New Jersey Transit will build a pocket track west of Summit. This will allow trains to turn around faster than they do now and also enable 12 car trains to run rather than the 6 car trains that do now. This will increase the number of seats available for commuters on the Morris and Essex Line.
The new project is reported by Mike Frassinelli in The Star-Ledger: http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2013/05/turn-around_track_to_allow_mor.html#incart_m-rpt-1
I’m still wondering what a pocket track is. From the article it sounds like it’s a siding.
Yeah. Basically. Short to hold just a locomotive or short train. Placed wherever it fits, usually stub.
Yes. Is a siding. Usually a third track on a two track mane lion, it can be a siding on a single track, but then it would just be a siding , wouldn’t it.?
it allows one train to get out of the way of a faster train.
On NYCT they pockets are useful to ditch a train that is forced out of service until the rush hour is over and the can knockers can have at it. You can also keep the gap train in a pocket.
(Ach… Now he will want to know what a gap train is!)
ROAR
"Paul of Covington]
I’m still wondering what a pocket track is. From the article it sounds like it’s a siding.
My understandins is that it is a track located between 2 main tracks that is accessed beyond the end of the station with a switch to each main track. Sometimes there will also be a switch(s) at far end to access one or both of the tracks. This last explanation is the layout of the Wash Metro location that had the train routed into a pocket track and wrecked at the far in.
Here is the link activated.
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2013/05/turn-around_track_to_allow_mor.html#incart_m-rpt-1
EDIT; — If the main tracks are too close to built the pocket track either one or both of the main tracks moved outward to allow the pocket track. If just one main is moved then the old main track cn be used as the pocket and the new main dog legged arout that section. Does anyone know the lay out there ? Note: pocket tracks can be any length but usually short. Freight RRs stil have them where they may need to set out a bad order car / loco
Amtrak has a pocket track at NYP, NJT at Sec. Jct., Newark Light Rail at several locations, D&H/CP at Binghamton, NYSW/CNY/NS on the Southern Tier Line in several places including Deposit, NY. etc. It may be where a track car can get out of the way, or a locomotive or short train or even a longer train can be put aside for the moment. As I said, usually a stub track, often accessible from several tracks. I bet there are as many variations, names, uses, configurations as there are days in a century.
I’d also call the ‘shoofly’ going in at New Brunswick a ‘pocket track’ in this context. Trains ‘terminating’ westbound will traverse a new overpass, then go onto the eastbound local track to stop at the platform. If you built a loop track, you’d have quite a bit of additional real-estate for not much more advantage. But you want to keep the reversing train OFF the four Corridor tracks right up to the time you need it at the platform.
Makes sense, if you have bidirectional equipment, to have a stub-end track at the end of the overpass, with a switch at the ‘bottom’ of the flyover approach grade that lines you back onto the EB local track. Not very much additional work would let you have multiple parallel layover tracks so that more than one train could ‘dwell’ at the facility without holding up track occupancy on either local main.
For many years New Jersey Transit has operated push – pull service. Outbound trains are pulled; inbound trains are pushed. This is much more efficient than moving the engine from one end of the train to the other.
Yes, but it’s a long and fairly slow walk down the train from one end to the other!
At NYP, the crew leaves the train and a yard crew or a new crew takes over for the incoming crew. At the end of the line the crew likely enough goes out of service, or else has a good long time before the return trip.
ROAR
My guess is that it would be rare for a crew to mark off after making the outbound run to New Brunswick, and a crew would still be ‘engaged to be waiting’ if they took the ‘next’ train turning around at the facility.
Possibly a ‘hostler’ would take the train up and over, with the crew getting out at the south/west end of the platform, crossing under or over the main tracks, and reboarding the train just as it’s about to enter the switch to go back onto the main… When the train is at the platform, hostler gets out and walks back the same way the crew came over … and is ready to repeat the exercise.
Well, Bob, I don’t begin to have your railroad expertise. However, New Jersey Transit does in fact operate push pull trains.
If I go into the city on a week end, I take the train from the last stop, Bay Street, Montclair. I have seen more than once the train pull in, the engineer gets off the engine and walks to the other end of the train. From there he operates the train back to Hoboken.