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A right-hand railroad switch with point indicator pointing to right Animated diagram of a right-hand railroad switch. Rail track A divides into two: track B (the straight track) and track C (the diverging track); note that the green line represents direction of travel only, the black lines represent fixed portions of track, and the red lines depict the moving components.
The railroad then developed a more effective system consisting of wooden balls, painted red, white or black, and hoisted up or down a pole on a rope-and-pulley system. The initial use of these signals was merely to indicate the on-time status of trains, rather than to control train movements.
Centralized traffic control. Centralized traffic control (CTC) is a form of railway signalling that originated in North America. CTC consolidates train routing decisions that were previously carried out by local signal operators or the train crews themselves. The system consists of a centralized train dispatcher 's office that controls railroad ...
The point machine (in this case an electric motor) and associated mechanism used to operate this switch can be seen to the right in the picture. A point machine (also known as a point motor, switch machine or switch motor) is a device for operating railway turnouts especially at a distance.
An interlocking system is designed so that it is impossible to display a signal to proceed unless the route to be used is proven safe. Interlocking is a safety measure designed to prevent signals and points/switches from being changed in an improper sequence. For example, interlocking would prevent a signal from being changed to indicate a ...
A Magnetic flagman wigwag signal in use in southern Oregon, June 2007. Wigwag is a nickname for a type of railroad grade crossing signal once common in North America, referring to its pendulum -like motion that signaled a train's approach. The device is generally credited to Albert Hunt, a mechanical engineer at Southern California 's Pacific ...
Railway signalling (BE), or railroad signaling (AE), is a system used to control the movement of railway traffic. Trains move on fixed rails , making them uniquely susceptible to collision . This susceptibility is exacerbated by the enormous weight and inertia of a train, which makes it difficult to quickly stop when encountering an obstacle.
A railway signal is a visual display device that conveys instructions or provides warning of instructions regarding the driver's authority to proceed. [1] The driver interprets the signal's indication and acts accordingly. Typically, a signal might inform the driver of the speed at which the train may safely proceed or it may instruct the ...