L&N switch back - Trains Magazine

SSW9389

Hagans Switchback is between Loyall, KY and Appalachia, VA on CSX.

This is a link to a previous Thread on Hagans Switchback: 

(ADD) I think that this switchback is located in the area of the Cumberland Gap National Park,and is close to the route of US Hwy 25 over the gap, through a hwy tunnel, IIRC( ?).

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 Railway man responded on the above link:

Railfan1 wrote:

A few years ago, I saw a pentrax movie entitled "CSX Eastern Kentucky Coal" (or something to that effect) and it showed a segment about "Hagan's switchback" which was stated to be the only operational switchback left in the US. This was filmed in the 90's and I was wondering if this was still in use. It seemed very outdated in the 90's so I was wondering if it made it into the 21st century?

Here's a photo taken 10 months ago:

The definitive article is in August 1985 Trains, pages 24-32.  If you can't find a back copy, Trains will make a pdf or xerox for a nominal fee. 

The switchbacks at Hagans (no apostrophe), Virginia are unusual, though its really an accidental switchback at a one-way junction where the direction of through traffic reversed.  A true switchback is a line-of-road device used to advance a line over vertical topography more cheaply than loops or tunnels.  While there are numerous examples in North America of a train that enters a junction wrong-way and has to do a runaround, I don't know of another instance on a main track that has the full "intermediate leg" that enables the train to enter the leave the junction facing the same way it entered the junction.  The last switchback I can otherwise recall in regular service was on D&RGW's Monarch Branch, abandoned in 1983.  That was a true switchback, used to lift the line up the side of a mountain, and constructed with that intent.  I seem to recall one on CPR's Kimberley line in B.C., and there is at least one in Mexico in service.  

I wouldn't call this outdated or obsolete.  It's on a line with low train density and low operating speeds.  The cost of constructing a straight connection would probably never be repaid by the 30-45 minutes of running time per train that would be saved.  There are some other nominally outdated practices still in use such as doubling the hill that also make very good economic sense, too.

RWM 

Would also suggest that you query in the 'Community Search' option on the right side of the page with some thing like CSX (or L&N) Switchback and it will pull appropriate Threads.