Section (rail transport)

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In rail transport, a section could refer to: a portion of a train that may be operated independently [1] and/or combined with other sections to operate as a single unit; [2] or a portion of railway line designated for signalling [3] [4] [5] or maintenance; [6] or an interior portion of a sleeping car made up of two double seats during daytime that convert to two double berths during nighttime. [7]

Contents

Trains could be split into multiple sections for reasons including: an abundance of freight or passengers requiring the use of a second train to cover a route; [8] two or more routes with a common start point but multiple destinations on separate lines. Where multiple trains are used on the same route to convey an excess of freight or passengers, the trains will be defined as "first section", "second section", "third section", etc. to differentiate the vehicles for dispatching. Although it was not always the case that the first section travelled first, this naming and travel sequence was generally followed by convention. Each section prior but not the last would display green classification signals in the form of either flags or lamps at the head end. [9] [10]

By country

United States

Two sections of the City of San Francisco were run on January 2, 1938, for the introduction of the route's new equipment (left). "City of San Francisco" January 2, 1938.jpg
Two sections of the City of San Francisco were run on January 2, 1938, for the introduction of the route's new equipment (left).
Trains with common start points and multiple destinations
Some accidents and incidents

See also

Related Research Articles

Rail terminology is a form of technical terminology. The difference between the American term railroad and the international term railway is the most significant difference in rail terminology. These and other terms have often originated from the parallel development of rail transport systems in different parts of the world. In English-speaking countries outside the United Kingdom, a mixture of US and UK terms may exist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">EMD E5</span>

The EMD E5 is a 2,000-horsepower (1,500 kW), A1A-A1A passenger train-hauling diesel locomotive manufactured by Electro-Motive Corporation, and its corporate successor, General Motors' Electro-Motive Division (EMD) of La Grange, Illinois, and produced exclusively for the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad, and its subsidiaries, during 1940 and 1941. The E5 was distinguished from the otherwise very similar E3, E4 and E6 by being clad in polished stainless steel to match the Burlington's Zephyr trains. It also featured unique small grill-like ornamentation on both sides of the upper headlight. Like the other models in the E-series, the E5 had a sloping “slant nose” and it was equipped with two headlights — a regular stationary headlight above a gyrating Mars signal light. The E5 was the sixth in the EMD E-unit series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">EMD E6</span>

The EMD E6 was a 2,000-horsepower (1,500 kW), A1A-A1A, streamlined passenger train locomotive manufactured by Electro-Motive Corporation, and its corporate successor, General Motors Electro-Motive Division, of La Grange, Illinois. The cab version, E6A, was manufactured from November 1939 to September 1942; 91 were produced. The booster version, E6B, was manufactured from April 1940 to February 1942; 26 were produced. The 2,000-horsepower (1,500 kW) was achieved by putting two 1,000-horsepower (750 kW), 12-cylinder, model 567 engines in the engine compartment. Each engine drove its own electrical generator to power the traction motors. The E6 was the seventh model in a long line of passenger diesels of similar design known as EMD E-units.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">EMD F40PH</span> North American diesel locomotive class

The EMD F40PH is a four-axle 3,000–3,200 hp (2.2–2.4 MW) B-B diesel-electric locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division in several variants from 1975 to 1992. Intended for use on Amtrak's short-haul passenger routes, it became the backbone of Amtrak's diesel fleet after the failure of the EMD SDP40F. The F40PH also found widespread use on commuter railroads in the United States and with VIA Rail in Canada. Additional F40PH variants were manufactured by Morrison-Knudsen and MotivePower between 1988 and 1998, mostly rebuilt from older locomotives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway</span> Defunct railway company in the southeastern United States (1851-1957)

The Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway was a railway company that operated in the U.S. states of Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia. It began as the Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad, chartered in Nashville on December 11, 1845, built to 5 ft gauge and was the first railway to operate in the state of Tennessee. By the turn of the twentieth century, the NC&StL grew into one of the most important railway systems in the southern United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">EMD E9</span> Model of 2400 hp American passenger cab locomotive

The E9 is a 2,400-horsepower (1,790 kW), A1A-A1A passenger train-hauling diesel locomotive built by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division of La Grange, Illinois, between April 1954 and January 1964. 100 cab-equipped A units were produced and 44 cabless booster B units, all for service in the United States. The E9 was the tenth and last model of EMD E-unit and differed from the earlier E8 as built only by the newer engines and a different, flusher-fitting mounting for the headlight glass, the latter being the only visible difference. Since some E8s were fitted with this, it is not a reliable way to distinguish the two. The E9 has two 1,200 hp (895 kW), V12 model 567C engines, each engine driving one generator to power two traction motors.

<i>General Pershing Zephyr</i> American trainset

The General Pershing Zephyr was the ninth of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad's Zephyr streamliners, and the last built as an integrated streamliner rather than a train hauled by an EMD E-unit diesel locomotive. It was constructed in 1939 with bodywork and passenger cars by Budd Company and diesel engine, electric transmission, power truck, and other locomotive equipment by General Motors Electro-Motive Corporation. Because its intended Kansas City to St Louis route passed near the birthplace and boyhood home of famous World War I General John J. Pershing, the train was named after him. The power car was named Silver Charger, after Pershing's horse Charger, while the passenger cars were named after United States Army badges of rank—Silver Leaf, Silver Eagle, and Silver Star.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">EMC AB6</span> Unique Diesel Railroad Locomotive

The EMC AB6 was a type of diesel locomotive built exclusively for the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad by General Motors' Electro-Motive Corporation and delivered in June 1940. Two examples were built, numbered #750 and #751. They were built for the Rocky Mountain Rocket passenger train, which travelled as a unified train from Chicago, Illinois, to Limon, Colorado, which then divided. One section went to Colorado Springs, Colorado, and the other to Denver, Colorado. The Rock Island desired a locomotive that could look like an integrated part of the train during the Chicago-Limon portion of the route, and could then be operated independently to take three cars to Colorado Springs. A regular, cab-equipped A-unit could have been purchased, but that would have ruined the streamlined look of the train, so the RI had EMC build a flat-fronted locomotive based on an E-series E6B but with an operating cab, headlight, pilot, and other features to enable it to operate as an independent locomotive.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">EMD F-unit</span>

EMD F-units are a line of diesel-electric locomotives produced between November 1939 and November 1960 by General Motors Electro-Motive Division and General Motors-Diesel Division. Final assembly for all F-units was at the GM-EMD plant at La Grange, Illinois, and the GMDD plant in London, Ontario. They were sold to railroads throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico, and a few were exported to Saudi Arabia. The term F-unit refers to the model numbers given to each successive type, all of which began with the letter F. The F originally meant "fourteen", as in 1,400 horsepower (1,000 kW), not "freight". Longer EMD E-units for passenger service had twin 900-horsepower (670 kW) diesel engines. The E meant "eighteen" as in 1,800 horsepower (1,300 kW). Similarly, for early model EMD switchers, S meant "six hundred" and N meant "nine hundred horsepower".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">EMD F7</span> Model of 1500 hp North American cab diesel locomotive

The EMD F7 is a model of 1,500-horsepower (1,100 kW) diesel-electric locomotive produced between February 1949 and December 1953 by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors (EMD) and General Motors Diesel (GMD).

<i>Coast Daylight</i> Southern Pacifics premier San Francisco-Los Angeles passenger train

The Coast Daylight, originally known as the Daylight Limited, was a passenger train on the Southern Pacific Railroad (SP) between Los Angeles and San Francisco, California, via SP's Coast Line. It was advertised as the "most beautiful passenger train in the world," carrying a particular red, orange, and black color scheme. The train operated from 1937 until 1974, being retained by Amtrak in 1971. Amtrak merged it with the Coast Starlight in 1974.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">EMD GP38-2</span> Model of 2213 North American diesel-electric locomotive

The EMD GP38-2 is an American four-axle diesel-electric locomotive built by General Motors, Electro-Motive Division. Part of the EMD Dash 2 line, the GP38-2 was an upgraded version of the earlier GP38. Power is provided by an EMD 645E 16-cylinder engine, which generates 2,000 horsepower.

<i>Denver Zephyr</i> Streamlined passenger train in the U.S.

The Denver Zephyr was a streamlined passenger train operated by the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad between Chicago, Illinois, and Denver, Colorado. In peak years it ran to Colorado Springs. It operated from 1936 to 1973. The Denver Zephyr continued operating after the Burlington Northern Railroad merger in 1970. BN conveyed the train to Amtrak in 1971; Amtrak merged it with the Denver–Oakland City of San Francisco to form the San Francisco Zephyr and dropped the "Denver" name in 1973.

This article contains a list of terms, jargon, and slang used to varying degrees by railfans and railroad employees in the United States and Canada. Although not exhaustive, many of the entries in this list appear from time to time in specialist, rail-related publications. Inclusion of a term in this list does not necessarily imply its universal adoption by all railfans and railroad employees, and there may be significant regional variation in usage.

<i>Challenger</i> (train) Former passenger train operated by the Union Pacific Railroad

The Challengers were named passenger trains on the Union Pacific Railroad and the Chicago and North Western Railway. The economy service ran between Chicago, Illinois, and the West Coast of the United States. The trains had full Pullman service and coach seating and were an attempt to draw Depression-Era riders back to the rails. Food service was advertised as "three meals for under a dollar a day."

<i>Rocky Mountain Rocket</i>

The Rocky Mountain Rocket was a streamlined passenger train of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad. Rock Island's train numbers 7 and 8 ran between Chicago's LaSalle Street Station and Denver's Union Station and Colorado Springs, Colorado. The Rocky Mountain Rocket ran from 1939 to 1966; the train was discontinued prior to the creation of Amtrak in 1971.

<i>Zephyr Rocket</i>

The Zephyr Rocket was an overnight passenger train operated jointly by the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad and the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad between Saint Louis, Missouri and the Twin Cities of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota, with major intermediate stops in Burlington, Cedar Rapids, and Waterloo, Iowa. The Chicago, Burlington & Quincy carried the train between St. Louis and Burlington, while the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific carried it between Burlington and Minneapolis/St. Paul. Motive power and equipment were pooled and traveled the entire distance without change.

References

  1. ↑ Koester, Tony (2003). Realistic Model Railroad Operation: How to Run Your Trains Like the Real Thing. Waukesha, WI: Kalmbach Books. p. 64. ISBN   0-89024-418-9 – via Google Books.
  2. 1 2 Pinkepank, Jerry A. (1973). The Second Diesel Spotter's Guide. Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Kalmbach Publishing. p. EMD-123. ISBN   978-0-89024-026-7.
  3. ↑ Returns of Accidents and Casualties as Reported to the Board of Trade by the Several Railway Companies in the United Kingdom. London: Darling & Son. 1898. p. 137 – via Google Books.
  4. ↑ Pigg, James (1897). Railway "Block" Signalling: The Principles of Train Signalling and Apparatus for Ensuring Safety. London: Biggs & Co. p. 35. ISBN   9785877460263 – via Google Books.
  5. ↑ Francis, J.D. (2007). An Entry in the Train Register. J.D. Francis. p. 137. ISBN   978-0-9514636-1-1 – via Google Books.
  6. ↑ "Section-Foremen". Eastern Railroad Co. General Rules and Regulations. Boston: Franklin Press; Rand, Avery & Co. June 1882. p. 40 – via Google Books.
  7. ↑ Car Builders' Cyclopedia of American Practice. Vol. 6. New York and Chicago: The Railway Age Gazette. 1909. p. 153 – via Google Books.
  8. ↑ Stilgoe, John R. (2007). Train Time: Railroads and the Imminent Reshaping of the United States Landscape. Charlottesville and London: University of Virginia Press. p. 97. ISBN   978-0-8139-2668-1 – via Google Books.
  9. ↑ "Locomotive classification lights | Trains Magazine". Trains. Retrieved 2022-05-21.
  10. ↑ "Forum of Train Rules: Sanford, Fla". The Railway Conductor. XXXVIII (4): 229. April 1921 – via Google Books.
  11. ↑ Lytle, Richard M. (2011) [2010]. The Great Circus Train Wreck of 1918: Tragedy on the Indiana Lakeshore (e-book ed.). Charleston, SC: The History Press. p. n.p. ISBN   978-1-61423-170-7 – via Google Books.
  12. ↑ "Collision on the M. K. & T. at Granger, Texas". Railway Signal Engineer. 11 (2): 50. February 1918 – via Google Books.
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