Ok folks. Is my term single point switch correct? I was at the docks (Broad Street Terminal) at Camden, NJ this past week. While waiting to load, I was parked next to the track that leads into the facility and watched two six axle diesels shove a string of box cars into this terminal. Just inside the gate there is a switch that the train passed over that had only one point rail that moved and accross from this point was a frog. When the switch was set (point rail open) for one direction the point rail would pull the wheels over to one side of the frog. When the point rail was closed it would force the wheels to the other side of the frog. What was also surprising to me was the tight radius of this switch and the ability of those two six axle diesels to navigate it. From the wear on the rails and the condition of the track, I would guess this track has been in place since the 30’s or earlier. I was parked only a few feet from this switch. Ken
I might be off on my assumption here, but that sounds like a gantlet (gauntlet?) track, where a double track line is squeezed to a single track (maybe for a bridge, tight pass, tunnel, etc)…
Nope! This is a switch. one side leads out to the gate, the other leads along a fence to somewhere down the dock and and beyond. The one movable point rail is only about 4 to 5 feet long and for lack of better discription, extremely heavy duty. Also this track is in the pavement and made with street rail with the flangeway made into it. There is a cover inside (between) the rails that can be opened and a bar inserted to operate the switch. Ken
There was a discussion, and even some photographs, about a single-blade switch on one of these forums a couple of months ago.
Does this look anything like what you saw?
Single point switches like this were used quite a lot for trolley. Our old layout even had modeled them to switch. The point was set up like a flag. The control rod dropped through the layout with another lever. Cable and spring return activated the point.
Single point switches were fairly common on street trackage, both traction and low-speed switching operations. It doesn’t surprise me that you found one still in use. After all, any mechanic will tell you, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)