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Are team tracks still in use?

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  • Member since
    November 2005
  • From: Utica, OH
  • 4,000 posts
Are team tracks still in use?
Posted by jecorbett on Saturday, October 15, 2016 5:50 PM

If so, how common are they?

I live about 10 miles south of Mt. Vernon, OH which is served by a branch of the Ohio Central which runs north out of Newark, OH. I believe at one time it was a branch of the B&O and ran all the way north to Sandusky, OH but the last remant of the line north of Mt. Vernon was abandoned about 10 years ago. Until this morning I thought the only customer on the line were the grain elevators in Mt. Vernon but as I was driving through a part of town I rarely if ever have been through before I noticed a spur track a few blocks south of the grain elevators. I drove around and saw it led to what looked like a covered freight platform. It was a very rustic structure that looks like it would be interesting to model. I couldn't get close enough to it from the street I was on and didn't have time to drive around to the other side but I didn't see any buildings around the platform. I was wondering if this might be a team track. For some reason I thought they were a relic of days gone by but now I'm not so sure.  

  • Member since
    May 2007
  • From: North Myrtle Beach, SC
  • 995 posts
Posted by Beach Bill on Saturday, October 15, 2016 6:02 PM

They definately still exist, but "rustic structures" are usually not part of today's team tracks.  The Strasburg RR in Pennsylvania added a number of spurs with decent paving around them to facilitate freight car to truck unloading, and it brought them quite a bit of new traffic.

Bill

With reasonable men, I will reason; with humane men I will plead; but to tyrants I will give no quarter, nor waste arguments where they will certainly be lost. William Lloyd Garrison
  • Member since
    November 2005
  • From: Utica, OH
  • 4,000 posts
Posted by jecorbett on Saturday, October 15, 2016 6:14 PM

Beach Bill

They definately still exist, but "rustic structures" are usually not part of today's team tracks.  The Strasburg RR in Pennsylvania added a number of spurs with decent paving around them to facilitate freight car to truck unloading, and it brought them quite a bit of new traffic.

Bill

 

I'll have to check it out a little closer next time I'm in town. As far as I could tell from my vantage point, it was a single track spur leading to the platform. It looked like it would be right at home on a little 4x8 layout.

  • Member since
    October 2001
  • From: OH
  • 17,574 posts
Posted by BRAKIE on Saturday, October 15, 2016 6:41 PM

First a little play on words..Team track is to old fashion so,they are now called "Transload" track(s) and usually ran by a contractor and some of the larger ones have warehouses that accepts cold foods to Tonka Toys and everything else that needs stored.

These are no small concerns like the old fashion freight house and can unload/load up to 15 freight cars inside including centerbeams loaded with  drywall.There will be several truck loading bays(dock doors) on the street side.

Cars like tank cars,covered hoppers,steel coil cars,loads of lumber and gondolas can be unloaded or loaded outside.

Short lines may even have a small shed for storing forklifts. Some of the larger short lines have small warehouses.

Larry

Conductor.

Summerset Ry.


"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt  Safety First!"

  • Member since
    October 2001
  • From: US
  • 973 posts
Posted by jmbjmb on Saturday, October 15, 2016 7:08 PM

Our town actually still has one down by the "depot" (now MOW shed).  During season it's not uncommon to see several hoppers there being loaded from trucks bringing corn or soybeans in from the fields. 

What's also interesting even as late as 10 years ago there were several small "industries" that received shipment by rail grouped near each other.  One was a classic propane dealer, a lumber yard, and a, believe or not, grocery supplier that was a true modeler's dream, just barely bigger than the refrigerors that arrived a couple times a week.

 

jim

  • Member since
    July 2009
  • From: lavale, md
  • 4,678 posts
Posted by gregc on Saturday, October 15, 2016 7:30 PM

there's a shortline here in NJ, Morristown & Erie, that has several, not more than a track next to a road

greg - Philadelphia & Reading / Reading

  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, October 18, 2016 9:36 AM

Reading, Blue Mountain and Northern has a transload facility in Schuylkill Haven, PA that has 2 covered load/unload areas.   40.628653, -76.191180 and 40.629530, -76.194061  (technically Cressona, PA according to google).

Also INRD reload facility Odon, IN 38.841170, -87.000019

INRD Senate Ave Terminal Indianapolis, IN 39.746945, -86.165685

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