A Question of Complexity - Part 2

[Part 1 introduces modeling possibilities for complex trackwork and the general options for modelers to create complex handlaid track.]

This post will examine why complex track occurs and consider some examples of complex track.  The next post will suggest some factors that are important in creating successful complex trackwork in model form.

Throughout, I’ll avoid a specific definition of what constitutes complex track. In practical terms “trackage that includes a diamond crossing” would cover it for the Bay Area. In other US cities, this definition would be woefully inadequate. Other terms that are indicative of track complexity would include degree of curvature, spur density or the inclusion of unusual track elements such as three-way switches. 

I’ll also leave out single- and double-slips or scissor crossovers as indicators of complexity. These are typically features of passenger terminal throats, such as the one at the San Francisco Caltrain Terminal, rather than an aspect of complex track used for freight operations which is more the focus of my posts.

Prototype Sources of Complex Track

Junctions, industrial trackage and street trackage are three railroad settings where complex trackwork is found. Of the three, junctions tend not to be the best prototype for very small layouts due to limited space for staging and therefore reduced potential for operations.  In order to address Hector’s question, I’ll focus on industrial and street trackage. Both are good starting points for prototypes that will fit in a small space and still provide plenty of operation.

Complex track is born of necessity, forced into contorted shapes by limited space for track alignment and tight clearances with buildings and other structures.  Industrial settings generate complex track due to large structures that interfere with the trackplanner’s ability to run tracks in simple straight lines. Storage tanks, buildings, pipes, hoppers, conveyors, manufacturing areas and company office buildings all block the straight path, forcing tracks to be routed around these large objects.

Street trackage, by definition, is located in settings where space is at a premium. Running a track down an active street is hardly the railroad’s preferred routing.  Operations are impaired by slow speeds, obstacles and limited visibility. Liability is greatly elevated in settings where the public is able to mingle with railroad operations.  Railroads tolerate these types of alignments when there is no better alternative and revenue from the line makes the aggravation worthwhile. 

Street tracks usually run parallel to the fronts of buildings while spurs often need to be located along building walls that are perpendicular to the street.  Spurs that curve sharply away from the lead are common. Where a simple branching track won’t do the trick, more elaborate configurations are needed such as spur tracks that initially branch to the right then swing to the left, crossing the lead, in order to reach a loading point. Switchbacks are another simple method to create a spur that is sharply angled relative to the lead for just the cost of an additional turnout.  Other examples exist of tracks being contorted and twisted to reach the loading dock, each reflecting the particular constraints of that location.

Complex Track in the Modern Era

Back in the days when railroads were the dominant form of transportation in North America, a spiderweb of industrial and street trackage reached thousands of loading points in factories, warehouses and other industrial settings.  Over time the industrial base evolved, cities grew and transportation expanded to include a much higher proportion of road-based modes.  As this occurred, many miles of industrial and street tracks were reconfigured, torn out, paved over, or just abandoned.

What remains today embodies the same factors that have always shaped the alignment of tracks in confined spaces:

• There is no alternative way to connect the customer with the mainline, or it would be uneconomical to replace the current trackage with a better route
• While inconvenient in many ways (switching, maintenance, parked cars etc), the trackage still pays it’s way
• Tracks that are a pain to operate and generate low revenues are eventually abandoned or sold off to lower cost operators

Complex Track = Old Track

I think it’s also worth pointing out that there’s pretty much no new complex track being built new these days. What complex track there is that still exists or is still in operation is historical.  When new industries are designed the plans take careful account of transportation and new designs tend to keep the rail connections simple. 

New street tracks are rare and new complex street trackage is even rarer. Even if a railroad could make the numbers work for new locations where street running would be required, few communities would accept the new tracks or the accompanying congestion, noise and inconvenience of trains running in the street.

All of this should not be taken to mean that the buildings around complex track will always be older. Many will be but new buildings can be built in places where older ones have been torn down. It is also common to see some spurs paved over to provide space for trucks and parking.

Prototype Complex Track Examples

The San Francisco Bay Area is not a highly industrialized city compared to other American Cities.  As the home of the Silicon Valley high tech revolution, many older industrial areas have been redeveloped and turned into office space or high-priced housing. Along the way, the artifacts of a more prominent railroading past have quietly disappeared from view. The industrial trackage that survives serves higher volume customers or functions as viable switching lines.

Drawing from my local area, here are three examples of industrial and street trackage that you can explore on the interactive satellite views.  There are many examples of complex track in other cities too that may be a good basis for a small layout. Within California cities such as LA and Sacramento, and smaller cities like Fresno and Modesto each have interesting industrial trackage that would serve as a great basis for a small model railroad. Outside of California, there are many candidates to consider as well.

Benicia Industrial Park, Benicia CA

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This area is one of about a half dozen Bay Area locations that have what might be called complex track.  The key item here at Benicia is the sole diamond crossing which is rarer in prototype form than their use in model form would suggest. A great majority of loading and unloading points can be reached without the need for tracks to cross one another. And more to the point, railroads can reach the loading point more cheaply using standard turnouts and linear track than involving a crossing, so they tended to avoid using them unless they had to.

You can drag the aerial view and follow any of the tracks. Each of the tracks in the crossing is a lead that eventually reaches industrial spurs. There are lots of interesting track arrangements in this area. Notice also there are several small yards that function as local buffers for incoming and outgoing cars. To the west (left) of the starting view is a refinery complex with lots of tank car spots.  (At anytime if you get lost on the aerial view, reloading the blog page will return the view to the starting location at the diamond crossing.)

The whole area is reached by a single switching lead that originates near UP’s Benicia autorack facility and the Martinez Sub mainline to Sacramento. The lead passes under a great tall steel viaduct that is worth a look too.

2nd Street Berkeley, CA

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This is an example of street trackage. The track runs along 2nd Street in Berkeley and provides a means to reach the half dozen industries along 2nd Street. The 2nd Street is connected to the Waterside Drill track at Cedar Street in Berkeley. The Waterside Drill and the Martinez Sub main tracks run parallel to 2nd Street a block to the east.

It is hard to see, but there is a diamond crossing near the points end of the switch in the initial satellite view. The tracks on the perpendicular legs have been removed.  The crossing is not quite 90 degrees giving some indication of the routing of the removed track.  The west side crossed 2nd street to serve an industry, the east side would have swung north and connected back into the Waterside Drill.

There is no runaround track on the track along 2nd street, so switching would have involved at least couple of switching passes along the lead in 2nd Street, first with the locomotive on one end working all the trailing switches then with the power on the other to switch trailing spurs facing the other way. In each case, the cars would be shoved back to the Waterside track at the end of each pass.

The track in 2nd Street is out of use now. The frog was removed from the Waterside switch at Cedar Street several years ago. Up till the late 1990’s, I recall seeing loaded centerbeams spotted at Truitt & White Lumber and scrap gondolas at the Berkeley Steel plant at the north end of the 2nd Street lead on a regular basis. At the time, I incorrectly assumed that this operation would live on for a long time and did not manage to collect even a single picture of the switching operation before it too was silenced. Duh!

The 2nd Street lead could serve as the basis of a neat linear track plan perhps using a modular layout such as FreeMo or FreeMo-N.  The Waterside track, UP mains and the parallel Second Street lead would easily fit on a narrow baseboard only a foot or so wide. The Cedar Street connector would join the two and a spur from the Waterside track would curve around and cross 2nd Street near the south end.  The incoming train could be staged on the Waterside track (which would also need a runaround).  Cuts of cars would first be taken down 2nd Street running engine first, switching the trailing point spurs then the crew would return to the Waterside track, rearrange the train with the benefit of the runarround, and return for a second pass, this time with the engine on the other end.  Switching this short line could easily take an hour of real time.

I partially made up for my lack of switching shots by shooting every inch of the remaining street tracks along 2nd Street because one day, these tracks will be paved over.  Shots of 2nd Street track are on my Flickr site in a set called Berkeley CA.

Wood Street West Oakland, CA

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Wood Street in West Oakland is still in operation as of today. If you look closely at the tracks in the initial view, you’ll find there are three diamond crossings. The track to the right is the east leg of a wye. The two other legs cross another lead in the street and return to the UP Martinez Sub or a nearby lead track to the west. There is also a spur to the plant at the bottom of the initial view.  The walls of the building curve to accommodate the spur, a feature that I find very appealing. I like the architectural interplay between the railroad and the building that leads to the unique shape of the wall.  There is a single covered hopper at the end of the spur and there are three more safe on the other side of the chain link fence on the other side of Wood Street.

You can drag the view to follow each of the leads along the streets and the various spurs into the factories in this area. There is a small two track yard to the west of the initial view and there are no runarounds in the street. Street operations are not especailly hampered by this as most leads only have one active spur, traffic is light and road traffic in the area is also light.

If you open the Larger Map view and zoom in all the way, Google Street View will appear. Using your mouse, you can look around the street and angle the view down to examine the track! It is really quite remarkable.  If you angle the view to look along 26th Street, you’ll encounter some loaded bulkhead flats on the street tracks.

West Oakland is not the sort of place to hang out in so tools like Google Street View are the cat’s meow.  For folks outside of the US, they are essential. I spent a few hours shooting pics of the track and buildings in this area earlier this year. I plan to model this area so shooting a couple of hundred photos seemed like good sense given the diminished level of street railroading taking place these days.  Please feel free to make use of these shots which are on my Flickr site in a set called “BNSF West Oakland CA”.

This area would also lend itself to be the prototype for an interesting small railroad with interesting complex track. The small two track yard would function as the start and end point for operations with multiple industrial spots to be switched.

More to come…

Coxy