The picture is a bit blurry but somewhat understandable. This is beyond me how this functioned. If you built this as a model I think you would need to take out an equity loan on your house and how you actually wire it all up is beyond me. How you actually got a train through all this required some very clear thinking by everyone.
My apologies, I do not know where this is exactly, perhaps someone knows.
Wow, talk about what model railroaders call a "spagetti-bowl trackplan!"
I zoomed in as much as I could until I lost resolution on the locomotive on the upper left for a clue, and I don't think that location is here in the New World, that locomotive looks European. British? French? German? I can't tell.
I can't figure out how that maze functioned either. They must have had a trained octopus in the tower instead of someone human!
This is almost certainly English, probably in the BR era judging by the signals and presence of electric switch motors. Actually not very complex at all when you consider it's mostly multiple approaches with switch fabrication to allow any train to access or depart from any one of those platform tracks.
The Brits in general were prepared to implement full 'permanent way' track geometry to these things; hence the lovely double slip switches and precise curvature through both sides of the many diamonds.
There is at least one instructional video on YouTube that showed what was done to maintain one of these. All the curves and pieces were carefully fabricated and laid out beforehand with high standards of craftsmanship, then hurry-up installed during infrequent breaks in the traffic. You could see the American version of this in the 'emergency' Penn Station repairs.
There were places in America where we used those high-speed curved diamonds. Recent threads here commented on one of them (Milwaukee?)
Yes I saw that video and I do believe this is in Great Britain. Now that's what I call Precison Railroading. Not sure about your comment " not very complex"! Heck I can't even follow a route with my finger.
I think Flintlock is right about a trained octopus. I sure as heck would not want to be the one person responsible or operating the comings and goings and routings.
Wonder if this still exists?
Is it any wonder the British invented interlocking early?
Overmod, you're probably right, most likely it's British.
I just had a scary thought. Imagine trying to put all that back together after (if) the Luftwaffe blew it apart in a bombing raid? Oh, brother...
E chey hua hua!
Trains, trains, wonderful trains. The more you get, the more you toot!
Newcastle Central, Newcastle upon Tyne
https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishswissernie/33707376808/
Wide view shows much of the reason for the complexity; there's a junction pretty close to the platforms. The trackage survived into the 1980s but has been greatly simplified since.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/darren44/12891299115/
Sorry for wide angle photo; people apparently stopped taking shots there when the trackage was simplified.
Much simpler and less mind-numbing now, that's for certain.
I guess the octopus died and they couldn't get a replacement, so they HAD to simplify the trackage!
NorthWest-- that's terrific, thanks.
Maybe not quite as complicated — but a bit of a head scratcher just the same:
PRR_Western-Ave by Edmund, on Flickr
Click to make bigger.
Enjoy, Ed
Western Avenue (Metra Tower A2) is still very active, seeing 350-plus moves a day. Some of the tracks leading to the Panhandle (lower right) have been removed, but most of the tracks shown in the diagram are still handled by the electropneumatic machine. The C&NW semaphores and PRR position lights have been replaced.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-metra-a2-tower-switching-problem-getting-around-20190402-story.html
Tower A2 was recently featured in "Photo Of The Day" too:
http://ctr.trains.com/photo-of-the-day/2019/04/tower-a-2
Cheers, Ed
rcdryeWestern Avenue (Metra Tower A2) is still very active, seeing 350-plus moves a day. Some of the tracks leading to the Panhandle (lower right) have been removed, but most of the tracks shown in the diagram are still handled by the electropneumatic machine. The C&NW semaphores and PRR position lights have been replaced. https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-metra-a2-tower-switching-problem-getting-around-20190402-story.html
Replacing 'old' equipment that is MAINTAINED with 'state of the art equipment' that is sold on the basis of it not requiring continual maintenance is no guarantee that everything will work as intended every time it is intended to work.
If it was made by man, it will break. New equipment fails for a variety of reasons - just different reasons than old equipment.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
B-R: The Old Way...
Fascinating to watch! And the precision — remarkable. Didn't see a single bloke wearing gloves, either. At 4:25, how old do you suppose the foundry apprentice is? Fourteen, maybe? Can you imagine a youngster setting aside his I-phone long enough to do this kind of work today?
Regards, Ed
gmpullmanDidn't see a single bloke wearing gloves, either.
No hard hats or safety shoes either. And don't forget to wear a tie with your wool suit!
Yeah I see those ties dangling away.. what a hazard. I'm sure locomotive engineers wore gloves but maybe not. This lack of safety must have been obvious at the time. In any case they get the job done and did it well. It's all rather amazing really but the accident and injury rate must have been horrendous despite the skill level.
So the future is intelligent robots then and no need for PPE until they discover they need PPE as well to protect an investment. What comes after that? Just mind power? Make it so and voila?
I'll have to watch it again to get the time, but there is a shot of a worker hammering screws to set a chair with his hand bandaged.
Miningman ...This lack of safety must have been obvious at the time. In any case they get the job done and did it well. It's all rather amazing really but the accident and injury rate must have been horrendous despite the skill level...
...This lack of safety must have been obvious at the time. In any case they get the job done and did it well. It's all rather amazing really but the accident and injury rate must have been horrendous despite the skill level...
That's why we have those safety work clothing and workwear today. The worker keeps their body intact when they go back home, the manufacturer of the safety workwear gets the money, the government gets the tax money from the worker, the safety workwear manufacturer, the folks who design them, sell them and the shop owner; medical and welfare expenses decrease due to better protection of the worker, the government have the room to spend the tax money on better things, the politician has more chances to debate how the tax money should be used......Sound like a win-win-win-win-win-win situation.
Jones 3D Modeling Club https://www.youtube.com/Jones3DModelingClub
Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!
Get the Classic Trains twice-monthly newsletter