Rail Workers in N.Y. Get Trains Ready to Roll

Long Island Rail Road workers, forced back to work by Congress, scraped snow and rust off the rails of the nation’s largest commuter line Thursday in an effort to get trains ready to roll by Saturday.

The railroad’s unions were ordered to end their strike after 11 days. The walkout forced 162,000 commuters to struggle to work each day by car and bus along jammed highways.

“Good,” said Leo Stoecker of Port Washington, who had been catching a special bus to New York City during the walkout. “No more four- or seven-hour rides.”

Today, Long Island faced one more day without rail service, with a forecast of snow or sleet.

The back-to-work measure, signed Wednesday by President Reagan, calls for a 60-day cooling off period, during which it is hoped that unions without contract agreements can work them out through mediation.

To get the trains running, workers had to check 700 miles of track, 774 crossing gates, about 22 miles of platforms, 1,450 switches and 1,200 pieces of rolling stocks, railroad spokesman Don Malone said.