LIRR's historic Cannonball express resumes service from NYC to Montauk this weekend

It was once the weekend party train from New York City to the East End of Long Island and back again, transit that included everything from dining and bar-car service to opportunities for a hot buffet meal.

Those days might be long gone, but the ever-popular Cannonball express train from Penn Station to Montauk begins service again Thursday, with operation Thursdays and Fridays all summer, the Long Island Rail Road said this week.

The trains can travel from the "heart of midtown Manhattan to the Hamptons in one hour and 35 minutes," LIRR president Rob Free previously told Newsday. "That's the most affordable, fastest and convenient way to travel to the Hamptons and Montauk."

The summer schedule also marks a return of the Cannonball West, which will depart Sundays for a return to New York City — though this Memorial Day weekend, that train will depart Montauk on Monday bound for New York, not Sunday.

The service runs through Labor Day weekend, the LIRR said.

Named for its express service, the train began as the Cannon Ball Express  back in 1899, with steam locomotives belching smoke and ash and carrying well-heeled weekenders from New York City to the Hamptons and Montauk from Long Island City. The opening of Penn Station in 1910 led to service from there to Montauk beginning in the summer of 1911 — though service was briefly eliminated in 1949.

Throughout much of its history, the Cannonball offered parlor car service, where riders could order alcohol from a list that featured beer, wine and an assortment of hard drinks, including cognac, bourbon, rye, vodka martinis and other mixed drinks. Riders could also buy cards for playing poker and cigarettes. Dining options included a wide range of appetizers, entrees, salads and desserts — even a touted "Special Sunday Night Buffet!" Its price? A hefty $3.50 per person.

Want a jumbo shrimp cocktail? In the 1960s you could've gotten one for 95 cents. The soup du jour? Try 40 cents. Options included southern fried chicken, charcoal broiled sirloin and side dishes like tiny Belgian carrots, peas and pearl onions francais.

The LIRR ended meal service not long after. The railroad said the last bar-car service ended in 2018, while its Hamptons Reserve class service ended on the Cannonball in 2020.

Customers are allowed to consume alcohol on trains, the railroad said, except for specific holiday events when it is banned.

Demand for the Cannonball express has been overwhelming at times during the past decade.

The LIRR and federal officials have called on reducing overcrowding on the weekend route, at times swelling to up to 1,600 riders and standing room only tickets, Newsday previously reported.

Federal regulators worked with the LIRR in 2015 to limit crowding and stow luggage and beach gear for the express trip from Penn Station to Montauk.

"I've seen people with beach chairs in their seats. It looked like every seat was full," Manhattan commuter Mark Burgess told Newsday at the time.

Cannonball service begins with the 4:07 p.m. train from Penn Station Thursday, operating express to Westhampton in a scheduled 96 minutes, the railroad said. The Cannonball then makes stops at Southampton, Bridgehampton, East Hampton and Montauk.

A one-way peak ticket costs $31.75; seniors are charged $15.75.

The Cannonball West will depart Memorial Day for Manhattan at 6:22 p.m. The train will leave on Sundays for the remainder of the season.

For this Memorial Day weekend, the LIRR will operate on its normal weekday schedule Friday and its normal Saturday schedule both Saturday and Sunday. Summer Sunday afternoon trains will depart Montauk at 1:47 p.m., 4:18 p.m. and 6:22 p.m.

The usual 3:25 p.m. westbound train from Southampton will not operate this Sunday, but will run on Monday instead, the railroad said.

On Monday, trains will operate on a normal Sunday schedule.

With John Asbury

By John Valenti

john.valenti@newsday.com

John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of “Swee'pea,” a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film “Big Shot.”