Gantlet track on the Croydon tramlink, Mitcham

Gantlet track (also gauntlet track, or interlaced track) is where railway tracks converge onto a single roadbed and are interlaced to pass through a narrow passage such as a cutting, bridge, or tunnel. A frog at each end allows the two tracks to overlap, and the four rails run parallel through the passage on the same crossties and separate again at the other end. This technique requires only slightly more width than a single track and eliminates the complexities of a switching system since both tracks remain discrete. The description page on the Commons links here - no point in clicking. ... The description page on the Commons links here - no point in clicking. ... Tramlink (initially known as Croydon Tramlink) is a public transport tramway in south London, operated by FirstGroup on behalf of Transport for London. ... This is the top-level page of WikiProject trains Rail tracks Rail transport refers to the land transport of passengers and goods along railways or railroads. ... In order to keep a road or rail line straight and/or flat, and where the comparative cost or practicality of alternate solutions (such as diversion) is too prohibitive, a piece of a hill or mountain is cut out to make way for it. ... This article is about the edifice (including an index to articles on specific bridge types). ... A disused railway tunnel now converted to pedestrian and bicycle use, near Houyet, Belgium A tunnel is an underground passage. ... A railroad switch is a mechanical installation enabling trains to be guided from one set of rail tracks (or tramway tracks) to another. ...

Interlaced track converges, but overlapping rather than connecting

Usage and origins

Gantlet tracks are commonly used when a rail line's capacity is increased with the addition of an additional track, but cost or other factors prevent the widening of the bridges. Since there are no points or other moving parts on gantlet track, a train operating on one of the tracks cannot be routed onto the other. Because two trains cannot use the gantlet at the same time, scheduling and block signals must allow for this restriction.

The term 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.^[1] Pair of gauntlets, Germany, end of the 16th century Gauntlet is a name for several different styles of glove. ... Running the gauntlet (alternative spellings gantlet and rarely gantlope or gantelope) is a form of physical punishment by which a person is compelled to run through a double line of soldiers who attempt to strike him or her as they pass. ...

Gantlet track can also be used to move a switch away from a heavily trafficked road, as used on the Mannheim tram system. Mannheim is a city in Germany. ... This article refers to public transport vehicles running on rails. ...

Gantlet track is typically used for short stretches of track where it is cheaper to provide extra rails than to provide switches and reduce the line to single track.

Examples worldwide

Germany: gantlet track in Mannheim.

Image File history File links Download high resolution version (616x920, 173 KB) My owh photo File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Railroad switch Tramway track ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (616x920, 173 KB) My owh photo File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Railroad switch Tramway track ...

America

Roselle Park and Union Station on the Raritan Valley Line, in New Jersey have gauntlet track. The gantlet track, with active switches, is used passing high-level platforms, where the track is shared by both passenger and freight trains. The gantlet track is used to give the freight trains the extra clearance they may require, by moving train further away from the platform edge. Roselle Park is a New Jersey Transit railroad station on the Raritan Valley Line, in Roselle Park, New Jersey. ... Union Station is a train station on the Raritan Valley Line, one stop west of Newark Penn Station. ... The Raritan Valley Line is a commuter rail service of New Jersey Transit, running out of Newark Penn Station and terminating at High Bridge. ...

The Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad used gantlet track to allow two sets of track to be placed in the centre-line through the Oxford Tunnel in New Jersey. The Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad Company (DL&W or Lackawanna) (AAR reporting marks DLW) was a railroad connecting Pennsylvanias Lackawanna Valley, rich in anthracite coal, to New York City, Buffalo and Oswego, New York. ...

Australia

The Como River bridge was built as single line in the 1880s. The line was duplicated soon after, except for the bridge. The bridge was fitted with gantlet track, which needs no turnouts, and hence needs no signal box at the far end. The bridge was replaced with a double-track bridge around 1973. For Signal Tower (former light house) in Arbroath, Scotland, see Signal Tower Museum. ... For the song by James Blunt, see 1973 (song). ...

Another example is visible in the tunnel under George Street, Railway Square, as part of the spur which leads from the connection between Sydney's intercity terminus and Redfern. 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 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. This article is about the metropolitan area in Australia. ... Darling Harbour is a large recreational pedestrian precinct situated on the western edge of central Sydney, Australia. ... The Metro Light Rail (formerly the Sydney Light Rail) is the only currently operating light rail network in the Australian city of Sydney. ...

Route taken by wide loads passing through the Gemmenich Tunnel

Belgium/Germany

The Botzelaer Tunnel/Gemmenich Tunnel under the Dreiländerpunkt (English: 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.^[2] 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. The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ...

Close to where the borders of Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands, the interlaced tunnel section provides an important connection between Germany and the Dutch 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.^[3][4]

Canada

Gantlet track exists on the Canadian Pacific Railway Bridge across the Rivière des Prairies between Montreal and Laval 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 Chemins de Fer Québec-Gatineau (CFQG) (or the Quebec Gatineau Railway (QGR)) and by the Blainville-Saint-Jerome Line suburban trains of the Agence métropolitaine de transport (Metropolitan Transportation Agency) Dusk over ÃŽle de la Visitation and the Pont Papineau-Leblanc, Rivière des Prairies The Rivière des Prairies (sometimes called the Back River in English) is a channel of the Ottawa River in southwestern Quebec, Canada. ... Nickname: Motto: Concordia Salus (well-being through harmony) Coordinates: , Country Province Region Montréal Founded 1642 Established 1832 Government  - Mayor Gérald Tremblay Area [1][2][3]  - City 365. ... Motto: Unité, progrès, grandeur(French) Unity, Progress, Greatness City of Laval Coordinates: , Country Province Founded Established 1965 Government  - City Mayor Gilles Vaillancourt (since 1989) Area  - Total 247. ... The Structure gauge, also called the minimum clearance outline, is the minimum size of tunnels and bridges as well as the minimum size of the doors that allow a rail siding access into a warehouse. ... For the sound recording technique, see doubletracking. ... This article is about the edifice (including an index to articles on specific bridge types). ... An eastbound CPR freight at Stoney Creek Bridge in Rogers Pass. ... Les Chemins de Fer Québec-Gatineau (CFQG), in English the Quebec Gatineau Railway (QGR) is the former 450 km long Canadian Pacific Railway line between Quebec City, Trois-Rivières, Laval, Lachute and Gatineau, formerly Hull. ... The Blainville line is a commuter rail line operated in the Greater Montreal, Quebec, Canada area, by the Agence métropolitaine de transport, or AMT, (in English, the Metropolitan transportation agency), the umbrella organization that plans, integrates, and coordinates public transportation services across this region. ... The Agence métropolitaine de transport (AMT) or (English: Metropolitan Transportation Agency) (AAR reporting marks AMT) is the umbrella organization that plans, integrates, and coordinates public transportation services across Canadas Greater Montreal Region, including the Island of Montreal, Laval (ÃŽle Jésus), and communities along both the North Shore...

Germany

In Mannheim, gantlet 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 gantlet track to run trams within less space. Mannheim is a city in Germany. ...

In Potsdam, a short section of interlaced track takes trams through the historic Nauener Gate into the old city. Potsdam is the capital city of the federal state of Brandenburg in Germany. ...

Picton Rail Ferry Ramp

New Zealand

The Interislander rail-ferry ramps at Wellington and Picton have triple gantlet 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.

Netherlands: short section of gantlet track at a tram stop in Amsterdam

The Netherlands

Because of space constraints, Amsterdam's tram network uses gantlet track to increase space for shoppers in the narrow Leidsestraat in the city centre. In this busy and otherwise pedestrianised shopping street, the tram stops are located on the bridges over the canals, where more space is available, permitting passing loops that can just accommodate a tram in each direction. Intermediate sections are gantlet track. As service is frequent, this arrangement often leads to delays. However, on line 10 in Czaar Peterstraat, the situation is reversed, and a short section of gantlet track occurs in a line that is otherwise double, to make room for platforms at the tram stop (see picture). Oddly, in a second radial route, Utrechtsestraat, the passing places on the bridges are served by preset points with single track between them, rather than by gantlet track. The eastern terminal loop outside Centraal Station also has a section of gantlet track preceding a set of points. The Gemeentelijk Vervoerbedrijf (GVB) (municipal transport company) of Amsterdam operates 3 metro lines, partly elevated, no level crossings. ... Luas stop at Harcourt in Dublin, Ireland A tram stop is a place designated for a tram to stop in order to have passengers board or leave it. ...

Portugal

The Lisbon tram system interlaces to negotiate one particularly narrow corner in Alfama. For other uses, see Lisbon (disambiguation). ... Categories: Portugal geography stubs ...

Spain

The "Metrocentro T1" tram line of the Seville metro that opened in 2007 features a 300m section of interlaced track along the city's main pedestrian street. The section runs down Avenue de la Constitución, past the Seville Cathedral and World Heritage Site. The Seville metro (Metro de Sevilla in Spanish) is a light metro network currently under construction in the city of Seville, Spain and its metropolitan area. ... Cathedral from the Patio of Oranges Interior of the Cathedral Façade of the Cathedral The Cathedral of Seville, formally Catedral de Santa María de la Sede (Cathedral of Saint Mary of the See) was begun in 1402, with construction continuing into the 16th century. ... A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a specific site (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that has been nominated and confirmed for inclusion on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 State...

United Kingdom

In Britain gantlet track is usually called interlaced track and was often used where street tramways had to pass through narrow streets and even archways in ancient city walls.

• Nottingham Express Transit: just north of The Forest, to avoid a set of points in the middle of a road junction.

• Tramlink in South London: at Mitcham, where a short obstruction prevents double track being used; and at Church St, to avoid a set of points in the middle of a road junction.

• The National Tramway Museum: short section under the narrow Bowes-Lyon Bridge, which causes logistical problems on major running days.

Nottingham Express Transit (or in short NET) is a light-rail tramway in the Nottingham area in England. ... Tramlink (initially known as Croydon Tramlink) is a public transport tramway in south London, operated by FirstGroup on behalf of Transport for London. ... The National Tramway Museum at Crich, Derbyshire, England, is home to many trams, most of which ran through the streets of cities throughout the United Kingdom and some of which are from other countries. ...

Other ideas

Railway curves are generally canted to counter the effects of centrifugal force when going around a curve. The outside rail is raised above the inner rail, thereby tilting the train inwards as it proceeds around the curve, reducing uncomfortable experiences felt by passengers and the forces on the track. Centrifugal force (from Latin centrum centre and fugere to flee) is a term which may refer to two different forces which are related to rotation. ...

One problem is that the cant deficiency varies with the speed of the particular train. Freight trains travel slower than high-speed trains and therefore require less cant to compensate. If there are separate fast and slow lines it is possible to optimise each set of tracks for most likely speed ranges encountered, something not possible without space for two sets of tracks.

An extension of the idea, proposed in 2005, is to build interlaced track through particularly problematic tight curves, allowing both high and low cant compensation within the same trackbed space. High-speed passenger trains would use one pair of tracks and slower, freight traffic the other set.^[5] No track of this type currently exists.

See also

• Rail terminology (US/UK differences highlighted)

Two rail welds in continuous welded rail in Wisconsin. ...

Notes

Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 147th day of the year (148th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 73rd day of the year (74th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Gauntlet track

• Gauntlet track - four rails in Minneapolis (with diagram)
• nycsubway.org - picture of Gantlet Track at Union Station