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I was sitting at this crossing today waiting for a LONG CNR to pass (forever intermodal cars...), and the thought occured to me. How does the warning-light system work? Is there something on the tracks that the train trips?
Please help train people.
(know of any good train photo sites?)
I was sitting at this crossing today waiting for a LONG CNR to pass (forever intermodal cars...), and the thought occured to me. How does the warning-light system work? Is there something on the tracks that the train trips?
www.howstuffworks.com has some articles on that, and lots of other train/subway related articles.
I suspect it's tripped magnetically. Just like many gates that go up when a car pulls up to it. Of course, a track pressure switch is a possibility too... and then there's the possibility of having the switch trip automatically by a mainframe computer that tracks positions of the train network and knows which intersection to close the gates at... but I don't really know for sure - just speculation.
and then there's the possibility of having the switch trip automatically by a mainframe computer that tracks positions of the train network and knows which intersection to close the gates at... but I don't really know for sure - just speculation.
Assuming Cameron was asking about tracks in Canada, there is ZERO possibility. The Union Station in downtown Toronto still uses 1920s-technology track switches!
Assuming Cameron was asking about tracks in Canada, there is ZERO possibility. The Union Station in downtown Toronto still uses 1920s-technology track switches!
Well at least that way there's no chance of the system crashing.
I was sitting at this crossing today waiting for a LONG CNR to pass (forever intermodal cars...), and the thought occured to me. How does the warning-light system work? Is there something on the tracks that the train trips?
As an überTrainnerd...I might help if you have got a picture of the tracks
Ok, I had a chance to meet with the Signals & Communications supervisor of Canadian Pacific Railway, and I brought this question up to him.
He explained that the new systems that they're putting in works as an electric circuit, There are circuitry buried beneath the tracks, and connected to the rail signals and gate. When a train approaches the circuitry, its axle (made of metal of course) would close the circuit, so that the signals would respond. When the last train car leaves, the circuit would be open again.
Also, for some signal systems, they are sending a frequency along the circuitry. Then by calculating the time it takes that frequency to travel from one end of the train to the other, one can get the actual speed of the train.
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