ALDON Company, Inc.
Railroad Safety Products Since 1904847.623.8800
AldonVideo
CONTACT US:
3410 Sunset Ave
Waukegan, IL 60087
phone:
847.623.8800
fax:
847.623.6139
Switch Point Protection
The railroad switch is a marvel of engineering. The ability to smoothly divert a fast moving train from one track to another is really what makes railroading possible.
But switches also represent a potential for accidents ...
a damaged switch point can cause a derailment.
Left unprotected, the exposed blade of a switch point can quickly become degraded from wheel battering. A damaged switch point may not close tightly enough against the running rail to ensure a smooth passage of the wheel into the curved closure rail (see gray bar to right). A wheel flange can force its way between an ill-fitting switch point and the running rail and then derail.
How to protect your switch points ...
A Switch Point Protector is a pad of manganese steel bolted to the rail a few inches in front of the switch point of the curved closure rail. The pad momentarily bumps a wheel flange away from the tip of the point with no damage to switch point or car wheel. The Protector pad can be reversed when one end is worn down.
Industrial spur track switches have tighter curves and see more traffic than mainline switches, so the points get hammered more frequently. By installing a Protector on all yard switches you reduce the chance for derailment and prolong the switch service life.
If you know your rail size and section you can order from the buttons below.. If you do not see your size and section below we can modify a casting to fit your rail. (If you do not know the size and section of the rail, look for the markings which appear at intervals on the rail web)
#4123-77
AREA: 100#, 110#
ARA-A: 100#
$180.00
#4123-77a
AREA: 112#, 115# 119#
$183.00
#4123-77b
DUDLEY: 127#
AREA: 131#, 132#, 133#
136#, 140#, 141#
$218.00
#4123-77c
ASCE: 85#
ARA-A: 90#
ARA-B: 100#
PS: 100#
$172.00
How a switch works
A switch is the junction of two converging tracks with a set of movable switch points to change the direction of a train.
Switch points are pairs of rails (shown in red above) which are hinged at one end and tapered to a knife edge at the other end so they can press close to one running rail or the other.
When one of the points is pressed close to its running rail there is a gap between the other switch point and the opposite running rail. How the points are placed determines which track the train will follow.
Why Protect Switch Points?
When a train rounds into the curve of a switch, switch point A (leading into the curved closure rail) takes the brunt of the abrupt change of wheel direction.
The wheels slam against the end of switch point A unless some form of deflecting protection is provided.
Aldon's Switch Point Protector acts as a bumping pad to momentarily shove each wheel flange away from the tip of the switch point.
The Protector is a manganese casting which is bolted 2" in front of the tip of switch point A.
Switch point B does not need a Protector because when B is closed (and A is open) the train is going straight and no battering of the switch points takes place.
Easy Installation
Drill two holes in the rail web and bolt casting to rail. When one end of the Protector becomes worn, it can be turned to the new end.
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