refineries

[DocDan]

Sorry if this question isn't appropriate for this list. I posted over at the model railroading forum as well but I thought I'd try it here as well.

I am modeling a large refinery complex on my layout. Because of space limitations I am placing my yard and tank car loading platforms on the opposite side of a double track mainline. I am believe there are prototype situations in which pipelines of crude or refined product need to be transported accross mainlines. My question is, do the railroads and refineries prefer the crossover to go under the tracks (i.e. underground) or over (i.e. a bridge of piping). Any help especially from folks knowedgeable about protoype settings would be helpful.

Dan

[Anonymous]

I have seen several situations where the pipes are
bridged over tracks. As to a preference, I cannot say with any authority, although I have several toured refineries and the piping has always been above ground, probably for maintenance purposes.

For what it's worth, there's a large grain elevator on the CNIC main line south of Champaign, Illinois that load cars via a conveyor across the main and, IIRC, a passing siding.

[Anonymous]

To some extent the answer depends on the era you are modelling. If it is 1960 or before underground is more likely since the installation is much less expensive and the possibility of damage from a derailment is far less. After the mid 1970s above ground would be the preferred installation because the equiment needed to prove that the underground piping was not leaking was more expensive than just installing it overhead. This was brought on by regulation from the Federal EPA and from the corrisponding state agencies

Other considerations are how cooperative is the railroad and how busy the mainline? If the railroad is cooperative and the mainline not too busy an underground installation can be done. If the railroad refuses to permit underground crossings or the line is too busy to shut down for the time necessary to install the culvert then overhead is the only option.

Where I work we installed a waste water pipe under a railroad secondary line. It tooks years (yes years!!) for the legal departments of our company and the railroad to come to an agreement. And then the railroad gave us a 12 hour window to install the pipe. We did not dig up any of the roadbed. But we needed access across the top of the tracks for the equipment used to shove the pipe through the soil.

So as a final answer both overhead and underground are prototypical, and there are good reasons for either installation.