International Railroad Discussion > How does this work ?

Found this junction on a _tube video.
Dave

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It is some form of a continuous rail turnout:

http://www.railjournal.com/index.php/track/continuous-rail-turnouts-favour-mainline-track.html

Specifically, it appears to be a vertical lift switch.  When set to the slow route, the wheels are vertically lifted over the rails or the normal route preventing the need to have any gaps in the rail on the normal route.

-Eric


 

Thanks, Eric,
Funny how they make it sound as if it was developed here in the States.
Japan has had a version of them for a long time.

Dave

DaveL Wrote:
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> Thanks, Eric,
> Funny how they make it sound as if it was
> developed here in the States.
> Japan has had a version of them for a long time.
>
> Dave

Many of these switches (as shown in your video capture) are for MOW equipment access to the main line.

Decades ago when urban sprawl wasn't as bad in Tokyo, there were sidings located closer to downtown Tokyo, where EMUs were staged for the next morning's commute to cover the higher density areas closer to downtown. Such sidings existed in Iidabashi (very close to Yotsuya, as referenced in Hiroshi's "Spring time in Tokyo" thread just below) and Ogikubo along the Chuo Line, where they were located between the double track main. Back then, regular switches were used, but once they were converted to MOW equipment storage sidings, they were converted to continuous rail turnout, likely because they weren't used as frequently.

I won't debate the merits of "who invented first" but Japan has an excellent Railway Technical Research Institute, in existence for over a century. The engineers from this institute overcame the JNR bureaucracy and successfully designed the first high speed rail line, the Tokaido Shinkansen.