Wyes and Track Authorities

[cv_acr]

As has already been said, authority would depend on if the wye was main track or not.  If main track it would depend on what the main track territory was, ie CTC, ABS, Track warrant control etc.  If the wye was main track I think the most likely way traffic through the wye would be controlled, in other than CTC territory,would be for the wye to be an interlocking.  Any train approaching the wye would have to stop and contact the dispatcher or access a lock box to line the switches and set the signals.

In Portland we have a quadruple wye if you will (Peninsular Jct) .  It's a 90 degree crossing diamond with curves connecting each leg of the diamond, essentially creating four wyes.  Penn Jct. is CTC territory with four control points, one for each route.

I highlighted the different routes (sorry my mouse drawing skills are fairly lacking)
 

Yeah a junction like this would likely be full interlocked. Modern would be remotely controlled by CTC, or if neither line is CTC there'd be an interlocking tower with local towerman to control the complex.

[iandrewmartin]

Being an operations person, fascinating to see all of the different ways a Wye is handled under the rules in effect.

Particularly like the idea of the CTC operation. Signal in, signal out.

[Hawghead]

Being an operations person, fascinating to see all of the different ways a Wye is handled under the rules in effect.

Particularly like the idea of the CTC operation. Signal in, signal out.

It's funny, as Portland is a comparatively small terminal (compared to say like North Platte), that it has so many wyes.  There are effectively four there at Penn. Jct., three at East Portland and one out past Barnes yard at upper Rivergate.

Scott

[High Hood]

Is this just a simple stub wye for turning an engine?

The concept of track authorities only applies to main tracks. Usually such a wye would not be main track(s) so would be under rules for "other than main track" where basically anyone can use it but travel at restricted speed able to stop in under half the range of distance.

If the wye is a junction between main routes, it's likely that one leg of the wye is one main track, the second leg is the second main track joining it, and the third leg is probably a non-main track (connecting track). Main track authorities would apply right up to the junction switch.

The wye here in town was once part of an L&N main line, however today it is almost on the end of the NS Middlesboro Line and it is essentially of the end of the CSX line into town. CSX has used it to turn engines for the return trip, but NS uses it to connect to the rest of the Middlesboro Line to Knoxville, Middlesboro Yard/CSX trackage, and the coal branches West of town. Just look up Middlesboro KY on a map and the you can clearly see the arrangement.

An interesting thing about this wye is that there was actually a smaller wye inside of it. I assume it was used to turn steam engines and keep them off the mainline.

[nkalanaga]

Scott:  Portland has so many wyes partly because it had lines going in, literally, every direction.  Many of them were either interchanges, or junctions between two lines of the same road, and in both cases, trains went along all of the possible routes.  A few have been abandoned, but there are still a lot of routes in and out of town

[Hawghead]

Scott:  Portland has so many wyes partly because it had lines going in, literally, every direction.  Many of them were either interchanges, or junctions between two lines of the same road, and in both cases, trains went along all of the possible routes.  A few have been abandoned, but there are still a lot of routes in and out of town

To my knowledge none of the routes have been abandoned.  The railroads that built them may no longer exist but they still have trains running over them.  The U.P. still runs trains North, South and East out of Portland.  You can go West but that just takes you out to the industrial area at Rivergate, but no mainline.

Scott

[nkalanaga]

Is the BN (SP&S) line to Astoria still in use?

[Hawghead]

Is the BN (SP&S) line to Astoria still in use?

Ok fair enough, but I was mainly speaking about the lines in and around the Portland area.  But to answer your question, yes I believe the P&W still operates that line.  Most all of the old branch lines that ran to the Oregon coast are now operated by the P&W and a lot of the ones in Washington are operated by the PS&P.  The short lines are doing very well on branch lines the class one railroads thought not profitable to operate.  But to be honest they really just wanted to cut the manpower required to operate them.

Scott