 Joined: 15/02/2021(UTC) Posts: 213 Location: Quebec, Montreal
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I was looking at some railroad pictures and saw this, any idea what such a short track is for? 
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Joined: 04/04/2013(UTC) Posts: 1,291 Location: Port Moody, BC
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It is hard to tell the length of that track because of the photographic zoom perspective. However, it appears long enough to hold a wagon or a locomotive. Perhaps a MoW car, a shunting locomotive, or something similar that needs a short term storage spot to allow traffic to carry on.
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 Joined: 08/11/2005(UTC) Posts: 3,528 Location: Mullerup, 4200 Slagelse
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 Originally Posted by: Puttputtmaru  any idea what such a short track is for? It's a "catch point", also called "trap point" Explanation on Wikipedia, where also the picture you found appears  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catch_pointsPer. |
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 4 users liked this useful post by Purellum
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Joined: 28/11/2007(UTC) Posts: 8,225 Location: Montreal, QC
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Using such a "catch point" to stop a train from entering the main line would likely still impact on the main line and any traffic on it at the time of the incident. I would have expected that a catch point would be designed to guide runaway traffic away from the main line to make any derailment as safe as possible. As the trackage looks like a HSL (High Speed Line), I was wondering whether this spur was designed with the tunnel rescue trains in mind, so that the lead locomotive of the rescue train could be removed, enabling the fire-fighting or rescue section of the train to take the lead. Looking at the Allersberg Station on Google Maps: https://www.google.com/maps/place/90584+Allersberg,+Germany/@49.2275976,11.2201103,1923a,35y,90h/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x479f420c60bdea29:0x41eda32beb606d0!8m2!3d49.2513132!4d11.2365846 The station is on the HSL and expands from two to four tracks. At each end of the Station Tracks, there is one of these short sidings. It is possible that they are there to to keep trains from rolling on to the mainline. The location is also just before the Göggelsbuch tunnel, so it may be related to the rescue train operation as well. Regards Mike C
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2 users liked this useful post by mike c
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 Joined: 10/02/2021(UTC) Posts: 3,887 Location: Michigan, Troy
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The photo is from Wikipedia. Other pic's show derailments caused by these.
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1 user liked this useful post by marklinist5999
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Joined: 15/02/2021(UTC) Posts: 213 Location: Quebec, Montreal
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Originally Posted by: Purellum Originally Posted by: Puttputtmaru any idea what such a short track is for? It's a "catch point", also called "trap point" Explanation on Wikipedia, where also the picture you found appears https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catch_pointsPer. Good catch I guess I got it in a google search I might have missed the Wikipedia link under it. Anyway thanks for clarifying guys, I never saw those in real life.
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 Joined: 23/07/2014(UTC) Posts: 8,467 Location: ENGLAND, Didcot
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Originally Posted by: mike c Using such a "catch point" to stop a train from entering the main line would likely still impact on the main line and any traffic on it
at the time of the incident.
I would have expected that a catch point would be designed to guide runaway traffic away from the main line to make any derailment as safe as possible.
The video in this link shows why you have catch points ...  
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Joined: 08/11/2005(UTC) Posts: 3,528 Location: Mullerup, 4200 Slagelse
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If you can dream it, you can do it! I, the copyright holder of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. This applies worldwide. In case this is not legally possible: I grant anyone the right to use this work for any purpose, without any conditions, unless such conditions are required by law. |
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Joined: 10/02/2006(UTC) Posts: 3,997
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This arrangement is called a Schutzweiche. (Direct translation: Protective turnout)
The turnout is locked to the exit signal. If the signal is red then the turnout is set to the short track. This prevents a train on the siding from running into the mainline if it starts against a red signal. The PZB system in the stopped train will prevent the speed from exceeding 25km/h and the 500Hz Indusi will also apply emergency brakes, but those alone might not prevent the train from fouling the mainline, so the Schutzweiche keeps it off the mainline.
Sometime the track after the Schutzweiche is also set lower on the side away from the mainline to the errant train will fall over, away from the mainline. When between tracks being protected it can also drop into an arrester bed.
Model of modern station siding should include these but they come at the cost of an additional turnout and a bit of track.
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2 users liked this useful post by DaleSchultz
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 Joined: 16/11/2011(UTC) Posts: 5,842 Location: Hybrid Home
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The same photo of this modern overrun protection had already been disclosed and discussed earlier in 2018: Originally Posted by: Alsterstreek Well, there is a modern example in Allersberg (Rothsee) where the stub track is parallel to the mainline track. A "vintage" version:  The caption under the photograph reads: "Schutzweiche mit kurzem Schienenstrang und Gleisabschluss. Weil der Schutzstrang auch zum Abstellen von Fahrzeugen genutzt werden kann, ist er mit einer Gleissperre versehen. So soll verhindert werden, dass Fahrzeuge auf die Schutzweiche zurollen können." Own translation: "Catch points with short stub track. Because the protective stub can also be used as temporary storage for vehicles, it is equipped with a track lock. This is to prevent vehicles from being able to roll onto the catch points." http://www.dybas.de/dyba...ndex/s/schutzweiche.html (dybas = "dynamisches Bahnarchiv" or dynamic railway archive) |
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1 user liked this useful post by Alsterstreek
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Joined: 15/02/2021(UTC) Posts: 213 Location: Quebec, Montreal
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So am I to assume that this was not seen in era IV railroads since most of the discussion seems to be around <modern> iteration?
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Joined: 16/11/2011(UTC) Posts: 5,842 Location: Hybrid Home
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Originally Posted by: Puttputtmaru So am I to assume that this was not seen in era IV railroads since most of the discussion seems to be around <modern> iteration? The last photo I posted above is clearly era IV (the buffer stop...). I don´t know about other "Länderbahnen", i.e. era I, but Prussian railways had already these safety switches (Röll, Freiherr von: Enzyklopädie des Eisenbahnwesens, Band 8. Berlin, Wien 1917, S. 423-424). |
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Joined: 15/02/2021(UTC) Posts: 213 Location: Quebec, Montreal
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Well excuse me! For not being up on my bumper era
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Joined: 06/07/2012(UTC) Posts: 1,316
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I’ve seen the “cow catcher” on North American locomotives but not the “loco catcher” that you have in Europe.
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1 user liked this useful post by michelvr
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Joined: 16/11/2011(UTC) Posts: 5,842 Location: Hybrid Home
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Originally Posted by: Puttputtmaru Well excuse me! For not being up on my bumper era No need to be miffed: You asked, I replied (and explained the reasoning). |
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 Joined: 04/02/2011(UTC) Posts: 3,559 Location: Paris, France
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Originally Posted by: Puttputtmaru I was looking at some railroad pictures and saw this, any idea what such a short track is for? Hi This is a safety device aimed at not letting a run-away wagon riding into the main line. This is particularly needed if there is a slope down to the main line. Here in France you have this on all industrial branch line. Alternately, you may have a de-railer (a device forcing the wagon to roll on ballast and ties and stop rapidly. Here is the Peco version of the derailer (derail switch)  Cheers Jean |
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2 users liked this useful post by JohnjeanB
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Joined: 15/02/2021(UTC) Posts: 213 Location: Quebec, Montreal
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Originally Posted by: Alsterstreek Originally Posted by: Puttputtmaru Well excuse me! For not being up on my bumper era No need to be miffed: You asked, I replied (and explained the reasoning). Sorry, that is the problem with texting sometimes the tone of the answer is misunderstood. When you wrote: <clearly> I understood it as a put down of me being stupid not noticing it. My apologies if it was not the case and just a figure of speech that it was obvious to you that it was era IV. Thanks for taking the time to answer
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2 users liked this useful post by Puttputtmaru
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 Joined: 21/12/2012(UTC) Posts: 1,483 Location: Hrvatska
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There are a lot of different technical devices on the railways around the world that are not clear to people who do not work on the railways or have not studied railroad technology as railfans. No one can know everything so forums like this are welcome, no one should be embarrassed to ask questions about something they find unusual!  A similar example from Zagreb 
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6 users liked this useful post by 1borna
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