New CTC between West Flint and East Durand
Posted: Tue Dec 22, 2009 8:29 am
Being cut over this afternoon and evening.
B1G - The Big Train
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Seems to me that Hunter Harrison said several years back that they could run as much traffic on single track as double track. He had CN remove lots of double track. Could it be that he was dead wrong?The trackage between West Flint (Mundy) and East Durand is a 15 mile stretch of single track and is often a choke point or bottleneck between East Durand which is double track through to Vernon
a distance of 10 miles and double track runs from West Flint to Irish Road (on the west side of Davison) near Kearsley
There is no way that this is true. Its just simple math. 2 tracks can always handle more traffic than one. Mr. Harrison is not very popular in my book, and I believe that he is taking CN in the wrong direction.Norm wrote:Seems to me that Hunter Harrison said several years back that they could run as much traffic on single track as double track. He had CN remove lots of double track. Could it be that he was dead wrong?
Double track can handle more traffic than a single track railroad, but that's not what Hunter said. He said they could run AS MUCH traffic on single traffic as they could on the double, hence the track rationalization they did on the GTW and IC. They could run as much traffic as they had (at the time) on a well designed signal track, as they could on the double, and eliminate the need for all the attional track for the marginal gain.bnsfMAN93 wrote:There is no way that this is true. Its just simple math. 2 tracks can always handle more traffic than one. Mr. Harrison is not very popular in my book, and I believe that he is taking CN in the wrong direction.Norm wrote:Seems to me that Hunter Harrison said several years back that they could run as much traffic on single track as double track. He had CN remove lots of double track. Could it be that he was dead wrong?
This is true with the IC, and most of CN in Canada. Almost all of CN's traffic is low-priority manifest freight. That is why they are able to run those monster, killer, horror-sized trains that take 3 hours for a single meet. They haul very little intermodal and passenger, so this concept works to a limit.CSX_CO wrote: In the case of the IC, the single tracking made sense. Realtively low priority junk freight and thats how they run their trains. In the case of the GTW, the single tracking ended up hurting (or at least the way it was designed) becuase they ran more automotive traffic that was considerably more time sensitive and the single track often resulted in bottlenecks.
A CN engineer may help explain how this works: http://www.mail-archive.com/illiana@rai ... 01901.htmlMSchwiebert wrote:The IC main south out of Chicago sees 6 Amtrak trains a day (which I believe is the same number as the Michigan service) and 20-25 freights so apparently the single tracking & TCS installation works.
bnsfMAN93 wrote:A CN engineer may help explain how this works: http://www.mail-archive.com/illiana@rai ... 01901.htmlMSchwiebert wrote:The IC main south out of Chicago sees 6 Amtrak trains a day (which I believe is the same number as the Michigan service) and 20-25 freights so apparently the single tracking & TCS installation works.
The one thing that kills you with single track is track maintenance windows. the Flint to Chicago corridor has always been time sensative with auto traffic,... (albeit in better times). Need to work on a section of track, just shut it down for the work, yes it takes some juggling, but for the most part, freight is moving, not sitting. A friend of mine who was a signalman for GTW said maintenance crews were under the thumb to "do it as quick as possible" to get the freight moving again (after single tracking), which COULD result in things being overlooked. Single track may be cost effective for some RR's, or RR subdivisions, but not as a "blanket" idea to be used system wide. The customer's that still use the RR have to be happy with HH leaving.CSX_CO wrote:In the case of the GTW, the single tracking ended up hurting (or at least the way it was designed) becuase they ran more automotive traffic that was considerably more time sensitive and the single track often resulted in bottlenecks.
They are hooded.Justin wrote: One question I have, are they the newer searchlights or the hooded-style?
IIRC from my last trip out that way, the new Duffield Rd. & Swartz Creek signals were moved closer to the nearest grade crossings. Probably for easier access.redside20 wrote:What will happen to the signal at Duffield Road east of Durand 251.7
One block was eliminated leaving 3 instead of 4odave wrote:IIRC from my last trip out that way, the new Duffield Rd. & Swartz Creek signals were moved closer to the nearest grade crossings. Probably for easier access.redside20 wrote:What will happen to the signal at Duffield Road east of Durand 251.7