Couple of questions

[ICG/SOU]

Just some things that I've come across lately and didn't know the answer to:

1) When someone says, "x car yard" (where x is a number), I assume it is capacity of freight cars. However, is there a "standard" car? After all, you can fit more 40' Boxcars as opposed to 89' autoracks.

2) Do different railroads use different signals? In Mississippi, along the NS line, it looks like green is the default color for block signals, yet here in Texas, along the UP lines, it appears yellow or red is the default color for signals, regardless of if a train in occupying the next block.

3) What happens to abandoned lines? Is the ROW (right of way) sold/quitclaim deeded to adjacent landowners? I ask because if I decide to explore an old ROW, would I be trespassing?

Thanks in advance.

 

[UP2CSX]

Trey, it really depnds on the railroad but some refer to yards by numbers that are mileposts or some other numbering systems. Yards rarely have a capacity list. You'll see sidings with car capacity listed and mainline sidings are calculated based on the longest car, usually 89 feet. This mean any train with smaller cars will fit.

Signals vary greatly by railroad. Some show green if the next block is clear. The UP signals always show yellow as the standard color until two blocks ahead are clear but I've never seen them red unless a train is occuping the next block. More and more railroads are going to "dark' signals, where the signal shows nothing unless there is a train approaching or departing a block. Saves money on bulbs and signal maintenance.

The right of way question is really impossible to answer on any general basis. It depends on if the line has been officially abandoned, if the ROW was given to the railroad as part of a land grant, if the ROW was aquired by private purchase, or if the ROW has already been deeded to another entitiy Unless you're out in the middle of the desert following the old T&T grade, I'd ask at the nearest town about the status of the ROW. Most of the time, it's not a problem but it can be of the ROW has already been deeded to another party. As always, honor no trespassing signs unless you want to talk to the local version of Barney Fife.

 

[dave1905]

1) When someone says, "x car yard" (where x is a number), I assume it is capacity of freight cars. However, is there a "standard" car? After all, you can fit more 40' Boxcars as opposed to 89' autoracks.

It varies all over the place and there is not "standard" car. Typicaly its and average or typical var for the era. So for the steam era it would be a 40 foot car (which is actually 45-48 ft long) and in the modern era it would be more like a 50 ft car which would be 55 or more feet long. Purpose built yards would be measrured in the cars it was built for, such as a covered hopper storage yard, the capacity would be in 65 ft covered hoppers.

2) Do different railroads use different signals? In Mississippi, along the NS line, it looks like green is the default color for block signals, yet here in Texas, along the UP lines, it appears yellow or red is the default color for signals, regardless of if a train in occupying the next block.

Definitely. They use different arangements of lights in a head, different arrangements of lights and the same arrangements can mean different things on different railroads/ What you are describing is how the signal system lines the signals. There is also another option where the signals are dark until a train comes (approach lit). Check the rule book for the railroad and era you are interested in. Most of the railraods west of the Mississippi use the GCOR rule book so have the same signals.

3) What happens to abandoned lines? Is the ROW (right of way) sold/quitclaim deeded to adjacent landowners? I ask because if I decide to explore an old ROW, would I be trespassing?

What happens to the right of way depends on state law and what type of contract was cut for the railroad to get the property.
As for the last question, tresspassing is being on land owned by somebody else. So unless YOU own the land yourself, regardless of who owned it or who owns it now, you are tresspassing, unless the ROW has been made part of a a public park or is an active rails to trails project, or you have recieved permission to be on the ROW from the owners.

 

[ICG/SOU]

Thanks very much, everyone.

I asked about the ROW issue since here in Texas, for example, waterways are public property, while the bank on either side is private. I didn't know if when a RR abandons a rail line if the ROW becomes "public" unless someone buys it.

I know that the old ICG yard in my hometown has had to have been deeded over to someone, because they are building new houses on it. However, following the old ROW around Natchez, for example, where many bridges and trestles are still there (but in various states of disrepair) has not been built upon.

As for UP's signals, Jim, I bet we have so much rail traffic that the signals stay lit (around town anyway) and the next block or two is or will be shortly occupied. On the few times I've seen them green, I figured a train is coming from the other way very shortly.

The question about car yards was from some talk around here that UP is expanding their SoSan yard (moving the intermodal traffic from East Yard) and expanding it to 55 cars. Since it is intermodal, I guess that may mean well cars or 89' flats. I just thought that 55 cars didn't sound like very much, because if a car was 50' in length, then that would be roughly a 3,000 foot siding, which isn't very big.