quick ? on 2 track main ,haveing a brain freeze . is there a correct direction such as enginer side out ,hes on the left so east bound has the right track and westbound has the left left track or the conduters side in ??? I M trying to lay out a 2 track helix and my mind is freezing up trying to keep the uphill engine on the outside trk (largest radi) and the enginer on the on the correct side entering and exitting without useing a cross track in side the helix , or please does it really matter? ,now Im really confused are you? …is there a wright wrong on direction ? Jerry
Yes, there is a correct direction for a two track mainline.
And it depends on the railroad.
Some are right hand running and some are left hand running. Most are right hand running, so you need to find out which way the railroad you are modeling runs.
The better question is, does it really matter? The prototype’s make no attempt at running 100% correct. Slow trains, fast trains, light helper moves etc etc all effect the most efficient use of the tracks. If you need to “switch” tracks on yours to make traversing the helix easier then so be it. Throw a cross over in somewhere before the helix so you have the option to run either side of the main and you’re pretty golden.
Yup, as Gandydance19 says it depends on the railroad. I believe the old Santa Fe was right hand running, except through Cajon. C&NW was a left hand running. I think UP is right hand running.
Of course, remember that on a railroad it is not so important to see traffic on the other line. It is not likely the train is going to swerve into your lane as can happen on roadways.
on double track railroads, where there are no signals or ABS (Automatic Block System) signals there was generally a specified direction for each track. Mostly the right hand track was used, as on our highways, but there were exceptions and some railroads, or portions, had left hand running. If one track was blocked then they could run trains against the current of traffic, essentially turning that portion into a single track operation.
Many main lines now are controlled by CTC (Centralized Traffic Control) and either track can be used in either direction. As in the other systems, you will find that mostly the trains are right hand running but that is for operational convenience. Whenever necessary the trains will be crossed over to the opposite track, and may continue that way for miles. Sometimes you may even see two trains going in the same direction on the two tracks, as a hot intermodal or passenger train overtakes a drag freight.
John
Where this might come into play on a model railroad is somewhat dependent on how the double track is formed. If it is two concentric loops with crossovers between, it can be run bidirectional - both tracks. If it’s a squeezed-together ‘dogbone’ with not-quite-reverse loops at both ends and no crossovers, then, of necessity, it should be operated with all trains running right-handed (or left-handed if you model Cajon, C&NW, British-influenced rail or JNR.)
My own layout, schematically, is one long loop, some of it double tracked. The double track is operated left-hand running because that’s what my prototype did. On the prototype, opposite-hand running would be blind and would only be attempted in case of extreme emergency. On the layout, there are spring switches and other items that would make trying to run opposite-hand an adventure.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
Firstly, you are the CEO of your model railroad. Do as you want.
John, below, had a valid point. Automated control systems allowed either track to go in either direction although, the railroad would have a preferance for which side to run on.
On my railroad, I typically run passenger trains in either direction on Track One and freght trains in either direction on Track Two. That is because most industrial tracks connect with Track Two, and it makes switching of freight cars easier…
The Santa Fe mainline (I recall reading somewhere) had right hand running at one time. The crossovers were set up with all switches with the points on the far end. Trains could run faster with less risk of derailing. However, the trains would need to stop and run in reverse through the crossovers to change tracks.
A safety sign on the walls of a crew shed read:
Stay Alive!
Expect A Train On Either Track At Any Time From Either Direction.
Plan enough I think.
There are two ways of operating two main tracks.
Current of traffic (Rule 251, rule 9.14). Used since the early 1900’s. Traffic moves in one direction on one track and the other direction on the other track. Which track is which depends on the railroad, but the vast majority in the US are right hand running.
Two main tracks (CTC) Used since the 1920’s. Traffic can move in both directions on either track.
Personally I wouldn’t worry about it since a helix is “imaginary” track anyway.
thanks guys ,I think I got it . great info that I never really thought about . never knew about cajon pass and I hike the pct though there all the time…thanks again Jerry
DMIR was another left-handed railroad. Interestingly the C&NW ran left-handed, but subsidiary company C.St.P.M. & O. (The Omaha Road) was right-handed.
Of course, real railroads don’t use helixes so it doesn’t really matter how you do yours, but giving the uphill train the larger radius curve is a good idea.
CN runs trains in Ontario in both directions on both sets of tracks in the town I live in. There is no right lane or left lane. They even use both lanes in the same direction to allow a VIA passenger train to pass a slower freight.
Hi everyone
If you are running in the steam or transition periods government rules dictated the placement of signals due to the blind spots from the boilers on steam engines and the high hoods on early diesels. Signals were to be placed so the engineer could see them. And engineer running wrong way main could not see the signals that is why railroads specified either right or left hand running. I don’t know what year the rules changed but railroads are no longer required to place signals on the engineer side
PS the Great northern was right hand run also.
Bill
Thank You.
Very interesting thread!
In Europe, most railroads run on the left side of a two track main, the exception being Germany, which has a strict right hand lane rule.
In the glorious steam days, left hand running often proved to be quite awkward for the fireman. As the majority of people is right-handed, he had to stand right behind the engineer to shovel coal into the firebox, requiring to “dance” around in the cab.
Sorta. The reason railroads ran with the current of traffic wasn’t as much whether or not the engineer could see the signals, it was a matter of whether there were signals at all. In rule 251, current of traffic operation the ttracks were only signalled for movement in ONE direction. If a train was operating against the current of traffic, i.e. “wrong main”, there were NO signals for the engineer to see. As far as the operating rules were concerned, a train moving against the current of traffic was moving in non-signalled, dark territory.
If the track is signalled for movement in both directions then there is NO “wrong main”, there is NO current of traffic.
Thank You.
Hi everyone
Dave you are absolutely correct that when in dark territory you ran to the rule book. But I wondered if economics played a part in which a railroad was right or left hand run. On railroad sections that were signaled It is certainly cheaper to place a signal or train board to the right of a double tracked main line than to place it on a signal bridge to the left of the engineer over the left hand track that was used on most left hand railroads.
Bill
After posting this I realized I made an error the signals would be on the right over the right hand track assuming the engine stand was on the right .
Bill