Low Bridge

[Eriediamond]

A little history class here. Those ropes hanging down that Fergie refered to where not for determing heights of cars, but a safety device for brakemen in the days they used to walk the cars and hand set the brakes or for any other reason train crews had to walk on top of the cars. The ropes were a warning of low clearance ahead so the crewman would know to get off the car or was about to get a good headache. Ken

[IRONROOSTER]

What you are describing are plate clearances. Each car has a known plate clearance and each rail line has a plate clearance. It is up to the folks who route cars to not send cars over lines that don't have adequate clearance. The railroad maintains route maps that show clearances. This page on the NMRA's site http://www.nmra.org/standards/gauge.html has some information about plate clearances and how they relate to the HO gage they sell.
Basically, plate B can go anywhere and plate C and above are restricted. I don't think plate A is used anymore (older smaller cars).
Enjoy
Paul
Enjoy
Paul

[twhite]

You might want to install a telltale about 100 scale feet from the obstruction. It probably isn't prototype, but the railroads used to use them for tunnels or other low-clearance obstacles on the line. I've installed them near the entrances to all of my tunnels, and my one through-truss bridge. In actual operation, the hanging ropes would brush against any brakemen on top of the cars, letting them know to duck. Besides, they look really cool trackside.
Tom

[DSchmitt]

There is or used to be (I haven't been there for years) a clearance gauge on the SP line east of Bakersfield. It checked height and width of loads[:)]. My memory isn't good enough to describe it[:(]

[Anonymous]

Miniwyo, no i can't. As I described, my shelflayout is just 32" long. I'll just stick to some tiger stripes then. Thanks.

[Fergmiester]

Canadian National used a system of ropes suspened from a horizontal pole held above the track. If any of the cars came into contact with the rope as they passed under it then they knew they had a problem. I wonder if they would be able to stop the train in time? Or if they had a suspect load they would have speed restrictions in place for areas of uncertainty.

Fergie

[miniwyo]

Can you make you track grade go up and over the pipes?

[dehusman]

There is no prototype sign for what you describe.

Signs like that are for highways.

The way the railroads handle this is to not put high cars on a restricted route.

For some bridges (through truss type) the railroads have "wide load detectors" that measure if a train has anything that sticks out beyond or above the restriction, and then cause a signal to stop the train. The detector has to be several miles away from the bridge.

Dave H.

[Anonymous]

Not quite correct, I want my 1:87-engineers to know there is a low bridge ahead, the shelf layout is just 10x32" and there will be one engine automaticly switching on the layout, the pipes are there to hide te transition to the background. What I want to know is what the SP used in those days to alert its crew about the reduced clearance.

And yes I do know Murphy [:D]

[Eriediamond]

Coertsmit, If I'm correct in my thinking here, you are in the process of building your layout and you are concerned about visiting operators running a high train into those pipes. If this is so, I would highly recommend doing one of several things. Lower th layout for clearance under the pipes, raise the pipes, or don't run high trains period. It's been my experience that signs go unnoticed, or new or unfamiliar operators become confused. Don't know about the Dutch, but we in America have a law on the books called Murphy!! Ken

[Anonymous]

On a shelf layout I'm building, I have a couple of pipings crossing the tracks at a height that's to low for high equipment such as stacktrains or high cubes. The layout is situated on a SP yard in the 50's or 60's and now I'm wondering what i need to let my engineers now that there is a low bridge ahead, maybe something like a sign next to the tracks and tiger stripings on the underside of the bridge. Who can help?