diningcar Cameron Illinois, just a few miles west from Galesburg, has an interesting wye creation. The former Santa Fe and CB&Q mainlines crossed each other with a grade separation for more that 100 years. With the merger that created BNSF it was deemed necessary for efficient operations to be able to interchage trains at this location. A 'double main line wye' was created to permit such an operation. A google earth view will show how this was accomplished.
Cameron Illinois, just a few miles west from Galesburg, has an interesting wye creation. The former Santa Fe and CB&Q mainlines crossed each other with a grade separation for more that 100 years.
With the merger that created BNSF it was deemed necessary for efficient operations to be able to interchage trains at this location. A 'double main line wye' was created to permit such an operation. A google earth view will show how this was accomplished.
The New Haven Railroad published at intervals a book of "Characteristic Charts" which included a page titled "Location Of Wye Tracks". The page was a map of the railroad showing the location of each wye. The 1917 edition showed over fifty wyes and even as late as the 1959 map, 22 wyes are shown plus two loops including the one at the Boston yards which turned complete passenger trains.
nhrandThe New Haven Railroad published at intervals a book of "Characteristic Charts" which included a page titled "Location Of Wye Tracks". The page was a map of the railroad showing the location of each wye. The 1917 edition showed over fifty wyes and even as late as the 1959 map, 22 wyes are shown plus two loops including the one at the Boston yards which turned complete passenger trains.
The B&O ETT's 'back in the day' had their divisional maps keyed to identify all the locations that had specific facilities - Coaling Station, Engine House, Scale, Turntable, Water and Wye tracks.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
mudchicken This brings up a question: I've seen scissors wye's proposed as a space saving measure in model railroad layouts, but wonder if any ahd been built in 12"=1' scale? Note "scissors wye" refers to where the two legs to the stub end cross over each other to reduce width of the wye. The expense of a crossing frog kills that idea before it gets started. The highway bubbas call those "braided" intersections/interchanges. Additionally, supporting the crossing frog becomes problematic at a skew angle that light.
This brings up a question: I've seen scissors wye's proposed as a space saving measure in model railroad layouts, but wonder if any ahd been built in 12"=1' scale? Note "scissors wye" refers to where the two legs to the stub end cross over each other to reduce width of the wye.
The expense of a crossing frog kills that idea before it gets started. The highway bubbas call those "braided" intersections/interchanges. Additionally, supporting the crossing frog becomes problematic at a skew angle that light.
Makes sense and thanks. Crossings in model railroads don't get quite the beating of a full sized RR.
Northwest: That is one hairy wye and is more of a space saver than the classic scissors wye.
CV_ACR: The wye in the video was a bit different than what I was thinking about, but the principle is the same.
Erik_MagThis brings up a question: I've seen scissors wye's proposed as a space saving measure in model railroad layouts, but wonder if any ahd been built in 12"=1' scale? Note "scissors wye" refers to where the two legs to the stub end cross over each other to reduce width of the wye.
Although I did not call it a scissors wye, the example I linked in my June 28, 2020 9:51 PM post, the junction in the area of LA Union Station is of this type.
I commuted on the New York & Long Branch (NJ Transit North Jersey Coast Line) when electrification extended only to South Amboy and engine changes usually involved an unusual wye. The wye was necessary in the era of PRR K-4's but even the GG-1's and EMD E-8's of my day used the wye because the engine servicing area was on a leg. The wye was odd because it was partly formed by a freight branch which crossed the main line above grade. Two of the legs of the wye were on ramps in order to reach the overhead freight line which served a coal dumper on Raritan Bay. The engine house was a long building at the end of the freight branch and the tracks that ran through it actually ended at the waterline of the Raritan River. The wye was also interesting because locomotives moving to replace engines on southbound trains had to edge on to the long Raritan River bridge because one leg of the wye ended there. The wye was controlled by SA tower which was quite large given the large amount of traffic especially during the rush ours. The wye at South Amboy, NJ was not your plain vanilla variety.
nhrand - That's quite the interesting wye (GPS coords. 40.4898, -74.2846). The southeast 'point' has a scissors-type configuration, only it has a 'fly-over' bridge over the main instead of a shallow-angle crossing. Also notice how that track is aligned around Radford Ferry Rd. - I wonder if it was relocated to accomodate the highway?
- PDN.
Paul - My commuting days ended in 1995 and it's been decades since I've been to South Amboy. I checked a couple of maps on the web and as you can imagine there isn't much track left there. I didn't see a Radford Ferry Road but it looks like a road going toward the Raritan Bay follows the freight line to the old location of the servicing area and coal dumper. The wide highway bridge over the main line covers the place where the freight branch ran over the main line. It is hard to visualize but the area was filled with yards once. Even the coaling tower, ash conveyor and engine house were there when I was commuting (there was no roundhouse or turntable there). And there was a massive, long concrete shed which was used to thaw frozen coal so it could be dumped. There was also an MU yard to store trains that tied up there. The engine facility serviced more than the commuter power since freight electrics and diesels were used on what was once a busy electrified branch from Monmouth Junction.
Two interesting wyes in northeast Iowa - one at Manchester where the CN (ex-IC/ICG/CC Cedar Rapids Sub mainline splits off the Iowa Division mainline and at Marquette where the secondary mainline out to Mason City and Sheldon splits off from the Marquette Sub mainline on CPRS.
daveklepper I am reposting my Kennelworth wye photo. At age 15, I aligned the bottom of the Leica's viewfinder with the bottom-chord-track of the wye, and the result in the photo already posted is that buildings, poles, and the streetcar have a slight tilt. I've repaired that and added some contrast, and tried to rerduce the sprocket-hole effects.
I am reposting my Kennelworth wye photo. At age 15, I aligned the bottom of the Leica's viewfinder with the bottom-chord-track of the wye, and the result in the photo already posted is that buildings, poles, and the streetcar have a slight tilt. I've repaired that and added some contrast, and tried to rerduce the sprocket-hole effects.
And for those who don't know, there is a rear controller behind the back seat cushions of PCCs to facilitate a reverse move.
Don't forget the wye at Silverton on the Durango & Silverton. The tail is long enough for the whole train to be turned. "Been there, seen it."
Yes! Typically trains leave/enter different routes here BUT a loco can effectively turn-around or get to the other end of its consist to better switch cars.
At St Francis, Wis, the wye was part of the interlocking plant. When C&J still unloaded cars in Milwaukee, those facing the wrong way had to be turned. That was done at St Francis, usually, it seemed, just about the time we were busy with main line trains. The wye still exists today, although part of it is now controlled by the dispr and the north end is now hand throw.
Some industrial facilities have their leads to the railroad configured as wyes so they can be served from either direction.
Several years ago the Fort Wayne RHS took its Berkshire 765 out for an early spring test run. I am not sure of the original plan, which most people understood to be to Fostoria and back on the NS, but the usual delays held things up. We gave up at Fostoria and went to Leipsic. The steamer train arrived in the late afternoon; getting to Fostoria and back to New Haven before dark would be very difficult. While 765 sat just west of the CSX main, facing east, an NS local came by (eastbound) to serve the steel mill located just east of the CSX main. The crew of the local unlocked the gates, and suddenly all came clear: the mill has a wye on the property and, while the local crew serviced the mill, the 765 and its train used the wye to turn around and head home. I don't know if the owners of the mill were even aware that took place, and I don't know if this had not been the plan all along.
The Keddie wye is a real three legged wye, the two legs on bridges and the third in a tunnel. I've ridden the AAPRCO convention train on a number of occasions and the 2013 train crossed one of the bridge legs of the Keddie wye.
My favorite wye, now abandoned is at Rochester Jct. on the Lehigh Valley. It is now part of a trail (and there are three short bridges on it). The main is one leg and the other two are on the Rochester branch which went down south to Hemlock, NY. I walk around this regularly. It was commonly used to turn the motor car powered train (usually a motor car and attached coach) which shuttled passengers from LV's Rochester station (now a BBQ restaurant) at the north end of the Rochester branch to Rochester Jct. to meet the main line trains.
UP Moffat Route in Colorado and Utah, (Denver & Rio Grande)
There is a WYE in Dotsero where the Tennessee Pass Line meets the Mainline. That portion now is used as an industrial lead to the Gypsum Plant.
In Grand Junction, CO. there is a WYE at the East Yard for turning Engines, and there is a WYE where the North Fork Branch meets the mainline at the West Yard.
There is a WYE going into the Savage Coal Loadout Facility, SE of Price, UT.
In Helper, UT, there is a WYE in that Yard. And in the Martin Yard for the Utah Railway there is another WYE, but the Martin Yard doesn't get much activity any more.
There is a WYE at the top of Soldier Summit for turning Engines, but doesn't look like it has been used in years.
There is a WYE in Provo, UT.
Steve
I think the point was that there are wye tracks whose main purpose is to accomodate the movement of traffic from one segment to another where three lines come together. That is not to proclude them from turning equipment like locomotives and snow removal equipment. The other specifically exists to turn equipment whether it be coal cars with rotating couplers, snow removal equipment or the most common, turning locomotives.
One more purpose is turning boxcars that need reorientation for "UNLOAD OTHER SIDE". It is not so important now that the railways have forced most such traffic over to highway carriers, although some still does end up in containers.
Most branchline terminals and junctions across western Canada had wyes, many still do. Most locations with turntables also had wyes.
I suspect this was for turning the aforementioned snow removal equipment, which often ran as plow trains of 5 or 6 car lengths (engine, tender, plow, spreader, flanger, caboose). And for turning entire passenger consists.
In pioneer territory land was so cheap as to be practically free to the railroads. And turntables do not turn very well in winter, when the mechanisms can freeze up and the pit fills with snow and ice.
Greetings from Alberta
-an Articulate Malcontent
I saw the 4014 a few years ago in Cheyenne. Never did go west to Sherman Hill, regret that. I love following the UP on MapQuest west of Cheyenne. Through Buford and up the hill. Sherman Hill, now, is miles away from the original. You can easily see the old right of way. Near the top is a wye. They turned the helper engines there! The Ames Monument is still at the first Sherman Hill, although somewhat derelict!
The Port of LA and Port of Long Beach operated by Pacific Harbor Line have at least 5 wyes in the harbor and I think they are working on one on Terminal Island. UP and BNSF have wyes near the hardbor in addition to those. I am not sure if they are used to turn trains, but probably are. In some cases, they are used to get trains into the Alameda Corridor as quickly as possible. I think they are also used to route trains around each other. There is also a loop in the harbor connected by a wye. I think the loop is to build large container trains.
The wye at Dotsero has been used to set a passenger car out--once, when coming home, as we approached on the Dotsero Cutoff I saw an Amtrak car set out; I did not learn why or whether it was eastbound or westbound when it was discovered that it needed to be set out.
Johnny
Also on the Moffat: wye at East Portal was the former split between the original route over the pass and the tunnel; at Tabernash where the line splits for a short distance, there is a wye at one end of the split that also forms a loop, this was a helper base in steam days; wye at Bond to turn engines where D&RGW met original "Moffat Road", as there was no room for a wye at the junction. There are also the remains of a wye at Glenwood Springs where the Aspen branch took off.
There are two wyes in downtown Harrisburg, PA. One is the previously mentioned former PRR trackage. The third leg of the wye once crossed the Susquehanna, but today it's truncated at the river, and is used by Amtrak for turning consists. The other wye is close by, where the former Reading Company main line from Reading/Allentown crossed the former PRR mainline on its way to Gettysburg and points west. NS now operates both. The line east via Reading is still a main route, but west of Harrisburg it's a lesser route today.
The wye I was most familiar with, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, has been taken out somtime in the last several years. The tail track went to the old GTW passenger station along the river, but the tracks remained for a lot longer than the station. The local train from Durand to Grand Haven used to turn its engine on the wye every trip, to keep from running in reverse more than one way between Grand Rapids and Grand Haven.Grand Haven used to have a wye on the Pere Marquette, but the one leg was removed quite a bit before my time.
Carl
Railroader Emeritus (practiced railroading for 46 years--and in 2010 I finally got it right!)
CAACSCOCOM--I don't want to behave improperly, so I just won't behave at all. (SM)
I had a wye on an N scale layout about 40 years ago. It was a pain to wire and to operate, probably the main reason I scrapped that layout. The hell with reversing loops too.
54light15 I had a wye on an N scale layout about 40 years ago. It was a pain to wire and to operate, probably the main reason I scrapped that layout. The hell with reversing loops too.
Insulated joints are your friend!
"How common is a wye?"
Why do you want to know??
(I'll just show myself the door...)
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