I'm wondering how you define spurs for the purpose of including them in the Timetable. What's the difference between a "spur" and an "industrial lead"?

The reason I ask is that there are spurs of greater than a quarter mile at both Camarillo and Leesdale, that TT12 doesn't mention. (The latter is the current resting place for the Oxnard Dead Line.)

Thanks,

Bob Cheatham coastrails.com

-- Bob Cheatham (bob@coastrails.com), February 28, 2002

Answers

There is another one at Ortega, south of Santa Barbara. It does show in the track chart, though UP doesn't consider Ortega to be a station. The problem with spur tracks is there isn't any detail given to them in any documentation I receive from any railroads. Most that are shown reflect older information, which may or may not be as accurate as it was in the past.

Industrial Leads or Industrial Spurs allow the railroad to declare certain branchlines to be "other than main track" reliving the dispatcher from control of that track. A spur may be a set out track, or a track into an industry.

Speaking of the spurs you mention, quite a few sidings on former Western Pacific tracks have a set out track, more so than most other railroads I've seen.

-- Rob (rob@altamontpress.com), March 02, 2002.