Excellent! No annoying, minute-long intro music/graphics; clear explanation; and to the point (unlike so many other youtube videos). Thanks for explaining this. You could be a teacher among teachers (I am a teacher).
Nice description for a novice like me. My Dad worked on the railroad in 1918, he was a brakeman during the steam era. I remember him telling stories about that work when I was just a little kid. I never realized there was so much to a simple track switch.
My father was a railroad engineer for most of his 43 years with a major railroad. Every year, he had to take a written test which was quite detailed and difficult. All I can say is that working for a railroad as an engineer, conductor, fireman or any other field position is not an easy job. Nice presentation.
Thanks for the video! Very well done and I congratulate your being such an excellent speaker and having proper grammar. As a kid growing up in a village in Missouri we had a side branch for the elevator and we kids would always go watch them move cars on and off. This winter out here in Idaho we've had a lot of ice and the RR crews buy deice by the truckload and I thought it was for the crossings but they said it was for their switching apparatus. We lay people would never have thought of that. Thanks again for the video.
Back when we had a railroad through our community, when I was a kid, we had a siding where cars were dropped off and picked up. We had two switches to watch and figure out how they worked. However, I never knew what those guard rails actually did. Thanks for the explanation.
Thanks for a concise and erudite lesson on something we all look at and take for granted. I've always wondered (aside from the obvious basics) what is involved in the operation of the switches. You answered a lot of questions for me. Happy New Year, mate!
The derail is to actually make a car or piece of equipment to jump the rail so it will not foul the main. The black box is a switch to indicate the signal system if the derail is open(for traffic) or closed(in the derail) .
LOL!! "...and I'll show you what you can do with those." You certainly have a way with words! ;) Excellent educational video! I feel like I learned a lot.
ChainsawN&W1218, interesting video, I like to film switches,I use to film the NS trains taking the crossovers at Walton in Radford VA and I've even seen them switch before, but the landowners drive way runs beside NS tracks and He doesn't like nobody near His property, so I don't walk up there anymore, ashame because there's a Wye track up there also,they use to turn N&W 611 & 1218 when it still ran there,still film there at the crossing though, also have the thermal switches,powered by propane 👍.
Good video. As a youngster here in Kentucky I grew up around trains. I was always climbing on the cars, riding the trains etc. I knew everything there was to know, so I thought , UNTIL I was hanging on the side of a train, went over a bridge overpass and a cop saw me! haha. it's ok, I outran him and was more careful after that haha
I know this was posted a while ago, but you have the frog usage reversed. The self guarding frogs (cast ones) are usually used in yards and slow locations, whereas the regular frogs (bolted assemblies) like the ones you show are usually used on the mainline or primary tracks. The reason for this is, that the self-guarding frogs tend to catch and throw the wheels if the flange is too tall or the tread is too wide, at slow speeds the car will ride up and fall back into place, but at speed it would likely derail the car an incident. Otherwise great work.
Thanks for explaining. Currently working at a plant with sizable rail operations. I want to learn more about it, but no one there knows anything about tracks. We have a company that comes in and switches cars but they do it after hours when everyone is gone. Seems like we have some real issues with track maintenance too. I want to learn so I can step up and make some recommendations. Any advice or track maintenance for dummies? Thanks for sharing this!!
The switch in your video does not appear to have a spring in the throw rod and executing a trailing point move from the diverging route as shown would most likely result in a derailment. The rest of your info is spot on.
+Gary Cameron Gary,After the switch is lined the crew member will look at the points to ensure they are fully closed..When I was a brakeman I would replace the lock in the foot pedal of the switch handle release after I aligned the switch for our move-see 3 min :08 second mark of the video..
There's also a switch throw used.in yards called a variable switch. It can be trailed through against the points from either direction. We called them "floppers" due to the points latching in the opposite direction when ran through. You run through a rigid switch and it may bend the head rod, uproot the stand or even bend the points. An unreported runthrough will derail the next facing point move.
what device is used to compensate for lack of spikes through switch point area to secure stock railing in seat of switch plate, also preventing rail from over turning, partially used in switch point obstruction adjustment
A spring switch does not need to be manually thrown, such as a passing siding. An industrial siding does need to be manually thrown. Thank you for watching.
those movable frogs are mostly used at high speed lines, where even the smallest gap could cause discomfort on the passenger, and making the rail and the train components to wear out faster. Nothing that should be required in a regular service or a freight service.
animal16365 Yes there are movable frogs. The ones used on high speed trackage like the TVG in France use a swing nose frog so there isn't a gap for the wheel tread to cross and the ones on freight railroads where the diverging track is used very little the frogs have a spring rail which moves out of the way as the wheel flanges pass it to access the diverging route and provides wheel support on the through route. Hope that helps.
A switch Broom,,, has a pry apparitius spade looking on one end and a very stiff broom bristles on the other end,,, the brakes,,, maintainance of way maintainance people remove the obstruction,, the HEAD BLOCK TIES with the switch stand attached need TO be removed and replaced brand new again,,, the switch should be spiked in the,,, normal positition until it's repaired,,, and again safe for service
A switch Broom,,, has a pry apparitius spade looking on one end and a very stiff broom bristles on the other end,,, the brakes,,, maintainance of way maintainance people remove the obstruction,, the HEAD BLOCK TIES with the switch stand attached need TO be removed and replaced brand new again,,, the switch should be spiked in the,,, normal positition until it's repaired,,, and again safe for service
+Dan0101010101010 30 years of track and signal maintaince,,, I highly recommend using a stick,shovel handle,,,switch broom handle. extra long screw driver,,, anything that keeps your hands and fingers clear of steel metal and gears,,,it's so easy to loose a finger diget,,, say you saw the rock that's wedged in between the RAIL and you don't use a stick or rod,,,just your hands,,, you loosen the rock may be just enough pressure it pinch off one or two of your fingers,,,,a very young grade school girl lost two of her fingers helping her dad change a HAY BALER HAY CUTTER SICKLE BLADES,, SHE WAS IN THE FOURTH GRADE BLESS HER HEART
Those HEAD BLOCK TIES ARE In desperate need of replacing,,, they are split and switch stand is not fully secured,,, with the spikes holding the switch stand not secure the tonnage of the cargo rail car can pick the switch point,,, also the switch point HEEL feelers should they not be anchored and spiked securely can spread the rail and rail car hits the ground,,, excessive tonnage like rock,,,cement line stone,,,ext...I as a former employee would spike that switch closed against the stock rail and totally lock that switch outta service until it's repaired...remove the universal lock and put my own lock on it,,, as a employee it's your job to make that decision,,,, cause if you inspect that head BLOCK tie and then a accident occurs you were that last onetype to give the switch the OK APPROVAL...BE SAFE NOT SORRY,,, THE BEST WAY IS THE SAFEST WAY ,,, IT WILL TAKE A DAY OF MANUAL LABOR AND LOST TIME TO RERAIL. , THE CAR AND REPLACE ANY DAMAGED SWITCH TIES,,,, COULD PREVENT A TWO MESS TO CLEANUP,,,, LOCK IT AND TAKE IT OUTTA SERVICE
Though I know what you're getting at, complete newbies wouldn't get your 'wye' at 2:33. And in all my years in trains I never heard anyone call the track before the points the narrow end' (0:46). This video should have shown the points moving, not left to the imagination. And at 1:28 you're describing 'spring switch'. A train treating it as so here would rip the ground throw and or throw rod apart..Springs are in here and there on RRs, but this one ain't. 1:34 "generally has"? ! No, all switches have a straight through track and a diverging route or routes (alla: a 3 way switch).3:34: "sleepers" is a British term. We call them the ' head blocks'. Where did you grow up ?! 4:32 you said the same thing 4 times before. 6:26 wrong again. The ends of the guard rails are not also 'frogs' as you call them here ! Wow are you an idiot to state at 7:13 "is locked on to the 'wheel' !! 7:48 "and electronics" !! What !!? It's a derail so any car who's hand brake hasn't be set can't can't roll down and foul the main. Car will derail before this can happen...Yes, this is a bad comment because you are telling bad things to those who are new to all things railroading...Who on earth appointed you to narrate this video ! Oh, you !...I pray this is not a 1:1 scale training video !!...M
