https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsENMnWDKog
Not sure of location though some commenters suggested Queensland AU, but a tag says Bray station in Ireland. Hopefully there are interlocking signals in case rails don't go up fully. They could use this at the California Rail Museum when they need to move equipment across the active UP tracks.
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How can something with a warning siren, moving parts and motors be simpler than a diamond crossing, which has no moving parts?
Seems like a solution in search of a problem.
Probably cost more to maintain, too.
Rusty
Now there is an idea for Lionel!
Tommy posted:Now there is an idea for Lionel!
You mean like the 'Breakdown B-unit'?
Rusty Traque posted:How can something with a warning siren, moving parts and motors be simpler than a diamond crossing, which has no moving parts?
Seems like a solution in search of a problem.
Probably cost more to maintain, too.
Way cooler in operation however. 
They are pretty quick at the museum. Too much stuff near and between the main for UP to say ok. It is much quicker, but I don't believe the museum moves trains often enough for this.
Thanks for the video.
M. Mitchell Marmel posted:
I like the launch through the house!
For a little used line crossing a high capacity main, the RRs don't like Diamonds. The wheels beat on them and wear them out. It is hard on the wheels too. Plus it requires reduced speed. So a RR prefers not to have a diamond on its tracks.
A simpler solution than moving parts was installed at Durand Mi a few years ago. There is a diamond there where the GTW mainline crosses what is now a low-speed shortline. The new diamond they put does not break the GTW rails. They are solid and can maintain speed. The shortline rails rise up higher than the flange and go over top the GTW. So they have the gaps and their flanges may actaully ride the GTW rails, but they are low speed and infrequent anyway. So they ramp about 2 inches or so, whatever it takes to get the flange up over the other rails, cross both rails and then ramp back down.
because: Mechanical Engineers love moving parts!
Similar principle without the moving parts in suburban Philadelphia:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1clIZUppBY
The trolley flanges ride on top of the railroad rail and there'e a slight bump as they cross the flangeway of the train track. Avoids a diamond with the associated pounding on the frogs for the much heavier freight traffic on CSX.
Probably not an optimum solution, here's the first comment.
On the SEPTA Rt 11 trolley line in Darby, PA is perhaps the last trolley-Railroad grade crossing left in the country. The standard railroad diamonds were recently replaced by new fangled "flange bearing" Here a SEPTA K-car traverses the new "diamonds" which are already showing damage to the railhead due to the frequent movements.
Rusty Traque posted:How can something with a warning siren, moving parts and motors be simpler than a diamond crossing, which has no moving parts?
Seems like a solution in search of a problem.
Probably cost more to maintain, too.
Rusty
Union Pacific Built a very large and expensive viaduct next to the I-10 freeway in Colton, CA because it was less expensive and more efficient over the long run than the delays and repairs associated with the old "Colton Diamonds" where the three ATSF/UP tracks heading toward San Bernardino crossed the SP/UP tracks headed toward Arizona and points east. Diamonds take a severe beating when a lot of traffic runs across them and have to be replaced frequently. Even on a model railroad, there's the potential for wearing out crossings. The "drawbridge" crossing eliminates the diamond from the equation (and appears to support infrequent cross traffic). Probably requires less maintenance despite the more complicated mechanical work.
A second "modern" solution was installed just over a year ago at Greenwich Jct in Ohio where the old Big 4 line Crosses the old B&O. Both lines are busy CSX mains now and there are connections. The B&O line is double track all the way across the state. I think I remeber that the Big 4 is now single.
They cross on diamonds. The new installation which a local CSX told me came from an outfit in texas, raises both lines the wheels ride on flanges through the diamonds. About 30 feet each side of the diamond the rail becomes a channel with a slight rise in the bottom that the flanges meet and ride up on through the diamond. They raise the wheels just enough that they don't bang on the diamonds, but ride through smoothly on the flanges somewhat like a lionel diamond. I saw train go through and there was no banging or sound from the diamonds. These were new and the CSX guy said they were running through them at 35 mph and expected to go up to 45 mph the following month. I was there on the way home from the Cleveland O Scale Show.
prrjim posted:A second "modern" solution was installed just over a year ago at Greenwich Jct in Ohio where the old Big 4 line Crosses the old B&O. Both lines are busy CSX mains now and there are connections. The B&O line is double track all the way across the state. I think I remeber that the Big 4 is now single.
They cross on diamonds. The new installation which a local CSX told me came from an outfit in texas, raises both lines the wheels ride on flanges through the diamonds. About 30 feet each side of the diamond the rail becomes a channel with a slight rise in the bottom that the flanges meet and ride up on through the diamond. They raise the wheels just enough that they don't bang on the diamonds, but ride through smoothly on the flanges somewhat like a lionel diamond. I saw train go through and there was no banging or sound from the diamonds. These were new and the CSX guy said they were running through them at 35 mph and expected to go up to 45 mph the following month. I was there on the way home from the Cleveland O Scale Show.
http://knorek.com/RR/Ohio/Curr...London/NewLondon.htm
Nice spot! Will have to check it out if I am in that area!
RRMAN, what a neat video, and for some reason, videos kept coming and coming of really cool foreign railways....Thank You.
gunrunnerjohn posted:Probably not an optimum solution, here's the first comment.
On the SEPTA Rt 11 trolley line in Darby, PA is perhaps the last trolley-Railroad grade crossing left in the country. The standard railroad diamonds were recently replaced by new fangled "flange bearing" Here a SEPTA K-car traverses the new "diamonds" which are already showing damage to the railhead due to the frequent movements.
My first reaction when I saw this way of doing a crossing was, they've got to be kidding! But the more I thought about it, the more sense it made. The trolleys are very light compared to the locomotives and freight cars. I suspect the maintenance of this crossing for CSX and SEPTA is a fraction of what it used to be. I doubt they would have put in a crossing like this without a lot of engineering and testing for both safety and maintenance. And I also suspect that the engineers who did this probably have more knowledge and experience and are generally more qualified than somebody posting their opinion on the internet. Where the poster refers to "damage to the railhead," I only see slight wear from the trolley flanges.
It looks better to me than the previous standard diamond arrangement. If this is not the optimum solution, what is?
PGentieu posted:It looks better to me than the previous standard diamond arrangement. If this is not the optimum solution, what is?
Gosh, I don't know. I was just posting an observation based on the video and comments. Tell you what, forget I mentioned it.
Of course, your "opinion" above is just another "opinion posted on the Internet" when you think about it.
What is it about the Internet that makes people have to leap in and get snotty over something this minor?
Here is what Jim is referring to:
One Way Low Speed Diamonds
prrjim posted:A second "modern" solution was installed just over a year ago at Greenwich Jct in Ohio where the old Big 4 line Crosses the old B&O. Both lines are busy CSX mains now and there are connections. The B&O line is double track all the way across the state. I think I remeber that the Big 4 is now single.
They cross on diamonds. The new installation which a local CSX told me came from an outfit in texas, raises both lines the wheels ride on flanges through the diamonds. About 30 feet each side of the diamond the rail becomes a channel with a slight rise in the bottom that the flanges meet and ride up on through the diamond. They raise the wheels just enough that they don't bang on the diamonds, but ride through smoothly on the flanges somewhat like a lionel diamond. I saw train go through and there was no banging or sound from the diamonds. These were new and the CSX guy said they were running through them at 35 mph and expected to go up to 45 mph the following month. I was there on the way home from the Cleveland O Scale Show.
UP has one at CP SA120 at the crossing in Flatonia TX.
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