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A railroad switch (known in British English as a point, a set of points, or occasionally a turnout) is a construction where rail track A splits into two tracks B and C. It can be in two positions, which determine (as opposed to steering) whether a train coming from A is led to B or C. A train coming from B or C is led to A anyway, but this movement is smoother if the switch is set to the appropriate position. End A is referred to as the facing-point end.A right railroad switch
(picture shows a model railway switch).
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The switch contains a pair of linked tapering rails that can be moved laterally (point blades).
The position of the switch is usually changed electrically on main lines and controlled from a remote control center or signal box, from where staff also alter semaphores or light signals correspondingly. In rarely used sidings, self-contained marshalling yards or on heritage railways a switch might be manually operated with a points lever. The switch points of tram lines are often operated remotely by the driver. Prior to the widespread availability of electricity, switches at heavily traveled junctions were operated from a tower constructed near the tracks through an elaborate system of rods and levers.
With a right switch A and B form a straight track and C is to the right of B, with a left switch C is to the left. A switch may also be symmetric, or tracks AB and AC may be curved at different radiiThe word radius ( Latin for "wheel spoke"; plural radii pronounced ray dee-eye has several meanings in English: In classical geometry, a radius of a circle or sphere is any line segment with one endpoint on the circle (i. the circular boundary) and the ot in the same or different directions.
The correct setting of points is fundamental to the safe running of a railway. A fatal train accidentThe Potters Bar rail crash occured on May 10, 2002 at Potters Bar, north of London, when a northbound train derailed at high speed, killing seven and seriously injuring another eleven. A West Anglia Great Northern train service left King's Cross station a at Potters BarPotters Bar is a town in Hertfordshire, England, just north of London. It has a population of about 20,000. The town started life in the early 13th century and remained more or less unchanged until the arrival of the railway in the 1850s. It was originall, HertfordshireHertfordshire (pronounced 'Hartfordshire' and abbreviated as 'Herts') is an inland county, officially part of the East of England Government region. It is one of the Home Counties. Hertfordshire is located to the north of Greater London, and much of the c, UK occurred in May 2002, when a switch sprang to a different position as a coach crossed it. The front coach wheels therefore progressed from A to B whereas the rear wheels slewed towards C, causing the whole coach to detach from the train and slew sideways across the platformA railway platform is a section of pathway, alongside rail tracks at a train station, metro station or tram stop, at which passengers may board or alight from trains or trams. Almost all stations for rail transport have some form of platforms, with larger ahead. Thankfully the movement of the switch occurred beneath the final coach, so that although seven people were killed, the front coaches were spared. Poor maintenance of the points was held to be the primary cause of the crash.
MonorailA monorail is a metro or railroad with a track consisting of a single rail (actually a beam), as opposed to the traditional track with two parallel rails. Monorail vehicles are wider than the beam they run on. Types and Technical Aspects There are two mai systems have special switches, see the external link, a page which includes animationThis animation moves at 10 frames per second. This animation moves at 2 frames per second. At this rate, the individual frames should be discernable. Animation refers to the process in which each frame of a film or movie is produced individually, whethers.
