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  • doubletrack spacing

  • Discussion related to BNSF operations. Official site: BNSF.COM
Discussion related to BNSF operations. Official site: BNSF.COM

Moderator: Komachi

 #276554  by Tomas Anderson
 
Hi,
Im new to this forum and I have a question about the spacing for doubletrack on the bnsf in NM ,
Im doubletracking my N scale railroad and I really want to know to get it right. Ive read it somewhere but cant find it ,so Please help me with this
Regards
Tomas

 #276590  by Lucius Kwok
 
When building new double-track, they like to space them as wide as possible. 25 feet between track centers would be ideal. Then you can drive a truck in the space between the rails without fouling either track.

Early railway spaced the tracks very close together, sometimes less than 10 feet, requiring narrow rolling stock. Today, standard railroad cars are 10.5 feet wide, and main line tracks from the early 1900s are at least 12.5 feet on center. If you go with 14 to 18 feet on center, you're probably close to modern tracks.

 #276687  by GOLDEN-ARM
 
"N" scale, huh? Try this, although this question really needs to be in the Model Railroad section........ http://www.urbaneagle.com/data/RRtrkstds.html
 #276742  by Komachi
 
(Spins his "magic lock" around left index finger...)

I'm thinking I should lock this one down, however, this has some potential...


If you can limit the discussion to asking questions regarding BNSF in New Mexico and ask your modeling questions in the "HO and N Forum," then I'll let it stay.

You'll find the HO and N Forum here...

http://www.railroad.net/forums/viewforum.php?f=32


Now, Tom...

Where exactly are you modeling in NM? Gallup? Roswell? Los Alamos? Santa Fe...? What is it about BNSF that attracts you to modeling it? And why New Mexico? Why not Iowa? Why not Montana?

Just currious.

How about the rest of you guys? Anyone else here model the BNSF, or one of the predecessor roads? Maybe you are doing the same thing as Tomas and can lend him a hand (regarding geography, structures, rolling stock, etc. Construction methods should be addressed in the HO & N forum).

As for me, being a native Minnesotan, I have a connection to James J. Hill and the Great Northern and Northern Pacific (JJH having lived in the Twin Cities). I also have a minor interest in both roads (as well as the Santa Fe). A friend of mine once worked for Burlington Northern, and I would sit and watch the BN trains roll past the "float" at Fountain City, WI, while my brother and dad would fish. I live about 60 miles away from the closest BNSF line, which is in East Winona, Wisconsin (although, BNSF has been known to run trains through Winona, MN on the former Milwaukee Road (now Soo Line/CP)), so I don't see much railroading action (other than a few glimpses of the DM&E in Rochester, MN).

I am an HO modeler who has put his layout on hold for the time being, but will eventually have an empire that represents a modern shortline ("bridge line?") that runs from Austin, MN to La Crosse, WI and north to the Twin Cities. The only connections with BNSF will be in the Twin Cities and East Winona, WI (via the former GB&W line). (The bulk of my layout will be on the old MILW line that ran through my hometown and surrounding area, that's why I have few interchange points with BNSF.)

 #276755  by Tomas Anderson
 
Hi again ,
Thanks for your answers
My main interest is actually the BNSF in real life so When building my railroad I look at the prototype instead .
Im also collecting things of the BNSF.

Im building a model of the BNSF in NM starting with the town of Belen NM rail yard , ( I have 10 meters of lenght to fit the yard in ) .
The Google Earth is fantastic to use to get a good look at the yard .

Then we heads into the Abo canyon, still single track and will be so forever on my layout I think.
I hope to fit all the seven bridges ,but maybe have to relocate the curvatures ,its a art of compromises

Im also building a place where it passes over the I 40 in Mcartys NM
plus a generic small town

So thats why I post my questions in the BNSF forum
so please anyone who have information on these places is welcome to help me ,I have a couple of dvds on the subject and every photo
I find helps a lot when building .

I was a Santa Fe fan in the past and was not pleased when they began to paint the locos in the heritage 1 paint , but thats all forgiven now as the heritage 2 is a marvelous paint scheme .

But the swoosh lettering ,they should have consulted an artist instead or maybe they did , It worked for the SP and Riogrande but it looks awful on the BNSF

about the NM , I love the desert landscape of NM .
I was planning a vacation with my 4 year son this year but maybe next year I hope we can go to NM, to have a look in person on all the places
Ive seen only in pictures.

Thanks
Tomas
Gothenburg
Sweden

ps
( my layout room is 7 * 8 meters on the second floor of my garage )

 #292182  by timz
 
Can you find any pictures looking down on the double track? Knowing the inner sides of the railheads are 1435 mm apart you could get a good idea by scaling off the pic.

Centerline spacing in New Mexico would rarely if ever be less than 4 meters, but I imagine the tracks west of Belen are typically spaced 4.1 to 4.3 meters-- except when the two tracks separate onto different alignments, of course.