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Post by russe on Jun 5, 2005 16:44:01 GMT
Although not uncommon on the Southern, are there still any sections of LT track with additional return conductor rails, to improve the return current flow? Here's an example at Hammersmith in 1958 with a 'double extra': www.53a-pix.co.uk/picture/LTp1938-HA-200958.jpgRuss |
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Post by q8 on Jun 5, 2005 17:03:50 GMT
Here's an example at Hammersmith in 1958 with a 'double extra': www.53a-pix.co.uk/picture/LTp1938-HA-200958.jpg---------------------------------------------------------------------- Sorry Russ you got it wrong mate. Those are not extra returns. they are new current rails waiting to be installed vice the ones in situ. Or they may even be the old ones waiting to be taken away. LT P.way often did this as quite often the gang only had the equipment train for doing the work. The long rail train would come along before the work and dump the new rails as shown and return after the work to cart the old ones away. Having had a closer look at the picture I would say they are the new ones as they are of the more modern "large profile" type. The ones on the pots are the older "small profile" sort |
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Post by russe on Jun 5, 2005 17:54:29 GMT
Hmmm - that's what I thought at first, but the 'extra' rails (and yes, they are of the heavier 150lb/yard section compared to the 106lb/yard section throughout the rest of the pic) look like they are mounted on pots; bit difficult to tell exactly from the pic. If they are mounted on pots, then I'm sticking to my 'extra negative continuity' notion. Having said that, there is a strange overlap in the offside extra rail toward the top of the pic, and I can't see any obvious wire-bonding present, so you might be right.
Russ
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DWS
every second count's
Posts: 2,418
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Post by DWS on Jun 5, 2005 18:10:45 GMT
I agree with Q8, the rails each side of the Negative rail are new rails waiting to be laid.
What may look like pots, are in fact bolts fixed to the sleepers to stop the rails moving and shorting out.
Also the rails have rust coating, unlike the shine on the current rails.
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Post by russe on Jun 5, 2005 18:25:34 GMT
Ah, yes. Bolts - that cliches it for the replacement proposition. My my, how they did things properly in those days!
Russ
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Jun 7, 2005 15:47:04 GMT
you couldnt have a extra negative return as this is in the middle of the two running rails and as the train as fixed negative pick up shoes this would be very hard to achieve
although mostly gone now some places still have want as know as out of gauge rails (traction) these are in places where the conductor rail stops and there is about a 2' gap these are beening replaced with jumper cables between the two conductor rails but as i said some still remain
one place i can think off top of my head is the area around the baron's court substaion gap
but as Q8 mentions the p-way do leave old /new rails in the 4 foot (between the two running rails) for furtune work or to be picked up but this can cause alot of problems with the signalling especially last week when i had a problem with a trainstop where the air was restricted due to the air hose being caught underneath the old rail ( this is why last monday the e/b picc was running down the local district from acton - hammersmith from about 19:00 - 20:00)
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Post by russe on Jun 7, 2005 17:16:55 GMT
There are still quite a few sets of out of gauge rails on the system, although they do seem to be disappearing fast nowadays - some new-fangled health & safety wheeze I understand. Here's an unusual positive swapover arrangement at Ickenham, on (new-ish) flatbottom track:  Centres of out of gauge rails are 11" from their adjacent conductor rail, so there's no problem (at least historically) with negative pickup widths, but I'm not sure how wide the average negative shoe is these days (5"?, 6"?). The longitudinal gap between adjacent ramps is normally 5 foot. Assuming it's still there, here's another set some of you will be familiar with, eastbound from Whitechapel:  Russ (an oog rails fan - yeah, sad, innit, but I think they're  ) |
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