by csor2010
There was an MOW crew out at CP-3 today on track 2 digging cable trenches. Maybe the beginnings of re-doing that interlocking?
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csor2010 wrote:521/522 meet at CP-4 every day, and they both make Newton stops, which would indicate that 521 consistently boards on Track 1.522 makes the Newton stops from 14:58 to 15:04. And they are "flag" stops so the train might not stop at all.
csor2010 wrote:As far as "single track," I'm referring to the idea that trains cannot meet on that stretch when one train is working the Newton stops.See my reply above. Many 'meets' between CP 11 and CP 4 while train on track 2 making Newton stops. In addition to the 528/531 meet I mentioned, there are others: 500/503, 535/532, 539/536, 541/538 are just some of them. And you are correct, 582 passes 504 between CP 11 and CP 4.
csor2010 wrote:I passed 522 making its stop at Auburndale around 15:10 (~10" down). As I drove past CP-4 around 15:20, 521 was sitting on the single iron, and presumably had been since shortly after leaving Yawkey 15 minutes before. Additionally, when I have ridden 528 we will often get held at CP-11 until 529 is west of us, presumably waiting for them to finish their work at Auburndale before heading east.What rules does the Commuter Rail have about trains passing through (or even pulling into) a station while another train is stopped on the other track to load passengers? Do they always hold outside the station? Is it only on certain lines? I'd be surprised if an Acela Express has to stop every time it tries to pass a Providence local which is in a station.
Based on these observations, would I be correct in guessing that Newton is effectively single-track when a train is working stations? I'm presuming that this has something to do with the fact that 521 works Newton from the outbound track (passengers would be crossing in front of 522 to board). In other cases, I've seen trains take turns at Ayer and West Natick to avoid issues with the pedestrian crossings, but holding 521 all the way back at CP-4 seems a little strange; in the other cases the second train would hold just outside the station for the first to finish.
boblothrope wrote:I think the train running through blows it's horn. There shouldn't be anybody standing on the track, lol. I think they've been trying to eliminate pedestrian crossovers at stations by placing fencing at some stations and making people walk much further to get to the other side.csor2010 wrote:I passed 522 making its stop at Auburndale around 15:10 (~10" down). As I drove past CP-4 around 15:20, 521 was sitting on the single iron, and presumably had been since shortly after leaving Yawkey 15 minutes before. Additionally, when I have ridden 528 we will often get held at CP-11 until 529 is west of us, presumably waiting for them to finish their work at Auburndale before heading east.What rules does the Commuter Rail have about trains passing through (or even pulling into) a station while another train is stopped on the other track to load passengers? Do they always hold outside the station? Is it only on certain lines? I'd be surprised if an Acela Express has to stop every time it tries to pass a Providence local which is in a station.
Based on these observations, would I be correct in guessing that Newton is effectively single-track when a train is working stations? I'm presuming that this has something to do with the fact that 521 works Newton from the outbound track (passengers would be crossing in front of 522 to board). In other cases, I've seen trains take turns at Ayer and West Natick to avoid issues with the pedestrian crossings, but holding 521 all the way back at CP-4 seems a little strange; in the other cases the second train would hold just outside the station for the first to finish.
What technology or procedures enforce this rule? Is it up to the engineer to visually spot a train stopped on the other track? Or is it enforced by the signal system or dispatcher?
boblothrope wrote: What rules does the Commuter Rail have about trains passing through (or even pulling into) a station while another train is stopped on the other track to load passengers? Do they always hold outside the station? Is it only on certain lines? I'd be surprised if an Acela Express has to stop every time it tries to pass a Providence local which is in a station.I can't speak for the Worcester line, but I do have anecdotal evidence from elsehwere: I've noticed they hold outside the station at some stations, and not at others. My experience is mainly from the Rockburyport line, where my regular trains had meets at Beverly, Swampscott, Lynn, and sometimes Chelsea (plus others not at stations). There were never two trains in the station at the same time at Beverly or Chelsea. One would always hold shy of it. But at Swampscott and Lynn both trains would platform at the same time. The only difference I can think of is that Beverly has at-grade crossings between the platforms (even though I've never boarded across the track using those), and Chelsea is right at a grade crossing, while Swampscott has a fence between the tracks and no crossings, and Lynn has an island platform.
nomis wrote:NORAC Rule 121 ...Ok, so that addresses situations where passengers are walking across a track to board (for example, the unusual situation of a train boarding from track 1 in the Newton stations, Lincoln inbound, etc).
121. Intervening Tracks at Station Platforms
a. General Requirements
When a passenger train is receiving or discharging passengers across an intervening track, trains and track cars must not pass between that train and the station platform.
...
ExCon90 wrote:Back in B&M days there used to be fixed signals of the PRR position-light type at certain locations to hold trains out if an opposing train was present or imminent; are any of those still in service?The one governing westbound movements for the Ballardvale station disappeared when they went to single track through there, if not before.
diburning wrote:I'm not sure about other lines, but on the Fitchburg line, I have always observed the operation at Ayer when two trains meet. Only one train occupies the platform at one time, and I think it's because Ayer only has one outlet for both platforms, which is on the outbound side.At West Natick and Wellesley Hills stations, there are platforms on both tracks, but the only access to the Track 1 platform is by CROSSING both tracks via a wooden walkway. There is no way to get from Track 1 into the broader world (I guess "outlet" as you mention above). At both those stations, only one train is allowed in the station on either track at the same time. Trains will call out (via radio) to opposite moving trains and coordinate the meet - if one train is in the station, the other train will slow or stop, and the engineers will decide who gets the station first based on relative distances. The Framingham / Worcester schedule seems to be arranged so that this doesn't happen routinely, so it usually only happens when something is delayed. And this affects express trains not scheduled to make those stops - if another train is in that station, even an express scheduled to bypass that station must stop outside the station.