Mike's Railroad Crossing Forum

As a precocious 5 year old, I could not figure out what caused these crossing signals to activate near my grandparent's home in Lewistown, Pennsylvania. http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source= ... 02932&z=19>.
My grandfather said the weight of the train squeezed the juice (electricity) out of the rails which turned on the signals.
So I began piling ballast rocks on the rail and then stood on it.
Nothing happened.

Years later, I discovered paper(?) between two rails and their joint plates and thoughthere must be electricity running through the rails.
But would that not be dangerous or shorted out by water?

Visiting my grandmother on Easter Day I went exploring the tracks near the depot on that same branch line.
A long bare metal cable connecting rails was lose enough that I was able to wedge it in the opposite rail joint.
THE SIGNALS ACTIVATED!
No bells, but the crossing signal control box light illuminated and I could hear the relays inside snapping back and fourth.
There was no traffic, otherwise I would have not done this little stunt.

Immediately I left the area, expecting someone from the railroad to come and un jam the wire.
An hour later I returned to the scene of the crime and the signals were still operating.
Wanting not to look suspicious, I walked down the middle of the track and "accidentally" caught the cable with my foot and the signals turned off as I innocently continued home.

Now I knew how the signals worked.

In 1999, I took my elderly friend to the Rose Parade.
We stayed at a motel in Sante Fe Springs, closest I could find to Pasadena so that we need not leave so early in morning for the Parade.
He retired early, so, unable to watch TV, I went for a walk, exploring.

I found a track which emerged from under a 30 foot long 1 foot high pile of dirt.
http://www.bing.com/maps/default.aspx?v ... &encType=1 (track crossed the road just north of the Vons truck in the bird'seye photo)
The track crossed the four-lane arterial street and abruptly ended at the outside edge of the sidewalk. The rails were cut off, their rough ends butting against a new chain link fence enclosing a construction site.
Overhead were cantilever crossing signal arrays. No gates.

Nearing midnight, I waited for no traffic and pulled the fence tightly against the rail ends.
Nothing happened.
In the dirt pile on the west side of the street was a piece of metal strapping.
I wedged one end into a rail joint
When I rubbed the other against the rail head, the signals immediately operated with bells ringing
and the traffic signal cycled to red.
Then car headlights appeard.
Santa Fe Springs Police!

They stopped and questioned me.
I told the officers that the signals were surprisingly still operational and I was checking to see if the chainlink fence could accidentally activate them.
An officer barely touched the strapping to the rail head and they again operated.
Could moisture in the dirt have shorted the circuit almost to the threshold of operating the crossing signals?

i was talking to a signal inspector one time and he said that one time in his territory, someone threw an old matress on the track and when the train hit it, the springs flew out and caused the signals to activate long after the train passed.

Sounds like you were quite the adventurer as a young boy!

I have to admit though... I did something similar to this I was a lad as well. My grandmother lived next to a crossing as well (photo of the crossing in September photo of the month section).

One day while we were visiting I was walking near the crossing and noticed one of the wires that was attached to the inside of the rails was very loose from its fitting. So, I non-chalantly walked by this wire and "tripped" over it. Immediately set off the signals. Of course I figured I would probably get arrested or something so I ran back into my grandmother’s house and hid in the basement for awhile. 4 hours later the signals were still going (this was back in the 70's and the signals did not have a bell at the time).

When it started getting dark, I snuck over and tried to re-attach the wire as best as I could. I was able to get the signals to turn off, but about an hour later a train came through and pulled the wire loose again. The signals were still going off as we left to head back home. Have no idea how much longer they remained on.