Is it pretty common to have a crossing gate on a junction where two RRs meet?
I have seen this junction before. Here is a pic.
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=454860
It’s not my pic.
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=454860
Just making the link clickable.
While I haven’t seen that particular style before, gates, commonly referred to as, “Smashboards,” were common on crossings in dark territory. If a train attempted to use the crossing without authority, it would smash the wooden (board) gate. The gate was commonly closed for the ‘junior’ railroad - the one which had built to that point later.
In the photo, a train approaching from the left would have to stop, then a crewmember would unset the derail (that switchstand) and physically move the gate before crossing the diamond - and then reset the whole works once the rear-end device was clear of the other side.
Chuck
the most common traffic control system would be distant and home signals.
if the routes were not equipped with signals then a stop board would be the next most common, functioning like a four way stop sign for automobile traffic where each road had to make a complete stop and then proceed if the way was clear.
swinging gates and smash boards were sometimes used and had the advantage of giving a positive indication of being over-run.
if you really want to get exotic, the IC had a traffic light suspended over a major rail crossing just south of Central station in Memphis. just like the kind used over intersections of busy city streets.
grizlump
Gates can come in several variaties. Some are completely ‘manual’ - All trains on either railroad stop and align the gate for movement. Others are electrically ‘locked’ the signal system on the line that has signaling. The supplied picture has gates for the line in the foreground. Note that the other line is signaled(see the signal in the distant left of the picture), and trains do not have to stop if the gates are lock as pictured for the non-signaled line. A train on the non-signaled line will need to stop and the conductor will need to unlock the signal box. This will set the signaled line’s home signal to red. Usually there is a timer in the box that will not unlock the gates for about 5 minutes. This allows trains that have just past a distant signal a couple miles out from seeing a red signal and box cars crossing the track. One the timer has run, the gate can be unlocked and moved to allow movement across the signaled line. Restoring the gates to their lock position allows the signalled line’s trains to use the crossing.
I am installing a ‘sorta’ working crossing with a similar gate on my layout. In actual practice, the signals will work like normal block signals. The crossing line ends about 4" from the crossing and is just for show.
Jim
The GM&O had a gate to protect a junction with another railroad. It was somewhere in Illinois on former Alton trackage, but I forget exactly where. IIRC, the gate was fabricated out of pipe, and had a stop sign attached to it.
Obviously, this sort of thing is not going to be used on a busy mainline.
Thank you all for the responses.
This gate is not a “smashboard”.
Gates are only used on really low speed, low density lines. As far as being"common", you’ll have to decide what “common” is. It would probably be a safe bet to say that only 1 or 2% of all crossings are equipped with gates.
I remember seeing a situation using these type gates. It was at a junction at the end of the Western Pacific’s mainline street running in and an Espee industrial spur. Of course speeds were slow and the gates, kitty corner to each other, were normally open for the WP mainline. When the Espee switched industries on the spur the crew swung the gates closed for the WP, opening them for the Espee. When they finished gates were opened for the WP again.
Have fun, Rob
A “smashboard” looks a lot like a European semaphore signal, with a round target on the end. It worked similarly to a semaphore, only the “blade” extended out over the tracks so a train running thru the signal would break the semaphore. When the route was clear, the smashboard would go straight up, like an upper quadrant semaphore.
