Saturday, June 29, 2024

RBMN CTC Gap Slowly Closes

 In my last RBMN signaling update from a speeder video in the winter of 2022, I noticed that turned signals had appeared in the last gap of dark territory on their Main Line between Hometown, PA and JIM THORPE JCT near Mach Chunk. Well as of the Iron Horse rambles of Summer 2024 the gap has closed ever so slightly with the ABS now ending at the turned Milepos 118S intermediate and the formerly turned 118N intermediate now being an active distant signal for JIM THORPE JCT. Although I didn't get a photo of the 118N, the 118S now bears the "END AUTO BLOCK" sign.

Apart from this I noticed no additional signaling changes on the former Conrail Lehigh Line, although I just now realized that the RBMN built a brand new interlocking on the Lehigh Line between CP-DUPONT and CP-LAUREL HILL in order to place out of service a portion of the second main track there.


The "new" SEIDEL interlocking uses the same 1980's GRS type three lamp housing color light signals that are also in place at CP-DUPONT and some nearby intermediates. Likely in place for well over a decade now, I had always assumed it was a Conrail era interlocking.

2 comments:

  1. Dupont to Laurel Run was redone in 2014 at behest of Air Products. Siedel was added so that RBMN could meet a train coming off the ex D&H and not need to run all the way up to Laurel Run. (#2 between Laurel Run and Siedel is 10mph). There is also an RBMN added holdout just direction north, timetable east of the Pittston wye. So CTC extends almost all the way to Pittston now. The plan I am told for the gap between the two wyes. Is CTC all the way, with a short section of double track near Nesquehoning. Also RBMN upgraded the switch at North Reading from a slow speed, to a limited speed switch. The other gap that exists at Port Clinton is more problematic, due to the huge number of hand throws.

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  2. RBMN also added a crossover at Dupont so they could actually use the #2. Under Conrail trains headed to Pittston used to be forced to use #1 from Laurel Run due to no crossovers.

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