Gordon, please clarify this: the conductor and flagman you're referring to were assigned to the PAD and were not part of the regular train crew, sort of the RR equivalent of the folks with signs and walkie-talkies at hiway detours, correct? The current standard when adding another track is to place it at a 20' spacing instead of 13' wherever possible, to allow trains to proceed through work zones at higher speeds and to allow the gangs to continue working uninterrupted when a train passes. At least, that's how it is on BNSF and UP (they're the major ones that have added main tracks lately). I suppose this operating procedure also applied to EL when work took place on the considerable mileage where the mains were widely separated. Paul B From: Gordon Davids <g.davids_@_verizon.net> Subject: Re: (erielack) Abbreviation Help - Pre-arranged Detours Erie Lackawanna was the only railroad I have seen with a detailed set of rules in the Book of Rules for operation of pre-arranged detours with a conductor and flagman. Track Supervisors in double-track territory (nearly all of them) maintained a stock of material for temporary crossovers. Switch timbers for the temporary crossovers were generally installed in advance of the need, and left in track after the steel material was removed. Of course, whenever an existing crossover or interlocking could be utilized, it was. PAD's were normally set up in advance, and shown in the week's Special Order Recap with effective times. The conductor was stationed at the end where trains crossed over to run against the current of traffic, and the flagman was at the other end. They had to be in communication by radio or telephone. Every train needed the permission of the conductor, either directly or communicated through the flagman, to operate in either direction on the single track. Trains running with the current of traffic could follow other trains through the detour on signal indication, with permission of the conductor in charge of the detour. Trains running against the current of traffic had to be held at the entrance until the train ahead had passed out of the detour. There was a delay factor for trains in both directions, partly because of the blanket 40 mph speed restriction, and partly because of the need to approach the detour prepared to stop. The Erie Lackawanna Mailing List Sponsored by the ELH&TS http://www.elhts.org ------------------------------
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