Retractable gate

[AndyWS]

Yesterday, while chasing an empty grain train with BNSF run-through power (heading for the DeLong Company elevator at Avalon), I decided to go to a crossing I'd never shot at before on the Wisconsin & Southern Prairie du Chien Subdivision (Park St. in Middleton, WI). Although the lights have long been replaced with 12" LEDs, it has a mismatched pair of older cantilevers, a Safetran mechanical bell, and the old-style diagonally striped gates.

However, there's one thing I didn't notice until I was reviewing the video after the fact. The gate across the tracks is rather short to fit under some power lines. I thought that's just the way it was, but I noticed when reviewing the video that it actually extends to get longer as it lowers, and then retracts when it comes back up!

Go to timestamp 14:59, for some reason the direct timestamp link won't work with the embed code.

Anyone else ever seen anything like this? I've seen gates that are hinged for similar scenarios, but none that can extend straight out and then retract.

[SirKrunch]

Huh. I'm surprised to see an RR use that in Wisconsin, given the troubles ice and snow have had on various crossing signal equipment.
Depending on the construction or activation mechanism, somehow I could see ice, snow, and cold combining to either cause the gate not to extend on lowering, or worse to not contract when rising and striking the overhead wires.
I mean, look at all the trouble that (was it WS or WC at the time?) claimed they had with winter weather messing with the barrier gates. Funny they wouldn't play it safe and set up a normal gate that would only rise to 75-degrees or whatever is necessary to avoid the overhead lines. :/

[AndyWS]

Huh. I'm surprised to see an RR use that in Wisconsin, given the troubles ice and snow have had on various crossing signal equipment.
Depending on the construction or activation mechanism, somehow I could see ice, snow, and cold combining to either cause the gate not to extend on lowering, or worse to not contract when rising and striking the overhead wires.
I mean, look at all the trouble that (was it WS or WC at the time?) claimed they had with winter weather messing with the barrier gates. Funny they wouldn't play it safe and set up a normal gate that would only rise to 75-degrees or whatever is necessary to avoid the overhead lines. :/

It was Wisconsin and Southern that had the four sets of barrier gates on their system. Wisconsin Central was already absorbed into CN by that time.

I didn't know winter weather was a problem with them. But yeah, I have seen other crossings around the Madison area with gates just not set up to rise all the way in order to clear power lines, such as this one:

https://www.rxrsignals.com/Wisconsin/L- ... mmercial1/

[SirKrunch]

It was Wisconsin and Southern that had the four sets of barrier gates on their system. Wisconsin Central was already absorbed into CN by that time.

I didn't know winter weather was a problem with them. But yeah, I have seen other crossings around the Madison area with gates just not set up to rise all the way in order to clear power lines, such as this one:

https://www.rxrsignals.com/Wisconsin/L- ... mmercial1/

I found this in an article about the removal of the barrier gates in Monroe, WI...

"The roadway is completely closed to traffic when barrier gates fail in the down position or are struck by motor vehicles. Unlike conventional gates, they cannot be manually raised by law enforcement personnel before the signal maintainer fixes the problem. Barrier gates sometimes fail in the upright position also. Snow must be kept away from counterweights for them to function properly. There is no permanent method for a gate heater to keep frost off contacts, which can cause the barrier gates to malfunction.

WSOR noted additional labor, equipment and costs to maintain barrier gates and the problems with limited availability, transportation and storage of spare parts."

Source: https://themonroetimes.com/local-news/r ... -replaced/