Mike's Railroad Crossing Forum

How can you tell the difference between them? I know aluminum is usually stronger, but is there a physical way to tell the differences? I know I've been at the crossing hobby since 2007; I should know this.

TommyBNSF wrote:How can you tell the difference between them? I know aluminum is usually stronger, but is there a physical way to tell the differences? I know I've been at the crossing hobby since 2007; I should know this.

I can't believe there are maintainers that still screw wire clips to the gate arms.

MD2020 wrote:I can't believe there are maintainers that still screw wire clips to the gate arms.

Old school cheap shortline

Well thats what you're beloved WCH sends you with their junk.

Absolutely ridiculous. Think about how long it takes to put those on and take them off again. I use small zip ties, that way I can put one foot on the gate arm, and pull the wire "pluck pluck pluck" and it's off.

MD2020 wrote: I can't believe there are maintainers that still screw wire clips to the gate arms.

Back-when, that was the Standard and doing it any-other-way was not Standard. LOL :)
I have no idea what the railroads want now days but somehow I figure it -don't-
include holding the gate light cables on with tape or bailing wire? You tell me. :)

It's easy, just go by the company's standards.
If that's tape, use tape.

Back-when, the light wires had to be inside the hollow gates and holes were drilled
for them at each gate light by hand using a brace and bit. I never worked on any
aluminum gate arms, those were new and only the very newest crossings had 'em.

All my hollow gate arms were fiberglass and attached to GS gate mechanisms.

Safetran/Wabco, Western and Griswold mechanism all used wood gate arms.

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I did my stuff according the the "book of Standards" so when they were in a bad
mood and needed someone to berate, it wasn't me. ;) Argued more about how
to bond a turnout than anything else tho. There were like eight different turnouts
(electrically and frog-wise) and it was always a fight about which scheme to follow.

The answers were in the details that most don't want to bother themselves with
and so that's where it'd start. Trying to show or explain those details to someone
that didn't want to hear 'em, let alone know and understand them, was an uphill
battle. :/ Some guys look to do it the easy-way and they were the ones I'd have
trouble with.

But keep this in mind...
Crossing stuff is all about the courtroom!

Let that be your guide when working on "crossing protection equipment".

Keep all your crossing stuff prepared to have a lawyer's investigator take close-up
photos of it, like the one in TRAINMANKIGHT's post. How would that red tape look
in court, blown-up-four-foot-wide? ;) The courtroom is not about finding the truth,
it's about putting on a show for the jury. Showmanship wins the day. Try not to be
your company's show stopper.

Anything less and you'll wish you had. ;)

Not BTDT... just BeenThereSeenThat ...and it wasn't a pretty sight, BTW.

The guys that had been run through that-wringer were pretty shaken-up over it.
And after that, they were telling -me- the details. LOL :)

"I'm pretty stupid but I done knowed that already ;)" I'd tell 'em.

Alvin in AZ (retired ditch diggin' nerd)

Well, when there are gate arms that have holes pre-drilled in them for zip ties, and gate lights are available included with zip ties, then I would say it's a safe bet that it will survive courtroom scrutinity.

What won't is obstructing a gate arm with a bunch of stupid wire hooks, tape, and even the wire. Thats just ridiculous.

Use of tape or bailing wire would not follow AREMA or MUTCD standards, nor would it fall under the FRA's rule that the "wire shall be securely affixed to the gate arm".

Further, I don't see how a gate light wire is mounted to the arm being as much of a "railroad" standard, as a manufacturers standard. -Different lights are sent with different ways to "securely affix the wire to the gate arm". Some come with zip ties, some those aggrivating aluminum hammer on clamps, some even have the stupid wire hooks with a screw (that get thrown away by any maintainer with any sense) You have options of mounting available, why not choose the easiest for the maintainer, that will still hold securely if done correctly? (Smaller zip ties) -Thats what the holes in the top of NEG and several other manufacturers gates are there for, zip ties work great, don't obstruct the gate, and I don't have to spend 20 mins trying to put it on or later undo all that crap when someone hits it.

Also, we do not refer to it anymore as "Crossing Protection equipment", it is now the more accurate "Crossing Warning equipment". -We have no duty to protect, only provide adequate warning. It is up to the public to interpret this warning and react accordingly.

"Still doing it, and enjoying it"

On the fiberlass gates... like the one in the above picture... that screw probably goes in pretty easy if they choose to use those types of clips correct?

Meaning... it could probably come out that easy over time as well? Especially with how much abuse most of those gates go through over time.

You still have to get out a drill with screw head attachment to put them in with, or even a nut driver, fumble with the little screws and wire holders, and drop half of them along the way, just a big pain in the ass. And then removal is never as easy as installation.

At least they didn't screw the wire onto the face of the gate arm like some idiots I've seen.

At least they put fiberglass after the aluminum, I still see installations where they are putting aluminum second and third sections up, clearly in violation of national electrical code, prohibiting use of movable metallac objects above 22 feet high. Go ahead and let the wind get it and allow it to fall over and hit some power lines and short out, and burn some stuff up, and see what happens. There is absolutely no excuse for that. It really amazes me how ignorant some people in this industry are sometimes.

MD2020 wrote:You still have to get out a drill with screw head attachment to put them in with, or even a nut driver, fumble with the little screws and wire holders, and drop half of them along the way, just a big pain in the ass. And then removal is never as easy as installation.

At least they didn't screw the wire onto the face of the gate arm like some idiots I've seen.

At least they put fiberglass after the aluminum, I still see installations where they are putting aluminum second and third sections up, clearly in violation of national electrical code, prohibiting use of movable metallac objects above 22 feet high. Go ahead and let the wind get it and allow it to fall over and hit some power lines and short out, and burn some stuff up, and see what happens. There is absolutely no excuse for that. It really amazes me how ignorant some people in this industry are sometimes.

I've heard of some idiot installing a gate with a base fiberglass short section then an aluminum Im waiting to see that installment personally seeing now they can't f*** up on gate stripes.