Gantlet track
Encyclopedia
Gauntlet track or interlaced track (also gantlet track) is an arrangement in which railway tracks
run parallel on a single track bed
and are interlaced (i.e. overlapped) such that only one pair of rails may be used at a time. Since this requires only slightly more width
than a single track
, all four rails can be carried on the same crossties/sleepers
. Trains run on the discrete pair of rails appropriate to their direction or loading gauge
.
The term 'gauntlet' is derived not from gauntlet meaning a type of glove, but from the expression running the gauntlet
(originally running the gantlope) which means running between two confining rows of adversaries. In Britain, gauntlet track is usually called interlaced track.
Gauntlet tracks can be used to provide horizontal clearance to a fixed obstruction adjacent to a track such as a cutting, bridge
, or tunnel
. Frog gauntlets are also commonly used when a rail line's capacity is increased by the provision of an additional track, but cost or other factors prevent the widening of the bridges. They are typically used for short stretches of track where it is cheaper to provide extra rails than to provide switch
es and reduce the line to single track. This also eliminates the problem of switch failures.
In a frog gauntlet, one rail crosses over a rail on the adjacent track. A frog is used to provide the flangeway for the crossing tracks. The train taking the gauntlet runs over the frog onto the parallel rails, passes through the gauntlet area, and passes over another frog to return to the original line. Since there are no points or other moving parts on a frog gauntlet track, a train operating on one of the tracks cannot be routed onto the other.
Because two trains cannot use the gauntlet at the same time, scheduling and signalling
must allow for this restriction.
At a small number of locations on single track lines in Britain, interlaced loops had been provided where sprung catch points were required because of the steep gradient. The points at either end of the loop were set according to the train's direction of travel. Trains running uphill were routed via the loop incorporating the sprung catch point. Trains running downhill used the opposite loop, bypassing the catch point.
, New South Wales
the bridge over the Georges River between Oatley and Como
was built as single line in the 1880s. The line was duplicated soon after, except for that bridge. The bridge was fitted with gauntlet track, which needs no turnouts, and hence needs no signal box
at the far end. The bridge was replaced with a double-track bridge in 1972.
Another example is visible in the tunnel under George Street, Railway Square, as part of the spur which leads from the connection between Redfern and the Darling Harbour goods station. This was a two-track tunnel (one of the oldest on the New South Wales railways) but became gauntlet track when the line was electrified to allow electric locomotive-hauled freight trains to access the former Darling Harbour. There was insufficient clearance in the tunnel to install overhead catenary above both tracks. A single track now continues on to the PowerHouse Museum
and can be visited as part of the Ultimo Pedestrian Network. This track formerly served the Darling Harbour goods yards and was disconnected from the rest of the corridor which now forms part of the Sydney Light Rail network.
At a number of places including Campsie a low speed weighbridge was installed on some gauntlet track, with a high speed route being available for trains not needing weighing on the other track.
In Melbourne
, Victoria
broad and standard dual gauge
gauntlet track is located to the north of Southern Cross Station
. The northern section of the Upfield line between the Ford Sidings and Somerton is also dual gauge gauntlet track.
The Gemmenich Tunnel passing under the (Three country point
) has a special track layout to enable the passage of wide military loads. The double-track tunnel has a third set of rails interlaced with one of the normal tracks. Active points (switches
) at each end of the tunnel allow a train to divert along the central track, whilst other trains are blocked by signalling. The third track is rarely in use, so there is no limitation of capacity through the tunnel for standard-sized trains.
Close to where the borders of Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands come together, the interlaced tunnel section provides an important connection between Germany and the Belgian harbour at Antwerp. After completing the installation in 1991, trains with an oversize loading gauge were rerouted over this line, and the lightly used (but tunnel-free) secondary line between Stolberg and Welkenraedt (crossing the border at Raeren) was closed to freight traffic. Trains requiring use of the central track must be diesel hauled as electrification only currently reaches the tunnel mouth on the German side to allow for banking.
The Charleroi Pre-metro
's Metro sections are entirely double-track, save for a short section along the Route de Mons, where a rail bridge abbutment should have been moved to facilitate double track of premetro passing under it. Instead, a short section of gauntlet track is used.
Behind the Anderlues
depot of the Charleroi pre-metro there is an old-section of dual-gauge track, having both metro (tram/metro) and standard (railway) gauge. This section is no longer used by tram nor rail.
Gauntlet track exists on the Perry Island Canadian Pacific Railway Bridge
across the Rivière des Prairies
between Montreal
and Laval
(Parc subdivision, mile 10.0) because the structure gauge
is not sufficiently wide for double track
. This bridge is used by freight trains of the Canadian Pacific Railway
(CPR), the and by the Blainville-Saint-Jerome Line suburban trains of the Metropolitan Transportation Agency
.
On tram networks, gauntlet tracks are used to pass through a narrow passage through a building in Prague's
historic and similarly on a narrow bridge in . In addition, they are used in various places in Prague and Brno
where interlacing is used to shift the switches away from high-traffic intersections, in order to improve traffic flow.
In the rail system, it is used to overlap metro and normal rail lines; these use the same gauge, but the metro's third rail would otherwise intrude upon the standard railway kinematic envelope.
network, along the pedestrianised , designed for the start of service in 2009.
In Mannheim
, gauntlet track is used to shift the switch out of the road to prevent the switch from being driven over by cars and trucks. Mannheim also uses gauntlet track to run trams within less space.
In Potsdam
, a short section of interlaced track takes trams through the historic Nauener Gate into the old city.
In Stuttgart
, gauntlet track was used extensively by the Stuttgarter Straßenbahnen AG
in order to run services using the newer Stadtbahn, or light rail system, on route sections previously served by the older narrow-gauge tram system. The trams have now been completely phased out, save for occasional "old-timer" special runs, and all platforms are being converted from street-level to raised in order to accommodate the higher floors of the new vehicles.
Because of space constraints, Amsterdam's tram network
uses gauntlet track to increase space for shoppers in the 12 m (39.4 ft)-wide in the city centre. In this busy and otherwise pedestrianised shopping street, the tram stop
s are located on the bridges over the canals, where more space is available, permitting passing loops that can just accommodate two trams in each direction. Intermediate sections are gauntlet track. As service is frequent on routes 1, 2 and 5 which use this line, this arrangement often leads to delays. However, on line 10 in Czaar Peterstraat, the situation is reversed, and a short section of gauntlet track occurs in a line that is otherwise double, to make room for the platforms at the tram stop. Oddly, in a second radial route, at , the passing places on the bridges are served by preset points with single track between them, rather than by gauntlet track. Amsterdam has two other short sections of gauntlet track; opposite a loading bay in (route 14) and preceding the points entering the eastern terminal loop outside Amsterdam Centraal railway station.
The Interislander rail-ferry ramps at Wellington and Picton have triple gauntlet track. At the ferry end of the ramp the outer tracks curve to the left and right to align with the tracks on the ferry rail deck.
interlaces to negotiate one particularly narrow corner in Alfama
.
that opened in 2007 features a 300 m section of interlaced track along the city's main pedestrian street. The section runs down , past the Seville Cathedral
and World Heritage Site
.
In Britain, gauntlet track was often used where street tramways had to pass through narrow streets and even archways in ancient city walls.
and Union Station
on the Raritan Valley Line
, in New Jersey, and New Carrollton on the Amtrak
Northeast Corridor in Maryland have gauntlet track. The gauntlet track, with active switches, is used passing high-level platforms, where the track is shared by both passenger and freight trains. The gauntlet track allows freight trains the extra clearance they may require, by moving the train further away from the platform edge. This type of point gauntlet is also used on the South Shore Line (NICTD)
railroad at stations in Hegewisch
in Illinois and Hammond
and East Chicago
in Indiana. (SouthShore Freight
runs freight trains on the NICTD line.) A frog gauntlet section on the NICTD line in Gary, Indiana
, was removed in 1997 after a 1993 fatal near head on accident where the tracks diverged.
The Westside Express Service (WES) regional rail line in the Portland, Oregon
, suburbs has gauntlet track at its three intermediate stations, Hall-Nimbus, Tigard
and Tualatin
. These locations are along a stretch of track that WES trains shares with freight trains of the Portland & Western Railroad. Gauntlets at the stations allows freight cars to clear the high-level platforms.
The Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad
used gauntlet track to allow two sets of track to be placed in the centre-line through the Oxford Tunnel in New Jersey.
Amtrak
's B&P Tunnel
, underneath Baltimore
on the Northeast Corridor
, was equipped with a point gauntlet on one of its two tracks. Installed by the Pennsylvania Railroad
in the mid-1950s to allow TOFC trains to fit through the tunnel, Amtrak removed it in the mid-1990s after most freight trains had been routed away from the Northeast Corridor.
Rail tracks
The track on a railway or railroad, also known as the permanent way, is the structure consisting of the rails, fasteners, sleepers and ballast , plus the underlying subgrade...
run parallel on a single track bed
Track bed
A track bed or trackbed is the term used to describe the groundwork onto which a railway track is laid. Trackbeds of disused railways are sometimes used for recreational paths or new light rail links....
and are interlaced (i.e. overlapped) such that only one pair of rails may be used at a time. Since this requires only slightly more width
Structure gauge
The structure gauge, also called the minimum clearance outline, is the minimum height and width of tunnels and bridges as well as the minimum height and width of the doors that allow a rail siding access into a warehouse...
than a single track
Single track (rail)
A single track railway is where trains in both directions share the same track. Single track is normally used on lesser used rail lines, often branch lines, where the traffic density is not high enough to justify the cost of building double tracks....
, all four rails can be carried on the same crossties/sleepers
Railroad tie
A railroad tie/railway tie , or railway sleeper is a rectangular item used to support the rails in railroad tracks...
. Trains run on the discrete pair of rails appropriate to their direction or loading gauge
Loading gauge
A loading gauge defines the maximum height and width for railway vehicles and their loads to ensure safe passage through bridges, tunnels and other structures...
.
The term 'gauntlet' is derived not from gauntlet meaning a type of glove, but from the expression running the gauntlet
Running the gauntlet
Running the gauntlet is a form of physical punishment wherein a captive is compelled to run between two rows—a gauntlet—of soldiers who strike him as he passes.-Etymology:...
(originally running the gantlope) which means running between two confining rows of adversaries. In Britain, gauntlet track is usually called interlaced track.
Frog gauntlet (double-gauntlet-double)
Bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...
, or tunnel
Tunnel
A tunnel is an underground passageway, completely enclosed except for openings for egress, commonly at each end.A tunnel may be for foot or vehicular road traffic, for rail traffic, or for a canal. Some tunnels are aqueducts to supply water for consumption or for hydroelectric stations or are sewers...
. Frog gauntlets are also commonly used when a rail line's capacity is increased by the provision of an additional track, but cost or other factors prevent the widening of the bridges. They are typically used for short stretches of track where it is cheaper to provide extra rails than to provide switch
Railroad switch
A railroad switch, turnout or [set of] points is a mechanical installation enabling railway trains to be guided from one track to another at a railway junction....
es and reduce the line to single track. This also eliminates the problem of switch failures.
In a frog gauntlet, one rail crosses over a rail on the adjacent track. A frog is used to provide the flangeway for the crossing tracks. The train taking the gauntlet runs over the frog onto the parallel rails, passes through the gauntlet area, and passes over another frog to return to the original line. Since there are no points or other moving parts on a frog gauntlet track, a train operating on one of the tracks cannot be routed onto the other.
Because two trains cannot use the gauntlet at the same time, scheduling and signalling
Railway signalling
Railway signalling is a system used to control railway traffic safely, essentially to prevent trains from colliding. Being guided by fixed rails, trains are uniquely susceptible to collision; furthermore, trains cannot stop quickly, and frequently operate at speeds that do not enable them to stop...
must allow for this restriction.
Point gauntlet/interlaced loop (single-gauntlet-single)
In a point gauntlet track, the rails for the two tracks do not need to cross, so no frog is required. The train taking the gauntlet runs over a set of switch points onto the parallel rails, passes through the gauntlet area, and passes over another set of switch points to return to the original line. This arrangement is used at the Roselle Park Station referenced below.At a small number of locations on single track lines in Britain, interlaced loops had been provided where sprung catch points were required because of the steep gradient. The points at either end of the loop were set according to the train's direction of travel. Trains running uphill were routed via the loop incorporating the sprung catch point. Trains running downhill used the opposite loop, bypassing the catch point.
Single-gauntlet-double
Where tracks diverge, a section of gauntlet track may be provided where the switches require to be located remote from the actual divergence. This arrangement is most commonly used on tram systems, to move the switches away from a heavily trafficked road.Dual-gauge track
An arrangement similar to gauntlet track is sometimes used to allow trains of different gauges to use the same track. In that case, the two interlaced tracks will have different gauges, sometimes sharing one of the rails for a total of three rails.Australia
In SydneySydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
the bridge over the Georges River between Oatley and Como
Como
Como is a city and comune in Lombardy, Italy.It is the administrative capital of the Province of Como....
was built as single line in the 1880s. The line was duplicated soon after, except for that bridge. The bridge was fitted with gauntlet track, which needs no turnouts, and hence needs no signal box
Signal box
On a rail transport system, signalling control is the process by which control is exercised over train movements by way of railway signals and block systems to ensure that trains operate safely, over the correct route and to the proper timetable...
at the far end. The bridge was replaced with a double-track bridge in 1972.
Another example is visible in the tunnel under George Street, Railway Square, as part of the spur which leads from the connection between Redfern and the Darling Harbour goods station. This was a two-track tunnel (one of the oldest on the New South Wales railways) but became gauntlet track when the line was electrified to allow electric locomotive-hauled freight trains to access the former Darling Harbour. There was insufficient clearance in the tunnel to install overhead catenary above both tracks. A single track now continues on to the PowerHouse Museum
Powerhouse Museum
The Powerhouse Museum is the major branch of the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences in Sydney, the other being the historic Sydney Observatory...
and can be visited as part of the Ultimo Pedestrian Network. This track formerly served the Darling Harbour goods yards and was disconnected from the rest of the corridor which now forms part of the Sydney Light Rail network.
At a number of places including Campsie a low speed weighbridge was installed on some gauntlet track, with a high speed route being available for trains not needing weighing on the other track.
In Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
broad and standard dual gauge
Dual gauge
A dual-gauge or mixed-gauge railway has railway track that allows trains of different gauges to use the same track. Generally, a dual-gauge railway consists of three rails, rather than the standard two rails. The two outer rails give the wider gauge, while one of the outer rails and the inner rail...
gauntlet track is located to the north of Southern Cross Station
Southern Cross Station
Southern Cross is a major railway station and transport hub in Melbourne Docklands, Victoria, Australia. It is located on Spencer Street between Collins and La Trobe Streets at the western edge of the central business district...
. The northern section of the Upfield line between the Ford Sidings and Somerton is also dual gauge gauntlet track.
Belgium/Germany
Tripoint
A tripoint, or trijunction , is a geographical point at which the borders of three countries or subnational entities meet....
) has a special track layout to enable the passage of wide military loads. The double-track tunnel has a third set of rails interlaced with one of the normal tracks. Active points (switches
Railroad switch
A railroad switch, turnout or [set of] points is a mechanical installation enabling railway trains to be guided from one track to another at a railway junction....
) at each end of the tunnel allow a train to divert along the central track, whilst other trains are blocked by signalling. The third track is rarely in use, so there is no limitation of capacity through the tunnel for standard-sized trains.
Close to where the borders of Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands come together, the interlaced tunnel section provides an important connection between Germany and the Belgian harbour at Antwerp. After completing the installation in 1991, trains with an oversize loading gauge were rerouted over this line, and the lightly used (but tunnel-free) secondary line between Stolberg and Welkenraedt (crossing the border at Raeren) was closed to freight traffic. Trains requiring use of the central track must be diesel hauled as electrification only currently reaches the tunnel mouth on the German side to allow for banking.
The Charleroi Pre-metro
Charleroi Pre-metro
The Charleroi Metro is a express tram network in Belgium, consisting of a horseshoe-shaped line around central Charleroi and two branches towards the suburbs of Gilly and Anderlues. It was built between 1976 and 1996 with 26 stations, of which 20 are in service as of 1996, and 6 regular tram...
's Metro sections are entirely double-track, save for a short section along the Route de Mons, where a rail bridge abbutment should have been moved to facilitate double track of premetro passing under it. Instead, a short section of gauntlet track is used.
Behind the Anderlues
Anderlues
Anderlues is a Walloon municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut. On January 1, 2006 Anderlues had a total population of 11,578. The total area is 17.02 km² which gives a population density of 680 inhabitants per km². Its postcode is 6150....
depot of the Charleroi pre-metro there is an old-section of dual-gauge track, having both metro (tram/metro) and standard (railway) gauge. This section is no longer used by tram nor rail.
Canada
Bordeaux Railway Bridge
The Bordeaux Railway Bridge is a railway bridge on the Canadian Pacific Railway line across the Rivière des Prairies between Ahuntsic-Cartierville, on Montreal Island, and Laval-des-Rapides, Laval, Quebec, Canada...
across the Rivière des Prairies
Rivière des Prairies
The Rivière des Prairies is a delta channel of the Ottawa River in southwestern Quebec, Canada....
between Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
and Laval
Laval, Quebec
Laval is a Canadian city and a region in southwestern Quebec. It is the largest suburb of Montreal, the third largest municipality in the province of Quebec, and the 14th largest city in Canada with a population of 368,709 in 2006...
(Parc subdivision, mile 10.0) because the structure gauge
Structure gauge
The structure gauge, also called the minimum clearance outline, is the minimum height and width of tunnels and bridges as well as the minimum height and width of the doors that allow a rail siding access into a warehouse...
is not sufficiently wide for double track
Double track
A double track railway usually involves running one track in each direction, compared to a single track railway where trains in both directions share the same track.- Overview :...
. This bridge is used by freight trains of the Canadian Pacific Railway
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
(CPR), the and by the Blainville-Saint-Jerome Line suburban trains of the Metropolitan Transportation Agency
Agence métropolitaine de transport
The Agence métropolitaine de transport is the umbrella organization that plans, integrates, and coordinates public transportation services across Canada's Greater Montreal Region, including the Island of Montreal, Laval , and communities along both the North Shore of the Rivière des Mille-Îles...
.
Czech Republic
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
historic and similarly on a narrow bridge in . In addition, they are used in various places in Prague and Brno
Brno
Brno by population and area is the second largest city in the Czech Republic, the largest Moravian city, and the historical capital city of the Margraviate of Moravia. Brno is the administrative centre of the South Moravian Region where it forms a separate district Brno-City District...
where interlacing is used to shift the switches away from high-traffic intersections, in order to improve traffic flow.
In the rail system, it is used to overlap metro and normal rail lines; these use the same gauge, but the metro's third rail would otherwise intrude upon the standard railway kinematic envelope.
Finland
In 2008, a short new interlaced section was constructed for the Helsinki tramHelsinki tram
The Helsinki tram network forms part of the Helsinki public transport system organised by Helsinki Regional Transport Authority and operated by Helsinki City Transport in the Finnish capital city of Helsinki. The trams are the main means of transport in the city centre. 56.6 million trips were made...
network, along the pedestrianised , designed for the start of service in 2009.
Germany
Mannheim
Mannheim is a city in southwestern Germany. With about 315,000 inhabitants, Mannheim is the second-largest city in the Bundesland of Baden-Württemberg, following the capital city of Stuttgart....
, gauntlet track is used to shift the switch out of the road to prevent the switch from being driven over by cars and trucks. Mannheim also uses gauntlet track to run trams within less space.
In Potsdam
Potsdam
Potsdam is the capital city of the German federal state of Brandenburg and part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. It is situated on the River Havel, southwest of Berlin city centre....
, a short section of interlaced track takes trams through the historic Nauener Gate into the old city.
In Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
, gauntlet track was used extensively by the Stuttgarter Straßenbahnen AG
Stuttgarter Straßenbahnen AG
Stuttgarter Straßenbahnen AG is the principal public transport operating company in the German city of Stuttgart. The SSB operates light rail lines, bus lines, a rack railway, and a funicular railway.- Colour:...
in order to run services using the newer Stadtbahn, or light rail system, on route sections previously served by the older narrow-gauge tram system. The trams have now been completely phased out, save for occasional "old-timer" special runs, and all platforms are being converted from street-level to raised in order to accommodate the higher floors of the new vehicles.
The Netherlands
Gemeentelijk Vervoerbedrijf
The Gemeentelijk Vervoerbedrijf is the municipal transport company of Amsterdam. As of 2007, the GVB is an independent corporation wholly owned by the city of Amsterdam.-History:...
uses gauntlet track to increase space for shoppers in the 12 m (39.4 ft)-wide in the city centre. In this busy and otherwise pedestrianised shopping street, the tram stop
Tram stop
A tram stop is a place designated for a tram to stop so passengers can board or alight it. Tram stops share most characteristics of bus stops, but because trams operate on rails, they often include railway platforms, especially if stepless entries are provided for accessibility...
s are located on the bridges over the canals, where more space is available, permitting passing loops that can just accommodate two trams in each direction. Intermediate sections are gauntlet track. As service is frequent on routes 1, 2 and 5 which use this line, this arrangement often leads to delays. However, on line 10 in Czaar Peterstraat, the situation is reversed, and a short section of gauntlet track occurs in a line that is otherwise double, to make room for the platforms at the tram stop. Oddly, in a second radial route, at , the passing places on the bridges are served by preset points with single track between them, rather than by gauntlet track. Amsterdam has two other short sections of gauntlet track; opposite a loading bay in (route 14) and preceding the points entering the eastern terminal loop outside Amsterdam Centraal railway station.
New Zealand
Portugal
The Lisbon tram systemTrams in Lisbon
The Lisbon tramway network serves the municipality of Lisbon, capital city of Portugal. In operation since 1873, it presently comprises five urban lines, and is primarily a tourist attraction.-History:...
interlaces to negotiate one particularly narrow corner in Alfama
Alfama
Alfama is the oldest district of Lisbon, spreading on the slope between the Castle of Lisbon and the Tejo river. Its name comes from the Arabic Al-hamma, meaning fountains or baths...
.
Spain
The "Metrocentro T1" tram line of the Seville metroSeville metro
The Seville metro is a light metro network serving the city of Seville, Spain and its metropolitan area. The system is totally independent of any other rail or street traffic. All stations were built with platform screen doors....
that opened in 2007 features a 300 m section of interlaced track along the city's main pedestrian street. The section runs down , past the Seville Cathedral
Seville Cathedral
The Cathedral of Saint Mary of the See , better known as Seville Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Seville . It is the largest Gothic cathedral and the third-largest church in the world....
and World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
.
United Kingdom
- Nottingham Express TransitNottingham Express TransitNottingham Express Transit is a light-rail tramway in the Nottingham area in England. The first line opened to the public on 9 March 2004, having cost £200 million to construct. The scheme took sixteen years from conception to implementation...
: just north of The Forest, to avoid a set of pointsRailroad switchA railroad switch, turnout or [set of] points is a mechanical installation enabling railway trains to be guided from one track to another at a railway junction....
in the middle of a road junction. - TramlinkTramlinkTramlink is a tramway system in south London in the United Kingdom which began operation in May 2000...
in South London: at MitchamMitchamMitcham is a district in the south west area of London, in the London Borough of Merton. A suburban area, Mitcham is located on the border of Inner London and Outer London. It is both residentially and financially developed, well served by Transport for London, and home to Mitcham Town Centre,...
, where a short obstruction prevents double track being used; and at Church Street, to avoid a set of points in the middle of a road junction. - The National Tramway MuseumNational Tramway MuseumThe National Tramway Museum, at Crich, in Derbyshire, England, is situated within Crich Tramway Village, a period village containing a pub, cafe, old-style sweetshop, including the tram depots. The village is also home to the Eagle Press, a small museum dedicated to Letterpress Printing including...
: short section under the narrow Bowes-Lyon Bridge, which causes logistical problems on major running days. - The Great Orme TramwayGreat Orme TramwayThe Great Orme Tramway is a cable-hauled gauge tramway in Llandudno in north Wales.This is Great Britain's only remaining cable operated street tramway and one of only three surviving in the world . It takes passengers from Llandudno Victoria Station to just below the summit of the Great Orme...
: section on the lower part. - The Ecclesbourne Valley RailwayEcclesbourne Valley RailwayThe Ecclesbourne Valley Railway is a long heritage railway in Derbyshire, the headquarters of the railway centre around Wirksworth station and services operate between Wirksworth and Duffield and Wirksworth and Ravenstor...
: a short section at Wirksworth to allow either the passenger platform or the stone dock to be used.
United States
Roselle ParkRoselle Park (NJT station)
Roselle Park is a New Jersey Transit railroad station on the Conrail Lehigh Line, served by Raritan Valley Line trains direct to Hoboken, New Jersey, Newark, New Jersey, Westfield, New Jersey, Plainfield, New Jersey, Raritan, New Jersey, and High Bridge, New Jersey...
and Union Station
Union (NJT station)
Union Station is a New Jersey Transit railroad station on the Raritan Valley Line, in Union Township, Union County, New Jersey. Completed in 2003 at a cost of $24.8 million, it is Union's first passenger train station since the 1920s on the Rahway Valley Railroad short line. It filled the eight...
on the Raritan Valley Line
Raritan Valley Line
The Raritan Valley Line is a diesel-engine-powered commuter rail service operated by New Jersey Transit , originating out of Pennsylvania Station, located in Newark, New Jersey, with most trains terminating at the Raritan station, located in Raritan, New Jersey.Some weekday trains continue further...
, in New Jersey, and New Carrollton on the Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
Northeast Corridor in Maryland have gauntlet track. The gauntlet track, with active switches, is used passing high-level platforms, where the track is shared by both passenger and freight trains. The gauntlet track allows freight trains the extra clearance they may require, by moving the train further away from the platform edge. This type of point gauntlet is also used on the South Shore Line (NICTD)
South Shore Line (NICTD)
The South Shore Line is an electrically powered interurban commuter rail line operated by the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District between Millennium Station in downtown Chicago and the South Bend Regional Airport in South Bend, Indiana...
railroad at stations in Hegewisch
Hegewisch (NICTD)
The Hegewisch Station is a commuter rail station within the city of Chicago, Illinois, that serves the South Shore Line north to Millennium Station and east to the cities of Hammond, East Chicago, Gary, Michigan City, and South Bend, Indiana...
in Illinois and Hammond
Hammond (NICTD)
The Hammond Station is a commuter rail station in Hammond, Indiana that serves the South Shore Line north to Millennium Station and east to East Chicago, Gary, Michigan City, and South Bend, Indiana. The station originally had ground-level platforms, but in 1998, the platforms were raised to...
and East Chicago
East Chicago (NICTD)
The East Chicago station is located on 5615 Indianapolis Boulevard in East Chicago, Indiana. The phone number is 398-0055. It serves the South Shore Line commuter rail line from Chicago, Illinois to South Bend, Indiana...
in Indiana. (SouthShore Freight
Chicago SouthShore and South Bend Railroad
The Chicago SouthShore and South Bend Railroad , known to many as the South Shore Line, is a Class III freight railroad operating between Chicago, Illinois, and South Bend, Indiana...
runs freight trains on the NICTD line.) A frog gauntlet section on the NICTD line in Gary, Indiana
Gary, Indiana
Gary is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The city is in the southeastern portion of the Chicago metropolitan area and is 25 miles from downtown Chicago. The population is 80,294 at the 2010 census, making it the seventh-largest city in the state. It borders Lake Michigan and is known...
, was removed in 1997 after a 1993 fatal near head on accident where the tracks diverged.
The Westside Express Service (WES) regional rail line in the Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, suburbs has gauntlet track at its three intermediate stations, Hall-Nimbus, Tigard
Tigard, Oregon
Tigard is a city in Washington County, Oregon, United States. The population was 48,035 at the 2010 census. As of 2007, Tigard was the state's 12th largest city. Incorporated in 1961, the city is located south of Beaverton and north of Tualatin, and is part of the Portland metropolitan area...
and Tualatin
Tualatin, Oregon
Tualatin is a city located primarily in Washington County in the U.S. state of Oregon. A small portion of the city is also located in neighboring Clackamas County. It is a southwestern suburb in the Portland Metropolitan Area that is located south of Tigard...
. These locations are along a stretch of track that WES trains shares with freight trains of the Portland & Western Railroad. Gauntlets at the stations allows freight cars to clear the high-level platforms.
The Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad
Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad
The Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad Company was a railroad connecting Pennsylvania's Lackawanna Valley, rich in anthracite coal, to Hoboken, New Jersey, , Buffalo and Oswego, New York...
used gauntlet track to allow two sets of track to be placed in the centre-line through the Oxford Tunnel in New Jersey.
Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
's B&P Tunnel
Baltimore and Potomac Tunnel
The Baltimore and Potomac Tunnel is a double track, masonry arch railroad tunnel beneath Baltimore, Maryland. It now serves Northeast Corridor rail service operated by Amtrak and MARC Train passenger railroads with an average of 135 trains per weekday traversing the tunnel.Whether considered a...
, underneath Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
on the Northeast Corridor
Northeast Corridor
The Northeast Corridor is a fully electrified railway line owned primarily by Amtrak serving the Northeast megalopolis of the United States from Boston in the north, via New York to Washington, D.C. in the south, with branches serving other cities...
, was equipped with a point gauntlet on one of its two tracks. Installed by the Pennsylvania Railroad
Pennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
in the mid-1950s to allow TOFC trains to fit through the tunnel, Amtrak removed it in the mid-1990s after most freight trains had been routed away from the Northeast Corridor.
External links
- nycsubway.org - picture of gauntlet track at Union Station