Whats a track warrant?

Question

can anyone tell me what is a track warrant

the only warrants i have heard of are police warrant

but how ca the police arrest a track?

Answer 1

A Track Warrant is a type of written Authority received by a train from a Train Dispatcher to occupy the main track and move in a specified direction(s) between two specified points in TWC (Track Warrant Control) territory.

It is used in other instances to confer authority to move "against the current of traffic" where current of traffic is in place with double track.  When moving with the current of traffic in double track (current of traffic is simply trains moving on one track in one direction and in the opposite direction on the other, just like on a two lane highway) the signals are visible in one direction only.  Should an emergency arrise or for other reasons, and a train must move "in the wrong direction", since there will be no signals to see, it is the same as running in TWC Territory, where there are no signals.

Think of a road construction area, where you are required to drive on the left.  There is a flagman at each end to protect the movements.  A Track Warrant does thwe same thing in this instance.  

These replaced the good 'ol  "Clearance" and the accompanying "Run Extra" (directional authority) or "Work Extra" (authorized to operate in both directions) Train Order.  But, only us dinosaurs remember them and NONE of us dinosaurs miss them...  Train Order Operation was difficult and quite confusing.

And here is the SAFETY part of the answer.  You know how when driving and crossing the tracks, if you always see trains running in one direction on one track all the time, and they're on the other track going the other way? Say hello to "double track with current of traffic."

You're in a hurry today, and sure enough, there's a darned train coming.  You look where you always do and see nothing.  You go around..  then you say hello to the front of a train moving the other way today, under authority of a Track Warrant.  

Keep in mind, "Double Track", although always utilizing two separate tracks, these tracks are not always laying side by side.  They may be separated by several city streets or even by a couple of miles.  So, just because there is only one track doesn't mean that there is no current of traffic.

This is one of the ways it happens when someone gets tagged at a grade crossing.  Here's your star for a safety related question.  Thanks for asking.

Answer 2

It gives you authority to enter and move about on a section of track that doesnt have signals to govern movement of trains.  It gives the dispatcher a way of knowing where you are at because the tracks arent wired to a screen where he/she can see your train ( like radar sorta) so they give you a track warrant from a to b so they know where you are at; want to go farther....get another track warrant on to point c..

Answer 3

Great question, and I cant add anything, I just wanted to be able to give you a star.

No one can occupy track without some sort of authority, there are several ways and track warrant authority is one of the more common ways.

Keeps trains from bumping into one another, we try to avoid that.

Answer 4

You have to understand that the trains are run from a central authority - not like an automobile where you can just jump in and go someplace.  The engineer doesn't decide where and when the train moves, that's decided by the company, and the dispatcher keeps track of it all.  So, before a train can move, it has to have some form of permission for that train to be there, and tell it in which direction to move.  Sometimes there are signal lights to tell the train it's OK to move, but in other areas where there are no signal lights (or if the lights go out) then you need a "permission slip," a piece of paper to tell you that it's OK to go.  In the Northeast, railroads call this the "Form D."  In other areas, with other railroads, they call it different names.  CSX Railroad calls their system permission Track Warrants, and possibly other companies do also.