Today I saw a triple crown train roll by where part of the cars were facing forward, then there was a spot where two bogeys were together (tied together by a red bar that was lettered “no crossover”) and then the remainder of the train was all facing backwards.
Wonder if any special speed restriction applies to such movements?
I’m betting that, unfortunately, this sprung up on you unexpectedly and you didn’t get pictures?
Sadly, that would be a safe bet. The tie bar that was connecting the two bogeys together was (steel, I assume) about the size of a crosstie, painted firetruck red, and had white letters on the side reading “NO CROSSOVER”.
And it seemed really odd watching the trailers facing opposite directions to either side of the splice.
Triple Crown uses them when there is a block of cars facing the “wrong” way and there is too much other traffic and not enough time to wye them. I used to see the gender-benders on the Detroit trains a lot.
Funny thing is, I don’t recall TC running road railers both ways until after they bought Amtrak’s surplus trailers. As I recall, the trailers sound about the same at 60mph whether they are going forwards or backwards.
Did it look like this-
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=260734
Do Roadrailers run through Muncie ?
And I assume the “No crossover” was directed at employees and not switching instructions. I don’t see any reason there would be speed restrictions or other reasons why it wouldn’t just be a normal train. I can speculate that at some point the trailers running backward will be set out and have a final destination other than the front half but then I don’t know what lucky carman gets to unhook that bar and take it to the engine! Sure makes it easy to figure out where to split the train.
Dale,
Yes and yes. The 251 Eastbound (South) hits Muncie anytime from 8a to 2pm (normally) and 264 is in the evening parade of westbounds (North) through Muncie that hits anytime from 5-10pm, based upon the time they pass my back window.
Thanks.
I guess Fort Wayne would be a good place to catch Roadrailers. [;)]
That would be a good assumption, since their HQ and the main hub are here. [tup]
From FWA there are TC trains headed for: DTW, ORD, MSP, STL, MCI, DFW, ATL, MDT, and BUF. (Detroit, Chicago, Minneapolis, St Louis, Kansas City, Dallas, Atlanta, Harrisburg, and Buffalo.
FYI 251 is late. It hit the HUGO connecting track to head to Muncie at 1230 today. Muncie is 62 track miles and 3 sidings away.
Not really…
Same concept, and same result, but the red connector I saw today was much more slender, in the 8"X8" or 10"X10" range.
Since TC offers service between Atlanta and Chicago, it would be difficult to imagine them taking any other route
…Convicted One:
Yep…That’s sure a pic of Muncie…And Dale when they roll through here, generally {11 am, roughly…give or take…}, they sound so smooth…until we get a boggie with a small flat on a wheel, but 95% of the train, in my opinion, they are a smoothy as they pass through here about 30 mph.
When headed south and after crossing Broadway st. {now M L King Blvd}…they head for that long {slightly up grade}, and on a long sweeping curve where they have pulled off the inside rail twice in the last few years. Everything has been going smooth now for at least 2 years though…
What I want to know is, when did BNSF acquire a route through Muncie? [:o)]
im not a NS employee but i did work on CSX and i would assume your assumtion is correct the “no crossover” is directed to employees and prolly tresspassers too…liability…as far as speed restrictions i couldnt tell ya…i do know running from Oakwood to Delray to wye a cut could and does take an extreme amount of time sometimes…especially for time critical/JIT shipments like TC so it would stand to reason they (NS) would come up with a quicker way…
Convected One:
No, it’s a NS line…The NewCastle District. We see lots of BNSF engines on the NS lines passing thru Muncie. Sometimes, they are all BNSF engines with no NS power…
some of that power ends up at Mound road in northeast Detroit…old MC line serving Chryslers Warren truck assembly…Chryslers Mound Rd engine plant…theres a GM plant there too thats active but dont know what it is…always see BNSF/NS pairs of big GE’s back to back on racks and 80 foot boxes…trucks are still kinda hot and Warren pumps em out…does NS still sort automobiles in KC?..
Oh, ok I see now. Thanks!!
Must be horsepower-hour compensation for the NS locos I see on the former Atlantic and Pacific route through Northern Arizona and around Barstow.
Chuck