a daily basis, and this is certainly true of the railway industry, railroad crossings, and the technology that drives them.
time consuming but also expensive. Railway industry design engineers decided it was time to move away from the decades old AAR terminations as well as fuse blocks and test switches that were bulky, took a lot of time to wire, and were not touch-safe. They needed a way to create more reliable, rugged, and maintenance-free connections. Innovative alternatives reduce installation time, improve safety and reliability, make testing easier, and reduce costs. For example, WAGO’s TOPJOB S DIN Rail-mounted terminal blocks make installation faster and reduce the time that technicians are in vehicle traffic areas. With direct wire insertion, all they need to do is strip the wire and insert it without having to use ring lugs or crimping tools. The CAGE CLAMP design ensures a reliable, maintenance-free, touch safe connection without the trouble of torquing the connections. Additionally, WAGO’s intuitive, orange knife-disconnect terminal blocks permit technicians to easily disconnect/reconnect individual circuits for testing without lifting wires. This orange disconnect replaces the gold nuts used in the old design. The new design is made complete with markers, jumpers, and end clamps, giving the junction box a cleaner design that is easy to assemble and maintain.
Junction boxes were equipped with standard AAR posts, lugs, nuts, washers and “gold nuts” for over 80 years
The connections in crossing junction boxes, located at the base of the mast, are a complex series of electronics that ensure the lights flash and the gates raise and lower at the correct time. For over 80 years, these junction boxes have been equipped with the standard Association of American Railroads (AAR) posts, ring lugs, nuts, washers, as well as gold nuts used to disconnect the power for testing and maintenance. These connections must be made by a highly skilled person using calibrated crimp tools. Their job is even more difficult when factoring in the weather conditions and working at ground level next to a grade crossing. These terminations take hours to complete and test. Over time, the components inside of crossing junction boxes may corrode and become loose due to constant shocks and vibrations. Even one loose wire can cause train stoppages and delays. Accessing these connections for repair is not only
WAGO’s TOPJOB® S DIN Rail Mount Terminal Blocks provide a safe wiring option under harsh conditions
74
Powered by FlippingBook