First electric train on Long Island

On July 23, 1904, the Long Island Rail Road inaugurated regular electric multiple-unit operations between Flatbush Avenue and Rockaway Park. Powered by a new 650-volt DC third-rail system, the service eliminated smoke and noise in densely populated Brooklyn neighborhoods. The transition required extensive engineering to convert steam-era infrastructure and marked one of the earliest large-scale adoptions of electric traction in the United States, paving the way for future electrification projects across the Northeast.