This afternoon (17 Jan.) Buffalo is digging out from a record one day snow fall. In Ashtabula, Ohio 25" of snow hit the tracks last night; in Madison, O. about 18", and in Cleveland 12". Nevertheless #49 was just 21 minutes late into Cleveland. Number 48 is on time into NYP.
I'm not sure how CSX kept the road operational during this storm, but they did. A remarkable achievement, no?
NKP guy This afternoon (17 Jan.) Buffalo is digging out from a record one day snow fall. In Ashtabula, Ohio 25" of snow hit the tracks last night; in Madison, O. about 18", and in Cleveland 12". Nevertheless #49 was just 21 minutes late into Cleveland. Number 48 is on time into NYP. I'm not sure how CSX kept the road operational during this storm, but they did. A remarkable achievement, no?
The trick in snow operations is not having to use power operated switches at control points. While there are switch heaters - their operation is less than 100% reliable.
As long as trains don't have to divert from a route they operate just fine in the snow.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
Balt, could you expand on this? Are you saying it would be better in the snow if control point switches were manual?? That's counter-intuitive.
In layman's terms, what is a control point? Is that where there's a route divergence?
Still in training.
Lithonia OperatorBalt, could you expand on this? Are you saying it would be better in the snow if control point switches were manual?? That's counter-intuitive. In layman's terms, what is a control point? Is that where there's a route divergence?
A control point is a location that contains switches or a railroad crossing at grade and is controlled by a person at a remote location.
Operating ANY switches during snow events (manual or power operated) is asking for failure.
On my former territory there were Winter instructions in effect on each Dispatching desk which limited the Control Point that the Dispatcher could use to manipulate his railroad. Only about 1/3 of the existing Control Points were to be used. Many of the Control Points that wern't to be used did not have switch heaters. Some of the Control Points had switch heaters that had a demonstrated record that they were less than effective.
Even using the permitted Control Points there were occasionally issues. When there were issues it would take Manpower to resolve the issues, generally a Signal Maintainer and a Trackman to sweep out the switches.
In the olden days, Signal Maintainers and Trackmen would normally be domiciled in the near vicinity to the terrirory they worked; that is not the case in the 21st Century. Territories of 50 to 100 miles are not unheard of and the appropriate employees may live 25, 50 or more miles from the bounds of their territories. When highway conditions are bad that inhibits the ability to get personnel on the scene of railroad issues.
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