Distance between rail lines and commercial buildings?

[Anonymous]

I am in the process of trying to find a place for my gas station kit on the layout, and was wondering if anyone could answer me a question. Are there any laws, regulations, or practices regarding the minimum distance between a rail line and any buildings? Thanks in advance.

[Anonymous]

The first part of the answer is that ALL structures MUST be outside the STRUCTURE GAUGE of the railroad...
The Load Gauge is the MAXIMUM permitted dimensions in all three directions for any combination of car and load to run in normal service. (Out of Gauge Loads... which include heavy loads and some chemical loads... and loads which are weirdly out-of-shape... can be run but NOT in regular traffic).
The Structure Gauge is the MINIMUM hole through which cars and loads complying to the Load Gauge will normally run.

You have "Excess Height" cars... I have some idea what this means but maybe someone over there can be more exact... I think that they are cars that will fit on the taller Western road load gauges but not on all Eastern lines or all industrial location. I've seen some splendid pics of a string of tri level auto racks that someone tried to take under a highway bridge... bottom two decks got through okay(ish).

Part of the load/structure gauge issue is the length of cars... this applies to the mid point and end overhangs on long cars... on curves the mid point may cut into something on the inside (like hitting a bollard when parking) and the ends may strike on the outside. THIS APPLIES MORE TO MODELS 'cos we use far tighter curves on models than are usually used on the real thing.
SOLUTION... I use an 89' box car with pencils taped to the corners and middle each side... adjusted thes mark the minimum clearance line either side of the track...practical if not scientific.

Second part to the answer...
Don't know details...
Loading arrangements (docks/platforms/hose jibs) will come as close to the gauge as practical with things like loading ramps to bridge any gap... helps if you remember to remove them before moving the train... gets a bit noisy if you don't....
Railroads will tend to maximise the use of their real estate but avoid constricting their traffic... also... would you want to work in an office right up against the track? Different Rairoads have different Right of Way widths in different areas (may depend on original road)
Different States, Counties, cities etc have different ordinances etc... have fun!

Gas works... anything potentially explosive... special regulations usually apply... especially about proximity of anything that can start a fire.
Where you are dropping coal from hoppers or gondolas the pit will be below the loading gauge.
Where you are loading coke the hoppers will be outside the structure gauge. Shutes will swing in almost to the loading gauge.
Loading liquid bi-products... tanks etc will be outside the structure gauge... pipes will cross to the cars.

There may well be industry standards... and even local fire dept requirements.

Hope this helps

[cacole]

Other than building that are set deliberately close to railroad tracks for loading and unloading purposes, the only restriction I am aware of is that the railroad owns a certain amount of right-of-way property on either side of their track, usually at least 50 feet, so nothing could be built closer than that.

I know of no laws that prohibit gasoline stations from being close to a rail line other than the land issue.

I have seen instances of trains running right down the main streets of towns in California because the railroads are still using old commuter lines in some locations. The Union Pacific used to run right through the center of Modesto down a city street, for example, and was even expected to obey traffic lights. I don't know if they still do this, or if they have abandoned that line now, but I have a 1995 video showing this.

[Anonymous]

I just skimmed through the web site of the State of Illinois Fire Marshall's Office. They have regualtions about handling, storing, and dispensing gasoline. I didn't look close enough to see if your question is directly answered. I would assume that Tennessee has the equivalent. Also look in the local building codes, zoning laws, etc. Quite often the rules only apply to new construction but not to existing structures.

The rules may be for specific types of buildings, that is, maybe for gas stations, the rule says the gas station has to be so far from a railroad rather than saying the railroad has to be so far from the gas station. There is a subtle difference here.

Similar to Cacole's comments, another place where the tracks run down the middle of the city street is Michigan City, IN. Also, for example, when riding the CNW (Metra) commuter train to downtown Chicago, one sees that quite a lot of the buildings are closer than the 25' or 50' right-of-way. However, I don't recall seeing any gas stations all that close.

[DSchmitt]

Another factor to consider is building setback regulations. The setback is the minimum distance that a city or county allows between the property line and a building. This may vary depending on zoning and location. Street, rear, and side setback distances may be different too. Old downtown areas often have 0 setback from the street and side property lines, but this is often not be true of areas developed later and also in areas where there is mixed land use (commercial, residential, industrial) which are often found near the tracks.