05-09-2017, 11:25 PM
(05-09-2017, 06:26 PM)Canard Wrote: You mean some kind of automatic derailleur*...er, derailler?
* bikes on the brain
Edit - We rode by on our way back home from dinner... here are some photos of the area in question!
Yes, I’ll be interested to see what it actually looks like. I’ve heard of ones that essentially look like a regular switch, but with no tracks attached to the branch. Given the tracks continue straight through, I’m guessing this one will be more like the ones they use to guard the construction area, except permanently installed and automatically engaged/disengaged. If that’s right, it will actually lift a train up enough to slide the wheel flange across the top of the rail and down the outside if hit by a train when engaged.
If you look at the rail itself, you can actually see markings indicating exactly where the derail is to be installed. In your first picture I think you can see the markings but at that angle they’re not readable.
Also note that they replaced a long section of rails with continuous rail, starting at the crossing and extending down to the insulator gap near the derail. Not sure why but it’s quite interesting.
Another side note: a few years back I noticed one of the rails was ominously loose. It had broken maybe 1m from a rail joint and enough spikes were missing that it wobbled quite a bit when the train went over it. The sound was actually different. I called the rail company and a guy came out and installed fishplates to join the break back together, and installed more spikes. Interesting little operation.