N6 Limited Posted February 16, 2016 Share #1 Posted February 16, 2016 I've ridden railroads in other countries and even stations similar to Jamaica on the LIRR have high speed switches where they go much faster than snail speed and you wouldn't even know the train is switching tracks unless you were looking out the window. What would prevent something like this in Jamaica or other parts of the regional rail network, is it the 3rd rail? Cost? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
46Dover Posted February 16, 2016 Share #2 Posted February 16, 2016 What about the junction on the Main Line between Queens Village and Bellerose before it was known as the "Bellerose Bump"? They rebuilt that junction for smoother travel at speed there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Union Tpke Posted February 16, 2016 Share #3 Posted February 16, 2016 what is different with a high speed switch? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truckie Posted February 16, 2016 Share #4 Posted February 16, 2016 High speed crossovers require a longer piece of crossover track and movable point frogs. In most cases retrofitting an existing interlocking with high speed crossovers require a complete, start from scratch, rebuild and costs $$$. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Union Tpke Posted February 16, 2016 Share #5 Posted February 16, 2016 High speed crossovers require a longer piece of crossover track and movable point frogs. In most cases retrofitting an existing interlocking with high speed crossovers require a complete, start from scratch, rebuild and costs $$$. essentially straighter switches. Are there any places where it would make sense? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truckie Posted February 16, 2016 Share #6 Posted February 16, 2016 Not the least bit familiar with LIRR so I can not speculate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Union Tpke Posted February 16, 2016 Share #7 Posted February 16, 2016 Not the least bit familiar with LIRR so I can not speculate. anywhere on Metro North? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truckie Posted February 17, 2016 Share #8 Posted February 17, 2016 There are a few places that it would be nice to have. However the MAS of the territory and proximity to stations it would not necessarily be advantageous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N6 Limited Posted February 17, 2016 Author Share #9 Posted February 17, 2016 Is that something they can do in the subway as well? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truckie Posted February 17, 2016 Share #10 Posted February 17, 2016 The MAS in the subway is 40 MPH, not upwards of 85 MPH like on some parts of Metro North. The thing with the high speed crossover is you will get a normal cab signal meaning MAS. On a regular cross over you will get at most a limited cab where the speed is 45 MPH. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fan Railer Posted February 20, 2016 Share #11 Posted February 20, 2016 The majority of switches at Harold INT are number 20 switches (45 mph), but with ESA work ongoing, there are a handful of high speed crossovers being installed, most being number 26.5 switches (60 mph) and one being a number 32.7 switch (80 mph). At least that's what the plan was last I checked it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CenSin Posted April 23, 2016 Share #12 Posted April 23, 2016 I believe switch numbers higher than 37-ish are an area of research currently. There were some recent academic papers that were produced, but I haven’t got access to them. Theoretically, such switches would allow for speeds in excess of 100 mph. However, higher numbered switches also take up a huge amount of space. A #24 requires about 600 feet. In areas where there needs to be a high density of switches (like Jamaica), higher numbered switches are impractical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobtehpanda Posted April 23, 2016 Share #13 Posted April 23, 2016 I believe switch numbers higher than 37-ish are an area of research currently. There were some recent academic papers that were produced, but I haven’t got access to them. Theoretically, such switches would allow for speeds in excess of 100 mph. However, higher numbered switches also take up a huge amount of space. A #24 requires about 600 feet. In areas where there needs to be a high density of switches (like Jamaica), higher numbered switches are impractical. Other countries already have 125mph switching. While in some cases we can be truly innovative, we could do better than reinventing the wheel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CenSin Posted April 24, 2016 Share #14 Posted April 24, 2016 Other countries already have 125mph switching. While in some cases we can be truly innovative, we could do better than reinventing the wheel.Apparently, the research seems to be on improving these high-speed switches. I think Taiwan is one of the countries utilizing the switches over 100 mph. By changing the track profiles slightly, an engineer can dampen lateral jerk significantly creating a smoother ride at higher speeds through these switches. The current standards for rail are insufficient to meet high-speed needs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truckie Posted April 25, 2016 Share #15 Posted April 25, 2016 What would having 125 MPH switches accomplish when the MAS of both the territory and equipment is far less? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobtehpanda Posted April 25, 2016 Share #16 Posted April 25, 2016 What would having 125 MPH switches accomplish when the MAS of both the territory and equipment is far less? It was a comparison; why are we only working on 80mph switches when other countries already have standardized, higher-speed switches? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Union Tpke Posted April 26, 2016 Share #17 Posted April 26, 2016 It was a comparison; why are we only working on 80mph switches when other countries already have standardized, higher-speed switches? where on the LIRR should these be installed? Could they be put in at Harold? Speaking of upgrades, Queens Interlocking should be grade-separated. Do you guys agree? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fan Railer Posted April 26, 2016 Share #18 Posted April 26, 2016 Any switches that are rated higher than 80 MPH would really only be practical on the NEC. Additionally, spec'ing those switches would be fairly expensive (from a relative standpoint). The extra minute you would save on the schedule would likely not balance out the extra cash needed to purchase such a turnout. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B46 via Utica Posted April 26, 2016 Share #19 Posted April 26, 2016 What's the point of this thread again? The OP is asking why we don't dangerously haul past switches? We probably won't go higher than 80 mph until they renovate the way the train jerks on the tracks. where on the LIRR should these be installed? Could they be put in at Harold? Speaking of upgrades, Queens Interlocking should be grade-separated. Do you guys agree? Agreed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N6 Limited Posted April 30, 2016 Author Share #20 Posted April 30, 2016 What's the point of this thread again? The OP is asking why we don't dangerously haul past switches? We probably won't go higher than 80 mph until they renovate the way the train jerks on the tracks. Agreed. The point was in the OP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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