Ballasting and Shared Track

[cuyama]

FRRYKid

The situation I have is the two railroads share "equal" use of the passenger station and the trackage at the station. One runs full passenger operations (streamliners) and the other is a tourist-type train (old-time passenger cards). As earlier stated, the railroads use different ballasts. How would I decided which ballast goes on the shared track?

One of the two will still typically be the owner, except in the case of a third company that acts as a Union Passenger terminal operator. But it sounds like your situation is too small for that. So pick one or the other railroad as the owner and ballast accordingly, just as others have said.

[locoi1sa]

 If you are asking about a Union terminal then there is a majority owner of said land and stations. Usually the primary railroad ( The one that puts up the most money) will be responsible for maintenance of said property. The same can be said about crossing diamonds and bridges. Say if the PRR and NYC crossed each other but the NYC controlled the crossing and interlocking than the NYC would be responsible for maintaining the crossing and a few feet or even hundreds of yards on each side of it. I have heard of controlling roads to hold up a competitors trains for hours at crossings. Crews have outlawed because of delays like that. As with life it also applies to railroading. He with the most money wins. A tourist railroad usually runs on a shoe string budget so they would have no maintenance of way responsibilities at all.

  Hope this answers your question.

          Pete

[FRRYKid]

I guess I mistyped a little. (My apologies for the confusion.) The situation I have is the two railroads share "equal" use of the passenger station and the trackage at the station. One runs full passenger operations (streamliners) and the other is a tourist-type train (old-time passenger cards). As earlier stated, the railroads use different ballasts. How would I decided which ballast goes on the shared track?

[nbrodar]

 Trackage rights were granted by the ICC and currently by the STB, usually as a condition of a merger agreement to "preserve" competition.  The owning railroad maintains, and dispatches the territory.  While the overhead road pays rent to the owner.

Nick

[cacole]

 The track belongs to only one railroad, and that road is responsible for all of the maintenance.  My understanding of trackage rights just means that another railroad can use the track, usually because this has been mandated by the FRA, but is not responsible for its maintenance. 

[FRRYKid]

On shared trackage (when one railroad has trackage rights on another), how do the prototypes determine whose ballast goes on which track, especially when the railroads use completely different ballast types? Thank you for all your assistance with my inquiry.