Nostalgia & History > Depot Friday: ...with a '3-way' crossing

We’re adding a new name to the photo credits from within the Gibson collection. The other day I came home from Art’s house in Topeka with a whole passel of depot slides from one Mr. Merle Graves. Mr Graves was railfan photographer and a contemporary in Bill Gibson’s generation (Art’s late father - ‘WAG Sr’).

And OH MY STARS… Did Merle shoot some depots!! Let me tell ya: I’ve already scanned some depots that I never thought I’d ever see images of! I had to go re-fill my heart medicine prescription. I hope to create the same such palpitations in YOUR collective tickers in the coming weeks. Depot Friday will never be the same…

1. MKT Columbus (KS) depot on November 9, 1957.

2. Three-way crossing in Columbus on September 22, 1963. This is (was) 2 Frisco lines crossing a Katy line.

3. SL&SF Columbus (also KS) depot on September 22, 1963.
(3 original slides by Merle Graves, from the Art Gibson collection)

Thanks for looking back!
Lance Garrels (santafe199)
Art Gibson (wag216)



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 07/14/22 00:05 by santafe199.

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Wow, that's an amazing diamond(s).
JB

Great pictures. I will look forward to Depot Friday with a new anticipation. Thanks for sharing.

Nice pics.. First one with the C&O box car, awesome...

Glad to hear there's more depot shots coming.

That's quite an amazing diamond....

Steve Mitchell
http://www.yardgoatimages.com

The 3-way diamond is preserved in Columbus, KS. It is attached to a piece of track that a Frisco caboose sits on.

Bill G.
Tulsa, OK

AND a Texaco dealer in the background.

i doubt there's more than a handful if that many 3 way diamonds on railroads other than light rail ... a truly amazing piece of track ...

So is a three-way crossing a "hexagon" rather than a "diamond?" Or maybe a somewhat asymmetric "Star of David?" ;^)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/18/14 16:26 by Evan_Werkema.

That thing should keep a welder busy building it up.

EEeEgh! I wonder what railstiesballast would say about that crossing?

How do you decide which direction to place the ties?

I find myself looking at & contemplating photo #2 as if it were a post-modern art piece.

Desmond Pratezel, "4451 Puff"

The 3-way crossing leaves me speechless, far outside any experience or design criteria in my career.

The "crossing" looks like a maintenance nightmare to me.

Any idea how many 3-way crossing there was in the US?

And was there 4-way crossing?

I never seen any 3 ways. But wonder if there was other types of crossings besides the 3 ways

Jerry Martin
Los Angeles, CA
Central Coast Railroad Festival

What is more desirable? Constructing and maintaining that thing or having one or two lines veer slightly to avoid the need? That would create two conventional diamonds however.

Too bad they don't make an "HO" Scale version of those things.........Or do they???