I am interested in getting more information about parallel main lines. I might model this in a walk around HO scale layout. I am familiar with the D&TSL and NYC had such lines between Detroit and Toledo. Where are there other similar situations? In most cases did (do) both roads have access to on line industries?
I can think of several…off the top of my head, the CA&E and the CGW ran parallel out of Chicago and both served the Wander Company (Ovaltine) in Villa Park, IL. The GM&O and the Wabash ran parallel between several communities in NE Missouri. Sometimes both would serve shippers, other times it depended on whose side of track the industry / shipper was on.
the NYC had parallel lines on both sides of the Hudson River from the Port of New York to Albany. Historically, they had been built as separate railroads and became one as a result of merger. The West Shore route (New York, West Shore and Albany) was basically a through route, handling trains from the port complex in New Jersey to the middle of the state at Albany. The route along the East Shore (Hudson River, later New York Central and Hudson River) was the major connection from New York City, and also passed through several larger cities before reaching Albany, so it had rather more traffic sources on-line.
Other parallel routes were the result of later construction on improved alignment. The most extreme example? The original Santa Fe route crossed from Colorado to New Mexico, encountering the long 3% grades up and over the Raton Pass. To avoid this, the Belen Cutoff was built - on a totally new alignment, much of it hundreds of miles south of the original, through Amarillo, TX, and down the much easier and shorter grades of Abo Canyon in New Mexico. The original alignment passed through agricultural country as well as Albuquerque and a couple of other larger cities (But not Santa Fe! Santa Fe was NEVER on the AT&SF mainline.) The later alternate route serves what may well be the largest concentration of cattle feed lots on the planet, in West Texas southweat of Amarillo.
More frequent are directional tracks on the same or adjacent rights-of-way. The UP eastbound track in Weber Canyon is somewhat longer, and has an easier grade, than the westbound, downgrade track. The same situation holds in Cajon Pass - which results in left-hand running. [The Cajon routes are actually owned by two different railroads (UP and BNSF) but operated jointly.]
I’m sure that others will be able to provide a lot of additional examples.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
Between Denver and Pueblo, Colorado, the D&RGW (now UP) and ATSF (now BNSF) operated parallel lines. Both served Colorado Springs, the major town between Denver and Pueblo. In many places, the lines were less than 100 yds apart, and rarely more than 3 miles apart.
It’s been a busy joint operation for quite a while now, with frequent coal trains taking Western coal to Southern Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, and even further east. Empty hoppers north back to the coal fields, as well as normal freight in both directions.
A few places are now single track, primarily on the north side of Colorado Springs up to Palmer Lake where only the D&RGW alignment is still used.
Pretty hefty power - the 110 miles rises from Pueblo at 4,400 ft to Palmer Lake (7,000 ft), and drops to Denver at 5,200 ft.
Fred W
Between Marion and Galion, Ohio, the Erie and NYC had paralleling single-track lines with the Erie handling westbound trains for both railroads and the NYC handling eastbound trains for both railroads.
Kevin
The Milwaukee Road and Northern Pacific between Butte Montana and the Montana-Idaho state line ran parallel all of the way. Out of Butte there were actually three rail lines that ran parallel through a canyon, the Milwaukee, NP and the Butte, Anaconda and Pacific. The link has a picture of this area.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/buttepubliclibrary/4843598197/lightbox/
I drive next to one every day to and from work. From St.Paul MN southeast along the east bank of the Mississippi River, BNSF and CP’s mainlines run parallel to each other - in fact, I understand they’re dispatched jointly like one multi-track mainline. (One has two tracks, the other has one…not sure right now which is which.)
The parallel lines go for about 15 miles until the CP crosses the Mississippi to Hastings MN and runs along the west bank of the river going south. BNSF crosses the St.Croix river to Prescott Wisconsin and runs along the east bank of the Mississippi. (This is where the St.Croix river joins the Mississippi.)
The mainlines were originally the Milwaukee (CP) and CB&Q (BNSF) mainlines. For many years, Rock Island and CGW/CNW had trackage rights over part of the line.
The Western Pacific and Southern Pacific had parallel mains from Alazon (Wells) to Weso (Winnemucca), Nevada, now all UP. The grades are normally quite close to each other, and in some places look almost like conventional double track. From about the WWI era, the “Paired Track” was jointly operated and signalled for movement in one direction on each track only, with reverse movements being rare. Industries are still served off of one track or the other but not both, although there is a power plant at Valmy located between the mains so loaded coal trans can arrive on one and head back empty on the other. One of the railroads would operate the local freights, for example WP’s Paired Track Local worked industries west from Elko to Winnemucca then came back on the other track working the remaining industries from it.
The NKP and Wabash shared a joint track alignment from the NKP’s Cloverleaf Yard near the Toledo Zoo to south of Maumee where the lines split with the Wabash headed to Montpelier, OH and the NKP south towards Fort Wayne, Inc.
One of the most famous was the shared trackage of the SP & WP across Nevada from Winnemuca to Elko. They used the one of the tracks for Westbound and the other for Eastbound.
Rick J
I am a bit confused by the topic of this thread.
When I saw the title, I thought that the OP was asking about double main lines.
What do we mean by parallel main lines?
Rich
Who can forget the famous photo of the two behemoths of the PRR and NYC departing Chicago on adjacent mains, both kicking out prodigeos quantities of smoke as they race each other towards Indiana and eventually to New York City.
Rich, the OP is asking about examples of two deperste railroads who’s mainlines are close to each other and go the same place.
Some more examples:
From Baltimore north going to Philly, the PRR and B&O main lines are less than a mile apart and parrallel each other all the way along US 40 east, one on one side, one on the other. And each serve numerous industries on their respective sides of route 40.
In many places you can see or hear the one while standing right at the other, and both are visable many places as you drive the highway.
The B&O and Western Maryland original mainlines have several similar situations in western Maryland, one on one side of the river, one on the other.
At the peak of trackage milage and in the days of competing lines, it was quite common.
Sheldon
Ahhh, Sheldon, thanks. That never even crossed my mind. I see from another reply that a great example were the parallel main lines of the NYC and PRR running out of Englewood Station in Chicago toward the Indiana State Line and beyond.
Rich
If I understand the thread, then Norfolk Southern and CSX have parrallel lines through North East, PA. Basically side by side. These same lines are only a street block or two apart as they go through Conneaut, Ohio.
Tom
No, through north east MARYLAND - south of Philly. But yes they are very close for many miles:
http://www.bing.com/maps/?v=2&cp=39.53612624811975~-76.11796760543078&lvl=14&dir=0&sty=r&form=LMLTCC
Sheldon
Here’s a link to a pic I found, taken in Newport MN near my home. The IC&E coal train is on the Canadian Pacific (ex-Milwaukee) Twin Cities - Chicago mainline, while the empty “stack” flatcar train is on BNSF (ex-Burlington Route) Twin Cities - Chicago line. (At least I think the double track is CP, might be the other way around…[:S])
http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6037/6866540402_f99a03d298_z.jpg
My intenet was for places where lines are together, perhaps appear to be a double main line but had different owners. However this thread has become very informative with all type of situations were railroads either competed side by side or shared lines to expadite common interestes. Modeling something like this will help me run different railroads on the same medium sized layout. If there are any examples of where both railroads served an industry, that would be helpful?
I remember reading somewhere that a automobile plant in Fremont Ca was served by the Southern Pacific Railroad and the Western Pacific Railroad, but not both at the same time. The contract alternated between the railroads yearly.
There were dozens, maybe hundreds of cases of parallel main linesin the US alone. In the St Louis area (where I live) Granite City, IL has three (one NS, and two UP?) running right along IL rt 203. UP and BNSF parallel each other going from downtown St Louis west 40 miles to Pacific, MO often only 100 ft apart. NS, TRRA of St Louis, and BNSF parallel each other through north St Louis. NS, CSX, UP, Alton & Southernand KCS parallel each other through parts of East St Louis, IL. Make something up if you don’t find something specifically to your taste, it’ll still be plausible if the scenery is right (i.e. no running BNSF and CSX through the desert).
Another example would be in the Columbia River Gorge just east of Portland, OR in the Pacific Northwest. BNSF runs on the Washington side of the river and UP run on the Oregon side of the river.