HARSH ENVIRONMENTS NO LONGER DERAIL RELIABILITY OF RAILROAD CROSSINGS BARRY NELSON, PR COORDINATOR, WAGO CORPORATION
From Boston to Los Angeles and all around the world, drivers experience the frustration of waiting at a railroad crossing for a train to pass. While watching the passing cars, many of us look down the tracks to see how much longer it will be. Most people don’t realize how much technology is involved in the systems that alert us that the train is approaching and we shouldn’t cross those tracks. The flashing lights and the ringing bell of the railroad crossing, likely equipped with a safety gate, work continuously
through the years, relieving motorists of the risk of determining when it is safe to cross. These crossings are truly a marvel of modern technology. We have certainly come a long way from the days when gatekeepers sitting in a small shanty manually raised and lowered crossing gates. Today, most swinging round signals or “wigwags” have given way to two alternating flashing red lights. The transportation industry continues to evolve on what seems to be
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