Brian Harrap Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 Here's a prototype example of 'we can't be bothered to go to the trouble of installing a proper diamond', 'see what you can do with the bits we've got to hand. See how the first routes rails have been undercut to clear the flanges of the second route and all just cobbled together with B&Q brackets. Antwerpen docks. Brian. 9 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim.snowdon Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 Actually quite typical of very high angle diamonds, and worth comparing with both the Welsh Highland Railway crossing of the Network Rail line, and the flat crossing at Newark, on the ECML. Part of the reason is the impracticality of forming the bend in the obtuse crossing stock rail. Regards, Jim Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim.snowdon Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 Interesting Jim to see that in the third picture there isn't a crossing nose as we would know, but the flange bottom just runs over the 'opposing' rail. Never seen that sort of thing before! Such crossings, known, not surprisingly, as lift-over crossings, were not uncommon on traditional tramways where the turnout route was rarely used. There were designs available as castings that could be bolted either side of an unbrokem length of grooved rail, almost certainly cheaper than the cost of inserting a full crossing casting. The advantage was that the wheel was fully supported on the through route, which cut down on vibration and maintenance, and the example in the picture is on an emergency crossover close to the rear of Nottingham's Theatre Royal. They aren't confined to grooved rail either - her is one I discovered in Den Haag on a section of grass track laid in Vignole section rail (or flat-bottom, to the British). At the time it formed part of a crossover. Regards, Jim Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pH Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 Unusual PW configuration at the micro, rather than macro, level: http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=520653&nseq=0 Prototype for code 100 to code 75? 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Re6/6 Posted March 1, 2015 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted March 1, 2015 Top site. Thanks! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim.snowdon Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 Unusual PW configuration at the micro, rather than macro, level: http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=520653&nseq=0 Prototype for code 100 to code 75? And in the same vein, to be found on the at Portmadoc on the Festiniog Railway, at the transition between the normal flatbottom rail and the grooved tram rail used for the on road section across Britannia Bridge. The two rails are kept in line and level by a massive steel baseplate spanning four sleepers, without the usual fishplates. It is a design that harks back to the earliest days of railways, before the suspended fishplate joint became standard practice. Jim 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
trisonic Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 (edited) Here’s one I took on the former Reading line in Pennsylvania (like ph’s link): I thought that I had lost this shot of the start of the Gauntlet Track at Roselle Park, NJ station (yes, it is NOT a depot). The other side of the station is the mirror image i.e. points with no crossing: The rails are not as wonky as it looks. The image is severely “compressed” due to the 600mm lens (photo taken from the Platform which is the same height as UK ones) - as you can tell by the Telegraph poles and signals. Looking towards New York harbor - you can just see it in the distance - maybe not - I had to compromise the quality to get it onto RMWeb.... If you click on the photos the image will enlarge. Best, Pete. Edited March 1, 2015 by trisonic 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Campaman Posted March 4, 2015 Share Posted March 4, 2015 Maybe its a way of routing over width stock away from the platform edge or get narrow stock next to the platform Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim.snowdon Posted March 4, 2015 Share Posted March 4, 2015 Exactly, the latter in fact, as it is the through line that is furthest from the platform. Jim 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Harrap Posted March 5, 2015 Share Posted March 5, 2015 What about this bit of undecided track. 9 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Corbs Posted March 5, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 5, 2015 Taken during the filming of that wonderful work 'The Train' starring Burt Lancaster and Paul Schofield. Can't work out just what's going on here! Maybe for a hand pushed trolley. 003.JPG I had previously thought this to be a dummy point put in by the film crew to facilitate the derailment? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBird Posted March 5, 2015 Share Posted March 5, 2015 What about this bit of undecided track. Is this as simple as the track coming off the bridge doing a left then right to avoid a too-shallow crossing angle over the straight track? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Rossington Posted March 6, 2015 Share Posted March 6, 2015 Such crossings, known, not surprisingly, as lift-over crossings, were not uncommon on traditional tramways where the turnout route was rarely used. There were designs available as castings that could be bolted either side of an unbrokem length of grooved rail, almost certainly cheaper than the cost of inserting a full crossing casting. The advantage was that the wheel was fully supported on the through route, which cut down on vibration and maintenance, and the example in the picture is on an emergency crossover close to the rear of Nottingham's Theatre Royal. They aren't confined to grooved rail either - her is one I discovered in Den Haag on a section of grass track laid in Vignole section rail (or flat-bottom, to the British). At the time it formed part of a crossover. IMG_1720r.JPG Regards, Jim Aytoun Street emergency crossover on Manchester Metrolink also has one of these. I was told it was installed after a number of complaints from local residents about the noise of trams passing over the previous normal crossing. I can vouch for this type being considerably quieter. My suggestion (although not my photo) http://www.festrail.co.uk/gallery_press/albums/Old%20Stuff/Cae%20Pawb%20Crossing/AT232825.jpg 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ForestPines Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 I notice someone has already mentioned the Bersarinplatz "tram roundabout" in Berlin. The Weteringcircuit junction in Amsterdam is another interesting one. When I visited Amsterdam a few years ago, one tram line (line 4 I think) was diverted via the Weteringcircuit due to rail replacement for a few months; in the northbound direction the diverted trams had to do almost a full circuit of the loop in order to make a right turn. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium nightstar.train Posted March 7, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 7, 2015 What about this bit of undecided track. I think this might be one of the bridges between Sweden and Finland. Finland uses 1524mm gauge and Sweden standard 1435mm. As the gauges are so close together they have to use four rails to make a dual gauge track. The bridge links big yards in either country where goods are trans shipped between standard and Finnish gauge trains. Both countries have yards in both gauges due to the customs requirements I guess. This is one of them, but I'm not sure it's the one in the picture: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torne_River_Railway_Bridge# Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
trisonic Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 Maybe its a way of routing over width stock away from the platform edge or get narrow stock next to the platform Yes it is - I mentioned it in an earlier post but couldn’t track down my photographs at the time. Best, Pete. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BG John Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 How about this one, spotted on Facebook? Somewhere in Italy apparently! https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10153685955823662&set=a.10151654439118662.614199.827093661&type=1&permPage=1 12 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Harrap Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 How about this one, spotted on Facebook? Somewhere in Italy apparently! https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10153685955823662&set=a.10151654439118662.614199.827093661&type=1&permPage=1 I want one, Brian 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BG John Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 Designed by a not very good car driver who doesn't have a clue about railways? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pH Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 Designed by a not very good car driver who doesn't have a clue about railways? Perhaps that's not too wrong. It looks like something meant to function as a wye, fitted into a small space. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
eastwestdivide Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 Five-point turn means easier radii than a three-point turn? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bécasse Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 If it were incorporated into a model layout, the electrical design would be quite interesting, even (perhaps particularly) using DCC. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Re6/6 Posted March 17, 2015 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted March 17, 2015 How about this one, spotted on Facebook? Somewhere in Italy apparently! I believe that it's somewhere in Sardinia on the narrow gauge. When I've got to the odd hour to waste I'll look it up on G.Earth.! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Harrap Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 If it were incorporated into a model layout, the electrical design would be quite interesting, even (perhaps particularly) using DCC. Bit like designing the upper and lower tracks leading to a wagon hoist using Templot? 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
eastwestdivide Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 (edited) There's a German WIkipedia page on Gleisfünfeck (= rail pentagon) at: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gleisfünfeck and in Italian on Stella di inversione (= reversal star) at: http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stella_di_inversione The Germans also call them "Wendestern" = turning star. There's also "Gleisdreieck" i.e. rail triangle = a turning triangle. The German page says one advantage of the five-point turn is taking up less space than a triangle, particularly in mountainous areas, where they also have an advantage over turntables that could get blocked with snow and ice. In South Tirol, they mention one at Malles/Mals and a dismantled one at San Candido/Innichen (same place, two names). Plus mentions of one at Brenner, and also outside that area at Predazzo and Verona Porta Nuova. As well as in two Sardinia at Carbonio and Oristano. (Edited for messed-up links) Edited March 17, 2015 by eastwestdivide Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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