I have a question about how to read a part of a system timetable. On some pages, there is a column "track capacity" and it has 2 columns under it. One is 'siding' and the other is 'other'. It then will state if it is a yard or list the number (I assume) of cars the siding will hold. That said, my problem comes from the fact that Andover Kansas only had a main and a run around track, but the schedule list 46 under 'siding' and 18 under 'other'. What am I missing in understanding these tables? Thanks, Tony
Tony, The siding indication is for a passing track and other is for all other tracks including the house track and industries. In 1947 the car numbers were probably based upon a 40 foot car length. I believe that Andover had a passing siding in 1947 and it was later removed. Let me look at some of my timetables and get back with you. John Chambers
Tony, You have raised an interesting point. The passing track was extant into the BN era and appears in BN track charts. My 1923 Northern Division ETT shows a 47 car-length passing track plus "Other" tracks equaling 29 car lengths. The late 70's Frisco track chart shows only a passing track. Puzzling indeed. My 1930 Northern Division track charts show only a passing track at at Andover. Will get these posted during the next couple of days.
ETT No 9 gives us a look at things in May 1923. Andover and adjacent Lorena would seem to be similar in their track arrangement. Both have passing tracks of equal capacities, and both have "other" capacities of nearly the same. However, a look at the 1930 track chart shows nothing of the sort. The track arrangement at Lorena is what might be expected at Andover. Subsequent ETT's such as the one from 1947, and the attached ETT from 1964, continue to depict "Other" track. ETT No 48, 1969, continues to depict the "Other" tracks, and in this case list the passing track as being 1289 feet long or 19 cars long. The 1969 ETT is the last one that shows "Other" tracks. System ETT No 1, 1971, no longer makes any distinction between siding and other at Andover. The 1971 capacity seems to imply the siding and other have been combined, numerically at least, from ETT No 48. The 1980 track chart shows a single passing track, which is about 1300 feet long, or about what the 1969 ETT shows.
I'm going to take a wild guess on this matter based upon my knowledge of some of the track arrangements on Karl's post, so here goes. Would a "siding" be defined as a double ended "passing siding" that in some eras that would have been normally kept empty for two trains, albeit freight or passenger, to pass? An "other" would be any other industrial or team tracks, albeit single or double ended. As I said, just a wild guess! My logic is simple and illustrated by the following example. When I was a teenager in the mid 60's we took a vacation by train from Independence, KS to California. The Santa Fe ran two small streamlined passenger trains between Tulsa, OK and Kansas City, MO. The timetable had them scheduled to meet about halfway between Independence and KC at the one division point on the line, Chanute, KS. We were on the "Oil Flyer" which was the night train heading northbound and either it or the southbound train, the "Tulsan" were running late. So the meet occurred at a small town by the name of Richmond, KS which had a passing siding and a spur to a grain elevator. We pulled into the siding which ran behind the depot and waited for the other train to pass. One of my all time favorite train memories.
A "siding" probably runs off the main line and "other" tracks were probably the industry tracks, less accessible to the main. Just my opinion. Tom G.
Beginning to make sense. If you look at the last chart posted, it shows a passing "siding" at Andover and to east of this is a spur of 2 tracks. This would have serviced the former Benjamin Moore, Lenmar Paint, manufacturing site which is now Sherwin-Williams. 18 cars on these 2 tracks could be a possibility. This location is also the alleged derailment site of the EMD SD45 900's that made a trip out to Wichita. Thanks! Tony
