Talk:Track circuit

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[edit] Merge from track circuits

This article is duplicated by Track circuits.

Tabletop 03:30, 20 Jun 2005 (UTC)

They do indeed cover the same topic. I've added {{mergeto}} and {{mergefrom}} to both articles suggesting that this article be the final destination (following WP:MOS for the article title). slambo 18:17, 17 October 2005 (UTC)
Merge --Soumyasch 06:04, 25 February 2006 (UTC)
Merge to Track circuit--Lordkinbote 09:32, 7 March 2006 (UTC)
Merge I agree that they should be merged, however I've always heard the term Track circuits used in industry and would suggest flipping the merge-to and merge-from tags. Skabat169 14:29, 17 April 2006 (UTC)
Obvious merge — Omegatron 16:20, 23 April 2006 (UTC)
Merge - Birdhurst 00:29, 26 April 2006 (UTC)
It seems this has already been done; therefore, the above discussion should be archived. 69.140.164.142 05:14, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Merge from Rail circuits

Yet another duplication of efforts. Slambo (Speak) 13:28, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

Merge - User:AdrianSavage 20:00, 30 August 2006 (BST)
  • Don't merge - In UK terminology at least, the two things are different. A track circuit has a normally energised relay. The train's wheels short out the circuit, de-energising the relay. A rail circuit has a normally de-energised relay. The train's wheels complete the circuit and energise the relay. Therefore, a track circuit proves the absence of a train, while a rail circuit proves the presence of a train. 81.79.89.122 17:40, 6 October 2006 (UTC)
    • Comment It's exceedingly hard to check this through a search, but evidence seems to suggest that this is not so. Having come across the 1911 Brittanica article on "signals" [1] I find that it describes "track circuits" in the modern normally-energized form, and also uses the phrase "rail circuit" more or less interchangeably. Mangoe 18:23, 6 October 2006 (UTC)
    • The definitions I gave above are supported by Railway Group Guidance Note GK/GN0802 "Glossary of Signalling Terms", available on the RSSB website at: http://www.rgsonline.co.uk/docushare/dsweb/Get/Rail-27026/gn0802.PDF 62.136.37.250 19:50, 6 October 2006 (UTC)
  • Merge - I believe that the "Rail Circuits" should be merged into "Track Circuit," as track circuit is the most common term for the system, and is IMO the better of the two articles. (BTW, this talk page is very confusing, so idk if I'm even posting this under the correct header) TNLTRPB 04:37, 3 December 2006 (UTC)
  • Merge - Although the above user who says dont merge has a valid objection, that the rail circuits and track circuits are different in a way, but they can be covered under one single heading as we all know that WIKIpedia is not a dictonary, that every item should be covered seperately they can be covered under the same heading as they necessarily provide the same information and different sub headings can be defined. --Psghai 08:52, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Another merge

This time it's poor shunting, which is simply one bit under "circuit failures".

On a related note: we seem to be trying to grow a list of accidents. I can see leaving the Cowan rail crash as it is an example of a failure mode, though I would incorporate it into the main text rather than letting it sit out in a list. Listing accidents which the presence of track circuits would have prevented strikes me as dubious (since it could be expanded to encompass every 19th century collision) and speculative. Mangoe 13:53, 29 September 2006 (UTC)

I agree. I was just looking at poor shunting myself and wondering why it existed. I was also amused that it says that poor shunting is something that affects railroad signalling in North America and the UK, then provides one real-life example—from Australia! Philip J. Rayment 13:58, 29 September 2006 (UTC)

Another type of sabotage is to connect rails with a wire. If this wire is hidden in the ballast, it takes rather long time (a couple of hours) to find it. There was such accident in Russia, possibly (but nobody was found and tried) a bad Fool day's joke of students of a near technical institute.--87.251.146.89 11:09, 3 October 2006 (UTC)

The Big Bayou Canot wreck is not an example of track circuit failure as such, the track circuit is not intended to detect a misaligned rail so it did not fail. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.132.198.82 (talk) 07:19, 24 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Battery circuit accuracy

I assume the battery circuits shown in the diagrams are simplified versions, only meant as indicative. Even so, I think the battery should be shown with a current-limiting, series resistor. In the short circuit condition, the battery or power supply (as shown) would fail. Looking at such a schematic melts my brain.

216.165.154.93 00:19, 6 November 2006 (UTC) [JM]

You are quite right. There should be a resistor at the battery end. A recent book on signalling places this resistor at the wrong or relay end!

[edit] Track circuit

Having worked on railroads in several areas of the world (in my early days I was a signal maintainer), the only term I have consistently heard to describe a track circuit is, in fact, track circuit. All information regarding track circuits should, in my opinion, be coalesced into a single article titled Track Circuits.

Also, the article, as presently written, confuses signal operation with track circuit operation, which are mutually independent functions. All a track circuit does is indicate the presence or absence of a train in a given stretch of track. The use of that information has no relationship to the track circuit itself (in fact, most designs carefully isolate a track circuit from what it controls to maximize reliability). A track circuit could control block signals, operate grade crossing signals, set up first-come, first-served interlocking, turn on station platform lights and annunciate the approach of a train to passengers waiting in a station...you get my drift.

BDD 22:15, 23 February 2007 (UTC)