Railroad Signaling Explained: Crossings
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- Опубліковано 30 вер 2024
- This is the last of the FORBIDDEN FILES! This video covers how the various types of crossings are protected and the basics of how those systems work. It is the part of the signal system I am most often asked about and is most often misunderstood by the public.
Crossings are where the public is most likely to be involved in an accident involving the railroad and that is why so much emphasis is placed on their proper installation, maintenance, testing and operation.
I hope this video helps reinforce the importance of Crossing Warning Systems and helps ensure everyone who watches it never gambles at a crossing. It's just not worth it.
So, join me for a look at How Crossing Warning Systems Work.
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As a light rail operator, I wanna add, DO NOT STOP on the tracks if the lights come on as you're crossing the tracks. The gates are designed for you to clear the crossing before the train gets there. If you stop on the tracks when the lights come on, you could get trapped, or if you decide to move, you could damage the gates. If you can stop safely before the gates, then stop. If not keep going and clear the crossing safely, please. NEVER, NEVER, NEVER stop on the tracks for ANY reason!!!
Just go through the gates!! They won't hurt your car...like the train!!
At least in the country where i live the lights are positioned so that you cannot see them once you are on the crossing (although it does mean that when i am walking across a crossing on foot, the only indication to the crossing activating is the alarm going off, which did take me by surprise once (i was walking a dog at the time))
A lot of crossings where i live have barriers/gates on BOTH sides of the road, however, these crossings are manually controlled (either by someone at the crossing, or remotely utilising CCTV, and in some cases, it is actually the train crew that has to activate the crossing), although some newer crossings of this sort are fitted with an obstacle detection system
With these crossings (regardless of the type) the crossing is protected by signals, and in order for the signals to be cleared, the crossing must be lowered, and the crossing confirmed to be clear (no one stuck on the crossing), although i have heard that they might be considering making a type of crossing that is fully automatic, with barriers/gates on both sides, and uses obstacle detection (and some technology that is already in place on trains, which is currently used to automatically stop trains that pass a red signal) to automatically stop an approaching train if the crossing is not clear
Mark; as a retired Signal Maintainer I found your videos really informative.
Thank you. It was harder than I thought it would be to explain it all to non signal people and I'm sure you know what I mean.
I appreciate the comment and thanks for checking it out!
Much more tech involved than I ever imagined. I had always thought when a train hit a switch at some distance it just activated a simple motor that lowered and raised the gates. But now I realize the speed of the train would make the time change. That would not work. Very cool stuff.
this is more advanced all computer controlled, old ones were basically a switch. Detects a train then operates the gates.
Even the older "directional stick" crossings used timer relays and varying approach circuit lengths based on maximum track speeds to operate the warning systems. Smart guys have been around for a long time!
Thanks for checking it out!
I’m a locomotive engineer for Norfolk southern and I go by gates all the time. It is awesome seeing how these things work. I really enjoyed this video.
I met a railroad cop who told me that he caught THE SAME GUY 8 different times going around the lowered gates. He finally did it one last time and got taken out by the approaching train.
Natural selection at work!
I wonder what that cop's reaction was. He was probably happy.
@@youraveragejoe2 No. He really wished the guy would have listened to him.
The 9th time was the killer. His nine lives were up.
@@NiceMuslimLady welp that guy learned the hard way and is now taking a dirt nap.
As long as the system does not run on a Windows OS, it should be fine.
Oh but it does
So we meet again! I will never get used to seeing you on train videos, haha. Bass music and trains is an odd pairing of interests indeed. Makes me wonder if you've ever created a railroad inspired bass song before?
@ *Ian Rozzano*
Lol. Never made a Bass track related to trains but I do own a G-Scale model train rail business.
@@Bassotronics
Yeah you told me about the G scale switch making you do. I’m a BNSF engineer in California, a railfan, and a basshead too!
@ *Ian Rozzano*
Oh yea, now I remember.
My bad, I have a one track mind.
BNSF hardly ever passes here but when it does, I try to take a vid although trains are unpredictable so, one can be passing right now and I have no idea.
Simple rule of thumb: "The train ALWAYS wins!"
Another rule of thumb: "see tracks, think train".
Yes
The Right of Weight - Big One Goes First
Not always. Sometimes both the train / train crew and the vehicle / drivers are losers. .
Not against another train or a tornado.
Mark, I worked in IT on the Signalized Crossing project but never had the opportunity to go out to the field with anybody from Signal to actually see a crossing cabin and how it all worked. I'm retired now but UA-cam posts like yours fascinate me. Thanks for doing these. Now, on to different rail types.
Great information Mark! I’m looking at becoming a signal maintainer when I get out of the military.
It's a very cool job. I hope the era of Precision Railroading has calmed down by that time. The way construction is going to funded on UP in the future will have a detrimental effect on signal jobs. Thanks for checking it out and good luck!
How did it go
Love the nice wiring job, laced up and neatly routed.
Awesome information, thanks for taking time out of your day to show us this.
My pleasure! I'm glad you enjoyed it and found it informative. I try to keep these signal pieces as simple as possible, which was harder than I envisioned it!
Thanks for checking it out!
Super interesting; one of those mysteries in life you NEED to know about, and as an electrical/mechanical guy, very satisfying to understand the 'mystery' boxes and buildings: thank you!
Also I calculated that to get 20 seconds at 90 mph would be 1/2 a mile lead.
Glad I could answer some questions! Thanks for checking it out!
Great video. I really enjoyed it! It's mind boggling the amount of money a railroad must have tied up just in crossing infrastructure. It's surprising that they can make money at all with the amount of equipment/expenses needed to keep everything running. Thanks!
Yes. The equipment is very expensive. Just the modern signal system is about $700,000 a mile to install. Crossings aren't 100% paid for by railroads. Local or state governments pay to install them and have funding to help pay for upgrades but the RR is 100% responsible for maintenance and repair.
I have always wondered how this works.
Hey Mark! You have a zero of "dislikes", my congrats! And here another "like" from Belarus;)
Awesome! It's so cool to see people from other parts of the world checking out my channel. I'm so glad you enjoy it. Stay tuned! I have much more on the way!
Hello Mark! You have a really interesting channel. Really Enjoying learning more. How is Main 1, Main 2, Main 3, determined ? Thanks! 👍
Hi! It actually depends on where you are. It can be one way on one sub and reversed on the next. SP didn't do that. Westbound tracks were always #1, eastbound #2. On triple track they were numbered right to left or were designated by name.
UP hated SP so much they turned most places around. I thought it was unsafe but they did not care what I thought!
Great video!! I work for amtrak I'm a signal maintainer...I'm just starting out I've been a maintainer for about a year...is there any advice you can give me to be better at my job?
Take advantage of all the training you are offered and do what you can to apply it asap. Never be afraid to say you don't know something, remember that the only stupid question is the one you don't ask.
Always start troubleshooting with the simple things. Problems are rarely complicated until you make them that way! When working with the FRA, never offer any information they don't ask for and don't start a test until they request it. Never be intimidated by them. You're usually a better signalman than they are. If you're doing your job you have no reason to worry about them.
Never be afraid to call for help. Find out who your best guys are and who the vendor gurus are and have their numbers. Pick their brains. Most love sharing their knowledge.
I hope that helps!
Thanks for the compliment and for checking out my channel!
@@MarkClayMcGowan thank you sir!
Thank goodness there are still some people who aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty to keep the country running.
I always Stop, Look and Listen before crossing a RR crossing. Thanks for the info on RR crossing gates.
Although crossing failure is rare, it only takes one time and bad timing to get yourself killed. It takes but a few seconds more to take extra precautions. I have personally witnessed several crossing malfunctions in my area over the years. A few have been where the crossing didn't alert drivers to an approaching train. I saw the train come rolling through at maybe 45mph with no warning other than their horn. As long as you're paying attention at crossings, should be fine.
@@NotSoCrazyNinja ayyy mark
I got a call once gates not going down on an adjoining territory. Xr was turned upside down maintainer forgot to go back after track work. It was a rural xing hardly any traffic. I was able to cover it up for him. Now there are rules and procedures to prevent mistakes like that. Have also found forgoten jumpers in the old days. New jumper procedures eliminate that.
Hi Mark - I have found this and your other presentations very interesting - I retired from working on the railroads (railways) in the UK nearly four years ago after working for 45 years - I worked on the Signalling from a trainee right through various technical grades (working on all signalling equipment including everything from track circuits to signals to points to level crossings both mechanical and electrical - then on to electronic solid state interlockings, CCTV, train describers, Hot Axle Box detectors and eventually to Technical Support - I loved my job and the differences between the UK stuff and the US stuff is fascinating - I have visited the USA several times and seen your crossings in action and was always curious as to how they operated - thanks to your videos I now know - great work Mark!
That is so cool! I truly appreciate the signalmen from other countries who enjoy my stuff. I have them from Australia, Brazil, Denmark, Russia and now the UK!
If you ever make it out to California look me up. I'll show you the cool places!
Thanks for checking out my channel!
@@MarkClayMcGowan Hi Mark - saw in you new car video that you mentioned being on Facebook - are you still on as I would like to send you a friend request if you don't mind!
wow Mark this is amazing thank you very much :-)
Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it and I hope you found it informative. Thanks for checking out my channel!
I like how the gates work, the switches on the cams look like the score motor cams on an electromechanical pinball machine. Also the brake system reminds me of how the motors on a Rock Ola jukebox work to keep the gripper motor from coasting while it lays a record on the turntable!! Neat stuff and thanks for showing, I always wondered how they worked!!
I just learned something about pinball and juke box operation!
Thank you so much for this video! I just discovered it and have subscribed. Very informative. I've found signalling one of the most interesting aspects of railroad operation since I was a kid in the 50's.
When I submitted my application when I was 19, I didn't even know what a signalman was! Some would say I still didn't when I was 60!
It was a fascinating career!
Hi Mark, please tell me how to get job in Railways? I was worked in Germany same job
All Class 1 roads and most short lines start the process online. Go to UP (or whatever railroad you're looking into).com and look for job or career opportunities and start there.
Good luck!
Interesting, thanks for the tour :-) Now I know something new!
I’d have thought the train axles would complete an electrical circuit between the rails. Better yet, send DC current through the train wheels to operate the gates...
The axles actually create a short circuit that crossing controllers can detect as it gets closer or further.
We use DC circuits in some applications but at crossings, only on non signaled track.
I have a few videos about how the signal system works too.
@@MarkClayMcGowan What about the D.C. Island Circuit at grade crossings, Mark?
@@robertcomer2915 the island circuit has no prediction. Once an island circuit is down (for any reason) the gates will not recover until the circuit shows clear.
Very interesting and informative; thank you for sharing!
My pleasure!
Why do you have the US&S shelf relays strapped down? Are you in earthquake territory?
Actually yes it is. It’s in Southern California.
Always wondered how they work. Thank you for sharing an interesting behind the scenes look.
My pleasure!
Hi Mark! What about bell only crossings? I've seen some videos on UA-cam that is a bell only with cross bucks. Have you came across any of those? And why would they only install a bell only crossings?
For the blind drivers.
@@tomrogers9467 Why would a blind person be driving a vehicle
Bells are to alert pedestrians to the approach of a train, not vehicles!
Mark, thank you very much. Even at 80 years I can learn something new. Great video.
I'm glad you enjoyed and that you haven't stopped wanting to learn. I hope you my other "how things work" videos just as good for your brain!
I just wonder, is the train allow to accelerate their speed? Then what will happened to the prediction? Does it affect the prediction on the system?
Ditto
I am glad you asked that because the answer is the engineer and conductor have to know not to increase their speed significantly while in the approach circuit. Doing so could get the reaction time below 20 seconds.
Block circuits also can be fooled by that issue when there is a timer involved.
Realy very interesting! Thank you!
My pleasure! Thanks for checking it out!
Fun fact, many crossings in the UK are still triggered by the signaller activating them manually by remote. This is usually due to the higher speeds they may be passed at by trains from what i can tell. That, or complicated junctions in the area, such as the crossing just outside Exeter St. Davids station.
I like your message about NOT driving around lowered gates. A contemporary of mine hit a fire engine that drove around lowered gates and five of the 6 firemen were killed. The only survivor was the driver who was the only one wearing a seatbelt.
I attended a fatal pedestrian/train collision 2 weeks ago. The lady was standing beside Track 1 watching a passing train on Track 2. Train 2 was blasting their horn and she did not acknowledge it. I found it more difficult dealing with the traumatized Conductor & Engineer, than dealing with the dead woman. It was the first person either employee had ever struck with their train. It was a very sad incident. PLEASE DON'T TRESPASS ON R/R PROPERTY!
In my little town (not so little anymore though), a few pedestrians have been hit and killed by trains. Plus, several crossing hits with some fatalities. It has been so bad over the years that the railroad put in extra and modern equipment and cameras to try to prevent further issues.
@@NotSoCrazyNinja You can't fix stupid. But the train can 😜
This is a common problem in Chicago on the commuter rail. It doesn’t occur to people the second train might be approaching.
Metra has a rule that if your train is blocking a street in the station, and another train is arriving on another track, you do not clear the street until the other train has arrived
Great Video! Here in Australia, our crossings are pretty much identical to those in the U.S (most even use American parts from companies such as Safetran, WCH, General Signals etc.). While the majority of crossings in this country have used predictors and motion sensors for quite a long time, recently (within the last couple of years), many railway groups have begun implementing new axle counter technology for train detection. As the name suggests, this system uses sensors in the rails to count the number of axles that pass over it. The number of detected axles are then logged and "counted off" by a second sensor in the island circuit. Apparently, this system is more reliable than traditional track circuit based detection. However, I was wondering if this technology has been implemented in the U.S yet and if so, does it really provide any significant benefits over other forms of train detection?
On a different note, I've also noticed that in Australia and North America, traditional mechanical bells are slowly being fazed out in favor of new solid state electronic bells that consist of a speaker and a circuit board playing back a pre-recorded tone. I'm curious to know when these bells started becoming popular with rail operators and do you think there are many advantages in using them over older mechanical models?
Thanks again for the fantastic video and for giving us such an incredible in depth look at how these systems operate!
Thanks for the comments and information. I haven't heard of the axle count technology on the UP but it does sound cool. The only problem I would foresee is transducers going bad and miscounting axles. I'm sure there's a failsafe for that and transducers are generally reliable.
We started using electronic gongs in the early 1990s. I love them. They don't rust or need to be adjusted, mice can't build nests in them and they are just as loud. Also, the circuit board can be replaced if it goes bad rather than having to install a new unit.
Thanks for checking out my channel. I love seeing people from around the world checking it out!
@@MarkClayMcGowan it surprises me that you like them. I hate them a bit but only for nostalgic reasons. :-)
Mark is getting to be famous🎈keep on keeping on.feel better soon.
When I was a lad in the early 60’s my older brother and I (foolishly I’ll admit) used to use our jackknifes to press down on the rails to connect he on two on one set and me on the other rails and it would make the gates go down great fun till the rail crew almost caught us one time we never did it again. I’m telling it now because I’m pretty sure we won’t be prosecuted now.
Ha. I had a friend in grade school, his family had a railroad crossing at the very end of his backyard. We would take jumper cables from his dad’s truck and jump the rails, which would make the crossing trigger and lights come on, gates come down, etc. The one time we did it there was a rail crew that came by in a pickup truck half an hour or so after we triggered it. Never did it again after that.
In hindsight it was super stupid but we thought it was fun at the time. This was probably 25 years ago or so. Thanks for bringing that memory back haha!
@@fluffyty19 yeah but it was fun watching people get out of their cars and look down the track for the train wasn’t it
@@PhotoDave haha absolutely, he lived on a relatively busy (at least by rural standards) street and there would always be 3 or 4 people stopped wondering where the hell the train was
Now I’m going to be giving a nod ‘n wink to those silver boxes every time I cross a set of tracks! A lot more complex than I (never, actually) thought they would be!
It's so hard to try and tell someone so I figured a video would be a good way to make it easier! Looks like I was right!
I learned alot from your video. But i would like to know how some railroad crossings that are near traffic lights control them?
I can't believe I didn't go over that! I think I'll do a video on it. We have Traffic Control Circuits in our cabins tied to the municipality's lights. When the crossing is activated it activates the TCR and sets the traffic lights to either flashing red or, in some cases, red into the train and green parallel to it.
Thanks for the question, the idea and for checking it out!
You might appreciate this. Several years back I volunteered at a railroad museum of sorts. Some bits of the 1.5 mile ROW had signals, and a couple of controlled crossings. The entire signal system was composed of very similar (but, if memory serves, notably older looking) relays as the directional stick style crossing encased in wood cases. Both of the crossings were (of course) directional stick and the gates were absolutely nothing like the ones you showed. The entire system was designed and built by a guy (who has since passed away) to be as era appropriate (early to mid 1900s) as possible. He was unquestionably a genius and a completely eccentric individual. Quite literally until the week of his death he was maintaining the signals. He did signal work (on contract, I believe) for many railroads and it wouldn't shock me if his (figurative, or literal) fingerprints still grace some signal systems to this day. I know for a fact some of the people he had taught concepts at that museum are still working in the industry today and have jobs because of the experienced gained with him.
There is a type that has no gates but has flashing lights.
Yes. The existing ones are grandfathered in but no new crossings can be installed with "flasher only" warning systems.
Thank you.
Really good explanation, thanks!
We bought some property in the driveway that goes to. It crosses a Union Pacific and it has just those cross bucks, but it actually has stop signs on it.
The man know his stuff and good fella 👍
Really like those old shelf relays. Those things are very cool and built to last forever. Also fun to watch them operate. Thanks for sharing all the new and old technology!
As someone that used to install, test , and download cab mounted crossing cameras in locomotives, I know how really important this equipment is (and what happens when people don't heed the signals and/or run the gates when they think it's broken because they can't see the train from the road). Love the video and appreciate your work!
i remember years ago going to work in the middle of the night, crossing a double main line, and i always looked even if the lights weren't flashing. good thing too i looked and here comes a train barreling through, yet the arms and lights never activated the whole time! this was before i had a cell phone so i stopped at the nearest gas station and reported it to the police
Awesome!! Thanks for Posting!!
Ever have problems with Bees near your equipment?
Not as much as we used to. I had no patience for the guys who didn't keep their cases sealed. Bees weren't generally a problem but wasps will find the smallest of openings.
Too bad you did not show control boxes for wig wag signals. Those are just about extinct now.
That first scene, that would be a beautiful spot to catch trains especially with the mountains in the backdrop like that
That's just outside Mojave on the Lone Pine Branch. Very photogenic line!
I have a two part video of the still working part of it.
RR Crossings Are Very Important And Safety Responsibilities.
BNSF has a uniformed method of circuitry on their grade crossing controller systems. They must used at least 30 seconds warning time before a train reaches the island(road). GCP 3000's are still work horses in our railroad. We mainly use Harmon HXP 3's. Our railroad uses the modern Safetran gate mechanisms. We did use the Alasaldo mechanisms. However, they failed prematurely.
Thank you for the info. I did work for SJVRR on Santa Fe branches when those were sold. It was different but I picked up on it easily.
Thanks for checking it out!
Hello. I was near a railroad one day and I was walking across a passive crossing (only crossbucks and a stop sign). I saw that just to the east of the edge of the crossing were what appeared to be bare, exposed metal wires that were about 1cm in diameter and were bolted to the rails. There was one wire bolted to each rail, and they seemed to run underground and pop out of the ballast right where they were bolted to the rails. I was wondering if this was a predictor or some sort of approach for a crossing about a half a mile down the tracks that has a full set of active warning devices (lights, gates, and bells). The part of the rails where the wires were bolted was painted green, and I wasn't sure what this meant. There were no wayside signals around, so I assume the wires aren't related to any sort of signals, so I thought they might be an approach for the active crossing further down the tracks. Any idea as to what these wires are for?
For block signals to work, there must be a continuous electrical circuit from end to end. If that continuity is lost, the block signals turn red until someone investigates. For example, if flooding washes out the tracks and breaks the circuit, the block signals go red on both ends to prevent the train from derailing
@@ArtStoneUS that might be it, but this crossing was on an unsignalled short line, so I don’t think it would be related to the signals.
Crossing approaches, whether or not in signaled territory must be continuous circuits. If there are rail joints they must have railhead bonds connecting the rails. Wires close to crossings going into the ground are track wires that connect the rail to the control cabin.
Very informative video. Thank you!
Very interesting video, but it di not include the HOW I was hoping for....namely, HOW do those various versions of the 'predictors' sense the arriving train and determine when to activate the signals and mechanism? Maybe that is too much of a secret to share?
I was able to gather that an electrical signal is presented to the rails, and that an approaching train (I assume its solid steel axles) creates a current path between the rails and the crossing controller senses that. But that simplistic notion does not account for how it determines how far away the train is and how fast it is approaching.
Decades ago, I cam upon an emergency at a rail grade crossing. There were phone lines on poles crossing the road directly over the rail crossing (the road and rails were not perpendicular, but at an acute angle...but the overhead lines WERE perpendicular to the road), and a tree had fallen nearby and pushed one of the poles over so that the lines over the grade crossing were hanging low. An ambulance on the way to a hospital with a sick patient inside had somehow gotten hung up on one of the partially lowered gates, which itself had become entangled in the low hanging lines. A police office was there and directing traffic, but also trying to enlist passing drivers to pull over and see if they could muscle the gates up and down enough to free them from the lines and let the ambulance get clear. I joined in the group of Samaritans, but we could not get the gates to move more than slightly. Another person mentioned that he thought the gates and signals were triggered by an approaching train because its axles made a short across the rails. I had some wire in the trunk of my car, and with the blessing of the police officer, I tried to short the rails with the wire. Nothing happened. I tried moving perhaps 100 feet down the rails, and tried again....after a moment the signals and gates started as cycle. It took a few cycles, but the gates got free of the lines and the ambulance passed. But this made me curious about the finer details of how the system works.
The GCP units are programmed with a formula that detects the shortening of the signal on the tracks on the frequency to which they are tuned. When the train reaches the point, based on speed and distance, where the predetermined warning time should begin, the controller activates the warning system.
Beginning with the 3000 generation of controllers (mid 1980s) they are designed not to react to sudden changes inside 80% of the approach unless they are detected for a predetermined amount of time, a situation that would, in signaled territory, also put the entering signals at stop and require trains to proceed at slower speeds in case the approach distance is shortened by a shunt inside the detection approach.
In older directional stick systems such as the one I showed on the branch line, timer and directional relays were used to determine if a shunt had progressed to the next circuit in a predetermined amount of time.
I hope that answers some of your questions.
Thanks for checking it out!
@@MarkClayMcGowan , thanks for the information. However, it begs further clarification......
OK, so the GCP unit sends out a signal at a particular frequency....is that between the two rails, or between one rail and earth ground, etc. I know that based on my experiment years ago, shorting between the rails caused the signals to cycle. I wonder WHAT about that jumper wire I used was frequency dependent, in other words, the jumper did not care what frequency the GCP applied. But then, how is the solid steel axle of all those train cars, shorting between the rails, any different electrically than my length of wire back then? And I still don't understand how the GCP can tell the difference between a train miles away and a train that is closer to the road crossing & signal location....those rails would seem to have very little electrical resistance, do long distances should not matter very much. I wonder if perhaps, some designated distance from the crossing, the rails are electrically insulated from the rails further away, so that only when the train get fairly close can it short the electrically active section of rails?
@@youtuuba the signal the GCP sends out on both rails is an overlay circuit that is stopped at the narrow band shunt which is tuned to the same frequency at the beginning of the approach. Track speed determines the length of the approach. Track circuits are stopped by insulated joints at signals, control points, turnouts, etc. but, if necessary, wide band shunts are placed around the insulated joints to allow the crossing frequency to pass. In some cases such as control points in an approach, a second unit called a remote is placed in the CP to handle the numerous tracks.
Once a train passes the shunt, the detector begins sensing how fast the short created by the .06 ohms of the axle (it doesn't matter how many axles there are, it only senses the first one) is approaching the crossing. When the programmed formula tells the predictor it will be 20 seconds until the train reaches the crossing, it activates the system.
You're right in that the length of the approach is irrelevant. The formula remains the same. I should say modern controllers are designed not to react to random shunts. That doesn't mean they don't sometimes still do it.
As far as affecting the signals, yes, your wire could easily do that without affecting the crossing.
super informative video on crossings
thanks
great video liked 🚄🚄👍
Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying the channel!
What kind of power is on the rails we talking about just completing a signal digital circuit with no voltage or very very low or do you guys send 12,24,36,64120 volts in these Lines and complete the connection between train axles. And what happens if someone drops a giant wrench between the rails. Would the tracks activate. My town crossing activated all day long literally all day but no train
Track circuit voltage is generally 1-2 volts DC and around 1 amp for microprocessor equipment and .75 to 2 volts DC with .5 or so amps for standard circuits.
Yes. If you put something conductive across the rails it will put signals to stop and activate crossings.
Train axles are conductive and generally have .06 ohm resistance and that is why we use .06 ohm shunt cords to test with.
Mark Clay McGowan ahh that makes sense, if the circuit is so simple how do you stop random people activating these signals which probably happened here
@@uniteddrones7626 we don't! We find wires, shopping carts and all sorts of junk they throw on there causing problems.
Thanks for checking it out!
Our problem was road salt and water at crossings. Occasionally this would give a false occupancy indication and the protection would be activated
Hi there Mark! Just wanted to say THANKYOU, for the video tour and demo of the different crossing mechs. As a retired Motorman/ Train Operator from the New York subways, I have always been interested in the "inner workings" of track circuits and signals. That was a facet of my job that never really came into play from the front of a train obviously. Before the subways, I was in the Electrical Union, so that should explain my interest in the operation and field wiring? I especially wish to say thankyou to you for the safety info and advice you gave ALL viewers to be mindful of the purpose and proper use of the grade crossing equipment! It really is there to protect the public. TRAINS SHALL ALWAYS WIN, when it comes to grade crossings! Motor vehicles have the ability to stop much faster than freight or commuter trains. THAT IS WHY trains have the right of way in passage and motor vehicles MUST stop! Jpb well done there Mark! Keep up the good work and stay safe out there!!
Thank you very much! I hope you subscribe and check out the rest of my "railroad signaling explained" series. I have quite a few videos of the railroad around here too.
How cool that you worked the subways!
Thanks for checking out my channel!
Hi again Mark! Sorry for the very late reply. I just subscribed for you and it is my pleasure! Great info offered by you and I certainly appreciate it! I know every job these days has its good and bad times? I realize you can relate to that as well! I'm sure the stories we can tell each other about our days on the road would curl our hair, or at least what's left of mine? Lol. keep up the good work and best regards always to you and the family! Stay safe out there!
STOP signs do not work either. Where I live two different events at a STOP sign crossing cost two high school kids their lives. The Mayor was requested to do something about it as railroad said it would take over a year to install crossing gates. Mayor parked near crossing and watched many citizens not even slowing down. Then the Mayor blocked the crossing of both sides with Jersey barriers until Union Pacific installed the gates.
Yeah. We have farm and private crossings with stop signs. Some folks do it, others do not. I just hate seeing nothing at crossings. I've seen too many fatalities.
Thanks for the comments and for checking it out.
I can't (for the life of me) remember where I heard from, but I was told that an oncoming train can create an optical illusion of moving much slower than it's actual speed! Something that every driver should keep in mind, when approaching a railroad crossing. ⚠️🚆
That's true. An optical illusion, as you said. Hard to explain in words.
SP had a film they would show at safety meetings with three trains from three angles on a split screen and we had to guess which was going the fastest. They were all going the same speed but it sure didn't look like it!
Wow .. Mark ... You should think about public relations job in the railroad or even operations lifesaver for the railroad company you work for... Very very educational
Video... Thank you!!
Steven Provost
Boston Massachusetts
Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it. I actually considered asking them about that prior to my retirement but with the 2020 plan they are no longer spending money on such programs. Shame.
Thanks for checking it out!
FINALLY I get my answer. Thank you for the explanation. I have asked numerous times on YT and people with no answer
I'm finding out that my "how things work" stuff is pretty unique! I'm glad it's helping folks understand what it takes to keep them safe.
Hey Mark, I work in the highway industry where we have similar computers on the side of the road to control automatic messaging signs, cameras, sensor, etc... I never knew how complex the systems controlling crossing gates were. Much more complex than the systems we use to control highway traffic!
I have a couple of videos about how the signal system works too. The differences are pretty big!
Very cool. Good advice at the end. "stop, look, live"
Always preach public safety!
Very interesting, thanks for sharing this, very important.
Very informative. Always wondered how how systems operated. I worked on elevator controls for 36 years and they work the same as your old vintage relay systems and the new microprocessor controls. They called me Dr. D. When they couldn't fix it they called me in. I became an inspector and loved training and teaching the new technician the tricks of the trade in the name of safety.
I guess your job had it’s ups and downs.
@@tomrogers9467 that's comedy!
I've always been fascinated by elevators. What cool career!
Thanks for checking it out!
Awesome video! I'm a signal maintainer on a shoreline in NE Ohio and our crossings don't have any predictors since we only see 3 trains a week and the top Mainline speed allowed is 15mph. 3 of our crossings are just lights (Old RSI LED's that are starting to fail. GEMS here we come haha) and one of the crossings doesn't even have approach blocks anymore. It's on the back end of the line and only sees 2 trains a month, if that, so our supervisor had us just install a key switch to cut the island out to activate it. Same for the other crossing in the yard since we keep strings of cars parked on both approaches. Im curious about pedestrian gates and their mechs. Especially the ones with the ped gate on the main gate mech. Any knowledge of them?
We have a few crossings with ped gates. They're a pain. The homeless and vandals seem to enjoy them though!
Thanks for checking it out!
❤ all or any info helping to understand as i rail fan..
Makes sense that a RR crossing signal costs 500K.
Excellent. Thank you for posting!
Nice! Thank you. Mark, in thearly 1970's, I believe I witnessed a mistake in the D&RGW's predictor system at Littleton Blvd. in Littleton, Colorado.
Local freight (engine and three railcars) approached the grade crossing. The mee-mool lights *(o)T(o)* activated buthengine stopped and backed into a siding. Cantilevered *(o)T(o)* ceased operation.
A through-freighthen approached at ~40 mph. It appeared thathe grade crossing signals did not activate until the through-freight reached the spot from where the local freight backed. Only about 5 seconds elapsed from when the 40 mph freight activated the *(o)T(o)* until it reached the crossing. Was my observation wrong? I was not looking for this to happen so was not watching for any problem. Thank you.
PS: Later becoming employed in EMS I am now an Operation Lifesaver Presenter.
5 seconds is definitely too short a warning time. I don't know why the cantilever flashers would have stopped before the mast flashers. Sounds like a problem that should be looked into!
@@MarkClayMcGowan Thank you. I misportrayed the problem. The mast and cantilevered *(o)T(o)* were the same circuit operating together.
The problem appeared to be thathe 40-mph train did not activate the mee-mool lights until it reached the point closer to the crossing from where the local freight backed.
It appeared thathe 40-mph train was only ~5 seconds away when the mee-mool lights activated.
@@robertgift that's still a very short warning time. Very dangerous and there's no telling why it was like that without knowing more about the circuitry of that particular crossing
@@MarkClayMcGowan Thank you. (I may be totally wrong about what I observed. As a teen I was not paying attention to it.)
This was ~1968. (Early motion detection technology?)
Local train stopped 100 yards from the crossing. After 10? seconds without forward progress, the *(o)T(o)* ceased operating.
Local then backed into a siding.
The *(o)T(o)* did not begin operating until the through-train reached that point 100 yards from the crossing.
When the local re lined the switch for the main line, I expected the motion detection to go back to the beginning of the lead-in section. Not only to the local train's closet point to the crossing.
On the “Live Trains” UA-cam channel for Houston Texas (T&NO) crossing, the gates seem to be entirely misconfigured. Did the engineers not place shunts correctly? It’s a complex intersection but the malfunctions cause cars to go around the gates en masse. It seems like a massive safety hazard.
I am not familiar with that layout, but at crossings with many tracks, track circuits, switches, etc., there are many approaches and overlays, which may require the use of many controllers, including remotes. When multiple moves are concurrent or consecutive, the recovery times can easily be affected. That the gates may remain down longer than necessary is not a safety issue. The safety issue is that cars choose to go around them, which is illegal unless directed to do so by a LEO or railroad employee. Thanks for checking it out!
Amazing to me what goes into these crossings. The sad part is thee are still fools who run the crossings and risk their lives. Thank you for this cool look inside stuff!
I always preach public safety. Search for my video "Just Wait".
Thanks so much for giving us an idea of how the signals work. I am a big model railroading fan who actually has a prototype crossing signal that I purchased and put together over the years. I would like to add a gate with the motor to my display to finish it but have not gotten around to looking for one preferably used and at a reasonable price not to mention a location close enough to home to go and get it. I live in Kerrville, TX so San Antonio is where the closest tracks are located. I would love to see Big Boy come down and visit us because I missed it when it was here recently. If you know of a good place to look for the parts I need I would be grateful.
It will be hard to find them now because most of that stuff just went to scrappers. If there is a short line in your area you might ask them. You can get some on ebay and the like but I hear people are asking exorbitant prices for it.
Nice! There have been gates that no train is in sight in any direction, the gates are down with bells and lights flashing, but the track indicators are blank (no red, flashing red, yellow, flashing yellow, or green). What causes these things to malfunction?
I did manage to call the BNSF people since it's their track and they "would send someone out." 2 seconds later, the gates are going up and the bells stop with the lights off. How do they do that from remote or the computer realizes there's an error?
There could be a problem with the electronics in the cabin. It takes awhile for the standby to kick in if the main unit fails. It could be a problem with the shunt at the end of the approach or a track wire in the crossing circuit. Crossings are notorious for intermittent problems. Once they dispatch someone to a problem they will look into it whether or not the gates are still down. The controllers have a lot of information that can point them in the right direction.
Thanks for checking it out!
Very informative - thank you!
I’ve been a signalman for almost a year now. You’re the only guy I can find that has any videos related to what we do! Thank you
Thanks. I've seen a few that talk about the system, but they have all been by creators who have just researched it but have no experience with it. I'm glad it has helped you out a little!
There should be another PSA here about people stopping on crossings as well when they are stopped in traffic.
It is a question on driving tests, and is against the law in every state. It doesn't matter. They're going to do it anyway.
Why don't railroad crossings don't always active for hi rail trucks
Hirails aren't supposed to activate crossings to protect themselves. Traffic has the right of way. But they usually wait to long to pick up shunts or put them down too soon leaving and can cause the gates to activate
Good video but should have included a few shots of the gates working in conjunction with a moving train.
I had to take what I could get! I did these in the San Joaquin Valley and on the Lone Pine branch. Not a lot of traffic. I actually wanted to do that with a 4000 but I was at work and couldn't work my schedule around my hobby!
Thanks for checking it out!
I was hit(my person) by a crossing arm a little over a year ago while trying to cross to the other side of the street to get to the overpass bridge. I guess I took a little bit of an accidental step to the left while crossing and ended up getting hit in the face by the thing I was avoiding. Since then I have had periods of fascination with the mechanisms of the arms. Thank you for helping me to understand and feed this interest!
That is a heck of a way to become interested in something, but thanks for checking it out!
Looks like a specialized plc.
Very much so! Fun to learn but very challenging!
Great video I have always wondered how railroad crossings work you explained very well
Thank you!
I see quite a few passive ones around my area. Mostly see them on little county roads and private crossings. All of the well traveled roads and plant crossings are gated
Most of our passive type are also on farm roads and the like as well.
I have videos on my channel showing some gated crossings here. They are all on the tracks paralleling US-90
I love those old type crossings with the old style crossbucks.
Is failsafe for all grade crossings gates down when AC fails and batteries drain? I came across a grade crossing in that condition once. Called it in.
Yes. Failsafe (even for train signals) is always "STOP". The problem when the batteries become exhausted is there are no lights either and that is referred to as an "activation failure" which, if reported, will bring the FRA out to investigate.
Modern batteries can take a good beating but even they will eventually crap out!
Thaks for the questions and comments and for checking it out!
Hey Mark! These videos are really interesting, but I’m asking myself as o watch this how are you able to upload these? Have you been warned??
I'm retired. When I was still working they just told me not to shoot them on company time. By that time I'd already shot all of the "FORBIDDEN VIDEOS" so I just waited until I retired to post them.
Watch the video "Introduction to the FORBIDDEN VIDEOS". It's all explained in detail.
Thanks for the comment and for checking out my channel!
Mark Clay McGowan that all makes sense. I will admit, this video is really fascinating. I see you’re with UP. Is it a good company to work for? I’ve been looking into getting a job with the railroad. Also, did Union Pacific stop buying signal equipment from Western Cullen Hayes completely? I’ve been wondering what the deal has been with the Siemens equipment for a while.
Great info. Thank you
Thank you Mark. I've been a Signal Engineer for over 30 years and your explanation is on point. In fact, I'm going to bookmark this video so I can reference it to various agencies who sponsor the installation of GCWD and know nothing about the system. One question for you, not sure what railroad you're on but, I noticed you had E-logic in the same bungalow as the crossing equipment. Is this a normal practice for that railroad? Nothing like the older analog equipment. I miss the PMD-2/3 era so much! Very good video!
I enjoyed your video !
Suspicious brown spot lower left on circuit board @14:45
My underwear was visible? LOL! Since the dynamic braking is done through the circuit board, those connections can get pretty hot. It's not unusual for the boards to become discolored.
Thanks for checking it out!
@@MarkClayMcGowan Thanks. I find your your videos great. I designed part of the electronic air pressure sensor in GE locomotives and like to learn as much as possible. I hope you are recovering well...your videos made me start using hand sanitizer again and being more careful. Tnx!
i've seen some of those around here but alls i would like to know what triggers it to do that
As the video shows, it depends on the type of crossing and where it is but most are started by the control unit in the cabin.
That was really informative, and I look forward to more. Well done!
I have a series on how things work. Check out my playlists!
You are a wealth of knowledge
Having working on the Union Pacific Railroad for decades it's all but impossible to estimate how fast a train is running and how far away the train is . The HEADLIGHT is very deceiving . ANY TIME IS TRAIN TIME .
Thank you-!!!
by my house there is a crossing that has a flashing x on top of it what is that about
On top of the cabin? I've not seen one like that. X boards tell trains a crossing is 1/4 mile away but those are just black and white signs along the tracks. Interesting!
Flashing orange X is used at quiet zone crossings where the train engineer does not sound the horn