Mike's Railroad Crossing Forum

The malfunction starts at 1:06.

The signal on the left has two pairs of MI lights.
The signal on the right has three pairs of MI lights and a MI mechanical bell.

*Warning, Shaky Video*

The train had just passed about 20 seconds earlier and I wasn't prepared.

It appears that the newer L&N installs have a problem with tail-ring malfunctions.

Must have been from the rust on the tracks, they don't look like trains have traveled on them in years.

LARDLOGO wrote:Must have been from the rust on the tracks, they don't look like trains have traveled on them in years.

The tracks get use somewhat regularly actually. The HMCR runs on twice (once down the line, once back up the line) every Monday and Friday.

freebrickproductions wrote:

LARDLOGO wrote:Must have been from the rust on the tracks, they don't look like trains have traveled on them in years.

The tracks get use somewhat regularly actually. The HMCR runs on twice (once down the line, once back up the line) every Monday and Friday.

Or poor maintenance, we have a line that is only used once or twice a month and everything works properly.

LARDLOGO wrote:

freebrickproductions wrote:

LARDLOGO wrote:Must have been from the rust on the tracks, they don't look like trains have traveled on them in years.

The tracks get use somewhat regularly actually. The HMCR runs on twice (once down the line, once back up the line) every Monday and Friday.

Or poor maintenance, we have a line that is only used once or twice a month and everything works properly.

I don't think maintenance is a problem as only the newer L&N crossing signal installs (Eagletree Lane, Mountain Gap Road, Hoobs Road) have the tailring malfunction problem while the older L&N installs (Holmes Avenue #2, Bob Wallace Avenue, Drake Avenue, Lily Flagg Road) and the HMCR installs (Heart of Huntsville Drive, Monroe Street, Governors Drive, Airport Road, Whitesburg Drive & Blanda Drive, Weatherly Drive, Ditto Marina Parkway) don't have the tailring malfunction problem. I believe Kight said it was the detector that was causing it.

LARDLOGO wrote:

freebrickproductions wrote:

LARDLOGO wrote:Must have been from the rust on the tracks, they don't look like trains have traveled on them in years.

The tracks get use somewhat regularly actually. The HMCR runs on twice (once down the line, once back up the line) every Monday and Friday.

Or poor maintenance, we have a line that is only used once or twice a month and everything works properly.

L&N installed DMD and PMD-1 in their final years, which were the first "Digital crossings detectors" which evolved into the current predictors we have today.
Their pros from the older DC/AC track circuit were many, which can be read in this article here
http://gsee.dyndns.org:8081/signals/tra ... h5_070.pdf
However they had many flaws as brand new technology does, that includes the tailrings, among other things.
For FL crossings tailrings arn't so bad, but add a gate into the mix and the railroads will be replacing windshields.
"C circuits" are the best for rusty rail short lines.