I found this nice clear pic of a derail… but… what EXACTLY does the sign mean please?
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=143689
I would guess “No clearance” for crew riding on locos or cars… is that correct?
TIA [:p]
Well the “derail” means exactly what it says it means that there is a derail located near that sign. As For the "no clearance I am unsure as to why that is there. I think it may be because there is not enough room between trains for a person but it also looked like the tracks were seperated enough. thats just my 2 cents
The derail is the orange device on the near rail that puposely lifts the flange of a wheel and derails it so it won’t continue to roll down the track. There have been many accidents where a vandal has thrown a switch and released a hand brake on a car in a siding for “fun”. This prevents the car from going any farther. Also note that the derail throws the car away from the second track so it doesn’t foul both tracks. The No clearance sign is probably for the spur behind you. I expect that it has something to do with clearance through the gate if there is one or a building in the lumber yard.
Dead on correct anser here. I have one or two in the area to keep train cars from rolling back onto mainline. The no clearence, I believe means no clearance between this device and the switch behind you. Again, I am guessing on the no clearence because I can’t see.
The “no clearance” refers to the derail stand, immediately behind the sign. There doesn’t seem to be adequate room to safely clear a person standing on the sturrup step on the side of a freight car, especially “standing” sideways, with one leg swinging free…
In many cases, the safety engineers put “no clearance” signs in places where clearance seems to be adequate - on the dual principle of, “Better safe than sorry,” and, “So sue us! You were warned.”
An alternate form of derail comes in the form of a single switch point. Closed, the track is useable. Open, the wheels are directed to the ground away from the side where fouling would be a problem.
Chuck.
So you think that they put a “No Clearance” sign right in front of a switch stand creating the no clearance situation the sign was put there to warn about?
No Clearance typically means there is not enough clearance for someone to ride the side of a car. But in this case, I can’t see the close clearance. Possibly the derail stand.
Notice, this derail is equiped with an interlocking device (the silverish box between the rail and the stand). Opening this derail, would trip the occupency circuit of the block the tracks leads out onto.
The type of derail Chuck is referring to, is also called a split rail derail. They are often used around moveable bridges.
Nick
A derail located on the Missouri and Northern Arkansas RR in Calico Rock, Arkansas. This is the former Missouri Pacific’s White River Route.
Am I understanding this correctly? They de-rail the train on purpose to keep it off a certain track at certain time??? Sounds like better mgmt. would be the real answer!!!
So whats the real scope???
not a train, but cars that are on that spur, in case some…people… think it funny to release the brakes on said cars… it’ll derail the cars so that they don’t get too close to the main (or even get on the main)
ooooooh that makes more sense.