El trains third track?

Question

if looked at every web site but i always see people getting eletricuted by the third track but i dont know what the third track is on the track if someone had a picture of it i like to know just crious

Answer 1

I have pictures!

I live on Long Island, home of the Long Island Railroad:

http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q119/...

There are gaps in the third rail so trains can get through the switches:

http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q119/...

Note: there are white fiberglass boards over the third rail, so people can avoid getting electrocuted if they step on it.

Answer 2

That third rail is electrified and is a continuous sourse of power for the train and subways that use that method--the only other option is an overhead "catanary"system--a lot more expensive to install and maintain. There is a bar that contacts the third rail--think of it as a pick up system for the electric--very safe and well grounded--but NEVER to be touched by humans. That bar takes the power to the motors and it drives the train...pretty simple.

Answer 3

If it is a track slightly elevated over the other tracks, it can be for the electricity needed by the train (insead of overhead lines).

It can be, that this line is used by UIC (regular) gauged trains and narrow/wide gauge trains, like in sation of Chur/Switzerland, Station of Atocha in Madrid/Spain, in parts (about 10 miles) between Zaragoza and Huesca (both in Spain fur regular wide gauged trains and new high speed trains in UIC-gauge), border stations between France an Spain (Spanish side with Spanish wide gauge, France with UIC gauge)

Hope it helps.

Answer 4

It is a track close to the side of, and to the outside of, one of the running rails. It may be set a little higher than the running rails in order to make contact with the shoes which collect the power.

Answer 5

Do you mean Third Rail? The Third Rail which is situated just outside the running rails supplies electricity to the train at around 650 volts. Collector shoes which are attached to several bogies (trucks) on the train make contact with the rail. The current return path is through the wheels and the running rails.

The Third Track on the El (I assume that you are talking about the New York elevated railway) is to allow trains to bypass stations during the rush hour: this track is used for trains going towards the city in the morning and away from the city in the evening.