NW vs NS intermediate signals

NW Mailing List nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org
Sat Oct 1 08:57:04 EDT 2016


Jim,

An approach is all that is necessary. The definition of an Approach is 
'Proceed Preparing to Stop at next Signal, trains exceeding Medium speed 
must at once reduce to that speed' Pretty much saying get below 30, come 
up to the next signal ready to stop, and if the next signal is a 
restricting (which if it is an intermediate, it will be) you can keep 
pulling right on by it, prepared to stop with in half the range of 
vision, and not exceeding 15 mph.

The Definition of an Approach Restricted is "Proceed, approaching next 
signal at Restricted Speed, not exceeding 15 MPH. Train or engine 
exceeding Medium Speed must at once reduce to that speed." which to me 
sounds confusing and convoluted as it reads that you need to be at 
restricted speed while approaching the next signal. Why couldn't a 
Restricting signal just suffice in this case? and I would think a train 
should get either an Approach or and Advance Approach before the 
Approach Restricted. But I do not know for sure.

Now, while this is to a point Apples to Oranges here. I can tell you we 
do have an Approach RestrictING at BNSF and it IS useful. The Definition 
of the Approach RestrictING that we use is the following: "Proceed 
prepared to pass next signal at restricted speed." This does come in 
handy for example, at the South End of the yard in Alliance, NE. If the 
yard can not take you, you have to stop off of a crossing at what is 
called Letan, if Letan is an Approach. This is because if a train were 
to pull down you would be blocking at minimum 1 crossing and likely 3. 
At South Alliance you get a Restricting into the yard. So the only two 
signals you could get at Letan are an Approach or and Approach 
Restricting. SO now I'm stopped at Letan and the yard is ready to take 
me, how do I know I have signals in if Letan is an Approach? I don't. 
But with the Approach Restricting indication, I know 'OK we have a light 
into the yard, we can pull on down.'

This is also handy when you come off Angora with a loaded train and the 
yard is already for you, you can keep rollin', there is no speed 
associated with the Approach Restricting other then we have to be at 
Restricted Speed when passing the next signal. Knowing the territory as 
any Engineer should, one knows that you are coming north through a big 
sag that has a large steep hump between Letan and S Alliance. If you get 
a Clear at 8.7 you know you have 'Lights In' so you keep rolling, your 
fairly deep in Dynamics with Minimum set to keep your speed down to 
45MPH as your coming down the 'race track' coming off Angora. You go 
around a curve and Letan comes into view 'Approach Restricting', Aight I 
gotta be down to 20 before I knock down S Alliance. But I don't do 
anything, I don't go deeper in Dynamics, nor do I set anymore air, I 
just keep coming. As the power gets to the hump and starts up, I watch 
my speed, 45...44...43...42...41...39, 38, 37, 36,35,34,33...... and so 
on. After about half of my train is over the hump it starts to level out 
at about 25-30 (depending on how big my train is, 135 loads or 150) I 
set just a little more air 2-3 pounds. I now have 8-10 set. the speed 
continues to come down 25...24...23...22...21...20...19. At this point I 
ease up on dynamics but keep it below 20, S Alliance comes into view, 
"Restricting', I add a little more dynamics and maybe a little more air 
to get my train down to 10 MPH for the switches in the yard, and take 
note that the 'Trolls' already have us lined into 213 the track we need. 
Another day at the office almost done.

Hope all this has helped,

Nathan

On 9/29/2016 05:28, NW Mailing List wrote:
> So, Jimmy and Ed,
> If I'm out on part of the old N&W today that has been converted to 
> "vaders", and I see a train enter the first of a couple blocks guarded 
> by intermediates, I'm assuming the signal will show its occupancy with 
> a "restricting".  When it leaves that block the next block in advance 
> will show "restricting".  Are you saying that the now-empty block will 
> show "approach" even though the next signal cannot cause the train to 
> stop?  It seems like the "approach restricting" aspect would be more 
> correct in this case, since the next signal is, in fact showing 
> "restricting".  Ed, can you give any more details about the case you 
> mentioned where the "approach restricting" aspect was actually used?
> Thanks for your help.
> Jim Cochran
>
> On Wed, Sep 28, 2016 at 10:22 PM, NW Mailing List 
> <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org <mailto:nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>> wrote:
>
>     Jimmy -
>     If it's in the 2012 book it came in through the Southern; the N&W
>     ashcanned it long ago.
>
>     EK
>
>     -----Original Message----- From: NW Mailing List
>     Sent: Wednesday, September 28, 2016 1:27 PM
>     To: NW Mailing List
>     Subject: Re: NW vs NS intermediate signals
>
>     On 9/28/2016 10:34 AM, NW Mailing List wrote:
>
>         So the Approach Restricting signal was taken out.
>
>
>     Ed,
>         I had to go look it up as I had never seen it before and sure
>     enough, it is still in the rule book that I have from late 2012. It
>     seems like a signal that doesn't have a purpose to me, but, I guess
>     someone thought it did.
>
>     Jimmy Lisle
>
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-- 
Nathan Simmons
trainman51 at gmail.com
http://www.t-51.org
KI4MSK

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