Am going to reinstate my newbie status by asking a question that will be viewed by some as " what a dumb*ss". West of town on the BN single track, there are 3 signs about 100 yards apart that say “SHUNT”. These would be viewed from tracks as you approach town. Can you engineers out here in cyberspace clue me in and as with all my posts, feel free to jab, joke and generally ridicule. I can take it from knowledgeable people, just not the ( fill in the blank) Thanks Willy
Waaal, I do know that in England “shunt” as a verb means “to switch.” Cars are not pushed over switches but “shunted” over “points.” I guess most people in the USA these days think “shunt” refers only to a medical IV.
Any help there?
[:I]
Shunt is also an electrical term. The signs may refer to the point where a train will activate the grade crossing signal circuit.
Or circuits, if there are multiple crossings, speed considerations, etc. MC will have the whole scoop, I’m sure.
Yes, there are multiple crossings in town, but the way they fly through, there must not be speed restrictions.
I would guess and electrical connection for signals or crossings.
Adrianspeeder
But why would they post a sign if it was automatic circuit?
Two possible reasons I can think of:
- So the signal maintainer knows where they are.
- So if a train has to stop, they know what they are tripping…
Has anyone ever seen these anywhere else or is this just a local BN thing?