Running Track

I've been a railfan for years and have read occasional references to railroads' "running tracks." Excuse my ignorance, but I really don't know what this refers to. Running track as opposed to . . .?

"Running Tracks" are designated as such in the employee timetables. They may be of assigned direction or no assigned direction and are under the control of a designated employee whether train dispatcher, block operator, or yardmaster. There is usually no signal system involved, and all moves are made at restricted or reduced speed. It is necessary to report clear when leaving the track.

"Running Track" is used as opposed to "Secondary Track", "Industrial Track", or "Yard Track" in various employee timetables and rule books.

Let me cite an example; perhaps one or two other members can provide additional sidelights.

The Pennsylvania Railroad's Wilkes-Barre Branch was a mixture of double and single track extending from Sunbury to Wilkes-Barre, Penna. The double track extended from Nescopeck, where at one time, a branch drew off a lot of coal taffic destined for Philadelphia, to Buttonwood Yard in South Wilkes-Barre.

By the early 1950's traffic, while about as great in absolute terms was concentrated in fewer and longer trains, and the Nescopeck Brach to Reading and Philly about to be abandoned. The PRR removed the second track between Nescopeck and HUNLOCK Tower, about five miles south of Buttonwood., but kept about two miles north of Nescopeck as a long siding.

Traditional "double track" operating rules called for each track to be used in one direction only; movements "against the current" were allowed only when authorized by written order. The situation in this case was further complicated by the existence of a modest sized yard, known by the romantic name of Honey Pot, about two miles north of HUNLOCK.

So the Pennsy designated the second track, which was not subject to interference from yard swtchers working Honey Pot, as a running track, upon which through moves could pass. As activity at Honey Pot further dwindled, meets between the longer trains could be made using "the runner".

I've heard the term being used to describe the Yard leads going in and out of the Rail Yards on Conrail and in some time tables there marked as both depending on the year in which they were issued.

My experience is that the term "running track" is usually a local designation for a track to go from one end of yard to the other or from the primary yard switching lead or leads to a main line. Lots of yard tracks get named one thing or another due to how the track is used.

Well let me see if I can add to the confusion. Yard tracks might not be the best description of this. In every yard their is usually a track that they do NOT park cars on that is designated something by name so that crews and engines use it to get from one end of the yard to the other. Such as how engines off arriving trains moved to the diesel shop. On the railroad I grew it it was called a Thoroughfare Track in the big hump yard nearby. It was always an open track unless the yardmaster granted someone the right to use it and they used it and cleared up to have it free for the next train or move. Makes perfect sense if you fill every track up with cars no body can move.

Running tracks seem to be a northeast thing and in fact it my be a Conrail term. RT seems to be not in a yard but say a lead that a crews can use to for head room in switching. RT's can be something that is not a yard track and not a mainline either. Otten a branch can be called a running track.

I never heard running tracks used as a term before moving to the northeast. And in fact it might be A NORAC rule term, which would limit it to the northeast railraods. The only thing I can add is if RT is a NORAC thing then it might be that that term means a type of train movement authority.

T2

Train2 wrote'

Running tracks seem to be a northeast thing and in fact it my be a Conrail term.

It might be more appropriate to categorigze "running track" as a PRR term, since the format of early Penn Central Employees' Timetables used the PRR format to describe former NYC lines and, in turn, the first Conrail ETT's applied that format to the trackage of Erie-Lackawanna, Reading and the rest.

I'm not sure if the term "running track" was ever addressed in Rights of Trains, which was viewed as the ultimate reference source and arbiter for disptachers for many, many years.

Just found this thread. "Running track" was indeed a PRR term, as 2nd trick op mentioned above. For example, on what was not yet known as the Northeast Corridor the PRR often had a non-signaled track parallel to the 4-track main, extending from one interlocking to the next, off of which branched industry spurs (back when there were industries along there). As I recall, these were designated as running tracks, under the control of the yardmaster of a nearby yard. The local could leave part of its train on the running track, pick up or set off cars on an industry siding, come back for the rest of the train, and move on to the next industry, all without needing to occupy a main track. The PRR seemed to reserve the term "secondary track" to denote a branch line which didn't see more than one train at a time and could be operated without any form of block signaling, since only one train would be out there. I think secondary tracks were under the control of a dispatcher or a block operator -- I was told that the term came from ICC terminology (today it would be the FRA, and it probably survives somewhere in the Code of Federal Regulations).

According to my NORAC rule book from 1995 the definition of a RUNNING TRACK is
"A designated track on which movements may be made by signal indication or at
Restricted Speed under the authority of an employee designated in the timetable".

Railroad terminology is just so confusing especially when there is also "local" usage involved. I'm not sure of the original context of the question, but it sounds like there are some instances where "running track" is a conotation of a main line track and some as the "yard" track to get from one end of the yard to the other. In both cases, "running tracks" seem to refer as a faster way or more efficient way to get from to get from point A to point B.

The point raised in the preious post would also relate to occupancy of the "running track" vs occupanty of a designated "main track" by yard crews. Under the tradional oeratig rules used until the emergence of NORAC, GCOR and the rest, yard crews were forbidden from occuping a main track if a scheduled move was due within a certain period of time, or was overdue. Thas was the ratoionale behind the arrangement cited in my earlier post.

Running tracks, on the other hand, were often designated as under the authority of the operator at a specified "Block Sation" (tower or train order office) nearby, or were nder the direct control of a dispatcher. In some cases, as when two or more running tracks flanked a major yard, they might also be assigned a specific direction. All the situations depicted above could also be overridden by written train orders.