Re: How many moving parts?

John West Wrote:
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> Interesting that the siding is gone. As I
> remember it that siding was used for meets only
> when there was enough business for the trains to
> run in sections. If the siding is gone, is that
> because business is down or because they can run
> more frequently with the new diesels? Or?
> Interesting railroad. When my wife and I visited
> in October 2008 she rode the train with me. We
> were discussing a possible return recently and she
> said she was willing to visit so long as i did not
> ask her to ride the train again. it was a bit too
> rickety for her, and I wonder for how many other
> wives.
>
> JBWX

Hi John,

The little spur track/siding that you refer to in your original post was called "Skyline Siding" or sometimes, "Skyline Switch." It was one of two such sidings/spurs that I remember in my lifetime. The other was at Waumbek Tank. The Waumbek spur was replaced within the last 10-15 years by the parallel passing tracks with hydraulic switches at either end, that I am sure you saw during your 2008 visit. I believe that Skyline was removed more recently, perhaps in the 2012 timeframe. With the new diesel hydraulic locomotives making the summit climb in about 40 minutes (vs. over an hour for a steam engine), the second passing location was deemed no longer necessary. The passengers also get more summit time. I believe that the railroad has plans for a passing arrangement on the summit, similar to what exists at Waumbek.

Here's a shot of two steam trains passing at Skyline. I never thought I'd take a photo that would be considered "historic", but you'll never see this again:

Passing at Skyline

>>>Edit: The Skyline Siding was always a normal part of operations, not just during peak periods (such as fall foliage season) when multiple sections departed each hour. All descending trains would take the Skyline Siding as part of normal procedure, allowing the ascending train to pass without stopping. The passing scene in the photo was shot during June, when there was only one section on each hourly departure.

With regard to safety.....

It is not difficult to understand why the railroad wanted to eliminate the old, manual switches. They were heavy and cumbersome to operate, and required that several components be moved in a very specific order.....which is why I referred to them as "Survivor Puzzles." Actuating them correctly was not unlike doing some of the crazy puzzles presented to contestants on the famous TV program. On numerous occasions, I recall seeing Brakemen stand and stare at them for several seconds after completing the actuation, just to make sure they'd done it correctly. The potential consequences of a mistake are not difficult to fathom. Back in 1967, the railroad experienced its only fatal accident involving the public, and that accident had its nexus at Skyline. As I understand it, the switch was not properly configured for a descending train, and as a result, such a train derailed. The locomotive apparently rolled on its side, but the coach slid upright a fair distance downhill before striking a large rock formation. Eight passengers died and more than 70 were injured. I don't believe they ever determined whether a crewmember made an error, or some unauthorized person tampered with the switch.

During a 2009 visit to the railroad, I observed a very minor derailment at Skyline in which one truck on a coach ended up on the trestle (vs. the rails) as a descending train was entering the siding. The train was moving very slowly at the time and the crew sprung into action and corrected the problem very quickly with small hydraulic bottle jacks. Needless to say, I think the railroad was glad the day they removed the old Skyline Switch.

All of that said, the railroad has an exceptional safety record, and you wife has little to worry about unless she has a fear of heights and sits on the fireman's side. They've carried several million people in nearly 150 years of operation and they've had just one accident that harmed members of the traveling public. The new diesel locomotives have many safety features and are capable of doing the braking for the entire train, which was not the case with the steamers.

/Kevin



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/06/2017 08:31AM by KevinM.