Siding

[Rick Berg]

During the 50-70 era, does anyone now if Wilson or Borden siding was signaled and had trains meet and pass at those locations?

[Rick Dreistadt]

Sorry for the late reply on this one.  Blame old age.  Borden was used as a passing siding.  Wilson could be used, however there was only a signal at the north end of the siding.  Special instructions in the 1964 timetable instructed that, if used, the northbound train had to take siding, and that the southbound train had to stay north of the north switch until the northbound train was in the clear and switch closed.
Rick

[Robert Gibson]

I was looking at a 1961 employee timetable and notice that some siding capacity had the letters SP next to the number.  What did the SP mean?

[Robert Wheeler]

I've recently been looking at the employee timetables from 1855 to the end and even at least one for the L&N.

Passing sidings were first listed in the special rules (& not on schedule pages) about L.NA&C #20 of 05/27/1894. Later they were moved to schedule pages with lengths first given in feet. They were later listed in carlengths then feet again and finally car lengths. One of the special rules gave the length of a car  (at least two different lengths at various times). With carlengths one of the Special Rules also indicated that there was also space for ONE locomotive and caboose on the siding.

Several of the sidings had the code "Sp" or Spur (with no indication of which end (N or S)was connected.

Some ""Sp's" were on the Michigan City Branch which never had ABS signals.

[Robert Gibson]

Thanks Bob.  I didn't think about spurs.