Rail lines crossing each other

If I understand it right, when a railroad crossed another existing line, the 2nd railroad was responsible for upkeep of the crossing? What happened when one of the railroads abandonded their track or went bankrupt?

“Bankrupt” is open to broad interpretation. Often it was a strategic tool towards another end, So I guess you mean final liquidation type bankruptcy? The reason why I ask is that it’s not unthinkable that the solvent railroad might buy the bankrupt line and replace the diamond with a switch if there is potential to originate traffic on the line, making it into a feeder branch?

If one of the lines gets abandoned, the question of upkeep becomes irrelevant since there is no longer any crossing to be maintained. If it is the earlier one that disappears I presume the second railroad will somehow acquire title to the underlying little piece of land, but how that happens will vary. If it goes bankrupt but is still operating, the trustee overseeing the estate will be responsible.

Responsibility as to who pays what. Most of the places I can think of, now and in the past, the original road maintains the diamond and controls the operation if it’s manually controlled. Manual control either by a towerman or direct dispatcher control.

Jeff

While the original line maintains control and maintenance of the location, the 2nd line gets billed for all the costs of operation and maintenance of the location.

And, if crossing protection is automatic, the little XYZ pays the costs of crossing the great ABC. I think of the crossing of the former Mississipppi Central and the former Illinois Central just above Brookhaven, Mississippi–block signals on the MSC’s approach as well as the IC’s approach.

Works both ways - depends on who the original carrier was.

B&O Haselton Tower on the East side of Youngstown. The tower was on the South side of a ‘railroad valley’ that held the tracks of the B&O, PRR, NYC and Erie. Erie was the ‘prior rights’ carrier and serviced the steel mill that was South of the B&O Tower, the Erie’s Main tracks were the Northmost of the tracks that were in the ‘railroad valley’. The ‘crossing’ was a non-interlocked series of crossovers across each of the carriers to the Erie’s Main. The area was a Statutory Stop for all carriers. Any time there was not a train actively using any of the non-Erie tracks, the Erie crews could start opening up the crossover switches and make their moves - they did not have to get permission from any of the carriers involved - they just did it.

The movements from the steel mill to the Erie Main were ‘hot bottle’ cars of molten steel being taken to the Briar Hill section of Warren, OH for a steel processing plant there. The empty bottle cars were the return movement

For sheer fun it was difficult to beat the crossing where the ‘riverfront line’ of the ex-IC past Central Station ran over the multiple tracks down Broadway from the Mississippi bridges. For the longest time this was ‘governed’ for the IC north and south with a simple searchlight signal … but in the cross direction with a bunch of MUTCD octagonal stop signs on posts (!) and an indication of strict 5mph speed limit.

This was very expensively rebuilt a few years ago, with a new approach gantry to the west of the crossover, and now east-west trains don’t stop and can proceed at a reasonable speed…

The STB (formerly the ICC) calls the shots in the end. In an abandonment or “bankruptcy” the STB has to approve or deny the outcome plus address issues with line crossings, etc. in the procedural & environmental reports. The underlying fee title issue can get really bizarre. (have seen the adverse posession game played more than a few times after the original parties lost track of the facts after a few too many agreement modifications)…Go back and look at what happened in Joe Kohen’s backyard between CSX(B&O) & Maumee & Western (N&W/Wabash … now Pioneer)

General reaction when one line quits, the crossing frog comes out and is set aside with the gap straight-railed for the time being. (Each of those diamond$ is custom built and a PITA to maintain … better to let things sit in the weeds for a while and not run up the expenses with the surviving railroad beating things into failure/submission.) FRA has rules for temporary circuits that come into play.)

Yes, I was thinking liquidation type bankruptcy. I’m sure those leagues of railroad lawyers had agreements that covered what happened when the Nowhere and Western Railroad declared bankruptcy and emerged as the Nowhere and Western Railway. 'Sort of falls into the category of “this ain’t the first rodeo we’ve been to”.

If The Milwaukee Road crossed over the existing Murphy Siding & Northern, it looks like The Milwaukee Road paid to put in the crossing. MS&N controls diamond operation & maintenance but The Milwaukee Road pays for it.

I presume that if The Milwaukee Road goes kaput, MS&N has to shoulder the cost of removing the diamond?

It can put a lien against Brand X railroad, but have fun getting satisfaction out of that. MS&N may be saving itself big future costs with removing the crossing frogs and modifying the signal system mui-pronto to do away with a recurring IOE not needed anymore.

(keep the railroad attorneys underemployed)

Getting money on a lien is a lot like trying to get blood out of a turnip. So what’s the standard procedure? Does the MS&N just set the crossing frogs aside in the weeds and let Railroad X deal with it?

Generally, the surviving railroad tries to clear it with the local FRA inspectors and a representative of the bankrupt (sometimes impossible) and then approaches it as if they intend at some point to put it back (all pieces and parts at the ready) … then the years go by.

It doesn’t have to involve an at grade crossing. Just got reminded of a recent project where an ACL line went over a former CofG line (Margaret Br) , barely older and abandoned in '64 east of Birmingham. It had been a logging and mining (coal) road before it was a common carrier. It was an All-In-The-Family (lines) deal until CSX shortlined the ACL line. The tunnel/ concrete arch under the 1905 ACL/SAL line became an adverse possession/ acquiessence thing out in da woods.

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=3369023

The original Best Friend route from Charleston, SC to Augustaa , GA had an example. It became part of SOU RR the NS however never signaled. The SAL crossed the NS line at Denmark, SC . The SAL which crossed th SOU was signaled and sometime in past installed an automated Crossing. The SOU Had permanent approach signals ( permanent yellow ) about 1 mile either side of the crossing.

NS abandoned the line thru Denmark including removing the track… Around 1998 I observed the permanent approach signal on west side still lit in the weeds. The control bungalow at the crossing still had signals facing both ways on the SOU lit for stop. The SAL sides also showed stop with the 1st signal north of the CP showing approach. Apparently (?) the sutomatic function of the crossing was still in effect. Cannot remember if NS tracks at crossing were removed ?

Does CSX expect the NS to resume the service, and so maintains the signals?

Here is a case in which the road (South Carolina RR) with less traffic was there before the road (built, Columbia-Savannah, as the Southbound RR) which had much more traffic.

I don’t know about the specific location or today’s handling by governmental entities.

I do know about the B&O’s WS Tower at Watson, IN. Watson was the point where the B&O’s lines to Jeffersonville and Louisville diverg

Balt, it sounds as though that crossing at Watson was, so far as higher management was concerned, “forgotten but not gone.”

The B&O’s double track Pittsburgh& Western subdivision crossed a PRR single track industrial spur at Etna tower near Pittsburgh, Pa. I don’t know who was there first. After the spur went unused for several years by PC or CR, Chessie System removed the diamonds. They had to replace them when some cars showed up for the industry.

What’s the law regarding one railroad crossing another?

If new railroad A wants to cross at grade existing railroad B, does RR B have to give its permission? Can RR B refuse to allow it?

What if RR A wishes to pass over or pass under RR B…can RR B refuse to allow that?

What if RR A is, or rather was, an interurban line? How does/did that affect things?

Are railroad crossings such as the above covered/governed by federal or state law? (Please note, I’m not referring to maintaining such crossings once built)

Starting with interurbans - in the early years the RR’s would object to interurbans crossing their lines at grade and were often able to prevent the crossing early in the interurban period. Many stated began to require RR’s to permit crossing at grade, with the interurbans paying for the costs of crossing protection.

IIRC, the RR’s had a much harder time blocking an underpass or overpass, though would have say on clearances for overpasses and bridge strength for an underpass.