Passing siding capacity

[nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org]

Date: Thu, 3 Feb 2005 09:19:39 EST 
To: nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org 
From: nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org
Subject:  Re: Belews Creek coal train


Bear in mind that there are half a dozen or so sidings
on the Winston-Salem District that exist, but can't
chamber today's size trains.  From Roanoke, the
signaled sidings are:
 
Roanoke (Psgr. Station) to WIRTZ - 25.6 Mi. (8800 ft.
siding)

Wirtz to PHILPOTT - 23.4 Mi. (9,209 ft. Siding)

Philpott to STONEVILLE - 31.0 Mi. (9900 ft. siding)
Stoneville to North Winston - 37.4 mi.
 
In the early 70's when Traffic Control went into
effect on the Winston-Salem District, there were only
two sidings between North Winston and Roanoke -- Wirtz
and Stoneville.  Later the number-crunchers
were able to justify the construction of Philpott. 
There was some research done to construct a siding at
Hester Wrights (Mile Post R-15 give or take a few
thousand feet), but when it comes to capital
improvements, the railroad can really squeeze a
nickel.

Harry Bundy


February 4, 2005

Hello, Harry:

I haven't laid eyes on the Winston-Salem District in
perhaps two decades.  However, I am under the
impression that three three passing sidings you cite
are sufficient for the traffic involved.  At that time
--and perhaps changed since then-- the unit trains to
Belews Creek were the main traffic on the line.  There
used to be a flow of interchange traffic handled
between Roanoke and Winston-Salem in  manifest trains
operating each way daily.  Since the Southern Railway
merger, my impression is that the north-south flow is
focused at Altavista and Bristol.  Other local traffic
was lumber and other raw materials moving to furniture
factories at Rocky Mount, Martinsville, and Basset.

Despite discussions about I-81 parallel route
improvements, my understanding is that NS plans to
route most of the southeast intermodal traffic via the
former Southern Railway to Manassas, then via
Harrisonburg Branch (some folks call it the "B-Line")
to Riverton Junction and then north to Hagerstown and
Harrisburg.  On that northern-most portion of the
Hagerstown District, passing sidings are only a little
longer than a mile.  There are occasions when train
lengths require fleeting trains since there is no
place to meet very long trains between Vardo and
Riverton.  If capital improvements are made, the most
likely is to extend the Berryville-Audley passing
siding about another mile to the north.  That would
allow one mid-way point for a meet, roughly equivalent
to the spacing you cite on the Winston-Salem District.

I guess we'll all see whether the proposed
"public-private partnership" for rail capacity
expansion vis-a-vis Interstate 81 improvements have
other impacts upon the Radford and Shenandoah
Divisions.  There's certainly lots to keep this topic
interesting.

Good night and good morning,

Frank

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