, and we all slept soundly that night. (As I recall, quite a few of our fellow students slept on the beach that day). A wonderful time was had by one and all, and this senior trip experience, is a high school memory that we will never forget.
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