Large Scale Central

one of the most interesting switches/turnouts

Now that is one of the most interesting switches/turnouts I’ve ever seen,

“Dundon, WV Station and junction with the Buffalo Creek and Gauley Railroad. 5/29/1960”

Seems to me kinda like a reverse stub switch, where the incoming rails are fixed and the four outgoing rails are being bent. Probably twice as difficult to throw… Wonder why the long parallel rail section? Trying to avoid a curved turnout?

Deleted as irrelevant

Cliff Jennings said:

Seems to me kinda like a reverse stub switch, where the incoming rails are fixed and the four outgoing rails are being bent. Probably twice as difficult to throw… Wonder why the long parallel rail section? Trying to avoid a curved turnout?

It’s a normal turnout with the points moving. Looks odd because of the long lead. Probably that long because of the reverse S curve to the left if it was a normal length lead.

Probably that long because of the reverse S curve to the left if it was a normal length lead.

Well, maybe, but why not put the points in the usual place, close to the frog? Why prolong the distance between them?

My suspicion is that there was something else going on originally, and that got cobbled together when the ‘something else’ was removed.

From the other end

It likely won’t answer any of these questions but switch remains visible on Google Maps Satellite view,

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Dundon,+B,+WV+25043/@38.4621659,-81.0718532,82m/data=!3m1!1e3

Wow. That just looks so…wrong!

Pete Thornton said:

Probably that long because of the reverse S curve to the left if it was a normal length lead.

Well, maybe, but why not put the points in the usual place, close to the frog? Why prolong the distance between them?

My suspicion is that there was something else going on originally, and that got cobbled together when the ‘something else’ was removed.

Perhaps the “something else” was another switch (using the points that still remain) that went straight toward the other track in the distance.