I know that double trackage is of common use where heavy traffic calls for them,but I'm curious to know if there are many areas where three or more tracks,yards excepted,are in use.I suspect that big city commuter systems do have some,but what about haulers like U.P.,Santa Fe and the likes on their main routes?
I'm actually planning my future layout and,due to limited space,I have an area where a triple track setup would suit me fine but still,I'd like to keep it somewhat prototypical.I'll likely do it anyway but I'm curious to know.Thanks.
"No soup for you!" - Yev Kassem (from Seinfeld)
There are three tracks around Horseshoe Curve, and there used to be four.
To the east of Chicago, the four track PRR mainline parallelled the four track NYC mainline. Parallel to THEM was the two track Erie mainline, the one track NKP mainline, and the one track South Shore mainline. 12 tracks enough for you? Also in Chicago, Metra's North Western mainline heading north has three tracks.
Of course, the farther west you go, you'll find fewer instances of multiple mains. I don't think there's anything but one and two track mains between Chicago and the Rocky Mountains.
Ray Breyer
Modeling the NKP's Peoria Division, circa 1943
The lines that carry Powder River coal were triple-tracked to handle the traffic. That includes UP and BNSF mains, as well as the jointly-owned line that actually services the mines.
The famous ex-Conrail, ex-Penn Central Horseshoe Curve was triple tracked the last time I saw it. That's because the demise of the passenger business made one of the original four tracks surplus to requirements.
Chuck
Former New York Central had long stretches of three and four tracks, especailly east of Buffalo. Don't forget the New Haven RR as well. Boston and Albany also had a fair amoutn of three tracks as well, although most all of that is gone now.
work safe
The N&W in steam days used long center passing sidings that were very long. This way trains could meet or pass without having to stop. This saved a great deal of time and fuel.
Roger
The CSX through northern Ohio has long stretches of 3 and 4 track main, especially around Ashtabula, and from Fairport through Cleveland to Lorain (the Fairport to Lorain stretch being quite a ways, 40ish miles). This is former NYC trackage, that as someone mentioned earlier, may have been the inspiration for the name "Broadway Limited", as at one time it was all 3 track (or wider)
The neighboring Norfolk Southern, however, is still allmost all single track, with long sidings every few miles. Depends on what road and where, i would say.
johncolley wrote:Trying to remember waaaayyyyy back! Wasn't the NYC 4 track along the Hudson River valley route? jc5729
All except the short stretch north of Peekskill, where the valley narrowed into a canyon and only two tracks could be squeezed in.
Of course, NYC also owned the West Shore tracks on the west bank of the river. Since that was double tracked, you could make a very shaky case that the NYC route up the Hudson was actually six tracks wide - but only four of them went to my old home town.
Chuck (former New Yorker)
Azure wrote: ... This is former NYC trackage, that as someone mentioned earlier, may have been the inspiration for the name "Broadway Limited", as at one time it was all 3 track (or wider)
... This is former NYC trackage, that as someone mentioned earlier, may have been the inspiration for the name "Broadway Limited", as at one time it was all 3 track (or wider)
Whoa there, Azure; let's not confuse folks by mixing prototypes. The Broadway Limited was the flagship of the Pennsylvania Railroad from 1887 until the PRR+NYC merger that created Penn Central. NYC's contemporary and very competitive flagship was the Twentieth Century Limited.
You're right though that the train name was inspired by the Broad Way (and that's how it was initially spelled). The Broad Way they were bragging about was the 4-track main from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh. Four tracks came later to most (but not all) of the PRR mains.
ChuckAllen, TX
The NYC main from New York City to Chicago was predominatly four tracks. There were stretches that were not, for example the double track over Sandusky Bay and double tracks over the Maumee river into Airline Yard(Junction.) There were other sections of double and triple trackage as well. Frequently the two inner tracks on the NYC were considered the high speed main, with the outer tracks the low speed main, or was it the other way around?
Much of the four track mainline was reduced to double track with the installation of CTC which allowed closer spacing of trains, and the density of trains remained about the same between the four track and double track mains due to the CTC.
The Pennsy was called the "great Broadway" because of the four track main, not because of the street with the same name, or the Broadway Limited, which did run on the "Great Broad Way" or so I have been told.
Paul
Dayton and Mad River RR, as well as a NYC fan
The IC (Metra Electric) suburban main line is four tracks between 11th Place and Kensington in and of itself, not including the parallel freight and passenger mains. It used to be six tracks north of 53rd Street.
The Chicago Rapid Transit North Side main line (formerly Northwestern Rapid Transit) was four tracks from Chicago Avenue to Howard Street.
Conemaugh Road & Traction circa 1956
Where I grew up (South of Detroit) there is a 4 line Main. In the early 70's it was quite busy.
Now that I have 'rediscovered' the hobby/railfan, the sheer amount of yards in the Detroit area is staggering. Even with a few really large ones being torn up/removed due to industrial decline.
-p
Here in the congested Northeast, the Central RR of New Jersey had significant lengths of sextuple mainline. From outside to inside their purposes were:
1: Local freight. Sidings to lineside industries branched off from here.
2: Local Passenger. Heavy communter operations in this area.
3: Coal(eastbound) and empties (westbound). This was the big money-maker; nothing interfered with this!
Long-distance express passenger trains dodged between 2 and 3. There may have been some stretches of octuple main line, but I can't verify this.
As far as your model goes, if your traffic pattern requires triple track, go for it!