Yesterday I got to watch a Dakota & Iowa train switch some cars at Hawarden Iowa. The train headed north towards a crossing which caused the lights, bells and crossing arms to activate. After a minute or so, the crossing deactivated and the arms went back up. Then the locomotive backed cars into a spur. Because no one got off the train to approcah the crosing, I presume the crew has the dispatcher deactivate the crossing? Is it just a matter of the D&I crew explaining the situation to the BNSF dispatcher and the dispatcher hits a button?
Thanks to Chris / CopCarSS for my avatar.
More likely a circuit that automatically deactivates the warning devices when movement toward the crossing has stopped.
mvlandsw More likely a circuit that automatically deactivates the warning devices when movement toward the crossing has stopped.
It's called a predictive circuit and works with doppler through the tracks. With the exception of the island circuit, if a train stops near the crossing, the system will sense that and the gates will go back up. If the train starts toward the crossing again, this, too, will be sensed and the gates will go back down.
Another feature of predictive circuits is that they measure the speed of an oncoming train and adjust activation accordingly.
Conventional crossing circuits only sense that there's a train in the approach circuit.
Many times, with a conventional crossing circuit, if a train clears the crossing but stops beyond it - thus is still on the other approach circuit - the gates will come down after 12-14 minutes.
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
"+1" Sensing, measuring, and predictive electronics in the control circuit at the crossing can tell the relative speed of the approaching train, when it has stopped, and when it has reversed away from the crossing, and repond accordingly with the lights, bell, and gates.
It's very rare - if ever - when the DS can control a road grade crossing signal.
- PDN.
EDIT: I didn't see tree68/ Larry's post until after I finished typing mine. +1 to his, too.
Many years ago when most crossings had conventional circuits, some crossings had key release boxes on the side of the relay cabinet. Back then, when a train stopped in the circuit it wouldn't time out and let the gates raise. The box had a place to insert the key to lower and raise the gates. Where there were multiple tracks, there would be a separate release, properly marked, for each track.
Regarding manual control of grade crossing signals. I know of a couple places, years ago-back when you still had towers and stations with operators, where the operator could lower and raise the gates. It wasn't for main track moves, but switching leads where the approach circuit was short. Short enough that some moves would have to stop and wait for the gates to lower. When a yard engine started pulling a long cut of cars, the engineer could radio the operator to lower the gates so they wouldn't have to stop.
Jeff
Jeff, on our end of the pike, the crossings were activated or deactivated by push-buttons inside a box that was opened with a switch key. I was more than happy to do that for crews to save them the time for getting out of town in the days when I was a railfan with a company radio. Not legal, but I doubt that anyone minded.As for the variable-speed circuits, I certainly wish they'd tweak them here in Lombard! Eastbound scoots trip the Elizabeth Street grade crossing while they're still out of sight west of Finley Road--that's almost a mile and almost a minute away!
Carl
Railroader Emeritus (practiced railroading for 46 years--and in 2010 I finally got it right!)
CAACSCOCOM--I don't want to behave improperly, so I just won't behave at all. (SM)
We have several crossings we deal with that have locked "button boxes" to deal with the crossings. In all cases, it's places where we spend a long time on the circuit.
I have a lot of respect for the folks who sort out the signalling in places like Deshler. Between signalling for the main tracks, the transfers, the diamond, and the road crossings it's gotta be a zoo, because there are so many overlaps. Not to mention that the dispatcher controls all the track aspects as well.
The only place I know of where the train crew had any remote control of a gate circuit was on the Vandalia Railroad as an experiment (shortline run by Charlie Barenfanger at the time that Pioneer has since assumed - It was an experiment on what was an original piece of the IC, that survived after the Gruver abandoned, that FRA was watching in the name of shortline economics & practicality) ....everything else I've ever been around are the push button/key boxes/ hoop and staff neanderthal stuff metioned above.
Ha! I guess I was over-awed at the thought of the technical breakthroughs that would allow an engineer in Iowa to talk to a dispatcher in a different state. I overlooked the possibility that the track circuits and switches are now smarter than I am. Side note- most of the siding going into our lumber yard there is still in place with grass grown up level to the rails. 75 years ago the company proudly offered 44 different kinds of coal for sale. There is still some to be found alongside the building that used to be all coal bins. I could find at least 4 or 5 very different types of coal there still on the ground all those years later.
Murphy Siding Ha! I guess I was over-awed at the thought of the technical breakthroughs that would allow an engineer in Iowa to talk to a dispatcher in a different state. I overlooked the possibility that the track circuits and switches are now smarter than I am.
Ain't nothing like sitting in Michigan and hearing a dispatcher with a Florida drawl on the RR channels...
Now that the Selkirk, NY dispatch office has physically moved to Jax, I'm amazed that they were able to smoothly transistion all the necessary circuits from one location to another almost 1000 miles away.
Something I'd love to see here would be the ability to do what we currently do with a push button on the ground with the radio, as is now down with switches in some places. Instead of having to send someone to the crossing to de-activate a crossing because we're still on the approach, or to activate said circuit once we're ready to depart would be a time saver, not to mention a safety gain for the person who has to go to the button box .
tree68Ain't nothing like sitting in Michigan and hearing a dispatcher with a Florida drawl on the RR channels... Now that the Selkirk, NY dispatch office has physically moved to Jax, I'm amazed that they were able to smoothly transistion all the necessary circuits from one location to another almost 1000 miles away.
Jacksonville has always been the 'home' of the CADS for CSX - even when there were distributed Dispatcher Offices. Each distributed office was given the computer and communications power to run the whole show - IF NECESSARY; however the real time operating system was maintained on the Jacksonville system. The only thing that was necessary for the move was to configure the assigned desks for field desk and then 'throw the switch'.
The only reason you 'should' be hearing a strange voice on any of the Selkirk Desks from Jacksonville is account 'new assignees' to the Selkirk extra board account the vacancies created from those who declined to follow their jobs to Jacksonville. These are most likely new hires. When the jobs were moved the incumbent on every desk had the right to follow their own job to Jacksonville - nobody would be laid off.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
DId they offer any compensation for the dispatchers for the move? Moving costs, temp housing, sales cost for housing? Or am I dreaming? Any of those big bucks (perks) that EHH got?
Electroliner 1935DId they offer any compensation for the dispatchers for the move? Moving costs, temp housing, sales cost for housing? Or am I dreaming? Any of those big bucks (perks) that EHH got?
Prior Dispatcher moves on CSX had those perks. This last centralization was a EHH plan. No perks. Your job goes to work in Jacksonville 3 PM (or other designated times) on a designated date. Be there or exercise your seniority to a prior craft or look for a new job with another company. You are responsible to do something with your present lodging and move to new lodgings.
Dispatcher moving didn't get any of the EHH big bucks.
BaltACD This last centralization was a EHH plan. No perks.
Are Dispatchers no longer union? Or does contract allow this? This sucks.
Electroliner 1935 BaltACD This last centralization was a EHH plan. No perks. Are Dispatchers no longer union? Or does contract allow this? This sucks.
There are provisions in the ATDA contract that cover relocation - they are minimal as in all previous relocations side agreements were negotiated by the parties.
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