Western Railroad Discussion > track work ?

What is the nomenclature of this turnout?

http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/attachments/modelrr/20490.jpg

tia

Double slip switch

It's called both a double slip switch and a puzzle switch.

Ted Curphey
funnelfan@icehouse.net

I can imagine pulling up to a red board at this place, & the DS giving you authority to put the switch in "Hand throw" & line it for your intended route.

Joliet IL's UD Tower had one of these switches as recently as about 2 years ago, always gave them fits when it failed. They did NOT let any train crew take any switches in hand throw in that entire plant! You sat and waited for the mntr. I believe they changed the switch arrangement around to eliminate the double slip not long afterwards.
I hear many such interlockings were that way, i.e.- no provision for train crews to take them in hand throw. Dates back to the days when signal mntrs were assigned around the clock to such interlockings.

And there were the infamous "hand cranks" that towermen had to use in such cases when mntrs were not available.

Former levermen, speak out!

A former leverman here. That is a double slip switch with a MPF (movable point frog) crossover. They provided a lot of switching possibilities in a short distance. Usually there was an on-duty towerman to hand throw them when needed. North Jct in Wichita Ks. had only two ea. single slips with MPF. South Jct. in Wichita had 4 MPFs only. Since the power stayed on the motor all of the time, wee had to spike them when they were rolled. Not any fun at all. W. McVay