Volts where you least want them

DON'T DO IT!!
Perhaps of relevance....a few years ago there was a fuss about the EU setting standards for electric fences (for keeping animals)...the nature of the fuss isn't relevant,but one statistic caught my eye:apparently 3 people were killed by electric fences in the whole of Europe the preceding year but EVERY ONE of them died as a result of "Passing water against a live fence whilst in a state of intoxication"!!
How much more volts/amps/whatever is there in a live rail?

Whilst on the subject if you get an electric shock from a DC source you can will most likely be paralyzed and unable to move....

With AC you will get thrown due to the polarity changes - however neither is a nice experience!

This fact together with the high current on the Underground is the reason there are unfortunately fatalities when humans of animals get between a live rail and earth.

Xerces Fobe

This is questionable because a DC 'belt' throws though I would agree that it contracts a muscle and it is all a question of which muscle and in what position. You'd have to be firmly gripping rather than simply touching or in contact and unable to use the required muscle to move away!

On the other hand gripping an ac source would contract and relax muscle at the frequency of the current making it impossible to let go in the very short relaxation time.

So take nothing for granted except that all electricity is dangerous regardless of current and voltage, I speak from experience having been zapped by autoelectrics, domestic electrics, signal supplies, both AC and DC over the years. One never gets used to it but in the good old days of open contacts getting juiced by 100v ac was almost guaranteed on a nightly basis when testing signalling!


Many tunnel smoulderings (these days called fires) were the result of rubbish building up between the pozzi and the continuous (earthy) running rail and usually started by a trapped drinks can. We'd jump out the front of a train with our trusty 2lb hammer and knock the can out, it's amazing how long a can takes to burn through though even though it is causing a full short to earth.

In the absence of fire fighting kit the unwritten rule was for a lineman to relieve himself over a smouldering in the good old days as the quickest way to deal with it!

...which is an interesting thing indeed .

Whilst body resistance may seem high (up to 100 kOhm) when metered with a 4.5-9 V powered multimeter, the only part of a human body possessing significant resistance is a very thin outer skin layer. Its breakdown voltage varies from person to person, but it surely is not higher than 100 V, and when a breakdown voltage is reached, body resistance drops significantly. Currents over 300 mA DC and 100 mA AC (50 Hz) are considered to be fatal, although your mileage may vary ;D.

Mod hat

I would recommend from both a personal point of view and that of the board, that attempting to connect with juice rails is not a good idea, and I certainly don't think taking a pee on the running lines is clever.