Remodeling a 1/1 scale yard

[Terry Toenges]

This is an interesting video that shows them redoing a yard with new switches (the narrator's terminology) and crossings. It shows how they are made and installed. P Way Junction Renewal. I don't know where P Way Junction is. Somewhere in England I presume.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwHKOMq5WzI

[Len]

I think "P Way" is short for "Permanent Way", or what we'd call "Main Line".

Len

[Terry Toenges]

Thanks Len.

[Len]

I spent way too much time around grandkids who grew up with 'Thomas' and all that Brit railway terminology.

Len

[jward]

As a side note, all the railroaders i worked with called them switches. Nobody used the term turnout. That's a model railroader thing.


Norfolk southern has been replacing some of the switches on the former PRR mainline in various locations. Usually, they are transported as kits in three sections and assembled on site ahead of time. On the replacement day, the line is shut down, the old switch removed in several sections, and the new one slid into place. It is lined and tamped, and the line reopened to traffic. Usually, it is spiked for the mainline until the work crews can complete the electrical and air line connections before becoming fully functional. The air lines are necessary, because around here the switches are thrown by compressed air.

[Terry Toenges]

I never thought about one being thrown with compressed air. That's interesting. This video was cool for me to watch just to learn how they did things.

[Trainman203]

I agree about "turnout," that term was foisted upon the model railroading world by the pontificating self-appointed gurus at MR magazine.

[Trainman203]

Back home over 50 years ago we used to visit a tower operator where the MP crossed the T&NO main. One day we were up there on the 2nd story with him when he saw a kid walking right next to an electric switch machine a couple of hundred feet or so down the track.  The operator said "watch this" and threw the switch.  The kid went into orbit with the satellites.  😱😂😂

No way any of this could happen today.  First of all there aren't any more interlocking towers, but even if there were, security wouldn't let you in the tower; plus, today every switch machine move is transmitted to the central dispatcher who immediately wants to
know why and it had better be justified.