These may be stupid questions to some, but I don't have a lot of experience with real railroading and I often hear terms that maybe I've heard many times before but never knew what they were. SO....I'm starting this question thread for myself, but I suppose if someone else has a "stupid" question they'd like to ask then this would be a good spot to ask it. Anyway, here are some of mine. I'll post more as I think of them. 1) What is a "team" track? I've heard reference to this many times but never knew what it was. 2) What is a "RIP" track?? I've heard this a couple of times as well. That's it for now. Thanks.
Hi Hoss... A "team" track is apparently named for the teams of horses that used to pull wagons to this general loading area. Many smaller businesses would not warrant a dedicated track, so would share a track with a loading ramp to get their goods to (and from ) market. A RIP track is "Repair In Place" - used for outside repairs where putting a car or loco in the shop is not necessary. It is just repaired "in place", that is - sitting on the rails. Andrew
Team track: Usually one not devoted to a single shipper or receiver. Used largely for less than carload shipments. Ofter they had a platform along side the track and provision for trucks to pull up opposite the freight cars to pick up the goods for local delivery. RIP track. RIP=Repair In Place. In a yard, a track where rolling stock in need of relatively minor repair could be spotted.
RIP track definition as previously noted. The heaviest repairs generally were changing out trucks. They might work on brake rigging, steps/ladders, or repair a coupler assembly. Minor stuff that allowed a car to be immediately returned to service, without being moved to a major car shop. Been there. Done that! Boxcab E50
I don't know about today, but it used to be that there were several Team Tracks located at key places throughout a city. Some were close to a warehouse district, others close to tractor, and auto dealer areas, lumber yards, and even construction sites. There was one down close to the Farmer's Market area with a paved area on both sides for motor-trucks. There was a flat dock on either side of one track that ran down the middle. One dock had a ramp on one end, and the other dock had a ramp on both ends, so motor-trucks could go up, and things like tractors, plows, and even automobiles could be unloaded and driven down off to the ground. Both these wood planked docks were about 3 box car lengths long (reaching the ends of the first and last car). There were other tracks for storage, that did not have a dock. The cars were shunted around between there tracks each night because of the demur-ge charges. Empties were carried away, and loaded new cars were left at the dock area. At some of the other places, there was only one ramp up one end of a dock. The tracks were set in pavement on both sides of the dock. Merchants would sometimes use chains to pull the cars out of the way so one could be unloaded, or loaded. These were shorter, sometimes only two box cars long, not counting the ramp. (The ramps were at about 35 degrees slope.) There is one concrete dock with a ramp over in north Dallas along the old Denton Road. Many times merchants' crewmen would leave banding iron strips, chocks, and other blocks laying around instead of cleaning up the area, so don't forget the "trash" if you model a Team track area. The only RIP track I am familiar with, had one track on the outside of three tracks, where a long row of shelves and bins were located that contained things like knuckle pins, cotter keys, various parts to brake rigging, brake shoes, brake wheels, chains, heavy jacks, and other tools needed to do repairs in place. There was a paved driveway for trucks and forklifts, that connected with the rear area of the re-build shop. A center track was used for in-coming car storage, and the third track was shorter, used to store repaired cars ready to go back into service. There was a short track between the RIP work area, and the Shop building where trucks were stored for use in the shop, as well as out on the rip track. (Occasionally, what was to have been a short replacement of brake rigging, turned into a full truck replacement.) It was then necessary to just pull the damaged truck out from under the car, and run a repaired one under to get the car back in service quicker. Sometimes inspectors missed a cracked flange, or worn swivel bearing at the bolster, and things not easily seen. [ 16. December 2003, 17:04: Message edited by: watash ]
Wow....I think I now know all there is to know about team tracks and RIP tracks. Thanks!! Here's another one.....why do you always see guard rails between the rails going over bridges?? I don't understand what purpose they serve since that portion of the track is really no different than the rest of the track.
I think the purpose of the extra rails is, should a car derail on the bridge, the 'extra' rails would keep the truck and therefore the car itself on the bridge and not fall off. Now, I question how effective these rails are going to be as the trucks can pretty much mow them off the ties but it must be the reason.
It took me a long time to figure out the guard rails as well, but here goes... Say the car derails so that the wheels are to the left of the rails they should be on. The left wheel is then outside both main rails, and the right wheel is between. Now before the entire car can continue to the left and tip right off the bridge, the right wheel encounters the right guard rail, preventing further movement to the left, and (hopefully) keeping the car on the bridge. Make sense? This is one of those times that I am sure a picture would be better... Andrew
I expect to be at the Danbury Railway Museum tomorrow. If the weather is not to bad (rain is forecast), I will try to get a couple of pictures of their team track and platform.
The guard rail on a bridge is as Andrew describes. A car, or more, going off of a bridge can do tremendous damage. Especially when compared to simply falling into a lineside ditch. Other places you may find guard rails, are in tunnels, and snowsheds. Boxcab E50
Don't underestimate the resilience of these. You've probably seen film of autos hitting the crash barrier rails beside highways at an angle. The barrier gets ripped from its supports where the vehicle actually contacts it, possibly over quite a long distance, but because it is a continuous ribbon the car doesn't (usually) break through . I'd expect a guard rail to have similar characterisics. Repairing it after an incident would, like the crash barrier, presumably be simpler than the result of a car leaving the track entirely at that point.
As said, a "guard" rail is ment to stop cars movement durring a derailment! As said, if the car jumps off the rail its riding on, an goes to either the left or the right, the way its moving if its moving right then the right side of the car is on the bridge ties, thus the left guard rail is there to catch the wheel flange of that side an stop the derailment's movment. Same for the left side, if the left goes to the bridge ties, the right guard rail is there to catch the wheel flange of that side. This in all repects does help, but in a bad derailment it won't stop that momentum but in a lesser momentum derail it will.....
Here is one question I get ask now and then. Why do they ring a bell when passing road crossing when the whistle makes all the notice they would need. (I have seen the bell down low on one side). Mr Train
Got invited into an SP AC4400CW cab once and was allowed to toot the horn. The bell automatically started to ring when the horn was sounded. Must be tied together?
I know the bell is often tied to the horn on newer locomotives, but that's a good question. Why the bell?? I would thing the horn would give plenty of warning.
The rain was so heavy last Wednesday, I didn't attempt any pix of the DRM team track. I will try again this coming Wednesday.
