The forward engine came "in contact" with a cow, and the following locomotive, being unable to stop in time was "rendered useless" by crashing into the preceding section. This is not only the first accident but is the first record of a "race track special."
     The locomotives were seemingly well repaired, but as the acting superintendent regretfully announced in his report of October, 1837, "neither was as capable of work as before." He goes on to hint that the number of trains per day should be reduced, or perhaps the service entirely curtailed for a time until thorough repairs might be made to the engines, or new ones purchased. In 1837 the "Hicksville" was purchased. It was quite similar to the previous engines.
     What these engines were like may be gathered from an incident which happened in the summer of 1839. A negro boy had fallen asleep upon the railroad track two miles east of Jamaica. The engineer saw the boy when he was too near to stop, but shouted to him to lie down. But the boy, awakened from his nap, raised his head and was killed. The engineer's advice would probably have saved the boy's life, for with the engines and cars in use, one could easily lie under them with safety.
     In 1838 it was triumphantly announced that no new engines would be needed, for the loan of a crank axle and wheels had been negotiated until new ones could be obtained. Lest this primitive expedient may provoke a smile, it may only be said that it marks the great progress which has been made in railroading since then. But in the early days of 1839, one of the locomotives was demolished which made the purchase of a new one necessary. The trains were pulled by the locomotives as far as Clinton Street in Brooklyn. From here down to the South Ferry on the river there was a steep grade for a distance of over two thousand feet, which rendered the locomotives useless. Accordingly the trains were pulled on this slope by horses. Unfortunately one of the locomotives left standing at the top of the slope acquired, in some manner, sufficient impetus to carry it over the top, and it crashed into one of the two passenger cars at the bottom, demolishing them, as well as itself.

These ties were also spaced three feet apart. The rails in each case weighed thirty eight pounds to the lineal yard and were fifteen yards long. They were of a T shape This method of road construction was quite similar to that adopted in England, especially the section from Brooklyn to Bedford.
     From Jamaica to Hicksville a slightly different type of construction was adopted. The T-rails, weighing 56-1/2 pounds to the yard, were supported on wooden sleepers or ties, which in turn rested on longitudinal sills of wood. At each joining of the rails, which were fifteen feet long, eight pound cast iron chairs were provided. The entire line was single track, but graded for two.
     The first timetable called for but two trains each way daily. It was issued in the following form:

     It is to be noticed that the time is given for the terminals and one important station only. The passengers were evidently expected to guess at the time for intermediate stations.
     The motive power at this time was of the weakest. The "Ariel" and "Postboy" had been turned over to the Long Island Railroad by the Brooklyn and Jamaica Railroad in the latter part of 1836. They were of the well known DeWitt Clinton type, which locomotive had been placed on the Mohawk and Hudson Railroad in 1831. The smokestack seemed merely an elongation of the boiler turned up at right angles. They were mounted on but four large driving wheels, and were without pilots or cow catchers. When turned over to the Long Island Railroad their efficiency was already considerably impaired by an accident in which they had taken part. On May 3. 1836, they were drawing, in close proximity to each other, trains of flat cars fitted up with wooden benches, which were carrying passengers from Brooklyn to the races at Union Course.

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