Engineer Jeff,
Nice pix--thanks!
Ed
In the new Trains magazine is a piece about UP working to get funding to raise the height of the roofs in the tunnels and snow sheds over Donner Pass. Now all double stacks have to go the long way via the Feather River Canyon to the Bay area. When this goes thru it will greatly speed up traffic since the Donner Pass is a more direct route.
igoldberg wrote:The actual minimum clearance for double stacks is 22 feet 6 inches. Which is 3.1 inches in HO and 1.69 inches in N scale. That is cutting it MIGHTY CLOSE, so I have set mine at 17/8 since I am in N scale.
Note this is 22ft 6in or 3 1/8in (HO) ATR (above the rail). So you'll have to add the thickness of any roadbed and the track itself to the ATR figure. My standard clearance in HO, using 1/4in roadbed and Atlas CD100 track is 4 inches.
Nick
Take a Ride on the Reading with the: Reading Company Technical & Historical Society http://www.readingrailroad.org/
jbinkley60 wrote: chatanuga wrote: Since I have all of my track working on my layout, I'm now preparing to get started on scenery, including a couple highway overpasses at a couple locations. While I don't have any now, I am planning on getting double stacks in the future and was wondering how much clearance I should leave for them.From someone just across town from you, take a look at this:http://www.thebinks.com/trains/Truss_Bridge_Modify.htmlI now use 3.25" for HO .
chatanuga wrote: Since I have all of my track working on my layout, I'm now preparing to get started on scenery, including a couple highway overpasses at a couple locations. While I don't have any now, I am planning on getting double stacks in the future and was wondering how much clearance I should leave for them.
Since I have all of my track working on my layout, I'm now preparing to get started on scenery, including a couple highway overpasses at a couple locations. While I don't have any now, I am planning on getting double stacks in the future and was wondering how much clearance I should leave for them.
From someone just across town from you, take a look at this:
http://www.thebinks.com/trains/Truss_Bridge_Modify.html
I now use 3.25" for HO .
Sounds like about 3.5-4" should be more than enough. The overpasses I'm using are Rix Products overpasses, one of which is visible in my one video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlKYLlUuZog) with autoracks going under it. Thanks for the info everybody!
http://chatanuga.org/RailPage.html
http://chatanuga.org/WLMR.html
Petan wrote: What approx time era was this done and were all tunnels on other major rail routes done all across the USA for double stack container trains? Peter C Australia
Many thanks for the very useful responses to my above question!!!
Cheers
Peter C
Interesting this got brought up...
The CSX New Castle Sub (from New Castle PA to Greenwich,Ohio) can't allow double stacks due to clearance issues. A message was posted on my railfan yahoo group recently:
CSX Launches New Eastern Corridor Project May 5, 2008 | 10:25 a.m. CDT CSX Corporation May 1 announced the launch of its National Gateway project, a $700 million public-private infrastructure initiative to create a freight transportation link between the Mid-Atlantic ports and the Midwest. When completed, the National Gateway would provide greater capacity for product shipments in and out of the Midwest and reduce truck traffic on highways, CSX said. The railroad already has committed $300 million to the National Gateway, and will work with several states and the federal government to secure additional funding. The National Gateway incorporates two primary parts. First, CSX would build or expand several high-capacity intermodal terminals where product shipments are exchanged between trucks and trains. At the same time, CSX would work with state and federal government agencies to create double-stack clearances beneath public overpasses along the railroad. CSX said the National Gateway will enhance three existing rail corridors that run through Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia. Those corridors include: The I-70/I-76 Corridor between Washington, D.C., and northwest Ohio via Pittsburgh; The I-95 Corridor between North Carolina and Baltimore via Washington, D.C.; and The Carolina Corridor between Wilmington and Charlotte, North Carolina.
Had this reply from a raifanning bud in PA-
The Keystone Sub cannot handle domestic stacks through Sandpatch Tunnel. I doubt if anyone will raise the roof on that one. Also, down past Cumberland, Carrouthers Tunnel can only handle stacks or racks on one of its tracks. Just some info to pass along.
Engineer Jeff NS Nut Visit my layout at: http://www.thebinks.com/trains/
Peter,
For the trackage I mentioned, I seem to recall it was the late '80's or early '90's. I think it was done so that two 9'-6" containers stacked would pass through--the UP then got a lot more flexibility in loading. As far as other places in the US, railroads would have to balance the cost of the project with the benefits. There probably still are tunnels that see container traffic that won't clear high-cube double stacks.
Speaking of "cost of the project", the Port of Oakland kicked in some money to help pay for the UP tunnel mods.
7j43k wrote: This is certainly not the answer to your question, but I thought I'd mention it anyway (for general interest).I worked on a project "tangential" to the cutting of the mouse-ears in the tunnels for the UP from the Sierras down into Oakland (old WP). By "mouse-ears", I mean the cuts in the tops of the tunnels to allow double-stack trains to pass through. Anyway, my recollection is that they cut the ears with 3" of clearance both vertically and horizontally. That always seemed REAL CLOSE, but if you consider how nasty and expensive it is to cut even more concrete and re-bar out of a tunnel, you can see why they might have cut it pretty tight.Ed
Thanks Ed!
What approx time era was this done and were all tunnels on other major rail routes done all across the USA for double stack container trains?
Thanks
Australia
This is certainly not the answer to your question, but I thought I'd mention it anyway (for general interest).
I worked on a project "tangential" to the cutting of the mouse-ears in the tunnels for the UP from the Sierras down into Oakland (old WP). By "mouse-ears", I mean the cuts in the tops of the tunnels to allow double-stack trains to pass through. Anyway, my recollection is that they cut the ears with 3" of clearance both vertically and horizontally. That always seemed REAL CLOSE, but if you consider how nasty and expensive it is to cut even more concrete and re-bar out of a tunnel, you can see why they might have cut it pretty tight.
Kevin,
Double stacks vary due to different types of containers. Our club has a basic HO scale 25' rule of clearance above the rail. Watch those side clearences as well. The Athearn 'Husky Stack' cars are shorter than full length passenger cars, but the bolster wheel base is longer. The result is the low sides of the 'Husky Stack' cars would not clear a bridge gusset that had cleared a Walthers Superliner II car! We found this out last Monday, and had to 'adjust' the bridge.
Jim
Modeling BNSF and Milwaukee Road in SW Wisconsin