When did derails come into common use on RRs? Would it be usual to see one on an industry spur in mid-late 50s?
Specifically looking at the flip-over type.
1800’s.
No.
Dave H.
Thank-you kindly.
I recall seeing derails similar to the one in the lead photo rod-interlocked with switchstands on the New York Central in the early 1950s. In all cases, the switches were cut into mainline tracks.
Most of them led onto passing sidings. A few of them led onto industry tracks switched directly from the main.
Chuck (native New Yorker modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
I have the opposite understanding. All the derails I’ve seen (U.S. railroads) were on tracks leading to, not on, the mainline or passing siding. The purpose was to keep out runaways from where mainline trains might occupy, and never to derail a mainline train.
Mark
Mark,
We’re actually saying the same thing. Note that I said, “Led onto.” The derails were ALWAYS on the secondary track, not the main, since the object was to prevent anything from getting onto the main. As an addendum, the derail was always placed on the rail AWAY from the main, so the derailed car(s) would not foul the main if the derail ever came into play.
Typical Japanese practice on single track with passing sidings was to end the siding with a crossover, not a single switch. The, “Not onto the main,” side of the crossover led to a gravel pile over the rails, similar to a runaway truck ramp.
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
Also this is the typical practice in the Middle East, where the stub track is referred to as a “head shunt” and is used by the shunter working the industry, yard, or station." As far as I know this was standard British Empire practice and on railways influenced by British practice. I never saw a derail in the Middle East.
Typical U.S. practice at present to protect tracks leading to a main track is as follows. For high-use industries off signaled main tracks, or any industry off a signaled high-capacity main line, or any industry receiving haz-mat cars off a signaled main line, we put in a power-operated switch and full control point, so trains entering and leaving the main track operate on signal indication. Often it works out inside the industry that we can put in another power-operated switch inside the same con
US practice is to NOT apply a derail to a siding that is primarily used for the meeting and passing of trains. The exception being sidings on steep grades wil have a derail, normally a split point type, typically not the frog type, on the downhill end. Industry tracks, siding primarily used for the storage of cars and any track leading to the main on which an unattended engine is spotted will have a derail, the frog type being very common.
Dave H.
When I was about 8-10 YO, I got to ride a little maintenance-of-way flatcar about a mile along the spur leading to a sandpit, until we got to the main line and ran over a derail. The derail worked very well (luckily enough!)
/Bill
This flip-over derail turns on its axis. But there’re derails who glides. Are there differences in the use, preferences?
The derail in the picture is not locked! And there’s no switch stand. Should there at least be a sign “DERAIL”?
I want to model a derail at H0n3 code 40 track at the top of a grade.
Wolfgang
First the photo is obviously a publicity photo from a maufacturer, not a derail actually in service. Note the spike heads are shiny, the railheads are blackened over (haven’t been used), the rails are not spiked down under the derail and nothing has passed over the derail.
Not all derails have a switch stand. Actually most of the ones I’ve seen were manually operated, the switchman lifted the derail in place over the rail, and didn’t have a switch stand.
In case you are interested in such things, the following link
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/1449179.pdf
is to a patent for a Hayes derail. The patent is described as an improvement to existing derails. Probably a little more searching would lead to an earlier patent for an original device.
derails were used on main line tracks. especially before the era of automatic train stop and such. they were often located at or near the home signal protecting a grade level crossing with another railroad line and were interlocked to that signal. their obvious purpose was to prevent or lessen the severity of a side collision if a train over-ran an absolute stop signal and broadsided or was struck by the other train that had the right of way.
of course if you really had your head up your can, they only insured that the collision occured at about 50 mph instead of 60.
grizlump
The use of a “DERAIL” sign must have varied from road to road. I don’t recall ever seeing a sign on the B&O or the PRR. Around here the B&O painted derails red and the PRR painted theirs yellow.
One use of derails on the main track was in advance of a moveable bridge (drawbridge) Not all moveable bridges had them, but the ones that did usually had a point type derail.
Why would thay use a Derail? Dont thay want to keep trains ON the tracks?
Aure but if a car parked on a siding gets away and runs the switch it will end up derailed blocking the main. And since it wouldn’t be on the tracks it won’t trip any signals, So along comes the unsuspecting mainline train and WHAM. Even if it managed to stay on the tracks somehow - light single cars often aren’t enough to shunt the signal circuit. Even Budd RDCs back in the day were available with an option that provided more positing shorting of the track to make sure a single car coudl trip the signals.
The proper use of a derail insures the runaway car gets shunted to the ground in a direction away from the main, preventing an even larger accident.
–Randy
another common use of derails would be in conjuction with blue flags to prevent disturbing equipment where men might be working on, around, or under it. examples would be where carmen were coupling up air hoses, inspecting or repairing cars and piggy back tracks where loading or unloading of trailers was going on.
grizlump
Would it be usual to see one on an industry spur in mid-late 50s?
Yes,very common…That is the railroads protected the main line from “roll away” cars that was caused by improper handling by the industry.
These derails was locked by using a switch lock.
The derail in the picture is not locked! And there’s no switch stand. Should there at least be a sign “DERAIL”?
I want to model a derail at H0n3 code 40 track at the top of a grade.
Wolfgang
It would have been nice to see a derail sign but,99% of the time there was no sign on a industrial siding.
As a student brakeman I was taught never to give the “backup” signal while switching a industry without ensuring the derail was unlocked and open or receiving a backup signal from the other man(brakeman).
what are derails for anyway ?