Roanoke District double track

[nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org]

"The wye was located on the west side of the track,"

Mason,
  The wye was most definately on the east side of the track.

"doesn't make sense to maintain a WWII structure for 6-8 trains a day."
Robb,
    Nothing personal but, this sounds like the same mindset that took the 
double track out to begin with and how wrong it was for a couple of reasons.
    The grade is fairly steep up both sides of Lofton. Since the double 
track was taken out, northbound trains meeting southbounds at Pkin sometimes 
have to stop on this steep grade. If they had left the track in they could 
have continued over the mountain and met the southbound on a decending 
grade.
    Also when the switchers are working south of Stuarts Draft, northbound 
have to be held south of Vesuvius to 1) stay off of road crossings and 2) 
because there are no STOP signals between Pkin and Stuarts Draft to protect 
the switchers.
    So you see it was really a very STUPID move to take up the double track 
no matter what the traffic density happens to be.

"The arrangement certainly favors southbound trains to be held at Pkin  for 
a northbound to climb the hill."

The problem with this is 1) see above and 2) stopping on private road 
crossings and the "Hot Box Detector".

Harry,
    I don't see your point here.
"In addition, there's a state road that crosses just about middle way of the 
double track station. Imagine what could have been accomplished had N&W put 
in a lap siding with the overlap at the St. 666 crossing at Lofton."

    Since I made mention of signals to protect movements, when the NS went 
and installed those sorry stick signals they took several very important 
signals out.
    The STOP signals on Appo, just north of Buena Vista were taken out. This 
signal enabled southbound trains to come over to Appo and wait for any 
switching moves taking place at the north end of Buena Vista. Now trains 
have to wait at "Twin Falls" (SE of Midvale).
    Also the leaving signals north and south of the station at Shenandoah 
were removed. Now instead of boarding the train at the yard office and being 
able to take off with a favorable signal, trains have to drag to the signals 
at the north and south ends at restricted speed.
Jimmy Lisle