Post, Freight and Carriers

What is a "Subdivision" in terms of freight train traffic?

I have heard of like "Brownsville Subdivision" with the KCS Railroad. I know that trains operate in subdivisions, I'm just not sure what they mean/consist of/what engineers go by.

Public Comments

1. A Sub-Division is just a specific part of a Division, necessary to distinguish one route from another, primarily. A Superintendent oversees a Division, where underlings supervise various sub-divisions. Think of them as varying parts of a large city. By way of example, New York City, a "division," has its differing burroughs; Queens, the Bronx, Harlem, etc. These are the "sub-divisions" of NYC.
2. Hoghead is right, they are a section of a railroad, usually for operational purposes. For instance we have a 65 mile branch line going north, it is our 9th sub. Going west of our home terminal is the 4th sub, east is the 3rd sub. There are usually some small differences in operating practices from one subdivision to another, for instance one subdivision may have smaller rail and certain cars or engines wont be allowed or perhaps one subdivision has steeper grade and has different horsepower restrictions. Good question.