Tug Fork Operations

[NW Mailing List]

Alex - 

You might refer the questioner to an article that appeared in The ARROW a while back entitled “Flagging Instructions”.  It described in detail how trains were dispatched on the Tug Fork Branch.

Ed King

From: NW Mailing List 
Sent: Saturday, January 09, 2016 7:08 AM
To: NW Mailing List 
Subject: FW: Tug Fork Operations

I have received a request about operations on the Tug Fork. I expect members on the mailing list have firsthand knowledge and can provide better information than I can. Any help is appreciated.

 

Alex Schust 

 

To: Alex Schust
Subject: Tug Fork Operations

 

Alex -

Can you provide any information concerning Tug Fork
operations circa 1950-52 regarding the following:

When trains ran backwards (in reverse) or when they
pulled backwards by running around their consist.

I assume on the the Sand Lick Branch (freight and 
passenger consists) this happened from Filbert to 
the Gary Wye at least.

I assume on the North Fork Branch they ran backwards
(freight and passenger consists) from Jenkinjones to
the Anawalt wye.

How was it done on the South Fork Branch from Munson
(No. 14) to the USC&C Cleaning Plant at Gary.

If the Cleaning Plant was fed by pushing cars onto the
car dump lead, where did the run-around of the consist 
take place so the engine could get behind?  Thorpe siding?

Regarding passenger operations, besides the two examples
mentioned above (Sand Lick & North Fork),  and considering 
there was no wye (that I know of) at Welch, it appears that at 
least in one direction or the other passenger trains had to run 
backwards at least to the Wilcoe turntable.  Can this be true?
The pictures I have seen show local passenger trains backed
into the Welch station which would mean, assuming no wye,
they would start off backing down the Tug Fork Branch.  They
could get to the other end of the consist by running around at
the first siding (Storage or Tuglum), but they would still be 
running backwards although pulling their consist at least to
the Wilcoe yard.

One other thing I am looking for information on is how the 
mine shifter that handled the North Fork keep the USC&C
coal loads seperate from the Pageton, Jenkinjones & Nassau
coal loads (ie. the coal going to the cleaning plant versus the coal
going to the Wilcoe yard for export east or other destinations
west).

Any information or insight you can provide on these items would be
greatly appreciated.

By the way, I enjoyed Gary Hollow so much I bought a second copy for
my aunt and uncle in Anawalt.  Also enjoyed Billion Dollar Coalfield as 
well as the NWHS Tug Fork Book.

Thank you again, in advance, for any information you can provide.






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