narig01 A guess: Clearing is a double track hump? Thx IGN
A guess: Clearing is a double track hump?
Thx IGN
Right part of the yard, but not the answer.
Natural hump?
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First retarders....
No to either of the responses by henry6.
daveklepper I recall 17 and 18 as called the Tidewater when I rode it in 1955. I don't recall any other Seaboard passsenger train in and out of Portsmouth at the time. But we agree it was 17 and 18 that are the answer to the question. I could be mistaken, and I don't have the timetables I used at the time. The train may only have run separately north of Noralina, but the passenger timetable showed it as a through train to Jacksonville, with probably the same station times as the Palmland. Someone should find a 1950-1956 era Seaboard pasenger timetable and answer the question. I probably slept through the switching at Noralina in both directions!
I recall 17 and 18 as called the Tidewater when I rode it in 1955. I don't recall any other Seaboard passsenger train in and out of Portsmouth at the time. But we agree it was 17 and 18 that are the answer to the question. I could be mistaken, and I don't have the timetables I used at the time. The train may only have run separately north of Noralina, but the passenger timetable showed it as a through train to Jacksonville, with probably the same station times as the Palmland. Someone should find a 1950-1956 era Seaboard pasenger timetable and answer the question. I probably slept through the switching at Noralina in both directions!
Johnny
YOu may be correct about my confusing the Sunland and the Palmland, but the only train to and from Portsmouth when I rode it was definitely called the Tidewater, and it was shown in the public timetable as a through train to Jacksonville, even if it was actually in the consist of another train south of Noralina. So the cars to Atlanta were switched twice, once at Noralina and once at Hamlet, or did they get switched to the Silver Comet at Noralina?
daveklepper YOu may be correct about my confusing the Sunland and the Palmland, but the only train to and from Portsmouth when I rode it was definitely called the Tidewater, and it was shown in the public timetable as a through train to Jacksonville, even if it was actually in the consist of another train south of Noralina. So the cars to Atlanta were switched twice, once at Noralina and once at Hamlet, or did they get switched to the Silver Comet at Noralina?
As to switching points, in December of 1965, 17 & 18 ran between Portsmouth and Raleigh, and the cars were switched there. My timetable for that age is buried in a box upstaiers; I rode the Portsmouth-Jacksonville sleeper from Raleigh to Savannah just after Christmas.
If you look at any SAL timetable published since the New York-Florida Limited was renamed the Palmland, you will see that this was a day train across the Carolinas and Georgia.
CSSHEGEWISCH narig01: A guess: Clearing is a double track hump? Thx IGN Right part of the yard, but not the answer.
narig01: A guess: Clearing is a double track hump? Thx IGN
The next thing I can think of is the location of the tower.
Rgds IGN
My ride was in the summer of 1955, If you check the public timetables of that time, you will see the Tidewater is shown as a Portsmouth - Jacksonville train, with through cars to Atlanta and possibly Birmingham, also possibly to Miami. In that same timetable, both the Sunland and the Palmland were shown as Washington - Jacksonville trains, with the day train continuing to Miami as well. I know that because a few years later, I rode overnight on it between Jacksonville and Miami. But it is easy for me to confuse the Palmland and the Sunland. I do remember both used only lightweight equpment during periods of light travel such as most of the summer, but modernized heavyweight equpment during the winter when the lightweight equipment was required for the "Silver" trains. I don't know how far south 17 and 18 ran in 1955. The cars may have been switched at Noralina, at Raleigh, or at Hamlet. I thought it was Hamlet, because I don't remember any switching of cars between Southern Pines and Portsmouth. But again, I can assure you that the train was indeed called the Tidewater in 1955 in the public timetable.
Between Fort Bragg and my family home in New York, I split my trips between the Seabord from Southern Pines and the ACL from Fayetteville. Coach travel was quieter and more comfortable on the Seabord, expecially if one did not have a reservation and had to use the Palmland or Sunland, but getting the Silver Meteor to stop at Southern Pines was not always possible in the winter. The Silver Star would stop, and so would the Silver Comet. But on the ACL I could hope to meet John Masters, an ACL dining car steward whom I had met when 15 years old, and often did so. The West Coast Champion would stop in Fayetteville in the winter, both Champions in the summer, and so would the northbound Florida Special in the winter, extra fare and all-PUllman, however. (Rode it once.) These were also trains I used in my acoustical consulting career 1957 - Amtrak, with projects in Miami, Manatee, Palm Beach, Lakeland, Orlando, Winter Park, Florence, Wilson, Wilmington, Columbia, Raleigh, Chapel Hill, and Richmond. Possilbly others, and there were others reached by the Southern - New Orleans, Atlanta, Greensboro, Charlottesville, Greensburg, Black Mountain, giving me the chance to ride the Crescent and the Piedmont. Also the Gulf Coast Limited, including a project in Talahassee.
I had no trouble going to New York and back by rail on a weekend pass! And trains generally ran on-time in those days.
narig01 CSSHEGEWISCH: narig01: A guess: Clearing is a double track hump? Thx IGN Right part of the yard, but not the answer. The next thing I can think of is the location of the tower. Rgds IGN
CSSHEGEWISCH: narig01: A guess: Clearing is a double track hump? Thx IGN Right part of the yard, but not the answer.
Close, but no cigar.
Correction, was 12-1/2 or 13 when I met John Masters for the first time. 1945.
Does the Clearing Hump cross over a railroad main line?
daveklepper Does the Clearing Hump cross over a railroad main line?
No, just balloon tracks from the steam era for turning power around. Keep trying
Clearing may be the only hump -yard that does not have assigned switchers pushing cars to the top of the hump, but instead uses the transfer locomotives that bring the incoming cars to the yard.
daveklepper Clearing may be the only hump -yard that does not have assigned switchers pushing cars to the top of the hump, but instead uses the transfer locomotives that bring the incoming cars to the yard.
Definitely not. The SD40/slug sets used currently as hump pushers and the pairs of heavily ballasted GP38-2's previously used were assigned to that duty. BRC also operates relatively few transfers with its own power. Most transfers to and from Clearing use power from the various delivering roads.
One thing I remember about Clearing is the yardmasters tower is directly over the top of the hump.
narig01 One thing I remember about Clearing is the yardmasters tower is directly over the top of the hump. Rgds IGN
Not the answer, but think about why the tower is located there.
is it conserved with operation? Does the tower control locomotive operation? Is there a device that removes the need for a human pin-puller, a device that grabs and operates freight-car uncoupling rods (as p[ie in the sky as that may seem)?
No mechanical pin puller (sounds Rube-Goldbergian to me) or RCO from the tower, but consider the view from the tower.
TV Screens and cameras for 360-degree viewing instead of windows? Or is it that windows give a 360-degreeview, which is unusual but should not be?
No. Think of why the tower straddles the hump for viewing in each direction.
Things I remember about Clearing
1. It is a double track hump with pushes in both directions.
2.The tower straddles the hump.
3. Has car inspection pits under the hump.
4.It is a double hump yard with yards on either side.
To my knowledge of these only the straddle tower is unique to Clearing.
1. If I remember correctly both Enola and Conway(Pennsy then Conrail now Norfolk Southern) were double track. in both directions.
3. Elizabeth and Colton on the SP(now UP) both had inspection pits on the hump.
4. Ditto 1.
Quadruple hump.
Railway Age Gazette, October 2, 1914
Reconstruction of Big Hump Yard by Belt Railway to Relieve Downtown Terminals of Transfer Freight
The operation of a large yard in the vicinity of Chicago to handle, all or a large part of the interchange of through carload freight in order to decrease the switching within the city and reduce the congestion in the downtown district has been more or less seriously considered since 1889 when the Chicago Transfer & Clearing Company was organized to build such a yard at Clearing, about 10 miles southwest of the center of the city. The yard built by that company and rebuilt in 1898 by the Chicago Union Transfer Company has remained practically unused, but early in 1912 an agreement was reached by 12 railways entering the city, under which they became joint owners of the Belt Railway with the understanding that the Chicago & Western Indiana would buy the old yard, rebuild and enlarge it, and lease its Belt divisions, including the yard, to the Belt Railway as formerly. This reconstruction work has now been practically completed, and it is expected that the yard will be put in operation in the near future.
THE PROBLEM AND THE PROPOSED SOLUTION
Since more freight is interchanged between roads at Chicago than at any other point in the country, the need for a comprehensive plan of handling such transfers promptly and economically is felt most keenly there. This heavy interchange of business is caused by the fact that 24 trunk line railways enter the city, practically all of which terminate there. In addition there are 14 terminal, switching and industrial roads in and around the city, originating and delivering large amounts of freight which is received from or transferred to the trunk lines. The total freight car movement into the city excluding empties, is approximately 260,000 cars per month and about the same number of loaded cars are taken out of the city. On the assumption that the number of empty cars bears the same relation to the number of loaded ones as the average for roads in this district, the total car movement is approximately 390,000 in and the same number out. Practically half of the loaded cars are for Chicago delivery, and half for points beyond, so that applying this ratio to the total car movement, about 195,000 cars must be transferred from one road to another at Chicago every month, or 6,500 cars every day. At present about 30 per cent of these cars are handled by belt lines and the remaining 70 per cent, or about 4,500 cars a day, are hauled into the congested district of the city to be delivered by direct switching to the connecting roads.
The clearing yard in its reconstructed form is adapted by location and design to become a central "clearing house" for all railways entering the city and will thus solve this most difficult interchange problem, if satisfactory operating agreements can be made to enable its advantages to be realized to the fullest extent. It is owned by the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe, the Chesapeake & Ohio, the Chicago & Eastern Illinois, the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy, the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific, the Chicago, Indianapolis & Louisville, the Erie, the Grand Trunk, the Illinois Central, the Minneapolis, St. Paul & Sault Ste. Marie, the Pennsylvania and the Wabash. The line of the Belt Railway makes direct connections with every trunk line entering the city and extensive improvements now under way will give it ample capacity to handle the interchange business of the other roads as well as the owning companies. The fact that some roads not interested in the control of the Belt have been giving it large amounts of transfer freight indicates that even more will be received from such roads after the new yard is put in operation.
The yard lies between the Belt and the Indiana Harbor Belt, making it possible for the roads interested in the latter line to send their transfer business to Clearing by that route if they prefer. This line is owned by the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern, the Michigan Central, the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul, and the Chicago & North Western, so that with the exception of the Baltimore & Ohio, the Chicago & Alton, the Chicago Great Western, and the Pere Marquette, every trunk line entering the city is interested either through ownership or affiliation in one or the other of the belt lines and three of these exceptions, the Baltimore & Ohio, the Chicago & Alton, and the Pere Marquette, have direct connections of their own to the new yard.
The design of the yard provides a standing capacity of about 12,400 cars and makes it possible to handle 400 cars an hour over the hump. This would mean a daily capacity of 8,000 to 10,000 cars which is in excess of present demands and ample property is available for the addition of similar units if the capacity of the present yard should ever become insufficient. The yard is centrally located with respect to the breakup yards of the various through lines, resulting in a minimum average haul on transfer business. The distance from Clearing to the farthest break-up yard is approximately 20 miles.
REVISED DESIGN OF YARD
The old facilities consisted of a single hump between two classification yards with two tracks over the hump, one leading in each direction. The receiving yards were located alongside the hump requiring reverse movements. No departure yards were provided, although two five-track overflow yards at the miter end of each classification yard were intended to serve the same purpose. This old layout was inadequate for the proposed method of operation, requiring the enlargement and rearrangement of the facilities.
The new design retained the old hump between the two classification yards, its width being increased to allow four tracks to be operated simultaneously, two in each direction. The classification yards are each divided into two units of 26 tracks, each unit being served normally by one of the hump tracks, although provision is made for either of the tracks in one direction to serve either of the corresponding yard units. The classification tracks have a capacity of 45 cars each, making the total capacity in the classification yards 4,685.
The receiving and departure yards are designed for 70-car trains. The former will ultimately contain 30 tracks each and the latter 21, although only 16 and 12 tracks, respectively, are being laid at present, with a view to adding the others as the capacity is needed. The present capacity of these yards will be 2,240 cars for the receiving and 1,680 for the departure and the ultimate capacity will be 4,200 cars and 2,940, respectively. The receiving and departure yards for opposite directions are located side by side at the extreme ends of the layout, eliminating reverse movements. Thoroughfare tracks are provided along both sides of the yard with Y-connections under the hump, allowing movements to be made easily between any portions of the yard.
Two flat switching yards of 176 cars capacity each are provided near the end of each classification yard with direct leads into the departure yards. These are designed primarily to handle the business originating in the industrial district around Clearing, which will be brought in in small lots by switch engines. The Corn Products Refining Company's plant is the largest single industry in this district at present, although numerous smaller plants are grouped near the yard and further development in this territory is probable. The four car repair yards adjacent to the classification yards have a total capacity of 224 cars and are equipped to make light repairs only. Cars requiring heavy repairs will be switched to the heavy repair yard at the shops north of the hump. A bad order track leads from the hump to each repair yard and tracks for bringing back car riders to the hump will be located just outside these bad order tracks.
As the main line of the belt crossed the site of the proposed receiving and departure yards at the east end, a new double track line was built along the north side of the yard location extending from the Grand Trunk crossing at Hayford to a connection with the old location at about Sixty-seventh street. In order to provide a direct connection to the west end of the yard, a new double track line 4½ miles long was built west from the old line on Fifty-ninth street and south to the yard.
The yard facilities are duplicated on the two sides of the hump. It is expected that in general trains from southern and eastern roads will be brought into the yard from the east end and depart for northern and western connections at the west end and that cars from the latter roads will move through the yard in the opposite direction. The trains will be brought to the yard by road engines of the respective companies running over the Belt tracks. The road engines will pull into one of the receiving yards, cut off, and go to the corresponding engine facility layout to coal, clean fires, and take water and sand. The engine can there be turned and the same crew can pick up a train destined for its road from the adjacent departure yard. Engine facilities are provided at both ends of the yard and the proximity of these facilities to the receiving and departure yards will reduce the delay to road crews to the minimum.
The operation of classifying the incoming trains and making up outgoing trains will be performed by the Belt Railway. A four-track lead is provided from each receiving yard to a point about 200 ft. from the hump where the four tracks merge into the two leading over the hump. This arrangement allows two trains to be pushed up almost to the hump, while two other trains are being classified on the other tracks so that they are in position to begin classification immediately when the others have finished. This will effect an important saving in time over the usual system under which the hump engine has to run back to the receiving yard for another train before work can proceed.
The grade on the approach tracks to the hump is 0.6 per cent. The profile on the other side of the hump includes a short accelerating grade of 4 per cent, 0.9 per cent through the ladders, and 0.4 per cent through the body of the classification yard. The westbound hump is 1 ft. higher than the eastbound to compensate for the force of the prevailing winds. The switches along the ladder track leading into the classification yard will be operated by an electro-pneumatic interlocking system from a tower on the hump.
RECONSTRUCTION OF THE YARD
The design of the new yard made it possible to utilize the sand fill in the old hump, a portion of the old track material, the power house, freight house and office building, the sewer system, and a portion of the water system. The first work undertaken was the raising of the outer ends of the classification tracks on a sand fill to bring them up to the new level. The old hump fill was then widened for the additional classification and approach tracks, the old tracks being shifted to the new locations and new ones laid as the filling progressed. The construction of the new departure yard of 12 tracks at the west end was pushed in order to provide a place for receiving large quantities of sand for filling which was brought in over the Indiana Harbor Belt from Dune Park.
As soon as switch material could be secured, two switch laying gangs were started on the ladder tracks, the classification yard switches at the hump being laid first in order to give the interlocking contractor an opportunity to start his work. The thoroughfare tracks were then laid to provide connections between the ends of the yard without going over the hump, making it possible to rebuild the hump subway, which had been designed only for foot and team traffic and was enlarged to carry two tracks.
A total of 1,051,500 cu. yd. of sand was placed in the yard fill. This material was handled in Haskell & Barker cars using a plow and spreader to unload and place it. In making the fill for the approach tracks to the hump which have a maximum difference in elevation of 8 ft. above the body of the yard, the wing of the spreader was elevated to build up the fill to the desired height above the yard track and a locomotive crane was then used to shift the dumping track to make room for the next plowing. In addition to the sand fill, 177,000 cu. yd. of earth removed from miscellaneous excavations was placed in the fill.
A steam shovel was used in making the cut for a single track connection to Argo, passing under four tracks near the west entrance to the yard, and a team outfit graded part of the new connecting line. These portions of the work were contracted to Andrew Ward & Sons, Chicago. The grading on the change in the old line and the new connection totaled 117,300 cu. yd.
In making the cut through the hump for the new subway, a 25-ton locomotive crane rigged with a clam shell bucket was used, operating on a track laid from the face of the excavation back parallel to the hump to a point where the fill was needed. This crane handled 9,000 yd. at a price less than the contractors' estimate.
The new yard contains 134 miles of track, of which 22 miles is old track shifted into the proper position and the remainder is new track, or old track relaid. The old yard was laid with soft wood ties and 75-lb. rail, and was well ballasted with cinders, gravel and slag. It contained 11 miles of lateral drain pipes, so that no additional provision for sub-drainage was required. The old ties that were suitable were used in the new yard in less important tracks with tie plates. All new ties are hard wood, those on curves being tie-plated. The old ballast was reclaimed whenever possible. Stone ballast was used for all ladder and important running tracks with cinders on the other tracks. A total of 112 miles of cinder ballast and 22 miles of stone was placed. All of the 94 miles of 75-lb. rail in the old yard was used in the reconstruction and 80-lb. new or relaying rail was laid on ladders and running tracks. There were 353 turnouts and 58 double slip switches in the old yards, and there are 845 turnouts in the new yard, all double slips having been eliminated. No. 9 turnouts are standard throughout. The frogs from the old yard have been placed in the caboose yards, shop tracks, repair yards and the less important tracks. The new frogs are of solid manganese of a special design by the Chicago & Western Indiana. The guard rails are Ajax one-piece manganese; the switch points are 15 ft. long and the switch stands are Economy for yard tracks and Mansfield for main lines.
South Cicero avenue is carried over the yard on a ten-span viaduct of concrete piers and through steel girders encased in concrete. The spans vary from 38 ft. 2 in. to 69 ft. 8½ in. The approaches are made of sand fill with a street grade of 3.5 per cent. The sand fill at each end of the viaduct will be restrained from overflowing the tracks by crib walls built up of concrete moulded in pieces about the size and shape of cross ties and laid in the same manner as ordinary tie cribs. A similar viaduct will probably be built next year to carry Crawford avenue over the east approach.
The subway under the hump is a double-track structure with a clear opening 30 ft. wide and 17 ft. high from top of rail to clearance line. It consists of re-enforced concrete abutments and transverse girders encased in concrete. The total yardage of concrete placed in the yard work was about 2,250.
The two-story interlocking tower which houses the yard plant is set up on a structural steel bridge spanning the hump. The walls of the tower are of metal lath and cement mortar, and the roof is of asbestos shingles. Two machines of 72 levers, each operating 65 switches and two signals, control the two classification yards. The machines are located on the upper floor of the tower in operating rooms at the ends of the building, facing the yards they control. The space between the operating rooms is occupied by a clerical office and the lower floor of the tower contains the relay rooms.
The machines are of the Union Switch & Signal Company standard push button electro-pneumatic type and the switches are operated by motion plate type switch and lock movements. The track circuits controlling the indicators in the machines use 220-volt, 60-cycle a. c. power. The signals controlling movements over the hump tracks are mounted on the lower chord of the bridge.
The low voltage control current for the machines, switches and signals is furnished by a 400 a. h. storage battery at the power house which is charged by two motor-generator sets. The a. c. power for the track circuits is fed from a separate transformer at the power house. The compressed air is supplied by the same compressor that serves the shops.
NEW LOCOMOTIVE AND CAR SHOPS
As the. track elevation work now under way will make necessary the abandonment of the Belt shops at Eighty-third street, and the completion of the yard will effect important changes in operating methods on the Belt it seemed best to provide adequate shop facilities at the new yard. These shops were located just north of the hump and not far from the existing power house. The principal new buildings include a locomotive shop, roundhouse, storehouse and wood-mill.
The locomotive shop is of the transverse lift-over type with six pits; the blacksmith and boiler shops being included in the same building. It is a steel frame structure, 172 ft. 8 in. by 293 ft. 9 in., with brick walls and a composition roof on wood sheathing. It is unusually well lighted by side and monitor windows, which are equipped with David Lupton steel sash and the Pond operating device. The building is divided into three bays, the heavy machine, 60 ft. wide, the light machine, 40 ft. wide, and the erecting, 70 ft. wide. A 150-ton crane is provided in the heavy machine bay and 10-ton cranes in the light machine and the erecting bays. The building is heated by warm air, the circulation being secured by Sirocco blowers through ducts, part of which are overhead and part under the floor. A track connection is provided through the locomotive shop which passes directly over the turntable at the roundhouse and connects to the wye tracks under the hump allowing an engine to be brought in from either side. A track also leads into the shop from the center drop-pit in the roundhouse for bringing wheels to the shop.
The engine house has 20 stalls, with three drop-pits. It is of timber frame construction, 90 ft. deep, with brick walls, concrete footings, tar and gravel roof, cast iron jacks and balanced sash, those on the inner circle being equipped with the Pond operating device. The National boiler washout system was installed, and a 90-ft. turntable is provided, operated by a Nichols electric tractor. The capacity of the roundhouse is not as large as would ordinarily be necessary for the number of locomotives used by the Belt, but in the majority of cases, the engines will not go into the house, when out of service temporarily. A four-track storage yard is provided for such engines, only those requiring work to be done on them going into the house.
The storehouse is a brick building, 230 ft. long by 42 ft. 10 in. wide, with a material platform surrounding it. A second story is provided across one end of this building for the master mechanic's office, and the oil storage room is located in the basement. The Bowser system of oil handling is used, with square tanks instead of round ones in order to economize space.
The wood mill is 203 ft. 6 in. long by 61 ft. 6 in. wide, having brick walls, steel roof trusses, a Brooks roof and wood block floor. The rough lumber will be stored west of the wood mill and after finishing will be run out into the car repair yard east of the building on industrial tracks.
The engine facilities east of the roundhouse include a 400-ton Roberts & Schaefer concrete coaling station with provision for locomotives to take coal and sand on four tracks; three 100,000gal. conical bottom steel tanks of the Chicago Bridge & Iron Works design, supplying penstocks and service lines; and cinder pits of the receiving-hopper type under three tracks.
The improvements to the old powerhouse and its equipment include a new 450-h.p. Babcock & Wilcox boiler, Green automatic stokers, the reconstruction of the headers and breeching and the construction of a new Wiederholdt tile and reinforced concrete chimney, 200 ft. high and 8 ft. in diameter.
ORGANIZATION
Practically all of the work on the yards except the interlocking installation was handled by company forces in charge of the engineering department of the Belt Railway, of which E. H. Lee is vice-president and chief engineer. The construction of the shop was handled under contract by George B. Swift & Company, Chicago. The interlocking system was installed by the Union Switch & Signal Company, Swissvale, Pa., under the supervision of F.E. Jacob, signal engineer of the Belt. F.E. Morrow, principal assistant engineer, was in charge of the preparation of plans and the office work connected with construction operations. V.R. Walling, first assistant engineer, was in direct charge of the work in the field and was assisted by an engineer for the yard work, and one for the shops. The track work was directed by a supervisor of track and the concrete work by a supervisor of bridges. Excellent co-operation between the assistant engineers, the supervisors, the chief clerk and material agent and the car-tracer, was secured by holding daily meetings at 1 o'clock, at which all of these men suggested plans for improving methods and discussed their various requirements for the following day's work. The cost of supervision was reduced by the free use of motor cars, as the work extended over a distance of five miles, exclusive of the Fifty-ninth street line. Four cars were used, one for the first assistant engineer, one for the supervisor of track, and the other two running on a regular schedule each way from the hump.
A maximum force of about 1,200 men was required in 1913, and about 800 in 1914. Labor was very scarce in 1913, but by authorizing the work early, enough men were secured before they shipped out in large numbers. The supply was irregular throughout the season, however, as many as 900 time checks being issued in one month for men leaving. Conditions were much better in 1914 and no difficulty was experienced in getting enough good men. A camp was maintained for the laborers at the yard, the contract for boarding being let to the Consolidated Roarding & Supply Company, Chicago. This camp was described in the Railway Age Gazette of May 16, 1913. In addition, a daily work train was run from the Dearborn street station.
The Signal Engineer, August 1915
THE PUSH BUTTON INTERLOCKING PLANT AT CLEARING YARD
The interchange yard of the Belt Railway of Chicago, at Clearing, Ill., which was recently constructed to provide a standing capacity of 12,400 cars and an operating capacity over the hump of 400 cars per hour, was opened for the traffic of the Belt Railway on June 1. About 2,500 cars per day are being handled through the yard at present, although this number will be greatly increased when the ultimate plan is carried out for the 12 owning roads to interchange traffic at this central yard. The complete layout is divided into a classification yard, receiving yard, departure yard, bad order yard, etc., for east and southbound traffic and a similar layout for north and westbound traffic.
Each classification yard contains 55 tracks with an average capacity of 45 cars; each departure yard, 12 tracks with an average capacity of 70 cars, and each receiving yard, 16 tracks with an average capacity of 70 cars, requiring a total of 131 mi. of track in the entire yard. The approach grade to the hump is 0.6 per cent, the initial grade from the hump, 4 per cent; the grade through the ladders, 0.9 per cent, and through the body tracks, 0.4 per cent. The entire yard is laid with 80-lb. A.S.C.E. rail, rock ballast under ladders and leads, and cinder ballast under the other tracks.
There are four hump tracks, two in each direction. Cars can be classified from either hump track to any one of the 55 classification tracks, or in case two trains are working in the same direction at the same time, one on each hump track, cars from each train can be classified in one-half of the classification yard simultaneously. Two approach tracks lead to each hump track in order to allow trains to be brought up while other trains are being classified.
INTERLOCKING LAYOUT.
The switches in the ladders of the classification yard and the signals governing train movements over the hump are controlled by two Union Switch & Signal Company's electro-pneumatic push-button machines located in a two-story tower mounted on a structural steel bridge spanning the hump tracks at a point near the center of the two humps. The walls of the tower are of metal lath and cement mortar and the roof is of asbestos shingles. The upper floor is divided into three rooms, the middle one being used as a clerical room for the yard men, and the two end ones containing the 72-unit push-button machines. On the lower floor are the relay rooms, located directly under the machine rooms. The machines are so located that the operators have a full view of the yards. It is not necessary, however, to actually see when a cut of cars has cleared a switch, for the indicator above each push button shows whether a section of track at the corresponding switch is occupied or not. An indication is also provided when the switch is in the full normal and full reverse position. In addition, the push button is electrically locked when a car is on the track circuit controlling the switch. Special electric locks are applied to the buttons governing the crossovers at the ends of the ladder tracks to prevent setting up conflicting routes at these points simultaneously. Each machine has 64 working buttons, 60 for the 65 switches and four for the two signals, allowing eight spare spaces for future developments.
The switches are operated by electro-pneumatic, motionplate switch movements, no locks being used. This prevents a switch from opening if the air pressure should fail. A pot signal is connected to each switch, these being of the revolving type with electric lights, current being provided by a 110-volt, a.c. circuit for each classification yard. Alternating current track circuits are installed for the control of the indicators and electric locks in the machine, these circuits actuating galvanometer type, three-position relays in the tower.
The electric power is generated at 2,300 volts, 60-cycles, in a power house adjacent to the hump and is transformed to 220 volts for distribution to the track transformers for feeding the track circuits, and to 440 volts for the operation of the two motor-generators for charging duplicate sets of seven cells of 480-a.h. storage battery, which supply the 14-volt, direct current, control circuits for the indicators and locks in the machines and for the electro-pneumatic switch movements.
POWER DISTRIBUTION.
The electrical conductors from the power house are run to the tower part way in a concrete conduit, and part in a specially built metal conduit. A concrete tunnel is provided for the wires under the hump, from which the wires are carried up one leg of the tower on insulators. They are run across the lower chord of the structure in specially built metal conduit to the center of the relay rooms. At these points the wires are brought up to slate terminal boards fastened to the iron relay rack. The insulated cables and single electrical conductors for controlling the switches from the machine are run in vitrified conduit laid in an approximately 4-in. wall of concrete about 2 ft. underground, with concrete manholes located about 100 ft. apart and at the turns.
The wires from the manholes to the switches, pot signals and track circuits are run in 2-in. galvanized pipe which is connected with a galvanized nipple embodied in the wall of the concrete manholes. Compressed air is supplied to the signal and switch mechanisms by the same compressor that serves the adjacent car and locomotive shops, the pressure being 80 to 100 lbs. This compressed air is distributed in 3-in. extra heavy galvanized pipe laid underground and adjacent to the vitrified conduit carrying the insulated wires, from which laterals serve the switches. All manholes are drained to a 12-in. sewer.
TRAIN OPERATION.
For controlling the trains that are being classified over the hump semaphore signals are located on the bridge over the center of each hump track, and about 1,500 ft. from the tower, semaphore signals have been installed, two on each side of the approach track, which are arranged to repeat the indication given by the signal on the tower. The trainmen in pushing a train of cars forward or over the hump to be classified, are governed by the semaphore signal for the approach track they are using, and by the signal at the tower. The indications are as follows: Arm horizontal or a red light at night, stop; arm at 45 deg. or a green light at night, proceed very slowly, not to exceed two miles per hour; arm vertical or a white light at night, proceed slow, not to exceed four miles per hour. In addition to the semaphore indication, trainmen are governed by the sound of an air whistle, located to the left of the approach tracks, about 1,500 ft. from the tower. The indications of this whistle are as follows: One short blast, stop; two short blasts, start (move train toward hump); three short blasts, back up (move train away from hump). The use of the audible indication does not relieve enginemen from observing the semaphore signal indications as the audible indications are used only for emergency purposes and trainmen are cautioned to keep a close watch on the semaphore signals.
The semaphore signals are controlled by the machine operator, and also by the car cutter at the hump. The signals may be put to the stop position by either when conditions require, the machine operator shifting a push button controlling the signal and the car cutter removing a plug from a socket at the bottom of a cabinet located on a support between two of the hump tracks near the place where cars to be classified are cut. To give a clear or caution indication it is necessary for the car cutter to insert the plug in the socket and for the machine operator to reverse the push button controlling the signal. A push button is also located on the machine table and another at the bottom of the car cutter's cabinet, which may be used by either an operator or the car cutter to give the audible signals when conditions require it.
The machine operators are under the direction of the signal department. They were instructed and drilled in the handling of the machines and switches prior to the opening of the yards for traffic, and as a result of this practice the operation of this yard by gravity has been very successful since its opening.
The installation was made by the Union Switch & Signal Company under the direction of F.E. Jacob, signal engineer, and F.E, Beutler, assistant signal engineer of the Chicago & Western Indiana and the Belt Railway.
Journal of the Western Society of Engineers
Everybody's getting close but not quite. Clearing has only one hump, but it's bi-directional, hump cuts are pushed over the top of the hump from each direction, it's quite common for hump cuts to be going over the crest of the hump simultaneously in each direction. Other yards with a hump in each direction have separate grades and crests. Citation is TRAINS articles: "Serving 12 masters", in September and October 1966 issues.
For all his work, I'll give the next question to daveklepper
Name at least 12 out of the 17 different railroad companies and authorities that at one time and/or currently own(ed) a 11,000 volt 25 Hz electrication. He who names the most first wins.
Hints: One owned (owns?) no rolling stock whatsever. For another, the only rolling stock for the electrification: commuter cars. Another owned )owns?) commuter cars, but the only rolling stock for 11,000 wwere (are?) electric switch engines. One ran (runs?) passenger trains but no electric ones.
I'll start with the exotic:
The Mt Blanc Railway
Erie Railroad Rochester, NY - Mt Morris, NY
That is not one of the ones I was thinking about, and I will have to check to insure it was indeed a 11000AC electrificaiton. But why did not you also name all the obvious ones and try to be the winner? Please do, and think about the not-s0-obvious ones that are related to those that are obvious. Note there are three owbers of such electrifications today! Then who were their predicessors?
For openers:
1. New Haven
2. Pennsylvania
3. New York Connecting
4. Reading
5. Virginian
6. Great Northern
7. Long Island
8. Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac (to allow PRR/PC freights into Potomac Yard)
Cleveland Uniont Terminal
New Haven Danbury branch
Lackawanna and Wyoming Valley (Laural Line)
Old Dominion
B&O Baltimore tunnel
Milwaukee Road at two locations
Chicago Underground Freight
Sacremento Northern
1.Washington Termial Company, (In addition to switching Union Station had 2 MP 54's for employee shuttles)2.Boston &Maine (Hoosic Tunnel Electrification)
3.New York Westchester & Boston4.Rock Island Southern * (Not sure about this as I have not been able to cross check)5.Norfolk & Western (Their electrification was, I believe, also a Westinghouse installation. Separate from Virginian)6.Detroit Toledo & Ironton (Henry Ford's electrification)
The crossed out Mt Blanc was 11kV but was I think a 50 hz installation.
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