How do TRAINS STEER? | Switches 101

In this video, we're going to take a look at how switches work, and how they influence train operations!
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[@leightonmoreland]

according to an Iron Horse news from back in the day, the 3 way stub is supposedly from the west side of Alpine Tunnel. Bob & Co. went up in the 50's and dragged it out. Back then there was still a lot of track in place still up there. Now how much of the rail in Golden is actually from Alpine is a question that I'm not sure anybody can answer but that's the story

[@Hyce777]

I knew someone would remember, lol! I thought I'd said that before and been corrected... Lol.

[@mattomon1045]

you are correct that came from the alpine tunnel I helped to in stall it .

[@112-DavidL]

@@Hyce777 1:21 In Australia we call the whole switch the Points too

[@BRZrails]

I was so confused because I only saw "how trains steer" not the switches 101, lol 😂

[@pannakhan1833]

Me too lol

[@qtheplatypus]

Clearly you haven;t seen the documentary “Polar express”

[@j88productions]

“LEFT!”

[@Hyce777]

Welcome to the joy of writing KZbin titles, lol!

[@f.u.m.o.5669]

​@@qtheplatypus Great documentary, but still beaten by the best documentary, Shrek.

[@LordPhobos6502]

Tram driver here. We use exclusively flop switches (by your terminology) for points, for diverging and converging routes. The idea is if we ever have to run reverse, we don't need to pre-set the points - we're in mixed traffic with cars - and we can just drive the tram. Our flop switches are designed that they can have the returning spring biased, to make them a set of spring points. It's the same mechanism, just the bias in the spring is adjusted. We use them for terminii, so that trams always leave on the correct track. Diverging points often, but not always, have a hydraulic motor attached for automatic operation; all points have a manual throw, operated by a big metal bar operated by the driver. Pushing against the hydraulic motor is... work, but completely managable. Trying to manually throw a spring-loaded set of points is a great way to have 'a bad day at the office'. Frogs are all of the flange supporting variety, but our heaviest vehicles have around 7.5 ton axle loading. They still wear out over time.

[@Lucius_Chiaraviglio]

Also, an awful lot of traditional tram switches have just a single point (plenty of examples here on the MBTA = Boston area Green Line). I have heard that a lot of modern off-the-shelf trams don't play well with these. (Then again, MBTA Type 8 trams don't play well with anything, including straight track, unless you grind the wheel profile to be really nonstandard, and even then it's a bit iffy.)

[@AlRoderick]

I don't know this for sure, but I think perhaps the frog in the railroad switch is named after the frog in a horse hoof, not after the amphibian. The frog is a bit of soft tissue that is up inside the hoof, it makes contact with the ground when the ground is soft and is basically like the single fingertip of the single digit of a horse's foot, whereas the hard part of the hoof is the fingernail that wraps around it. The shape of the piece is pretty evocative and I think that the smiths that were hand making the rail hardware in the early days would have a lot of familiarity with horse hooves.

[@foraminuteforaminute4056]

Precisely what I had been thinking. But ultimately it goes to the amphibian, as a horse's hoof structure is reminiscent of the shape of the back of the animal in question.

[@Hyce777]

I wouldn't be surprised if the definition I've always heard is wrong. The fun thing about some of the early railroad history stuff is that "good stories" always seem to get in the way of the truth... Thanks for sharing!

[@Mishn0]

It may even come from the clothing fastening called a frog. Each side of the gap to be fastened has a cord often shaped like a "Y" with the points at the gap to be closed. One point has a loop and the other has a knot like a ball that goes into the loop like a button to fasten. When it's fastened, it's shaped a lot like the railroad switch "frog". But again like "For a Minute" says, that name might come from its resemblance to the eponymous critter.

[@mafarnz]

That is correct, it comes from the structure on the bottom of the horses foot. Nearly identical shape.

[@underseaowl7440]

Thats what I suspected as well

[@xenowreborn]

Hyce always stays on track with these 101 videos, never switching the subject unless at necessary junctions, and making his points very secure and clear, which really helps me learn all about subjects such as these, I Really enjoy it

[@Lectrikfro]

Limes!

[@peregrina7701]

[@niiinaa]

It's so interesting to me to see the differences in standards and terminology. I'm currently training to be a train driver (dont know the peoper term sorry) in Austria, and there isn't a single term that translates directly. What you call the guard rail we call Wheel Steerer (Radlenker) if translated directly. The frog, which you said is sort of the heart of the switch, we call switch heart (Weichenherz), and the points, the moving bits, we call switch tongue (Weichenzunge). Incredible is also your systom of switch signalling. We just have arrows that point in the direction the switch is set to take the train.

[@thesteelrodent1796]

It's the same in Danish. The guard rail is "force rail" in Danish, but the rest is basically the same as German - tongues and heart piece, while the rails are outer or middle-rail. We use slanted lines instead of arrows to indicate the direction of the switch, but our track is normally made so the indicators work the same way as the American, so | means you're going down the line, and / means you're going off the line. The confusing part is that these flags were also used on double slip switches, so if the flag says |, then the switch is set to X, but if the flag is / (or \) then the switch is set to )(. Of course on automated switches there are no flags at all, so you just gotta hope it's set right. We only still have flags on switches that allow or require someone manually flipping it

[@akaBoG]

I remember in 2004 when 346 returned from having work done - the crew was so excited to run the engine they ended up going a touch fast thru the main switch near the boarding area. The Loco derailed and damaged the switch.....took a bit of work to fix it back up.

[@Redwagon2012]

At the d&rgw or the Colorado railroad museum

[@chetumaire]

​@@Redwagon2012 2004 so probably the Co rail museum

[@peregrina7701]

Huh. How to celebrate your locomotive's return - overspeed a switch and go offroading!

[@Redwagon2012]

When did 346 derail?

[@akaBoG]

@@Redwagon2012 2004....like hours after she got back from having her boiler repaired. The switch took the brunt of the damage and she was back up and running as soon as the main was repaired.

[@a101a6]

One thing you didn’t get to cover since you talked mainly about historic switches but modern switches can get quite large to allow higher speeds through the diverging leg. For example there exists 2 switches in the US rated for 125mph on the diverging leg, one on the Northwest Corridor and one of the Orlando extension of Brightline in Florida. These 125mph switches are so large that they need 5 switch motors to throw the switch, 3 for the points and 2 for the Frog.

[@boldford]

Moving frog switches/points/turn-outs are used on some high speed routes to provide continuous support for the wheel as it passes over the frog/common-crossing.

[@railroad9000]

I think I read (or from a video) the frog angle was around a number 23 or so!

[@Armageddon_71]

"Delay JCT" and "No Aqua" water tower. Wonderful names. XD

[@andrewp6387]

This Is why I get irritated when the news makes it sound like the train was at fault when hits a vehicle A train cannot swerve out of the way

[@ryano.5149]

Well, it's not like it's on rails or anything! ...oh wait... lol

[@kimpatz2189]

Any law in the world makes the vehicle that crosses any rails be liable to damages. The train or rail vehicle gets priority every time. The US seems to hate rail vehicles to the point of blaming them for the accident. Even common sense is hard for them. Famous trams in Europe gets the usual dose of vehicles trying to fight a tram on the road. The tram wins every time and the driver at fault also gets the intense stare from the passengers of the tram for making them late.

[@KenwayJoel]

@@kimpatz2189 Not true at all. Sorry but that's completely idiotic to say that. If its a level crossing for example, where the lights, and or gates fail to operate, or if the driver of the train passes a red, then its no fault of the road user. Not every collision with a rail and road vehicle is the road users fault. In fact just up the road from me, (Kent) the train crew are responsible for operating the level crossing gates, so they are responsible for stopping to make sure the line is clear, before proceeding across the road. Not everything is black a white bud.

[@fusilier3029]

Ah, I see Hyce switching it up now!

[@crazyjack3357]

[@creepermaster6193]

S H U T😂😂

[@realcanadian96]

Boooo

[@fusilier3029]

@@realcanadian96 It's better than saying "First!" despite me having the opportunity to say so. :-P

[@IamTheHolypumpkin]

There's the Abt’sche Weiche (Abt’sche Switch). It has no points or frog and still works 😁. Well is is only used on funiculars. The cars only have a double-flange on one side and the oder side is completely blind. Is a very neat system.

[@RailFanAthena]

Fun Fact: The first steam locomotive to have a water sight glass (also known as a water gauge) was the Stourbridge lion, which was also the first steam locomotive operated in the US, Built by the Foster, Rastwick and Company for the Delaware and Hudson in 1829, being retired in 1834 due to being too heavy for the line. The locomotives naval transport cost the modern day equivalent to 80,000 USD

[@SpongeBall420]

🤓

[@greenbean678]

@@SpongeBall420 💀

[@White-Wolf1969]

Spring switches are common on Japan's cape gauge lines, particularly at dual track stations on single track lines, that way the train always enters the same side of the station (usually the left side relative to the direction of travel). Most of these stations only have signals on each side for the intended direction of travel.

[@andrewlaverghetta715]

There's a small train at our local zoo that has spring switches, but also the Strasburg Railroad has them at least on the Paradise cam. It's a think that I always thought of when I was younger, but never really expected to be a thing anywhere.

[@quas_naart]

So the frog number is the arccotangent of the acute angle between the tracks. Cool to see some of these "weird" trig functions in practical use! It sounds complex, but it makes it *really* easy to lay down where the rails need to go when your most reliable tools are measuring tape and a square angle. #10 is 5.71° and #8 is 7.12°, and establishing a 2° difference with just a protractor would be a nightmare to do in steel.

[@DB-thats-me]

It’s easier to think of the switch no. as run over off-set. The ‘measuring unit’ is not important. Just that the the same units are used. Grab a stick (or use your shoes), measure out from frog point as many sticks (shoes heal to toe) as required until the rails are one stick (shoe) apart. Instant switch number. 👍

[@midwestpointers248]

A number 10 switches, usually for higher speed on main lines, the higher, the number, the longer the length of the switch

[@DB-thats-me]

@@midwestpointers248 correct. By No.11 you’re reaching the limit of open frog trackage. From there closed frog takes over. More complex but WAY smoother. Both laterally and longitudinally.

[@Acela2163]

Always love the 101 videos. I've also seen a photo of a particularly "interesting" stub Y switch where it just had a single rail shared between the two tracks, and throwing it would rotate the rail about its center from one position to the other. Needless to say it just about broke my brain when I saw it, and I still see it sometimes when I close my eyes 😂

[@thesteelrodent1796]

that sounds like a mine track switch. They've typically been a bit different, because they were made cheap and on the spot, and thus they ended up being somewhat primitive.

[@akhenaeravaaldryn]

Yeah I was so confused by the stub switch in RO. I mean it's backwards, that makes sense mechanically I suppose, but I wish the switch stand would look visually different from the normal switches, so I'd know at a glance whether I need to think backwards or not. Oh well. Thanks, I really enjoy you sharing all this great info.

[@ReggieArford]

There are two kinds of "harp" switch stands, depending on the positions of the pivot and the link to the rails. If the pivot is below the link, the indicator arm & flag indicate the thrown route as expected. If the pivot is above the link, then it's opposite: the flag is to the left if the throw is to the right. A flag straight up&down is for the straight route, for either kind.

[@reverse_engineered]

@@ReggieArford The concern @akhenaeravaaldryn was raising is: how do you know which kind of harp switch stand it is? From a distance, you wouldn't know where the pivot is located. Is there some clear visual affordance that indicates if the indicator arm and flag indicate in the direction of travel or opposite of the direction of travel?

[@ReggieArford]

@@reverse_engineered If the flag is straight (up), then the switch is lined for the straight branch. If it's to the side, (either side), then it's for the diverging route. The only question would be for a 3-way switch, but those are sharp enough that they should be approached slowly. You would be able to see how it's lined, if you were unfamiliar with this switch or what that railroad's normal practice is.

[@brillbusbootcamp2320]

Nice work! You make this look so simple, as if it’s just you, one GoPro on a stick, and that encyclopedia you call your brain. All the planning, all the extra takes (and BNSF interruptions!), and all the editing must be a ton of effort. But after it all, you end up with a polished, but not TOO polished video, that really feels like you’ve taken each viewer on a personal tour. You’re on a good track here, Mark, highball!

[@peregrina7701]

Well said sir (and thank you for saving me the trouble of writing it). :) It takes talent to make something look a bit rough and ready and still come off this well.

[@TopazBadger6550]

How many people think "things just work" with no understanding of the nuance that makes our comfy life possible? Great work Hyce!

[@neiloflongbeck5705]

There are also switchable frogs or common crossings. These are useful for switches greater than 1:8. On such points/switches there is a greater chance of a wheel set taking the wrong route.

[@ReggieArford]

That's what the guard rails are for. They steer the wheelset through a frog by guiding the wheel NOT in the frog from both of its sides, thus forcing the frog wheel in the correct path.

[@neiloflongbeck5705]

@@ReggieArford even with the guard rail on the large angle points there is still a danger of wheel sets going the wrong way.

[@Herlehy]

Swing nose frogs are also useful on high speed corridors. Makes for a smoother ride.

[@vulpinemac]

Would note that the Strasburg RR in PA regularly uses spring switches in daily operation, two in Strasburg itself and two in Paradise, essentially to automate the locomotive runaround at either end of the track.

[@mafarnz]

Something common on the rail lines in my area are spring frogs. The frog has a movable point that makes the through route a solid rail, and the only gap is for the diverging route that the flange shoves open. These frogs don’t allow light speeders track equipment and hyrails to pass through the diverging route so crews have to drive a spike in to temporarily open the frog. A different line in my area has 70 lb switches with NO heal blocks. They worked fine in the 1910’s when the RR was built. These days with heaver equipment…. Not so much.

[@bobbysenterprises3220]

Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge and explaining it so well to people like me that have no idea about these things. I love how you don't make me feel bad for not knowing

[@kholdanstaalstorm6881]

Thank you Jeff for teaching Hyce and thank you Hyce for teaching us! I can't help myself from chuckling when Hyce's description is: that's weird. Such attention to detail, I especially made note of Hyce hiding the key geometry from the video, because that's spot on what he should do, intentionally or not. You wouldn't believe what small glimpses people need to recreate a key from a picture or worse a video. Thank you Professor Hyce for the lesson in Railroad Switches 101, had to be specific because the name switch is used in so many different contexts so better be thorough than unclear.

[@MegaFPVFlyer]

Your passion for your profession is contagious. I wish there were more channels like this on KZbin.

[@vega1287]

i admire that you are keeping the bitting of the keys to the switches hidden. lot of people don't think about it. and shame on mickily for not brurring it when your finger wasn't covering it

[@hadinossanosam4459]

3:09 You can still find a good freeze-frame if you try, but it's still good practice to not make it too easy... after all, if you put in that effort you might as well pick it (looks like a warded or

[@Hyce777]

I mean I edited this one so perhaps I should've given it more thought but yeah at the end of the day it wouldn't be much of a deal

[@ryano.5149]

@@Hyce777 "Oh no...somebody threw the switch the wrong way when no one was around..." **nonchalantly throws switch back the correct direction** **CRRM operations continue with zero drama** I mean sure, it is a very real danger on the freight and passenger railroads connected to the national system and is not to be taken lightly ever, BUT unless somebody is ballsy enough to pick the lock in broad daylight right in front of the train during museum operating hours in between laps around the loop, I see a very low potential for drama regarding somebody cloning CCRM switch keys.

[@tootired76]

About 4 years ago I downloaded "Derail Valley VR". Shortly after I found Mark's channel! (Hyce) Wow! What a wealth of railroad information Mark puts out!! Not only that Mark can shred a mean guitar!!!

[@Stant123]

6:00 I had heard a long time ago that the FROG was an acronym for Flange Roll Over Guide/Groove. Some engineer (the construction kind, not the train kind) came up with this thing and likely named it for it's function as engineers often times do, to allow the flange to roll over where the rail would be if groove or guide wasn't there as cleanly and controlled as possible, which to me anyway, makes a lot more sense than trying to pull an abstract visual of a smashed amphibian or some other animal part as a reason why it is called that. Now it really could be because it didn't actually have a name and someone thought it looked like a smashed frog or something else and everyone ran with it, but that story just seems like something that MOW crews would always tell the new guy to get a cheap laugh when they heard him tell the next new guy some time later and now it's less a running gag and more of a legend. We do things like that for the laughs in the industry I work in all of the time too.

[@gdrriley420]

spring switches use to be way more common especially before CTC was widely deployed. there are also some really cheap CTC deployments where they only put a remote switch at one end of a siding and used a spring switch at the other. TM 2.1.3 from CAHSR goes over a bunch of the physics behind making switches comfortable to traverse at high speeds. 110 or 150mph diverging is not common here. RR06-10 from the FRA goes over some interesting changes that could be made without changing stuff like frog profile to increase the diverging speed.

[@BandanRRChannel]

There was one time on a shortline I threw one of those more "ergonomic" switches in a BNSF yard for interchange. It must have been out of adjustment, because even with my full weight on it (admittedly not much at the time) I couldn't make it close, and my engineer had to come help me. Regarding the future diamond...if I'm seeing that right, you're going to have a bunch of curved frogs in there (that is, one or both rails is curved within the frog and past it). Sounds like a pain. Then again, streetcars and light rail often have to deal with curved frogs too. One more note: There was apparently a type of switch stand out there known as an "E-Z Throw" switch. Don't know how the linkage works exactly, but you spun a larger wheel in order to throw the switch. For some reason, one of those was installed at McEwen a couple years ago, so you'll have to come to the SVRy to check it out. I guess that would make it a "steering wheel" of sorts?

[@Hyce777]

Wack, never heard one of one of those...

[@rogermarsh9806]

The Ffestiniog railway had a three way stub point till quite recently at its Porthmadog terminus and stub points were used in nearly all Welsh quarries to accommodate the double flanged wheels. As the tracks were ballasted almost to the railhead it did not matter if wagons came off, they just kept going.

[@beeble2003]

Using "green = main, red = secondary" on switch targets is such a terrible idea. That way, every crew has to remember whether the main route is the straight or diverging track for every single switch on the railroad. That gives so much opportunity for mistakes. Imagine what a mess the roads would be if traffic lights used "green = main route goes, red = side route goes" instead of "green = go, red = stop". Switch targets are a safety system, and consistency is so important in safety systems.

[@theminer3746]

As a non-expert, that dual-gauge curved diamond crossing sounds like a nightmare to build

[@Marius8]

spring and flop switches have their applications in tram environments, where (during normal operation) the tram is only moving in a fixed direction over the switch.

[@PrekiFromPoland]

Interesting to see these manual switches being secured by a simple padlock. I've been a switchman for two years, working at a coach yard (or more precisely EMU depot) in Warsaw and most of the switches aren't secured at all, aside from one that's linked to a derailer via a set of dedicated keys. There's a special lock that keeps the point aligned to the stock rail, making it physically impossible to throw the switch unless you opened it with a key sitting in the derailer's lock, which in turn has to be opened with a key that's located in the switchman's post. This dependency is a simple yet effective safety measure preventing from operating these devices separately. Also what's interesting about these US manual switches is that the connecting rod itself lacks some kind of locking mechanism that secures position of the switch, like on most European railroads where it's either a rotating hook or a set of sliders that lock between each other when the switch is thrown to either side. And the switch stands themselves feature a large circular counterweight on the lever which makes operating a switch safe and easy.

[@geoffgunn9673]

You would have a ball with some of triple gauge switches we used to use in Australia. There's some odd combinations, and turntables become fun

[@thesteelrodent1796]

seen some images of quad gauge track you've had down there, but never the switches

[@geoffgunn9673]

nrm.org.au/assets/pdfdocs/collections/multi-gauge-muddle.pdf

[@geoffgunn9673]

@@thesteelrodent1796 nrm.org.au/assets/pdfdocs/collections/multi-gauge-muddle.pdf

[@geoffgunn9673]

tried putting this up a couple of times Hopefully this works. the pdf following shows all the stupid ways you can mix up gauges, even mentions about multi gauge trains. nrm.org.au/assets/pdfdocs/collections/multi-gauge-muddle.pdf

[@geoffgunn9673]

tried putting this up a couple of times Hopefully this works. the pdf following shows all the stupid ways you can mix up gauges, even mentions about multi gauge trains. nrm dot org dot au/assets/pdfdocs/collections/multi-gauge-muddle.pdf

[@EngineerMan106]

Just started at a local railroad and I love flipping switches. It’s really interactive and fun. Over there we do passenger runs and switch freight at the local NS yard. They use to haul coal back in the day… and a lot of it. Some days one steam engine would pull 40 coal cars up a 3% grade. Now we do polar express and a murder mystery train. Our railroad had the first electric sawmill in the United States. You should check it out, it’s called the K&T railroad. Or Big south fork scenic railroad. Love the vids and keep it up.

[@creepermaster6193]

Hey Hyce, I saw a really great video on how walcherts valve gear works. If you want, I can send it to you. It might be a really good video to go over. You could go into the smaller details as the guy in the video goes over it. Up to you though. You should also try and play scrap mechanic survival with Kan. That would be a lime field!!!

[@Hyce777]

I need to do some valve gear videos! As soon as I'm ready....

[@Konigsmorder_dp]

9:28 beautiful the #12 George town Shay, I love Shay's, small, cute, and work horse.

[@tomshanahan999]

Hi Hyce. Great video. Have you ever checked out the switches at the Mount Washington Cog? The original 1860’s switches had like 9 moving parts that had to be thrown by hand.

[@cameronmccreary4758]

Thanks Hyce; that explains alot on how trains are switched for change of direction.

[@wesbrackmanthercenthusiast4695]

This is going to be very useful I have to build a small cart with a switchback to install my sawmill in behind the barn otherwise I wouldn't be able to remove sawn lumber from the moderately tight space

[@flapjack413]

You probably already know this, but Rhett gave you a solid, and much deserved shout out over on the Dipped in Tone podcast last week! I thought that was pretty cool, as I had just a few weeks prior came across your channel while going down the railfan video rabbit hole. Not sure how much crossover exists between the guitar player and railfan worlds, but I felt cool for a second when I knew who he was talking about, lol. Keep making great content!

[@Hyce777]

I was listening live, haha! I'm a dipped in tone patron. Rhett was super freaking cool in person. Was very happy that all worked out. There's at least us two as crossover points, apparently! Haha. Cheers mate.

[@midorishadowwolf8562]

your videos are really great and I really like watching them to see how differently things have developed in different parts of the world. I work in the railroad industry in Germany and here we have a standardized switches for all gauges that are switched with a big weight parallel to the rod that has a handle attached to it. these switches are also not locked so you can run through the switch the wrong way without breaking the whole switch but as it can cause a lot of damage it is not allowed and if you "run open" a switch it has to be reported and the switch needs to be checked for damage before anything can go over it again. we also have targets or "switch signs" as we call them that are very easy to understand as they display a straight line that goes straight from top to bottom for the main line and either top right to bottom left or top left to bottom right for the diverging line.

[@paparoysworkshop]

Fantastic video. I love that triple switch shown at 17:45 so much that I plan to put one into my HO scale model layout.

[@Casenundra]

I watch cab view rail rides in Japan and often see spring switches in operation on exits from stations. The Japanese normally double track their rural stations for train meets on their single track rural lines.

[@rickingersoll2670]

Another thing to touch on is modern switches, electric and hand throw, have a connecting rod that locks them in position. That "lock rod" has a bend in it so if the switch is run, the energy isn't pushed into the switch itself, but just bends the lock rod more. It almost looks like an offset bend in electrical conduit. I work on Alstom model 5 and model 6 switches and they all have these offset lock rods installed.

[@DavidSmith-pm2rg]

You are a very good presenter! You are always a pleasure to watch. Incredibly well versed.

[@Bfritz0815]

about running the switch wrong: it's a common thing to have spring loaded switches in trams for that very reason. Trams are lightweight and take switches at rather slow speeds, so its feasible to have their switches spring-loaded. Also in denser tram systems (like in my hometown of Heidelberg, Germany) you just have so many switches that it'd take ages if they all had to be explicitly set every time a tram runs them the wrong way, so it's more convenient to have them spring loaded

[@andywomack3414]

I watched a car pick a switch as I was standing by the lead verifying the manifest. The car actually picked the points, and before I turned to walk quickly away I saw the points lift up under the car. Run-through switches were not uncommon when I worked for the RR. The part that broke was called the hub, and was designed to be the part that would fail during a run-through. Replacement took a few minutes, and it was a simple procedure. When I was 15 I rode with my dad as he ran an E8 with about 9 cars into Washington. The train was wye'd and backed into the terminal. After the locomotives were uncoupled I sat in the engineers seat, and when the signal at the end of the platform track turned yellow he instructed me how to release the engine brake and open the throttle a notch at a time until we started to move. A number of RRs shared DC Union Station, the B&O, PRR, SOU. With 24 tracks converging then diverging the interlocking was, and still is complex. A series of signal bridges indicated the route out of the terminal through the interlocking. I asked my dad how do we tell which signal are we supposed to follow. He replied, "Follow the shine off the top of the rails."

[@JOEMAMA_534]

Rotary Switch Stands are my personal favorites, because of their ease of use and simplicity.

[@washingtonrailfan889]

1:39 "What could this be? It wasn't here before." "It's bigger than me." "Maybe it's a freight car!"

[@uscgtankerwhitmore8777]

At the Museum I volunteer at we have a interesting ground throw switch. The lever is set in side between the points. This is only because of the location. road is on one side and the rest of the yard tracks are to the other. there is no safe place besides the center to place a stand or normal ground throw.

[@johnsolimine1164]

This description of switches / turnouts / points is much appreciated. Thank you.

[@MrLOLCraftLP1]

in Germany we have totally different names for the switch: Switch: Weiche (Switch) stock rail: Backenschiene (cheek rail) points: anliegende/abliegende Zunge (adjacent / distant tounge) heel block: zungenende (tounge end) connecting rods: Weichenstellvorrichtung (Switch setting device) switch stand: Weichenantrieb (Switch drive), Rotary switch stand: Handweiche (Hand switch) the frog: Herzstück (Centerpiece/ Heartpiece) Guardrail: Radlenker (Wheel handlebars) We also differentiate between the direction the train is going onto the switch: Guardrail side: Stumpfe seite (Blunt side) point side: Spitze seite (pointed side) This is mainly for safety reasons as you know that you can you can drive up a switch from the blunt side which can damage the switch, and if you drive onto the switch from the pointed side and the switch isn't set correctly... well you can derail.

[@Hybris51129]

For something like this I think doing a video with a hand cart and some GoPros so we could actually see how the frogs interact with the wheels for example would really useful.

[@Hyce777]

That's a great idea, mate.

[@victorcontreras3368]

Liked it?, I LOVED it! I learned something new and this was my first time I ever saw narrow guage track! Will make it a point to visit this museum . Thanks for your video😊

[@Pauley_in_GP]

Thanks for another great video. Lots of fun information for rail geeks (like me). You are a railroad encyclopedia, and you do a great job as a presenter as well as your videography. And that gorgeous Colorado sky....what a background!!!!

[@rgsrrofnc]

Good job there Mark! Another interesting bit of basket weaving in iron is the frogs in that 3 way. The first frog is longer than the next two which are usually side by side - 3 frogs in all. About the only effective switch stand for a 3 way is a harp switch stand. Also, the short silver spring switch at the end you said was weird - we used those type at Lakeside. They are good for mining and trams. Easy to throw and you can run through them through the trailing point side and they spring over. Did it several times with the diesel on the way to fires when the steam train was running.

[@peregrina7701]

Basket weaving in iron! Love it. :)

[@marktegrotenhuis]

I hadn't heard about those switch numbers before. The (European) model railroad brands I know only mention the angle of the switch and the length of the straight track. Roco (H0 scale) for example has 15° (length: 230 mm) and 10° (length: 345 mm) switches in their program.

[@sterlingodeaghaidh5086]

Oh man, when we were modifying the switches on NGH, we had a good 3 hour discussion on everything regarding their standardization. Ended up with a lit switch stand that used yellow and white to indicate switch position.

[@Alcochaser]

The last stub switch I knew connected to the US rail (Standard gauge) network was in Corydon IN, it was near the end of the line into the old shop they had. They were not allowed to run occupied passenger cars over it and it had a, well go as slow as possible restriction on it. It was a point of pride with the railroad and it got a modern frog on it.

[@dennisk5818]

Great video. Very interesting, too. I heard that modern day frogs have special steel alloys at the point of the frog. The alloy is there to reduce the breakdown of the frog where the wheels impact as they cross over.

[@DFSJR1203]

An old railroad called the Raritan River Railroad ran behind a apple orchard across from where I grew up in New Jersey. I use to walk back to see the train and ended up getting to know the guys that ran it. They had several switches and when they had to get on a spur they would let me help move the switch. I was maybe 8 at the time and I thought this was great.

[@akaBoG]

I'll follow up with Jeff on the Three-Way Switch and post info on the Museum's channel as a short.

[@Ben31337l]

At a warehouse I work at, we have an automated monorail to carry stock between floors and between locations. Just like in railroads there are switches, but we call them gates, because of how they open up to allow passage.

[@johnandrus3901]

Nice and informative video. I've only seen the stub switch once before. Quite cool and interesting. There are two other types of frogs. There is the self-protecting frog, with no guard rails and the movable frog. You've seen self-protecting frog on many rail lines, with the 'guard' rails, which are built into and stick up on either side of the frog, for lack of a better term. The movable point frog is spring loaded and moves as the flange hits what is basically a lever to push the movable part over. This has no permanent, or defined flangeway for the industry lead, which is usually where these switches are found, although there are some found on hand-throw sidings and the like. When lined for the main, there is no flangeway on the diverging route for the wheels to run over, making a very smooth and quiet switch to traverse. I wish that I could explain these things a bit better. Great video.

[@douglasengle2704]

I got a lot out of this video and it showed some great scenes of well care for railway and its grounds! The 3-way stub switch I thought was interesting because it allows a true 3-way route selection. That would be about the only reason a stub switch would be used today and only for long term storage track use with almost no traffic. I think railroad museum should display track geometry's of various forms though history and in current use in interesting ways. The thinking behind them is educational for abstract mechanisms. Running on rail wheel flange circumference as normal practice is a little unclear if it is really intended. It allows track work to lift the rail wheel up and support it continuously when the rail head has gaps in it.

[@dukeofgibbon4043]

One reason railroads are less dependent on lamps backing up signs is the advent of retroreflective materials. The sign can return the headlight beam to the locomotive. I bet you can find the interim technology around the museum: glass "cat eye" dot reflectors. The 3M material actually has the same optical behavior on a microscopic scale. If you want to see if material is retroreflective, take a camera phone picture with the flash on. 4:09

[@neiloflongbeck5705]

On the full dual gauge crossing where the standard gauge line crosses the narrow gauge line is called on the UK side of the Atlantic a K crossing as it resembles a letter K.

[@Touho78]

The working principles of the switches have always puzzled me. Thank you for the great video about the switches.

[@SDE1994]

There was an extra version of the stub switch in the quarries of north Wales which had double flange wheels, instead of a frog, they had a piece of rail that rotated

[@VintageRenewed]

There is one switch stand that we have on a switch at the current sumpter valley that you might find interesting. They apparently were an attempt but no one liked it. It is called an EZ throw which it has a large wheel on it. You turn the wheel nearly 360 to throw the switch

[@Hyce777]

That's... Strange

[@VintageRenewed]

@@Hyce777 It really is! If you come up here sometime we can show you it and such

[@lrrobock]

the one where you unbolt rails and bolt the other set makes for a hilarious switch system.

[@Dan_Gyros]

Neat! I had no idea you couldnt run through a switch backwards if it was facing the wrong way!

[@ReggieArford]

Depends on the switch. A stub switch, no. You'll absolutely derail. A "split" switch with sprung points, yes. If those points aren't sprung, you may derail, booger up the switch, or both. A "tongue" switch, as often used for streetcar lines, probably not... but I wouldn't.

[@MattManProductions]

It's honestly amazing how a huge heavy train can be held by metal only secured by wood and some bolts.

[@superbluhedgehog1]

I actually didn't know a little bit of the information you provided. Excellent work. I have to say, though I have seen a few switches that you didn't include because of how rare they are. The single point switch, I thought you'd put in from when you go from 4-track to 3-track dual-gauge. The other one I remember is from a magazine on railroad models from the 70s that has a point against the main stock rail, a sliding rail for the diverging stock rail, and a turntable for the frog, as the diverging side was a dual-flanged wheel (a flange on each side of the tread. Used for a rail crane at an industry/port. If I find it, I can send you an image). Keep up the good work...and wish me luck: I'm going to apply for csx as a conductor and see how that goes.

[@nathanchan4653]

In Australia, our points in sugar cane tramways have a large counterweight that allows the points to switch tracks easily by the counterweight providing gravity to weight the switch blades down

[@drewbarker8504]

Seeing how dynamic dual gauge setups are is genuinely fascinating. (Especially when they are in use.) Aw sad! I’m not in the engineer’s list yet 🤣

[@Hyce777]

Mick hasn't rendered up a new members outro yet; fret not, soon enough :) I had to pre-render a bunch of things. Been busy with trips lately..

[@drewbarker8504]

@@Hyce777I know, I kid! (I can attest that editing is it’s own animal, and Mick has a lot on his plate haha.) And you’ve had quite the schedule-so much traveling and not enough beer!

[@scoobs2511]

I’m from Michigan and am a huge fan of colorado ng. We have a 3ft gauge railroad up here that has a few drgw and rgs cars, and even a k-27. The line is a dogbone with a flop switch at each end. If you sit in the right spot on the train you can see the target flip as the loco goes thru the points, it’s pretty cool to be honest

[@akaBoG]

Thanks for shouting out CRRM!

[@robertbalazslorincz8218]

"Stub switches" *RO players having PTSD intensifies* 18:00 *POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER* You what? A diamond on DUAL GAUGE? That is going to be pain..

[@reverse_engineered]

It's amazing seeing the differences in rail and switches over time. It's especially funny to me because a lot of what you said isn't used much anymore seems to be quite common where I live! I'm in Saskatchewan, Canada, and there are trains everywhere carrying grains and oil across the country. Every little town and city is build around a railroad. This area was originally settled to make it cheaper to build the rail between the East and West coasts! I used to live by a grain elevator in a small town and now I live near a switching station in the middle of a busy city. In both cases, I still see those vertical rotary stands used everywhere. Some parts of the system are operated remotely now, but a lot of it is still using these old hand-cracked switches. If it ain't broke, right? :)

[@CNder77]

I am confused no more, thanks so much for your explanations. Great video!

[@kellingc]

Therrr has been some whacky alignments with switches. Some look like a model railroaded had a little too much beer while laying track one day. I am primarily thinking of the double slips in Penn Station. Get any platform to and from the main. Union Station in Washington DC is like that, too. I get vertigo trying to follow the path through the switches. 😅

[@Echin0idea]

Someone's been watching Deviant Ollam! Nice work covering up the blade of that switch key

[@seanmcdonnell1282]

Great video! I was starting to type a comment that the EBT here in PA has 1 or 2 3way stub switches in use in their yard. Then you mentioned EBT in the video lol. Awesome place to visit if you haven't been there

[@kv4302]

i have seen a modern cab view video where the train ran through a switch set the wrong way, and i always wondered how bad that would be. im sure it was a dulevoz video. maybe that point machine was resistant enough to it. but you did answer my question about what that was all about!

[@Tupolev_Works]

Small Fun Fact about your "The Frog is the heart of the switch", here in Germany and German Speaking Countrys the Frog is called "Herzstück" - Heart Piece, designating its importance.

[@mikediehl1468]

You have a clear way of speaking very simple and keeping everything interesting! Did you ever consider becoming a school teacher? 😃

[@haxorouse3265]

as far as I know, the reason switch frogs are called that is due to the similar structure of the same name on the bottom of a horses hoof, best understanding I have for that is because the structure looks kinda like a frog's pelvis, but the frog of a horses hoof is a V shaped structure that looks quite similar to a switch frog, and from what I understand it's from there that early train crews saw the resemblance between a switch frog and the frog of a hoof, and the name just never changed because railroads

[@lordsherifftakari4127]

the most common location where Wheelsets will derail at Switches is at the points on a switch that is out of adjustment or excessively loose allowing a worn Flange to pry itself between the point and Stock Rail "Picking" the switch. most switch stands have a connecting bar made of soft iron designed to sheer off if the points are forced over by an incorrect movement of traffic. this spares damage to the stand proper by breaking at an easily accessible location with a piece intended to break and easy to replace. often designed as a double ended item with a Center pin attached to the stand proper and a socket on either end attached to the connecting Rod.

[@heronimousbrapson863]

The term "frog" derives from the device's resemblance to a structure on the under side of a horse's hoof called a frog.

[@markfrench8892]

We use to call ground throws, toe busters. 😆 Stub swithes are where the term "Bend the Iron" came from.

[@300poundbassman]

Hyce I love them switch stands. Used to have my uncle's keys to some IC switches. We need some limes. 3/4 Idot workers. You know smartly impaired. Have a great week .😢😂😅😅😅😅

[@NathanielPiscian]

The 3 switch is the highlight of railways

[@johnbeck3270]

I plan on (eventually) building an On30 display layout based on the D&SP&P, CS, on which I plan on using stub switches. The info from your video posting has gone a long way in helping me see and understand how they were built. The D&SP had a three way stub switch in Jefferson, Co.just at the edge of town. One leg served a stock pen/loading chute. As one character on the old “Laugh In” tv show said “ verrry interesting.

[@LamhirhAbriel]

Did you get to walk down through the yard while you were at the East Broad Top? There's a 3-way stub switch near the south end of the shops. It and the one you guys have at the Colorado Railroad Museum are the only surviving 3' gauge 3-way stubs in the US (and the EBT's is the only one in its originally installed location). There's also a pair of standard gauge 3-way stub switches in the EBT Mount Union yard (which not Foundation property, sadly) on either side of the standard gauge scale. Loaded hoppers were gravity switched from the North Standard Gauge Yard, which converged on one 3-way stub at the north end of the scale, weighed, and sorted into the South Standard Gauge Yard by the other 3-way stub switch immediately opposite the scale (come to think of it, that'd make a neat model).

[@peregrina7701]

Well done Hyce! I've been hoping for this since I saw the video of y'all cleaning switches in the snow. I love the man-with-a-camera format. I also might have lol'd when you said 'flopover' - a fine piece of industry jargon. Thank you!! :)

[@The_Smith]

Informative, and enjoyable, thanks Hyce.