More years ago than I am willing to admit, I was waiting Altoona for PRR #50, the Admiral, to go to New York City. It was a blustery, snowy, cold December morning. There was more than 12 inches of snow on the ground. The train was due in Altoona around 7:30 a.m. if I remember correctly.
About 8:00 a.m. one of the Altoona to Harrisburg crew members told us that the train was stuck under the 17th Steet bridge, which is near the now closed Alto tower. He said that the lead unit had picked the switch.
Is “picked the switch” a meaningful railroad term and, if so, what does it mean?
“Picked the switch”, a legitimate railroad term which essentially means that the flange didn’t track through the switch as intended, either finding a gap in the points and tracking through the gap or, more likely, riding up on top of the rail and then off the rail. First example I use is more likely the result of a switch having been run through, causing the gap.
The fact that there was 12 inches of snow on the ground may have contributed to this, either just enough snow in the switchpoints to create a slight gap, or snow piled up on top of the switch just enough to cause a wheel to ride up off the rail.
oh yeah, it happens a lot on model railroads too. All it means is that going into a switch, one truck or car went the correct way, and another didn’t.
Picking a switch is the term used when a sharp wheel flange wedges itself into the switch point and opens/gaps the switch instead of following the lined route…the result is a derailment, sometimes if it is the rear truck that picks the switch, that truck and most of the following trucks will follow the diverging route, not fun in yards as the longer cars are capable of running with one set of trucks on one track, and another set following the adjacent track…did that once, scared my helpers half to death.
A switch that has been run through in a trailing point movement will often have a small gap at the switch point, just enough to allow a facing point movement to split or pick the switch, sometimes the switch point ends up dead center of the wheel tread, which can raise the wheel up and off the rail.
One of the big things car men look for is sharp wheel flanges to prevent just such derailments…cars with sharp flanges are bad ordered, set out and new wheels sets installed asap.