Railroad Gate Crossing/Detection Question?

Question

For several months, I noticed from time to time that there would be burt out flares that had been placed directly on top of the rail road crossings in my area (Valrico Fl - CSX). Finally, one day I saw one that was still burning so I started driving from crossing to crossing. I came across a train that was going about 5mph. At each and every crossing, the train would pull to within about 10 feet of the signal but would not activate it. One of the guys would get out a flag the traffic to a stop and the other would drive the train through. This was a normal looking train with 2 modern 6 axles engines. Out of curiousity, I waited around about 20 minutes for the next train to see if it activated the crossings like normal, which it did. I thought the gates work on electrical resistance, but I don't get why this and at least a few other trains would not have activated them. Are they RF now or something?

Answer 1

I won't talk about how rail signals work.  But a lot of work and inspection equipment, hy-rail trucks, tie inserters, tampers, etc. - just aren't reliable with crossing flashers.  They might activate it, they might not.  That's *BAD*.  It needs to always work - or never work.  So they deliberately rig this equipment to never operate crossing flashers.  And they put rules in the rulebook about crossing highways with this equipment.

For instance with a speeder or ballast regulator, you just wait til traffic is clear and scootch across.  But with anything long and train-like, a car could come while you're still dragging your train across.  Thus the procedure with the flare.

Another reason they rig this gear to not operate flashers -- work equipment is going back and forth, back and forth, shuttling very near crossings, and it would set off the flashers constantly.  That makes people distrust flashers, which makes them more likely to drive around flashers and get killed.

You were lucky another train came along in 20 minutes.  That track was out of service for maintenance, so it could've been out of service half the day while several crews did several things.

Answer 2

The answer lies within your question.

The gates weren't working, were they?  Flag protection is required before occupting a crossing where the gates are inoperative or are not approach activated.

Obviuosly this train crew knew the gates weren't going to work  But, I'll say again, crossing protection DOES have battery back up for an eventual power failure, but that DOES NOT MAKE THEM FAIL-SAFE.  I have encountered two not working as my train passed over them at maximum authorized speed, 40 mph once and 60 mph the second time.

But, it is more likely that, since burned fusees are ever present, this is probably a local freight servicing industries.  Here, unless moving on the main track at appreciable speed, the gates have to be started with a key or the whistle, while others have to have the train nearly on top of them before they activate.  This is to keep them from staying down for extended periods while the train makes switching moves.  Keep in mind, though there may be two, three or more tracks across the road, only 1 may be main track with the necessary equipment to provide motion activated signals.

In addition, they may have been dropping these fusees for their return in a few minutes.  RR fusees will burn for ten minutes.  It is possible that the gates didn't operate with "bugs" in both directions.

For whatever the reason, crossings require protection to vehicular traffic before the train enters them....  if the crew knows they are inoperative BEFORE they get to that crossing.

There is only one way to be sure it is safe to cross; Look, Listen and, when possible, STOP before crossing, whether there is protection or not,or operating or not.  It truely is a matter of life and death, you know...

Answer 3

We usually only use flares (known as fusees) when flagging.  My guess would be some type of op test for the reason that the fusees were lit.  as for the stopping at the crossing,  GCOR rule 6.32.2 could be the reason... if the train crew were given the order to do so by the train dispatcher.

if it happens alot (like it sounds to in your area) i have no idea what the reason for the fusee other than stated above.

However, if it were an ops test, the train would have to stop, (depending on how they are moving... under a restricting signal... before the fusee, or more favorable than restricting... as soon as possible) then proceed one mile past the fusee prepared to stop short of anything in the trains way.

Answer 4

A lot of times, on a high speed rail line, the crossing gates use motion detectors.  If a train's going really slow, the motion detectors may not trip, and the gates won't go down.  Where I work, these types of crossing have what's called an island circuit, so that if my train is going slowly, as soon as it gets to a certain point, the gates will still go down.  Maybe this railroad didn't have island circuits at the crossings.

My guess is that this train had a speed restriction for some piece of equipment, like a defective or overweight car or something, and had to travel too slowly to activate the signals.

I had this happen to me once.  I was going up to a signal, and the previous signal said I might be stopping.  However, there was a road crossing before the signal, so you usually want to stop before the crossing, and it's around a curve, so I was creeping around the curve to see make sure I could stop in time.  The signal was a go-signal, clear, so I started to accelerate.  However, the crossing gates at the crossing went down, but my speed was first too slow, so the gates WENT BACK UP and traffic started to cross!  I was actually going pretty good by then, so I had to shoot the emergency brake and I stopped about a yard before slamming into some lady in a Toyota.  And she STILL wouldn't move!

Answer 5

Crossing gates still act on electrical resistance through the rails.  The ones you saw must have been temporarily deactivated for some reason.  I'm interested to find out why.