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Re: Speed restrictions on the UP (old SP)
Author: Erik H.
Date: 05-16-2013 - 23:12
SP5103 Wrote:
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> > >The mileposts increase westward down the speed chart.
> >
> > No, on the SP they decrease when going westward.
>
> Not always - Tillamook was backwards, maybe some
> of the other Oregon coast branches. The Modoc
> actually changed during its lifetime.
To the SP, "West" was San Francisco. If you're going TOWARDS San Francisco you are going west.
If you are in Tillamook (or Toledo, or Coos Bay) the only way you're getting to San Francisco via SP rails is to go compass east; therefore you're going "West".
If you really want to confuse things, if you're at Cook (now located between presentday Lake Oswego, Tualatin and Tigard) if you are travelling compass west on the Tillamook Branch, from Oswego north to Tigard, you are going SP "East". But if you take the switch and head towards Tualatin and Newberg, you will go SP "West". If you are headed towards Oswego and Brooklyn you are also going "West" even though you are going compass east. So the old Newberg Turn and Whiteson Turn would, despite continue going straight, change directions in at Cook.
The same would occur for trains going to/from the Toledo Branch in Corvallis, they would be going "East" from Albany to Corvallis Junction, then "West" from Corvallis Junction to Corvallis (as they are now on the Westside Branch), then again "East" from Corvallis to Toledo - all the while, moving in a compass west (or for a short period south) direction.
And to really muck things up, when the Westside Branch was abandoned between Carlton and Seghers, the Westside-Seghers Branch was formed from Seghers to Hillsboro but retained the old Westside Branch mileposts. So you would travel "east" (which is backwards, but compass correct) to Hillsboro and then continue "west", although compass east, to Beaverton.
When the Willamette & Pacific took over, they abandoned SP practice and used compass directions; except that on the north-south Westside District, south was still "West".
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> > >The mileposts increase westward down the speed chart.
> >
> > No, on the SP they decrease when going westward.
>
> Not always - Tillamook was backwards, maybe some
> of the other Oregon coast branches. The Modoc
> actually changed during its lifetime.
To the SP, "West" was San Francisco. If you're going TOWARDS San Francisco you are going west.
If you are in Tillamook (or Toledo, or Coos Bay) the only way you're getting to San Francisco via SP rails is to go compass east; therefore you're going "West".
If you really want to confuse things, if you're at Cook (now located between presentday Lake Oswego, Tualatin and Tigard) if you are travelling compass west on the Tillamook Branch, from Oswego north to Tigard, you are going SP "East". But if you take the switch and head towards Tualatin and Newberg, you will go SP "West". If you are headed towards Oswego and Brooklyn you are also going "West" even though you are going compass east. So the old Newberg Turn and Whiteson Turn would, despite continue going straight, change directions in at Cook.
The same would occur for trains going to/from the Toledo Branch in Corvallis, they would be going "East" from Albany to Corvallis Junction, then "West" from Corvallis Junction to Corvallis (as they are now on the Westside Branch), then again "East" from Corvallis to Toledo - all the while, moving in a compass west (or for a short period south) direction.
And to really muck things up, when the Westside Branch was abandoned between Carlton and Seghers, the Westside-Seghers Branch was formed from Seghers to Hillsboro but retained the old Westside Branch mileposts. So you would travel "east" (which is backwards, but compass correct) to Hillsboro and then continue "west", although compass east, to Beaverton.
When the Willamette & Pacific took over, they abandoned SP practice and used compass directions; except that on the north-south Westside District, south was still "West".
