Top Of The Mountain Siding - Official Work Thread

[Mike Fox]

I remember the conversations about the possible run around styles at TOM during one of the few Thursday night discussions I was able to make. I think it was me that made the suggestion for the crossover. There are a few potential drawbacks of this.
1. 2 more switches to machine.
2. Clearance. Will there be enough room for a 2 car train to be in the clear for the run around?
3. Making sure there is atleast 30' of siding left for the Tank car.

If I recall correctly, the siding was atleast 6 cars long. Possibly longer. May have to measure it out and see what we can do in the area that is there, draw up a plan with some measurements and see what the powers above think of it. I know it would be a lot easier to understand if it can be seen what is being discussed. And also make it understood any switch other than the switch in the location of the original is temporary.

[Wayne Laepple]

The reference to trains passing at Alna Center was made in connection with turning trains back at Top of the Mountain, which may be the operating routine for some time. Actually, except on special occasions, I don't think there will be much need to pass trains at Alna Center, even after we're running to Route 218.

And concerning spring switches, at the WK&S near Allentown, Pa., where I hang out when not in Maine, we have a crossover with two spring switches, which we use to run around the train at Kempton. It works just dandy.

If we have a single-end siding at Top of the Mountain, we'd need about 180 feet of track for clearance on the siding, and 120 feet or so on the main track. If we're going to park the tank car up there, that still leaves 150 feet, plenty of space for three passenger cars or four freight cars. I would think we'd only park the tank car up there during times of greatest fire danger.

[Allan Fisher]

We've got at least two, and probably three years before rail gets laid to the TOM (Unless someone has an extra $100,000 they want to give).       Everybody take a deep cleansing breath, hold it a few seconds, and blow it out. Now there, don't you feel better. 

[Ed Lecuyer]

Aw, but it's fun to dream...
Armchair railfaning at its best 

[Keith Taylor]

And concerning spring switches, at the WK&S near Allentown, Pa., where I hang out when not in Maine, we have a crossover with two spring switches, which we use to run around the train at Kempton. It works just dandy.

Of course, you have to be sure to make a complete move through the spring switch! I have seen more than one instance where a train tried to occupy two tracks at the same time...never with any degree of success.
Keith

[Wayne Laepple]

Keith, in over 40 years of operation, that particular scenario has yet to present itself at Kempton. It's pretty hard for that to happen with a saddle-tanker or a single diesel unit.

[Keith Taylor]

Gee Wayne, when I first started on the Lehigh Valley RR and was working as a hostler at Oak Island Yard, the roundhouse foreman said that I had to go in and tell the Division Superintendant about the locomotive I derailed. When I told the Supt. that I had derailed the Apollo-1's power, he asked which direction the lead unit was facing. I replied that it was headed north. He said..."Son, the tracks go east and west on the Lehigh Valley RR!" I replied..."Yes, I know, you see that is the problem!" A spring switch at the east end of the service tracks was the instigator of that episode.
Keith

[Ira Schreiber]

If you think that spring switches are not a problem, just look what happened to the Nebraska Zephyr train set at Illinois Railway Museum. While backing thru a spring switch, the consist derailed causing hundreds of thousands $$ of damage and putting it out of service for over two years. The cause: Operator Error. The consist was going onto the wrong track, so just stop and back up. The only problem was the spring switch under the consist.
Allan will back me up(pun intended) that spring switches are dangerous to operate over when not paying attention.

[Wayne Laepple]

Jeez, guys, lighten up. I wasn't advocating for or against spring switches. I just remarked on my experience with them. They were and are fairly common in rapid transit and trolley operations, where I have seen hydraulic dampers used to reduce the impact on the point slapping against the stock rail. The old Reading equipped many switches on its lines with sprung no. 1 rods, and I can only suppose that was to avoid damage if run through.

[Paul Horky]

As Wayne said lighten up you're going to talk yourselfs out of a good salution for a temporary end of track. If you want to get technical any switch  can be dangerious. That said I beleive you have good training of your operateing personal [ and even then accedents can happen ] but the only way to ensure no accedents happen is to not operate at all. Don't nobody want to see that correct? Now for some real pipedreaming how about a turntable on the tail track. This would not be a wood table but one of the industral type. Think there is a Steve H. picture of one in use up in Canada.

[James Patten]

Since there's no room alongside the track for a turntable, we could get real crazy and build the turntable structure over the mainline track a little further to the north, as the track drops away that much as it heads down the Mountain.

[Stephen Hussar]

What to do at TOM? Build the Visitor's Center! Check out the Snowdon Mtn Ry... http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/8118973.stm

[Paul Horky]

Guess I misunderstude how TOM spur ran. I thought it angled away from the mainline. Also the type TT I had in mind would only be about 20 ft in dia. just long
enough to spin an engine around.
 On another matter At TOM I think it was Allan said the reason for the tankcar up there is some kind of fire protection agreement with the local fire department. Can someone advise  when the rep. of the Headtide tank was built a tank was uptained from the SR&RL then maybe I'm misunderstanding but then a new tank was uptained and used so are there 2 tanks.

[James Patten]

TOM spur did angle away from the mainline, however ours will probably parallel.

However there isn't much land on the north side of the end of the spur.  The spur is on the top of the hill, the grade drops down through a cut in the hill.  Not too far beyond the end of the spur the hill ends and drops sharply down, eventually intersecting the grade and turning the cut into a fill.

When we started building the HT tank replica, we traded a steel tank for rail with the SR&RL.  Later we decided a new tank would be a better idea, so we bought a new tank, which is now inside the structure.  The ex-SR&RL tank is sitting near the woods unused.  Last year we bought one of the tanks from the larger of the two B&SR tankcars from MNGRR (the "car" part of the tankcar has probably disintegrated).  Eventually we will build another flatcar to put under it (and repair the tank itself, of course).

[Nyle Buxton]

 Does anyone know what the W&Q did as they were building the ROW in the 1800's, were sidings built and then removed later as the line was extended?