Spot numbers / siding numbers / Wheelspur

This was posted over at the NYA forum previously. Perhaps folks here might shed light on previous LIRR operations, prior to NYA, and address the current NYA situation also? Thanks. Steve



Spot numbers / siding numbers / Wheelspur

New postby DaveBarraza » Fri Jul 15, 2016 11:48 am
Question:

Some roads use spot numbers and/or track numbers to identify certain spots or tracks, helpful in an area with a lot of trackage or customers.

ref: http://modelingthesp.com/Operations/SPINS.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

From what I can determine, LIRR/NYA crews don't have any such formal system for identifying tracks or spots, the tracks and customers just have names - and not necessarily up-to-date names (Eldee a.k.a. PC Richards = stone for Astro Ready Mix).

In a location like Wheelspur, where Sherwood, Yang Ming, and Healthy Brand Oils all take loads is it safe to say that the crews just know where to spot the cars by experience and/or figuring-out?

...and now that I think about it, the place everyone has been calling "Wheelspur" because that's what it was called before... is it actually called "Wheelspur" by crews? or something more creative, like "Son of Arch Street" 8-D

Thanks,
Dave

Yardmasters would tell Conductors which consignee would receive which car, so generally consignees' names were used.

Crews used informal track names, consignee names and track numbers. Sometimes the names used by the railroad referred to consignees from the past who were long gone, or colloquial names. For example, the Jamaica Water Supply siding in Holban was always "The Waterworks". Continental (Wonder Bread) in Jamaica was always "The Bakers'". And the Yard A north track was "The (Big) Stink".

Only the Track Department used the more formal names from Engineering Department maps.

This is actually something interesting, that never dawned on me.

Just about every other road used some sort of a code system, for every single door on the road. LI never seemed to do this. I imagine some very in depth switch lists were built once upon a time, especially for customers like Allied who had multi-car spots, and specific orders.

The LIRR did publish a "List of Sidings" and each siding had a number (for the Operating Department), a letter and number (for the Accounting Department) designations, as did their stations. Those siding numbers were hardly ever used by crews. Yardmasters used them the decode destinations from bills of lading and the Accounting Department used them for billing. A few of the older freight conductors were familiar with the station numbers and worked their jobs from the waybills. Decades ago, the list was included in the ADL205 manuals. Each branch had a letter, and a number followed that was exclusive to a station or siding:
A Atlantic
F Far Rockaway
G Greenport (Main Line)
H Hempstead
L Long Beach
N North Side Division (old name Port Washington Branch)
O Oyster Bay
P Port Jefferson
S South Shore (Montauk Branch)
R Rockaway
W West Hempstead
X Long Island City

1924: Perhaps CR4 1924 Stations & Sidings Suffolk, for example:
http://www.trainsarefun.com/lirr/cr-4/C ... 1-1924.jpg

1944: Long Island Rail Road CR-4: Listing of Stations having car load freight delivery, car float capacity, interchanges, track capacities, local freight schedule and other information for use of Freight and Yard Trainmen and Yard Clerks September 1, 1944
http://www.trainsarefun.com/lirr/cr-4/cr-4book44.htm


Track Capacity-Working Yards, Team Tracks

http://www.trainsarefun.com/lirr/cr-4/C ... 1-1924.jpg

http://www.trainsarefun.com/lirr/cr-4/cr-4book44.htm

That's good stuff! Thanks

Kelly&Kelly wrote:The LIRR did publish a "List of Sidings"...

_______________________________________________________________________________

Found it! http://www.trainsarefun.com/lirr/lirrex ... ralist.htm 40% down the page



LIRR A.D.L. 205 Manual of Instructions to Conductors and Collectors lists the station numbers alphabetically and numerically for both the Operating Department (O.D.) and the Accounting Department (A.D.). These numbers can be found on LIRR passenger tickets; for example. Archive: Brad Phillips

Thanks all, for the replies.

Maybe captain obvious here, but looks like the number designated the closest mile post and the letter was the branch designation with the nearest MP on that branch.

Thanks for pointing this out..

S South Shore (Montauk Branch)
http://www.trainsarefun.com/lirr/lirrex ... ers002.jpg

B Babylon
S-41 Bay Shore
S-43 Islip
...
S-53 Blue Point