Passenger Trains > The Eagle waits to take the house track

Today's northbound Texas Eagle (22) waits on the main to enter the house track at the downtown Austin depot late this morning. Here we see the conductor whiling away the 8:32 minute countdown timer on the switch lock, after which the train will pull into the seldom-used stub-end house track. This unusual move is apparently on account of a derailed BNSF rock train north of Austin. 

 

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Was that electric lock scavenged from a former SP location?  BSB

Just curious, why the 8:32 timer?  That seems like a very long time for a passenger train to just be sitting there waiting to enter the station.

Nathan

Electric switch locks prevent an unauthorized person throwing the switch in front of a train that had a clear signal into a block, and lining it into a spur at speed.

This electric lock was not former SP, as the SP's had a rectangular window which read either LOCKED   or UNLOCKED,  instead of a miniature semaphore.  The SP's also had about a 20 foot inductive track circuit directly in front of the points which would allow the lock to unlock immediately if there were axles standing still less than 20 feet from the points.  Most of the locks had to be authorized by the dispatcher, and you always had to have permission to open the door.  Opening the door will immediately turn all of the signals red in the whole CTC section between Absolute signals at the end of sidings or junctions.

If the main track is unoccupied and the dispatcher authorizes it, the lock should release immediately.
G 

If the train had pulled up close to the switch, within 20 feet or so as pointed out, the conductor should have been able to open the switch immediately.  The time delay would be for coming out of the track.  The yellow painted marks on the rails immediately in front of the engine may mark the limits of the switch circuit.  This is how these circuits operate in other CTC territory I have seen.

Where I'm from we call that putting heat on the switch, but I have heard it called stealing the switch also.

I am not aware of the switch being unlocked immediately without wait if the main track is entirely clear.

Posted from Android

Those "yellow painted marks on the rails" are insulated joints.  The "bonded" or "glued" joints are made with an epoxy cement and are colored, usually a pale blue.  A track circuit definitely ends there, whether or not this location is wired to allow the lock to open by pulling into that circuit or not is another question.  Obviously one can wire it a number of different ways.  One would think that the crew knows whether or not the only way to head in is to run the time.  Many locations are wired like that on various railroads.

boomer Wrote:
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> Where I'm from we call that putting heat on the
> switch, but I have heard it called stealing the
> switch also.
>
> I am not aware of the switch being unlocked
> immediately without wait if the main track is
> entirely clear.

The arrangement in which the lock releases immediately when the track is occupied within a short distance of the switch is normal, or at least has been in my experience.

TAW