Top Of The Mountain Siding - Official Work Thread

[Dave Crow]

Keith, I was wondering the same thing.

[Keith Taylor]

The switch at the south end of the runaround at Sheepscot is installed backwards as well.

The operating handle should always be on the outside so when you throw the switch you don't encounter and tripping hazards,

Keith

[Dave Crow]

Hmmm... looking at the photos on Facebook, it seems that the person operating the switchstand faces south instead of trapped between the switchstand and the switch itself.

[Stewart "Start" Rhine]

The handle travels parallel to the head blocks, not the rail.

[Mike Fox]

I spy Ichabod.....
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Alna,+ME/@44.0951056,-69.6241783,278a,20y,90h/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x4caded7b33a79bb9:0xc7478cd6aed0e353

[Bill Sample]

Hopefully Google will take some post-foliage aerial photos this year - the images done during the leaf season hide most of what many of us want to see.  In my part of Connecticut Bing photos are not as recent but many were taken when the leaves were down - much better for us explorers!

[Bill Reidy]

I spy Ichabod.....
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Alna,+ME/@44.0951056,-69.6241783,278a,20y,90h/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x4caded7b33a79bb9:0xc7478cd6aed0e353

Good eyes, Mike.  I never would have spotted that.

[Brendan Barry]

Top of the Mountain run around is officially in service. Dana moved the red flag to the end of the mainline and Fred did the first run around move at T.O.M with 52 and flat 126 today.



We also changed out the ground throw style switch stand with a shop built harp style switch stand on the north cross over switch. The harp style switch stand has more leverage for throwing the stub switch.

[Mike Fox]

What was wrong with the other switch stand? I can see some visual alignment confusion with this one...

[John McNamara]

Someday we'll be saying, "Gosh - remember how excited we were to reach the Top of the Mountain."
-John M

[Andre Anderson]

What was wrong with the other switch stand? I can see some visual alignment confusion with this one...

According to the caption, it has more leverage than the other style of switch stand.

Andre

[Bill Reidy]

Thanks, Brendan, for the photos.  Wish I could have been there today -- I even had a rare Friday off today from work.

Did the gravel on the flat car get dumped anywhere?

[Brendan Barry]

First scheduled passenger train just used the new siding.

[John McNamara]

First scheduled passenger train just used the new siding.

Does anyone have a picture?

-John M

[Paul Uhland]

Beefing up that switch stand is understandable because those hard-headed stub rails must literally bend starting about six ties back.
Since that mast doesn' t swivel, I'd say the non-turning target needs to be raised for better visibility, and the switch's open/closed position indicated in the timetable.
I've thrown a few standard-gauge switches during my ATSF summer switchman days.