do rail road crossings use elextricity
- Thread starter butter
- Start date
Gandalf0444
FVRR member
I've seen some of them use solar power.
Well what else are they going to run on? Big flashing light bulbs and moving gate thingies generally require a certain amount of "elextricity."
Alan_Yeomans
New member
They are usually designed that if the power goes out they fail into safe mode. EG cars cant cross.
http://www.hightechscience.org/solar_express.htm
Solar powered railways.
It all depends on the railroad and the crossing installation, but they are all designed to be failsafe, meaning they will provide protection no matter what happens. Most crossings in the US have batteries that provide backup should the main power fail. In many cases, the crossings always operate from the battery power, but the main power also constantly charges the batteries. In theory, should the power outage countinue, the batteries could go dead. In that case, most gates are set to be 'power up,' and the lack of power causes them to drop and close the crossing.
TheOneCalledA1
New member
Usually if it is only a small-scale power outage, the RR will send out a guy or two to manually direct traffic. Thats how SEPTA does it.
Gandalf0444
FVRR member
Hahaha very funny Alan:hehe:
What happens when theres a power cut at night?
I should have read your post better sorry but that is a ingenious invention.
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No Matter what happens?...
8) My railroad scanner begs to differ with the ability to trust any device other than Look, Listen & Live!
Many times the power is on to the crossing, or even if there are backup batteries, or in the case of a catastrophic storm, generator power.
But the darn sensors in the track go bum, and the head end crew advise the dispatcher of crossing the road before the lights and gates activate!
...a signal maintainer is dispatched to the errant crossing, for maintenance...
8) My railroad scanner begs to differ with the ability to trust any device other than Look, Listen & Live!
Many times the power is on to the crossing, or even if there are backup batteries, or in the case of a catastrophic storm, generator power.
But the darn sensors in the track go bum, and the head end crew advise the dispatcher of crossing the road before the lights and gates activate!
...a signal maintainer is dispatched to the errant crossing, for maintenance...
WileeCoyote
Eatibus Almost Anythingus
Here in Germany there are quite a few varieties of guarded and unguarded level crossings (AKA with and without gates) that are often setup as so. Guarded crossing have either two or four gates and are nowadays in most cases electric, most of them being automatic but a few being of the kind where the train needs to stop and the driver needs to set it down. There are also (but dwindling rapidly) hand cranked level crossings which are either lowered from a nearby "gatehouse" or from the nearest station. Most of the time there are is at least one Andreaskreuz and maybe flashing lights on each side of the level crossing. In the case of unguarded crossings it is far more spartan, there is at least one Andreaskreuz on each side and if it is not a road only for vehicles of forestry or agricultural purpose then there are flashing lights on each side. As for what happens when the power goes out, for the electric guarded ones there is usually a nearby hut with giant batteries inside which will keep the crossing working for some time. But since power outtages in Germany are very rare this is hardly ever used.
WileeCoyote
WileeCoyote
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ColPrice2002
Well-known member
Some of the minor branch line crossings here still have the wooden gates (white with red circles).
These are opened and closed manually and require no electricity at all.
I've opened a few, get back into car, drive across & hurry back hoping that there's no one coming... (in a train).
Sometimes there's a phone
There's also one of the sailing clubs nearby where you have to cross the railway line with the dinghy on the trolley (not the road-trailer), making sure that the mast is down because of the power lines (national grid).
Exiciting times!
Colin
These are opened and closed manually and require no electricity at all.
I've opened a few, get back into car, drive across & hurry back hoping that there's no one coming... (in a train).
Sometimes there's a phone
There's also one of the sailing clubs nearby where you have to cross the railway line with the dinghy on the trolley (not the road-trailer), making sure that the mast is down because of the power lines (national grid).
Exiciting times!
Colin