Mileposts and distances

[NW Mailing List]

And mile markers on the 'old' PRR main line from New York used "0" as the Exchange Place
Terminal in Jersey City NJ - when they built under the Hudson R. to Manhattan Island, adding
several miles to the trip, they did not change the markers.  Don't know exact numbers.


Jerome Crosson; formerly NJ; now St. Peters MO.  



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From: NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
To: nw-mailing-list <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
Sent: Tue, Nov 22, 2016 7:44 pm
Subject: Mileposts and distances



Abe and others:


Regarding mileposts and distances - not all miles were real miles and since I know the Pennsy did things that way, I suspect others were just as loosey-goosey with reality. The old Pope's Creek line is one I know about and some miles were maybe 1.3 miles between mileposts, others somewhat less. the only distance which was fairly certain was the end point length (I Think).


Other RR's and the B&O's mainline at Point of Rocks, MD comes quickly to mind. There you have two sub-divisions coming together, the Old Main Line from Baltimore and the Metropolitan from DC. Further west on that same mainline they also did some re-engineering in the 1914 time frame with their Magnolia Cutoff which caused them to skip a bunch of miles and milepost numbers, not that there was an secret of it.


I suspect the N&W did similar things where they straightened out kinks or eliminated sections, as in around Lynchburg when the new Beltline was opened in the 1913-1914 period and then the line down to Island Yard eliminated entirely.


Southern had the same basic issues when they both straightened and double-tracked their mainline from Alexandria to Atlanta. Their change to the new line which we see today vs. the old one going down to the river had completely different alignments, hence also numbers which I know they mentioned as "old line" or something of the sort.


To change well-known meeting points with new MP's would have really messed up the old heads on the RR who were used to meeting at a specific spot, or knew their grades were in a specific spot for either accelerating or braking.


I am sure the list can go on but those are a few things I am aware of. 


Jimmy Lisle and others in the operating or formerly so, department, care to toss in your thoughts and judgments here?


Bob Cohen

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