Western Railroad Discussion > New BNSF Flyover at Truxton Arlzona

BNSF is currently building a new flyover at Truxton Arizona to help relieve congestion at Winslow. Looks like they are replacing the long abandoned flyover west of Ashfork. This new flyover is just past the east end of Crozier canyon. A few questions I have. 1. Can't they get rid flyover at Frost? 2. Why not build the flyover closer to Winslow? 3. Will this really speed up trains through Winslow? 4. What's wrong with just using the many existing crossovers in place vs. a new flyover? 5. Why'd it take them 60 years to figure this out?

i wondered what all of that construction was.  e/b's will just crawl out of crozier canyon and keep crawling up over the flyover..................

66

My take on this stuff, is that the UP & BNSF both want to run as FAST as possible.
If this is true, they need to look across the pond....they use some aw-full long junctions, making a track change almost unnoticeable.
Not the 45mph stuff we seem to insist on.
Dave

I had heard a good 10 years or more that Frost would be removed.  Maybe we will see it when area is triple tracked some day.

mundo Wrote:
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> I had heard a good 10 years or more that Frost
> would be removed.  Maybe we will see it when area
> is triple tracked some day.

Considering that the flyover at Frost isn't causing any problems why mess with it?

Are we talking flyover or crossover?

Why does BNSF have right hand running west of Winslow and left hand running east of Winslow?

With bi-directional CTC installed in so much territory, why do you even need flyovers?   
 

Good point.  Laramie, Wyoming is a great example of seamless left to right running with the crossovers. 

The fly over is a 9 month, 29 million dollar, project. The construction started in November and they've been moving dirt like no tomorrow. The goal of this project is help the flow of traffic. Currently, trains run right hand running eastbound into Winslow cause the southern track is the more gentle grade going over the Arizona Divide to Winslow. Once eastbounds leave Winslow, the northern main is the more gentle grade going over the Continental Divide. So, trains were crossing over at Wisnlow causing more of a backup. Now, with this natural flyover, it'll allow trains to continue and crossover without waiting for switches.

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slug96 Wrote:
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> Currently, trains run right hand running eastbound
> into Winslow cause the southern track is the more
> gentle grade going over the Arizona Divide to
> Winslow.

There's really no significant difference in grade between the north and south track Truxton to Winslow, Winslow to Gallup.

> Once eastbounds leave Winslow, the
> northern main is the more gentle grade going over
> the Continental Divide

In this case there is a significant difference in grade between the north and south track between Gallup and Dallies, which is why the railroad is grade separated in two different locations, and why it is desirable to run left handed between these two points.
 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/21/20 19:56 by BCHellman.

yea, i don't remember any significant differences on the grades of mains #1 and #2 between getz (e.of kingman) and winslow on the seligman sub.

however, with left handed running, w/b's can't be easily "run-around" between east and west darling.  that used to be a good place to run a w/b shooter around a slower train.  same thing between east and west pica...........

66



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/21/20 20:07 by goneon66.

A flyover at Truxton makes absolutely no sense to ME? It's well over a hundred and fifty miles to Winslow? I guess time will tell the reason?
JB

You remember the saying, "Ours is not to wonder why but just to do or die", or something like that. That $29M is probably
about what they spent on studies and eviro issues and permits. 

Out 

mococomike Wrote:
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 A few questions I have. 1. Can't they get
> rid flyover at Frost?

That flyover is irrelevant to this project.   Keep in mind that the Needles Sub largely requires trains to stay right-handed due to the two split track segments on that Sub.   Also, there's isn't really a traffic 'flow' through Barstow anymore--trains are constantly crossing over using any track they can through the terminal, so it wouldn't matter if they all showed up left-handed off the Cajon Sub.

The reason for the flyover is for the Gallup Sub. The location of the flyover is cause that's where the railroad was able to get land.
This is a better detail version of why the flyover is being built.

"The Gallup Sub, while a bi-directional CTC setup, runs traditionally "left hand". This was set up after the line was double tracked, as the best way to surmount the grade from Ash Fork to Williams was to bring the eastbound (uphill) track to the north to avoid the grades of Johnson Canyon. Instead of swapping them back at the top of the Arizona Divide, instead, the double track was kept left hand running, and newer grades were built for the "left hand" track to lessen the grades over The Continental Divide and out of the Rio Puerco Valley.

TLDR: Winslow to Belen, while bi-directional, is a Left Hand Ran Railroad."

Why don't they just used the CTC CTC crossover switches that are already installed? Cause that stops the movement of trains. A flyover doesn't.

Posted from Android

           Looks like if they are already building this, most of the questions are moot and don't require much of an answer now

Oh joy... And with the new computer program running trains for the dispatchers as of a couple days ago, we are going to be the "pinnacle of efficiency" on the SWE Division!

keep us posted on this new dispatching system and how it is working if you would..............

66

are the fuel pads at belen ONLY set up for left hand running?

66

goneon66 Wrote:
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> are the fuel pads at belen ONLY set up for left
> hand running?
>
> 66

9/10 times, trains are inbounded/outbounded to favor the Left Hand running on the Gallup. The racks are setup that way, but if you "wrong way" in, fuel trucks will convoy out.