Switch Question

Hello All!

I am a CSX railfan local to the DC and Baltimore area and what interests me a lot is switches and signals.

I have been trying to figure out how CSX names/numbers their switches on the RF&P specifically but maybe all of the subs share a common pattern?

For example if you had a set of crossovers how would the switches be named?

By named I mean like Switch A3 or Switch 91 or however they do it.

Thanks in advance for any help!

Davis

Anyone have any insight?

Any help is greatly appreciated!

Davis

Most likely the crossover itself would be named and the switches would be named whatever direction that end of that crossover faces. For instance, the Tunnel Xover in Rocky mount has a north end and a south end (the yard is oriented north and south).
A conversation may go like this: "Hey trainmaster, the south end of the tunnel crossover is hard to throw."
"No, its OK, I threw the north end switch last week and it was fine."
"Yeah, but this is the south end of the tunnel crossover today"
"Well the track guys went around and greased all the switches yesterday."
"But it rained 3 inches an hour for 5 hours last night. Don't you think the lube washed away?"
"Alright, let me try it." **grunt** **groan** **ummph** **whatever sound a hernia makes** "Nah, its good for service. Go ahead and use it."
"But, trainmaster, you are very strained, and sweaty and your intestines are poking out of your abdomin!"
"Its OK. I'll get my intestines looked at at the end of the shift, so you can use this south end of the tunnel crossover until then. Stop whining and trying to get out of work."

Haha good story! I'm asking about switches that remotely controlled by the dispatcher or whoever is in charge of that section. Not manual hand thrown switches. Like they tend to have the switch number printed on top of the switch machine.

Davis

Oh, in that case I don't know. Many things around the RR are named for people or places. Lots of them are known, in practice, by the crews by some name that makes some sort of sense, but to a pencil pusher in the big building in Jacksonville, its known by some cryptic name useful for inventory reasons. Many signals have a name attached to them that the crews know - Charlie Baker, Milan, Hamill, Delmar. But to someone who is responsible for dispatching maintenance or figuring out value of assets they have a different name, probably a milepost.

In Rocky Mount, the buildings are known as the CO, Big Shack, Little Shack - but they all have big signs on them with the state and a number NC 37, NC 38 etc... We have the South West Pocket, but if we have to switch out of that track, it is printed on the list as T16, the South Ladder is T08. I dunno, just a difference of what we do on the ground v/s what they need in J'ville. Guess there is the possibility that there are several switches or signals with the same name, and they need a way to make sure in the backoffice that they are not confused.

I would suppose that each power switch has some kind of identifying code. All we hear in the field is the name of the absolute signal and which crossover. I feel like the signal maintainers have a way of identifying specific switches.

Just another point, each absolute signal name on CSX is specific to that particular signal; i.e. there is only one "Charlie Baker" signal on all of CSX, and it was named for a switch tender who handled that set of switches many years ago. A lot of the signals (DI, FY, RY, RO, for instance) and switches were old operator stations. When CSX and C & O merged several years back, we changed some of our block signals because C&O had the same names at some locations.

Okay very cool, were the two letter names people's initials as well or were they code for something else?

Davis

I do not work for CSX, but on the railroad I do work on the switchs are all know by interlocking name and numbered with odd numbers only from west to east. A cross over with two machines has one number with an A, B switch.

So from West to East do the numbers rise or fall like would it be 1 3 5 7 from west to east? Or do they start big and work their way down?

Thanks

Davis

I think the two letter names were designated operator stations for old Morse code signals. The absolute signal names are usually local signal locations; such as Battle, Aycock, Contentnea. There was probably a pattern for the two letter stations, but I don't know what it was or is. Nowadays, they're liable to name a "block" or new signal after almost anything. CSX once named a DTC block after a Division Superintendent.

In the Albany Division, I know from listening to the dispatcher talking to signal maintainers that the switches are numbered inthe interlocking along with the Control Point Name(number in this case) For example:

Selkirk to Buffalo is 99% double track, some instances of more than two. A universal interlocking such as CP 410, is a double cross over containing a total of 4 switches (1-4). larger interlockings, such as CP 429, 359, 382, etc will have more than 4 switch and hence have more numbers... More often than not though, when M&W is involved, it is just referred to as the east cross over switch on the #1 track at interlocking 410 for example.

Ah okay thank you very much for the insight!

Davis

10more years wrote:I think the two letter names were designated operator stations for old Morse code signals. The absolute signal names are usually local signal locations; such as Battle, Aycock, Contentnea. There was probably a pattern for the two letter stations, but I don't know what it was or is. Nowadays, they're liable to name a "block" or new signal after almost anything. CSX once named a DTC block after a Division Superintendent.

LOL I think some of the signal names are open to interpretation depending on your age(keep in mind I'm new down here)....I usually pass 67 on my way north on the RF&P at RO....I notch out at Crystal City and hear him call RO "Rosslyn Junction"....he passes me and proceeds to call "Four Mile Run" (the auto between RO and Slaters Lane) "Pot Yard"....so I guess once its ingrained into your head its hard to change....but it confuses us whippersnappers

Cobra,
I think during the area's reworking (which all happened before you came aboard if im not mistaken) caused some name changes. I know there used to be a SRO (South RO) Interlocking which had a crossover from 2 to 3 and the track 1 switched into track 2. SRO was eliminated when they extended track 1 to RO where it now switches in and they moved the 2 to 3 crossover to SLATERS LANE making all tracks now part of the interlocking not just track 1. When they did this they removed the old auto signal bridge (which was actually a new bridge) and erected a different one of the same type a ways North which is now called 4 MILE RUN. I am not sure if when they autos were at their old location that they were called POT YARD or not. What you may notice next time you drive the line or may have already seen is the disused signal bridge on your SB right about midway between the new autos and Slaters, you should also notice how new looking the bridge is sitting in the brush and weeds which makes me wonder why it wasn't just moved instead of being replaced.

Davis

Thank you very much for the history of the area. That line isn't too well documented so you filled in a lot of gaps for me, thank you very much for that. I can kind of tell now that the RoW was shifted a bit looking back at it with all of the repeated S-curves snaking down towards the area of where the yards used to be.

Davis