Some Washington DC Questions

Hello all!

I have been heavily interested in rail operations in DC (really all over but especially DC since I'm local) and I was wondering if anyone had some insight on the interlockings and control points around there.

I have a lot of questions and I was wondering if some people could help me out and take a stab at some of these.

From North to South:

1. There is Benning Yard and at the South end of it there is CP ANACOSTIA

2. Then you approach the Virginia Ave Tunnel's North portals and it switches to one track, what is the name of that, is it M STREET or somethign else?

3. Within the VA Ave tunnel are there any intermediate signals?

4. Then you come out the South end of the tunnel and there is another single to double track interlocking, what is that one called?

5. Then you hit CP VIRGINIA where the line from Union Station comes in.

6. Then just south of the L'Enfant VRE station there is another interlocking and Track 1 comes into Track 2. I have heard the name CP L'ENFANT tossed around and also 14TH STREET so I was wondering what that one was?

7. Then after crossing the river you hit RO, or is it CP RO where you get a siding and the 1 track back?

8. I believe SOUTH RO or CP SOUTH RO has been eliminated from where it was just South of the Crystal City VRE platform.

9. You hit some intermediate signals that I am not sure what milepost they are.

10. Then you hit a spot where the NS line from downtown Alexandria comes in and they added a crossover from 2 to 3, what is that interlocking called?

11. Then you hit AF Interlocking or CP AF?

12.Then down by Franconia-Springfield VRE station the new No 1 track comes back in at an interlocking that has what name?


Thanks so much in advance for any help on any one of these questions!

Davis

strench707 wrote:Hello all!

I have been heavily interested in rail operations in DC (really all over but especially DC since I'm local) and I was wondering if anyone had some insight on the interlockings and control points around there.

I have a lot of questions and I was wondering if some people could help me out and take a stab at some of these.

From North to South:

1. There is Benning Yard and at the South end of it there is CP ANACOSTIA
2. Then you approach the Virginia Ave Tunnel's North portals and it switches to one track, what is the name of that, is it M STREET or somethign else?
3. Within the VA Ave tunnel are there any intermediate signals?
4. Then you come out the South end of the tunnel and there is another single to double track interlocking, what is that one called?
5. Then you hit CP VIRGINIA where the line from Union Station comes in.
6. Then just south of the L'Enfant VRE station there is another interlocking and Track 1 comes into Track 2. I have heard the name CP L'ENFANT tossed around and also 14TH STREET so I was wondering what that one was?
7. Then after crossing the river you hit RO, or is it CP RO where you get a siding and the 1 track back?
8. I believe SOUTH RO or CP SOUTH RO has been eliminated from where it was just South of the Crystal City VRE platform.
9. You hit some intermediate signals that I am not sure what milepost they are.
10. Then you hit a spot where the NS line from downtown Alexandria comes in and they added a crossover from 2 to 3, what is that interlocking called?
11. Then you hit AF Interlocking or CP AF?
12.Then down by Franconia-Springfield VRE station the new No 1 track comes back in at an interlocking that has what name?


Thanks so much in advance for any help on any one of these questions!

Davis

OK...give you what I know.....

1. The single to double-track interlocking south of the Virginia Ave tunnel is JERSEY
2. L'Enfant is where you lose #1 track going south....the southbound intermediate signals on #2 and #3 are Old 14th St. (we just call them 14th St.)...on the same masts as L'Enfant's northbound home signals.
3. At RO you pick up #1 track and the RO siding....South RO is no longer in service, crossovers are gone.
4. 4 Mile Run (CFP 108.1) is the next intermediate signal....I've heard oldheads call it Potomac Yard...
5. Slaters Lane is the interlocking with the 2-3 x-over, the spur off #1 track and the defect detector
6. We just call it AF....only one with the CP designation is CP Virginia, don't know why. Where the North Passenger Track of the NS comes in is part of AF coming north, but called VAL going south. The NS Horn track comes in at SEMINARY which is back-to-back with AF.
7. #1 track continues down to Franconia interlocking, CFP 98.0

Hope that helped...

Thank you very much for your prompt response!

So with intermediate signals on CSX they post the milepost usually. Would the North Facing signals have a slightly lower number than the South facing signals or is it vice versa on the RF&P. Like if we took 4 Mile Run for example, would facing north it say side be 1081-*track #* and facing south it would say 1080-*track #* or do they have an entirely different system?

And so you're saying that where you have 1 track consolidated back into 2 its called FRANCONIA?

One other thing that got me was these medium speed switches at both CP L'ENFANT (or just L'ENFANT) and CP VIRGINIA. At L'Enfant the switch that splits track 2 into tracks 2 and 3, is that medium speed approaching it from any direction on any route or are only some routes medium speed? Also, at CP VIRGINIA the switch on No. 2 track that splits to the left towards Union, is that also medium speed any way that you approach it?

Thanks so much for all of your help and some of these questions are kind of specific so if you don't have them its fine!

Davis

I'll have to look at the number designations the next time I'm working....the whole named signal thing is new to me. But yes, one direction is an odd number with the track, and the other direction is even. I still have east/even, west/odd from the NEC ingrained into my head LOL.

The south end of #1 track ends at FRANCONIA...new interlocking cut in sometime in July I think...

Correct....with the exception of the north x-over at CP Virginia(from 3 to 2)which has a 10mph restriction, L'Enfant and CP Virginia are all medium speed switches. You can get an slow signal at L'Enfant northbound on #3 and CP Virginia southbound off the southward main, but I have yet to see one.

Take your time on the numberboards, I understand you might not be working everyday so its fine. Yeah the NEC I'm pretty sure doesn't give the track number on each board either, just the mile.

Okay so coming into a switch at any of those interlockings you are always going to get a Medium Aspect (MEDIUM CLEAR, MEDIUM APPROACH, etc) and never a CLEAR etc/ Also, the 10mph speed restriction is that only when you're taking the switch or is that just anytime you go over it, and I'm hoping thats going to be temporary?

Thanks man!

Davis