The railway switch or rail turnout is a railway part that converts a rolling stock from one lane to another, it is usually used in a large number of stations and marshalling stations. With the switch, you can make full use of the ability of the line to pass. Even if it is a single-track railway, laying a railway switch and building a fork line that is longer than the length of the train, the train can run from opposite directions.
There are various types of turnout, the most common one is the ordinary single turnout. It consists of three units: switch, connecting part, fork and guard rail. The switch includes a basic rail, a point rail, and a switch mechanism. When the rolling stock is transferred from the A-track to the B-track, the turning mechanism is operated to move the point rail. The point rail 1 is closely attached to the basic rail 1, and the pointed rail 2 is separated from the basic rail 2, thus opening the B-track. The A-track is closed and the rolling stock enters the connecting section and transitions along the guide rail to the frog and guard rail unit. This unit consists of a fixed frog center, a wing rail and a guard rail to protect the wheel from the intersection of the two trajectories.
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Types of railway switch
Because the ballast has many characteristics, such as complex structure, short service life, limited train speed, low driving safety, large maintenance and repair investment, and curves and joints are called the three weak links of the track. There are three basic forms: the connection, the intersection, the connection and the intersection of the lines.
- The double turnout is Y-shaped, the two tracks that are connected with the railway switch are branched to the sides.
- The three-way turnout is like a squat, and at the same time it connects three lanes. Two sets of turning rails are operated by two sets of turning machinery.
- The double slip switch is like an X shape, which is actually equivalent to a combination of four sets of single open turns and one pair of diamond crossing.
- In addition, there is a crossover device, usually called a diamond crossing. It consists of two sets of acute angle frogs and two sets of obtuse angle frogs, but there is no switch, so there is no transition between the tracks.