THE LIRR P72 RESTORATION PROJECT
The Goal
We're Thrilled to Announce our Newest Project! Built in 1955, at the end of Steam on Long Island, the P72 Passenger Coaches were built as a new lightweight fleet by Pullman-Standard. These cars, uniquely designed, and exclusively operated by the Long Island Railroad, were in service until 1999, until the current C-3 Bi-Level coaches replaced them. After retirement, two of these historic Long Island coaches would be donated to the Oyster Bay Railroad Museum, but after a change of plans, P72's #2935 and #2956 were donated to the Twin Forks N.R.H.S. Chapter.
Now in 2025, these 70 year old cars are the focus of our next big project. The Riverhead Restoration Company is starting a full restoration of these two vintage train cars. Each coach will receive it's own unique look akin to a period of it's service life on the LIRR. These work sessions are on the following dates: (5/18) (6/8) (6/22) (7/12) (7/20) (8/9) (8/24) (9/21) (10/19).
For the donation goal, we'd like to make it very clear the scope of this project rests entirely on the support of you, our viewers. We currently do not have the funds ourselves to complete a full restoration of these cars, just enough for a simple primer job. If we reach certain donation goals we can expand our simple paint job to a full blown cosmetic restoration and backdating for one of our coaches, No. 2935. The backdating of #2935 would be a special project, as in the 1970's the LIRR revamped all their cars, with the original 1955 interior being lost to every car in preservation. The backdating would allow for visitors and guests to be in the only original condition P72 in the country.
We hope you'll consider donating to this project, and stopping by the Train Yard to help us out at one of our work sessions, this summer we hope to have a great time, with barbecues, painting, and good times all around. Meet some new friends, make some new memories, and help save some local history.
The Full Story
Former Long Island Rail Road P72s No. 2935 and 2936 are two of an order of 55 steam hauled coaches. They would have a long lasting career on Long Island and would become synonymous with Railroad travel on Long Island for nearly 50 years. These particular cars were built by the Pullman Standard Company in 1955. It was built with steam heat and batteries to power the lighting. In the 1970's, the P72s were rebuilt with generators to power the heating, lighting and air conditioning. They were completely self sufficient and any locomotive could pull them. In the 1980's, they were again rebuilt into their current configuration. By the mid 1990's, the entire fleet of P72s was getting tired and needed to be replaced. 2935 and 2936 would be donated to the Oyster Bay Railroad Museum in 2000. They stored at various locations around the Long Island Railroad System in Nassau County and Queens before making their way out to Riverhead where they sit today. In 2021, realizing that they don't have the room in their yard for the cars, OBRM generously donated the two iconic cars to the Twin Forks N.R.H.S. Chapter.
