Correction: That is my favorite rail junction anywhere.
Rich
Here are some examples of different crossings.
This is where the CP tracks (east-west) cross the old CN tracks (north-south) at the West Toronto Diamond. The surrounding neighbourhood is appropriately called “the juction”.
Scroll a bit north an we will find another crossing where a CP track from the east side crosses the old CN tracks to connect to a CP track from the west side to make a wye and start the Mactier Subdivision.
Unfortunately for railfans, both crossings are undergoing a grade seperation project and will not be around for much longer. GO Transit operates on the old CN tracks and is getting funding from the province to upgrade its system. More pics and info here: http://www.gotransit.com/gts/en/project/wtd.aspx
Google maps is showing that there was some sort of turn around track or baloon track going through or under the central hump in CN’s Macmillan yard in Vaughan, Ontario. If you switch to Earth/Satellite view you can see that there are no tracks where the line on the map is. When the crossing did exist (if it existed) it may have been grade seperated as you can see the bridge in hump. The bridge looks a bit large for a small access road.
Not quite anything goes.
If the crossing is on a main track there has to be some method of protecting the crossing. One person had a crossing where his shortline crossed a class 1 railroad, it was protected by a gate. It was normally lined for the class 1 and against the shortline. If the shortline wanted to cross the gate had to be swung over the class 1 and then returned to clear the class 1 after the short line train cleara the diamond. The catch was that he lived next to a busy 1:1 main line. So anytime you heard a train going by you couldn’t line the gate, you had to wait for the “class 1 train” to pass before you could line the gate for shortline movement.
A lot of shallow angle diamonds are being replaced by a pair of switches. Switches are cheaper to maintain and repair. Diamonds are almost all custom trackwork ordered specifically for a certain location. Relplacing one may take months to order, fabricate, deliver and install.
Diamonds are usually speed restricted and on many roads a diesel engine can’t be pulling power over a diamond (the shock going through the frog can damage traction motor brushes.)
They are an big maintenance headache and where they can be retired they will be. For example it was cheaper for a road to pay for trackage rights (and ultimately buy) a more ciruitous route through a city than it was to maintain the multiple diamonds on a direct route.
Dave,Multi-crossings is a necessary evil and most can not be changed or by passed-Marion and Fostoria are prime examples NS(exNKP) double track main line crosses CSX twice and CSX(exB&O) crosses CSX(exC&O) both of these CSX tracks are double main lines.The only speed restriction over the diamonds is speed restriction through the city of Fostoria or Marion.
Maybe I can just be a bit like an elephant and work for peanuts…hmmmm…The important thing is that despite all of the headaches and tweaking needed to make all the new connections, eventually I had a spur that is easily serviced by either a tackmobile or an 0-4-0 docksider without disrupting either the mainline(relocated) or the reversing loop. Figuring ways to make my skills match the needs of my little piece of model railroading delight is a very satisfying aspect of this hobby.
Don H.
Don:
It sounds like you came up with a very effective solution. It would be interesting to see a track plan and/or some photos.
I agree that accomplishing something like that can be very satisfying. In fact I think that almost all model railroaders feel the same way. That’s one of the things that makes the hobby so great - it isn’t a piece of cake, you have to work at it. When you finally get it right you feel good despite all the “#$%^&*#@$%#$” getting there.
Dave
The general prototype rule of “don’t put in special work if it can be avoided” will always apply. Crossing frogs are a maintenance headache compared to straight rail for any railroad!
Grade separation at a crossing is another option which some railroads preferred whereever there was adequate space to do it.
Only in the minds of modelers that seems to fail to understand a little used diamond doesn’t require the same maintenance as a mainline diamond.
Also consider a switch has moving parts that needs maintained as well.
“only if it can be avoided” - - - the critical operative words.
Trackage such as Alton Junction in Chicago required special work because it couldn’t be avoided.
Rich
If most modelers would explore while out railfaning they would see some rather interesting industrial track mazes and that is my point…
One can’t fully depend on what the layout “experts” say in their books because most lacks basic railroad knowledge…
In Columbus,Ohio PRR had a industry that was around a very sharp curve(think 14" curve in HO) and we used idler cars to reach round the curve and that curve had a 5 mph restriction plus we had to watch the trains wheels for any signs of derailments.
BTW…This curve was restricted to 40’ boxcars…Imagine our shock when we seen a 50’ boxcar bound that that industry…The car never left the yard since the conductor caught the mistake when he looked over the waybills and switch list.
Our first switch move of the day was to switch that car out and place it on a yard track after the conductor advised the YM of the problem and got the YM permission to do so.
On the prototype diamond crossings were custom designed to fit the exact angle of intersection when two main lines crossed. The fit was exact, specified in degrees-minutes-seconds. Very rarely were diamond frogs from one location usable anywhere else.
The exception would be in industrial districts, where sometimes track alignments could be juggled to match the angle of an already designed diamond crossing. If the railroad was really lucky, standard turnout frogs could be used for two of the frogs of a diamond.
On a model railroad, where geography is installed after track is laid, we have the luxury of aligning the track to fit a commercially available diamond crossing. In the real world you just cannot rotate that large warehouse 5.6 degrees to match a diamond. Nor would you put a kink in a main line - both will maintain their straight alignment. (I will ignore the exceptional cases where one of the mainlines is curving, making the design of the frogs even more complex
The justification for any diamond angle is that is what the alignment of the two tracks required. If you are able to build and hand-lay your own diamond, build what’s needed. Otherwise you will be limited to the handful of angles in commercially available track.
John
Or what forum “experts” say for that matter too! [*-)]
Dave, while I have photos, I find that the photo storage sites tend to time out before my dial up speed can upload 4+ mega byte photos. Broadband is available, but cost difference is currently being used to reduce our home mortgage. I still get too many squiggles whenever I attempt one of my drawing programs. Don H.
Or what forum “experts” say for that matter too!
Very true especially the wanna be experts.
I been studying railroads for over 55 years and misspent 9 1/2 years working as a brakeman-the experience was priceless with excellent pay.
Searching Google will supply tons of answers from FRA to railroad maps and in some cases types of industry served and what each car type carries-its more then some think.Google and Bing maps is a strong research tool for prototypical track work and lay of the land one intends to model.
I can’t tell you how to make a hand laid turnout but,I can teach you how to design a layout with prototypical track work.I can’t tell a FMC boxcar from a Sieco boxcar but,I can tell you what they haul.I can teach you how the prototype switches cars and make urban industrial scenery…
That’s my forte in the hobby.