Welcome to the interlocking walkthrough I've been dreading for days now. I can assure you this one is gonna be a wild ride. DIVIDE, not that it's a weird interlocking, just has a lot to it's name and is difficult to understand/explain due to it's complexity. I'll do my best though.
DIVIDE Interlocking, known as DIV for short, is one of my personal favorites, is one of the larger interlockings in this project, spanning 3 miles from west to east. Due of the size of this interlocking, I cannot take one photo of it, therefore, you can follow along using Google earth. Here’s a bird eye view of the location.
DIVIDE Interlocking gets it name due to it's apparent form. As the name suggests, the interlocking "divides" into two after Hicksville, with the Port Jefferson Branch splitting up towards Huntington and Port Jefferson, while the Main Line goes down towards Ronkonkoma, Greenport, and Montauk via the Central.
DIVIDE has always existed at this location since the Port Jefferson Branch was built all those years ago. When they elevated Hicksville, this interlocking got a new look, and an elevated viaduct above it's former location.
Switches
DIVIDE Interlocking begins almost halfway between Westbury and Hicksville. If your approaching the interlocking from the west, it begins just east of the Wantagh Parkway Overpass.
Now, the first switch we encounter heading from the west to the east (eastbound) is a crossover from Mainline 2 (the eastbound track) to Mainline 1 (the middle "third" track). That switch is rarely used by passenger service, however, it's not uncommon for freight to use it to access the next switch.
Following after that, there's another crossover, this time from Mainline 1 (the middle track) to Mainline 3 (the eastbound track).
Next, the North Track branches off the Main Line. The North Track is rarely used, especially after East Side Access, however, it's used every once in a while to store a train during peak hours that begins or ends its run in Hicksville. But it's mainly used to store an MP15AC or two camping out there to get out of the way of other incoming Main Line traffic. The North Track is electrified by third rail, therefore an M7 can camp there if need be.
From the North Track splits of the Runaround track. The Runaround track is used to "runaround" engines in the rare case that it's "necessary". "Runaround" is a railway term used to describe run an engine around a train, so, back in the days before cab cars, once a train reached it's final destination and wanted to change direction, they literally had to physically uncouple it from the rest of the train, pull it forward, reverse it onto another track, then "run around" the train it's coupled to, then go past another switch, then pull it forward onto the track with the train on it and recouple it. But then somebody invented one of the best inventions in modern railroading, cab cars, and the need to turn around (runaround) engines at every end point went away (imagine if those things were stuck on the 42nd Street Shuttle). During regular LIRR operations these days, it's quite rare to see the need for a runaround, however, in a location so busy with so much work action, I personally think it's nice to have just in case. The runaround track does not have third rail.
Roughly halfway down this runaround track, the lead track for the Hicksville Team Yard splits off. The Hicksville Team Yard is home to two customers from what I understand: Eastern Wholesale Fence which receives covered hoppers with polyvinl, and Consolidated Edison (known as Con-Ed), which receives Di-Electric Fluid (no idea what that is) in tankers. Further down the runaround track there's a small stub track that splits off. It currently serves no purpose and pretty much just sits there.
It's important to note that we've now entered milepost 24 (meaning there's 24 miles to Long Island City)
At around this point, the speed limit drops from 80 mph (the maxium allowed speed on the railroad... period) to 40 mph.
After that, the North track continues for a short distance before merging back into Mainline 3, then goes for roughly a couple hundred feet, before merging off again and then going east for another couple hundred feet before ending again with a bumper block. Meanwhile, shortly before that siding ends for the second time, there's a crossover from Mainline 2 to Mainline 3, and while that's going on, there's another crossover between Mainline 1 and Mainline 3. This is followed by both Mainline 1 and Mainline 3 merging into one track along with Mainline 2 crossing over.
Right after the speed change, there's a crossover from Mainline 2 to Mainline 1, then there's another crossover from Mainline 1 to Mainline 3, then Mainline 3 goes to the left of platform A. Then, there's another crossover from Mainline 1 to Mainline 2, and those tracks become Station tracks 2 and 3. (confusing, I know).
The tracks through the station are considered Mainline 3 at top, Mainline 1 middle, and Mainline 2 being the southernmost.
Here's a quick fun fact while we talk about Hicksville: Did you know that platform B is tied for being the second-longest platform in the entire system? Platforms E, F and G in Penn Station take the cake for being the longest at 17 cars, then both Hicksville and Bellmore tie at second with 14 car platforms. However, the LIRR doesn't run any trains longer then 12 cars (from what I know the M3s and M7s can't, and while the M9s have, they would never be in revenue service, and if we were to see a 14-car diesel set (quite useful on #6005, wouldn't it be?, it would probably require 3 engines!)
Once we get east of the station, that's where things get real complicated. Beginning with Mainline 2, immediately east east of the station, there's a switch, so you can either stay straight on Mainline 2 and head towards Ronkonkoma, or you can diverge to the left where your lined up with Port Jefferson 2 towards Huntington.
Mainline 1 is directly aligned with Port Jefferson 1, therefore a Port Jeff westbound has a straight shot through the station. Mainline 3, however, merges into Mainline 1, and just as that is happening, there's a diamond/double slip switch allowing for a train from Mainline 3 to either go straight over the diamond and head east on Mainline 2, or make a left and go east on Port Jefferson 1 instead. Most westbounds from the Ronkonkoma Branch use this switch to stay on Mainline 1 through the entire interlocking then platform on Mainline 1 (the middle track), this would also explain why many of the trains from Hicksville platform on this track because they come from the Ronkonkoma Branch. [exhale then deep breath] Complicated, huh, well it’s just getting started.
Mainline 1 then goes east a bit more before there’s another diamond/slip switch that allows for a train on Mainline 1 to either straight onto Mainline 1 or to go left onto Port Jefferson 2. Followed by that, at this switch, the switch that first broke off my Mainline 2 before towards Port Jefferson 2 meets here, and allows trains from Mainline 2 to get to Mainline 1 if a train wanted to go from the eastbound to the westbound tracks @Hicksville.
At this point is where both branches part ways as the Port Jefferson heads up towards Syosset, Cold Spring, Huntington and Port Jefferson, meanwhile the Main Line heads down towards Bethpage, Farmingdale, Brentwood, Central Islip, Ronkonkoma, Riverhead and Greenport.
On the Port Jefferson side, towards the very end of the interlocking Port Jefferson 1 goes to Port Jefferson 2. The speed limit then upgrades back up to 80 after that final signal bridge is passed.
Meanwhile, on the Main Line, there’s a crossover from Mainline 1 to Mainline 2. If your like me and your wondering why there’s not crossovers between Mainline and Port Jeff 2 back to Mainline and Port Jeff 1 on these lines, that’s because that dirty work should’ve been taken care of in the peak of the interlocking.
At this point, the interlocking finally ends! Finally!
Signals
DIVIDE Interlocking consists of those old Pensy-style position light signals as you've might have guessed. As you've seen, the interlocking is huge and there's all sorts of signals (gantries, pedestals, you name it), and explaining it would make me crash out.
Towers
DIVIDE Interlocking is home to DIVIDE tower, which controls all the smaller interlockings east of here on the Port Jefferson Branch and Main Line (this consists of KO, AMOTT, HUNT, DUKE, FOX, POST, STONY, JEFF, BETH, FARM, JS, PILGRIM, PINEAIRE, and CI if your keeping score.)
Neighbors
DIVIDE interlocking is bordered to the west by obviously NASSAU, and as for the east, since DIVIDE is a junction, it's bordered by AMOTT on the Port Jefferson Branch and BETH on the Main Line.
Hew! Well, that was long! Way longer then I expected, anyways, this wraps up DIVIDE. Next up is PILGRIM interlocking in Brentwood (That's nice and easy!)