Nearly all the South Side Railroad's locomotives were of the typical American 4-4-0 type. In 1867 only one engine, the Charles Fox was operating; in 1868 the Daniel T. Willets, the Alex McCue, the R. O. Colt, the John Tappan and the J. B. Johnston arrived, all named after the officers of the road. In 1869 two more were purchased, the Fire Fly and the Pewit. The year 1870 marked a great increase in equipment purchases for in this year were bought the A. J. Bergen, the F. B. Baldwin, the A. McLean, the South Side, the Springfield, the Massapequa, the Merrick and the Norwood. The final purchases, made in 1872–73, were the Islip, Patchogue and the Norwood.
It is easy to discern two different naming patterns in use: the first eleven honored the company's president and officers; the Pewit forms an exception, coming from the Central RR of NJ; the Fire Fly appears to be a fanciful name: all the remaining eight engines derive their names from Long Island localities.
We are in a much poorer position regarding the background of the passenger coaches. The builder and the date of construction alike of the first thirty-five coaches have not come down to us; we do know the last fifteen coaches were turned out by the New Haven Car Co. From pictures we know that the coaches resembled the typical railroad cars of the Sixties—all wood with a flat raised roof, slightly rounded over the platforms, thirteen to fifteen windows to a side and lighted with gas lamps. Combination baggage and express cars had three doors cut irregularly into the sides.
As for the dummies in use on Boerum Street and Broadway, Brooklyn, our information is meagre. The first dummy, the City of Brooklyn was placed in service on July 31, 1869. Later three others were added in 1870, but we know the name of only one, the City of Breslau.
Several personalities who were important in making the South Side RR of Long Island a success bear mentioning. Charles Fox was a New Yorker associated with F. B. Baldwin, an alderman for several years and an active man in real estate both in New York and on Long Island. Baldwin appears to have started the present village named after him and induced Fox to make other large investments in Baldwin and Merrick. Fox owned so much of the land there that the street names of today—Foxhurst Road, Fox Avenue—still preserve his memory. He was a devout
