Conversation
Oskar456@mastodon.social

Ondřej Caletka

When a railway track is out of order, they often put a small device between the rails that is connected to both rails and emits white flashes.

I wonder whether the flashes are actually powered from the track circuit that this device is apparently shunting.

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pavel

Pavel Machek

Reply to @Oskar456@mastodon.social
@Oskar456 There should be enough energy to do that, yes.
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stepan@skorpil.cz

Štěpán Škorpil skorpil_cz

Reply to @pavel

@pavel @Oskar456 you mean there is enough electric potential difference between the rail and the soil? Or where?

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pavel

Pavel Machek

Reply to @stepan@skorpil.cz
@stepan @Oskar456 There should be few volts between one rail and another.
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Oskar456@mastodon.social

Ondřej Caletka

Reply to @pavel

@pavel @stepan Track circuits detect the train by running current through the rails. This device is connecting the rails together, simulating the train and thus also having some current flowing through it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Track_circuit

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