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1,313,103 Views • Jan 2, 2024 • Click to toggle off description
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Despite the hazard they pose, trains have to coexist with our other forms of transportation. Next time you pull up to a crossbuck, take a moment to appreciate the sometimes simple, sometimes high-tech, but always quite reliable ways that grade crossings keep us safe.
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Views : 1,313,103
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YouTube Comments - 1,748 Comments
Top Comments of this video!! :3
Thank you for including the blue sign with the crossing information. If you're ever stuck on the tracks the first thing you should do is call that number and give them the crossing ID. It is the fastest way to stop a train.
2.7K |
14:31 If you ever see a vehicle stuck on the tracks, call that number FIRST. Many people end up dialing 911, but the time it takes for the 911 dispatcher to understand what's going on, get your location, determine which railroad to call (if there are multiple tracks in your area), call them, relay your geographic information, and have the train dispatcher figure out which crossing that is can be avoided by calling the blue sign number. It's a direct line to the train dispatch office and that crossing ID lets them know exactly where the issue is and they can notify any approaching train in seconds.
1.4K |
I saw a car drive through a RR gate. The care kept on but the damaged gate was bent in towards the rails and it was struck by the passing train. Within 5 minutes, UPRR was on scene and the gate was replaced and operational within 30 minutes. It was impressive. I was waiting for an autoshop to change a battery in one of their fleet vehicles I was picking up to take to auction. So, it took longer for a auto repair shop to replace a battery than for UPRR to respond and repair the crossing gate.
363 |
As our Company makes components for vital relays, your video is going to become a must see for all our employees. It helps to understand where what is being made is being used and why getting it made correctly is vitally important.
248 |
I worked in the Dutch railroad management software for a bit. The most tricky situation we encountered was a train that crossed a road, stopped at a station for 10 minutes, and then departed in the opposite direction.
421 |
I firmly believe this video exists mostly to allow Grady to write off his nascent model train collection. It also helps that he was programming these train intersections for use in his model train track -- all he had to do is film it and provide the narration.
474 |
I really like the idea of Japanese railway crossings where they show the direction of the train's travel. It is a great way to show that the system is not malfunctioning after a train has passed and a second is due in the other direction.
102 |
As a railroad signal maintainer you did an excellent job explaining this. I wish I had you when going through training haha
292 |
It's quite interesting to see that apparently in the US the railroad crossings use track cirquits to detect whether a train is approaching or not. Here in Germany, they all work with directional switches that are activated by the train's wheel, and the crossing is opened with axle counting switches before and after the road. Basically if some amount of axles entered the road section and the same amount also left it, the safety devices shut off.
538 |
I live in the Kansas City area, so I've been crossing railroad tracks since I started driving. Crossings have improved dramatically in that time. Forty years ago, it was common for gates to stay down long after the train was gone, or to close when there was no train. Trains sometimes moved at a walking pace through crossings, or stopped completely, blocking the road. I haven't seen any of those problems in decades.
225 |
A common feature at extra-urban railroad crossings in the UK (or level crossings as we call them) is a handset that connects you directly to the signaller. These are generally meant for farmers who may have long and slow vehicles that might struggle to cross in good time, or even trying to drive a herd of animals across.
92 |
You answered a question that I had forgotten. On a road next to a light rail line, the lights go red when the train passes. I always thought this was inefficient because there are no cars crossing the rails and the road while the crossings are blocked, but now I know the lights for the streets going across the road are green to ensure no cars are stuck on the rails between the arms and traffic on the road. I'll probably still feel it's annoying, but at least I know it's necessary.
36 |
I grew up near grade crossings for high speed commuter rail. We were taught from an early age to "Stop, Look, and Listen." With two tracks, sometimes the gates would be down with a train stopped at an adjacent station, but what you had to be aware of was the possibility of an express train approaching from the opposite direction. Unfortunately, a high school classmate of mine was killed by a train in exactly this manner.
27 |
Loved the explanation of how the circuits tend to failsafe towards assuming a train is coming - we had a winter storm a few years ago that had very strong winds and caused widespread power outages in my area and I was driving home from work that night and a local train track had lost its power and was stuck in the "train is coming" state. All of the drivers near me waited a good ~5 minutes before carefully (and terrifyingly) navigating our cars around the gates because there was no alternative way to get home without going over a similar track elsewhere
38 |
Excellent video, AGAIN, Grady! Thanks so much for the shout-out, too!!
6 |
Great stuff Grady!
As a current 80 year old who grew up close to RR tracks and spend many hours walking them and watching them. I really like this series. It brings back many childhood memories. Trains fascinated me back in the late 40's and still do today.
Thanks for your time and content. JimE
30 |
Great video Grady. What amazes me is how reliable these circuits are. Yes I know, they can and do malfunction, but generally speaking, they are outside in harsh weather conditions and mostly just work 24/7 for decades as you said.
Another reason they use current on the rails to detect trains (instead of a radio transmitter in the cab) is that sometimes railcars get disconnected and roll down the rails un-commanded. If they assumed that only locomotives can control the arms, this could lead to a runaway railcar buzzing through at high speed without any crossing arms at all!
55 |
Here in Australia, traffic lights are often integrated into the railway crossings, so the traffic light controller is aware of the location and speed of trains and this dictates the stopping pattern. It’ll let traffic go only in certain ways for as long as the gates are down, and as soon as the gates are up, the lights change. It’s a pretty cool system.
65 |
as a signal maintainer in the NYC area, you did a great job at explaining crossings. it does get a little crazier with all the relay logic that's required for everything to work flawlessly. F.R.A testing that's required either monthly/quarterly/yearly (Test 27 a,b,c) all play an important role in keeping things safe.
19 |
@PracticalEngineeringChannel
4 months ago
Happy New Year! What other burning questions do you have about railroads?
418 |