Train Diamonds

[markpierce]

And what about speed restrictions across diamonds??? To quote from page 135 from The Modoc by Bowden & Bill:
"The Modoc Line crossed the main line of the Western Pacific at Flanigan, 22 miles south of Wendel (in the middle of nowhere!). For several years the intersection was protected by a manned interlocking. During the 1920s the manned facility was replaced by an automatic interlocking (don't know how that worked), which remained in service until the WP installed Centralized Traffic Control on their line (while the Modoc remained without), after which the crossing was controlled by the WP dispatcher (the WP track was their mainline, the SP track was a "secondary" mainline). On the morning of May 5, 1954, an eastbound WP freight has just passed over the crossing; a short time later, cab-borward No. 4277 rattles across the diamond on its way to Fernley. The speed sign reveals that after clearing the crossing, WP freights are allowed to make 50 miles per hour, regular passenger trains 60 miles per house, and the streanlined California Zephyr 65 miles per hours.

So..what do you supposed the allowed speed was across the diamond? If I was to guess, I would think it to be around 30 mph. Does anyone have more reliable information?

[markpierce]

More info on the Flanigan crossing from The Modoc:
"By the time the advancing rails of the Fernley and Lassen (Southern Pacific) reached Flanigan in 1913, the Western Pacific had already arrived, having built their line through this section four years earlier. Being the second railroad on the scene, the Fernley and Lassen was obliged to provide signal protection at the point where the two lines crossed. A manned inter-locking was installed, and a 24-foot control tower was built in the northwest corner of the intersection. An Agency was also established, with the day towerman serving in a dual capacity as agent-towerman. An old boxcar body was set up on blocks alongside the track to serve as a freight warehouse, and local merchants and businessman were given a key to the back door so they could enter to retrieve their LCL fright shipments....
"Apparently the SP did not utilize the services of the agent-towerman at Flanigan as a train order operator; and when such an office was established to serve both railroads during World War I, it was the WP that staffed it. A train order station became necessary at that time in order to provide train orders for the movement of the Westwood Passenger and the Reno Passenger during the period when these trains were routed over the Western Pacific between Reno and Flanigan, The government urged the two railroads to continue this arrangement after the war, but they showed their contempt for the idea promptly by tearing out the short section of track that connected the two lines and returning the train to its former route via Fernley. At some point in time, probably in the late 1920s, the manual interlocking was replaced by an automatic system, eliminating any further need for the towerman.
"....In 1963 the 60.3 mile section of track between Fernley and Flanigan was abandoned after through traffic (on the Modod Line) was routed over the WP..."

[Anonymous]

FWIW, I worked for the GM&O in the late forties and early fifties. The route I worked on was the old Chicago and Alton running from St.Louis to Chicago and one of the earlier railroads in Illinois. But the Wabash was already in Springfield when the C&A got there from the south so their employees manned the tower.

When the C&A got to Joliet, the Rock Island manned the tower because they were there first. The Santa Fe got there third. The C&A maintained their diamonds, and the Santa Fe maintained theirs. (Would you want somebody else messing withe YOUR track? You control the work that way and can charge the junior road according to some previous agreement.)

GM&O employees manned the towers at locations where our railroad was first. Other states might have different procedures. I was told that the payroll was paid by the junior company, but have never seen anything documenting this.

The Santa Fe line to Chicago was on the 'western' side of the GM&O and their yard was on the 'eastern' side of the GM&O so the tower controlled the entry and exit to the Santa Fe yard. I worked Corwith for several months and had 'interesting' conversations with the Santa Fe yardmaster.

Art

[Chris30]

Rochelle, IL

As mentioned above, the CNW went through Rochelle in 1854. I posted previously that I thought the CNW did not go through until the mid 1860's directly after the Civil War motivated by the UP's transcontinental route from Omaha west. I checked & found out that the Dixon Air Line was built by the Galena & Chicago Union west from Turner Jct (W. Chicago) to Fulton, IL from 1853-1855. The decision to build the Dixon Air Line was motivated by the Rock Island that was built between Chicago and Rock Island in the early 1850's, the IC building a line to Galena & another failed project.

As for the Chicago & Iowa, here's what I found:

[code]http://www.leecountyhistory.com/lee_county/steward.htm[/code] (see the 2nd paragraph)

It doesn't look like the C&I was completed in Rochelle until 1870. It looks like the C&GU (CNW/UP) was the first line through Rochelle.

As a side note, there was a manned tower at Rochelle until the 1960's. The tower was operated by CNW.

CC

[alstom]

QUOTE: And what about speed restrictions across diamonds???

There are speed restrictions across diamonds. In fact, that's what happened at the Greenwich, Ohio diamond if you read my previous post.

A CSX westbound train hammered the diamonds going above "track speed" and damaged a piece of rail. That is why there are restricted speed limits on diamonds. The manifest had to be going about 65 mph and track speed was 60 mph. But that was still too fast.

Richard

[rvos1979]

Crawford, WI (just south of Prarie du Chien) has an unusual diamond where the WSOR crosses the BN. Owing to the infrequent WSOR moves, the BN rails are continous, and the WSOR goes up and over the BN rails. The crossing is protected by electrically locked derails controlled by the LaCrosse dispatcher.

The crossing is a very rough ride, even at the maximum of 10 mph on the WSOR, I think the BN does about 30-40 through here.

Randy

[Anonymous]

Never saw a diamond interlocking? As Horace Greely said "Go West Young Man"
We have so many in & around Chicago that there were 2 books written about them.
If you can find a Train Watchers Guide to Chicago Volumes 1 & 2 you can get your fill on diamonds. In Chicago we have more diamonds than QVC sells in a day.

Until recently we even had one that had hand operated semphore train order signals but is has been( or is in the process of) automated.

[fuzzybroken]

The Iowa Interstate (former Rock Island) had a diamond across the BNSF (former BNSF, BN) in the Quad Cities IIRC, that was replaced with a pair of switches. That's a lot less maintenance than a diamond, and while retaining the same purpose, potentially opens up some operating flexibility!

The IAIS, by the way, is an awesome railroad! I'll have to go chase trains on it again some time.

-Mark
www.fuzzyworld3.com

[tree68]

At Plymouth, MI, there is a diamond where CSX crosses..... CSX. Pretty sure the diamond has been under the control of one company (Pere Marquette, then C&O, etc) since it was built.

[nobullchitbids]

I always have heard that, at the base of it all, the "junior" road -- the one there last -- was responsible for installing and maintaining railroad crossings at grade; however, as exemplefied by a couple of posts here, that basic rule clearly was subject to negotiation. If one road somehow were going to benefit by allowing another road to cross it -- e.g. from increased interchange traffic -- then clearly the "basic" rule could be waived in favor of some form of negotiation.

Railroads are private enterprises; their lawyers have the right to negotiate virtually any agreement they want, and for any legal reason. One reason which well might be hidden? Fear that, without a generous agreement for a potential competitor, the former ICC or FTC (or whoever has the power) might start smelling a "monopoly."

Incidentally, the histories of railroads in the west are repleat with examples of how, in the early days, competitors would build tracks expressly for the purpose of blocking the path of a rival. Needless to say, there were no negotiations then, only lawsuits.

Finally, one is more likely to see diamonds in the Midwest than anywhere else, precisely because so many competing lines were obliged to cross at grade. With modern machinery, however, it is a lot easier (and less costly) in the long run to go under or over.