Trainz Railfanning Pt 179: Shinkansen, Amtrak, NJ Transit, NS, CSX, Tramway

I found a new Shinkansen available on the Download Station, so I thought I'd feature it here.

This route exists in a fictional universe where the United States was so interested in the Shinkansen, they decided to purchase it. Unfortunately, the tracks were too poor to run the Shinkansen on, so a new main line was built parallel to the Northeast Corridor to test it on. They wanted to run this train at full operating speed, but had to worry about railroad crossings. In the U.S. and pretty much everywhere else, the maximum speed at railroad crossings is 125 mph (200km/h). Against all odds, they managed to convince the FRA to allow speeds of up to 200 mph under certain conditions.

1) On shared railroad crossings, there must be a secondary warning device that's easily distinguishable from the main warning device.

2) The entire roadway and / or sidewalk must be blocked on all sides - even on one-way streets.

3) Bullet Train railroad crossings must differ from conventional railroad crossings

4) The gates must be fence-like - similar to the ones you'd see in Britain.

5) A Bullet Train Grade Crossing, or Shinkansen Railroad Crossing is defined as any railroad crossing where at least one type of train regularly crosses at a speed exceeding 125 mph (200km/h) - If a freight train crossed at this speed, it would still be considered a Bullet Train Grade Crossing.

Amtrak decided to adopt the system used in Japan, since it was easily distinguishable from the crossing signs already in use.

In this town they faced a problem. The shortest route to the next station required them to build tracks in the middle of the divided highway. They had to cross a tramway that is also shared with Norfolk Southern and CSX to make deliveries to factories in the area. Generally, freight trains get the right-of-way over passenger trains, but Amtrak didn't want their new Shinkansen to be slowed by anything. When NS and CSX refused to give their right-of-way, Amtrak took them to court. A long legal battle ensued. Eventually, it was ruled that Shinkansen trains get the right-of-way over all trains. To safely cross this active, high-speed railroad, freight trains had to be shortened to just 6 cars. Eventually, NS and CSX moved their main line to a parallel street where most of their traffic now goes. The local freight still occasionally uses this crossing. The tram company hates this crossing because it often holds up their passengers.

NJ Transit later built a two-track main line in-between the Shinkansen tracks to take advantage of the faster route to the station.

Trainfan1055
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