SEPTA Construction & ReHab

SEPTA (South Eastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority) is up-grading its elevated stations, platforms, track, rails and support structures from steel frame to a single post concrete structure. Doing so, they are exposing all of the electrical wires switches, contacts etc. which used to blend into the ballasted track way. Is there anyone who would know where I could find out what all these items are called and their purpose?

I am a retired electrician and i am pretty sure some of these power connections are diodes.

Could you post a photo or two?

[moved to SEPTA forum - omv]

Post a picture and I'll ask the guys what it is.

I am going into the city Friday Nov 2nd, and am taking a digi cam with me. I'll see what I can do. Can I post the pics on my web site and post the url here?

I have posted the pics on my web site. I will not post the url here, but I can say that it is on the web at artisans-estimating, a dot com entity. The page that the pics are is called septa.htm

There you go gentlemen! Smoke em if u gottem.

kuktari wrote:I have posted the pics on my web site. I will not post the url here, but I can say that it is on the web at artisans-estimating, a dot com entity. The page that the pics are is called septa.htm

There you go gentlemen! Smoke em if u gottem.

Those boxes in the first and last pics are the cab signal equipment. I believe those are the track circuit boxes that relay signal information to the engineer.

I think Siemens is the provider of some of the equipment used on the track. I am still waiting to hear from them. I hear an occasional whistle coming from the engineers box, and the train either slows down, stops or speeds up. I will have to give this a closer look. Thanks for your input.

kuktari wrote:I think Siemens is the provider of some of the equipment used on the track. I am still waiting to hear from them. I hear an occasional whistle coming from the engineers box, and the train either slows down, stops or speeds up. I will have to give this a closer look. Thanks for your input.

Yeah that buzzer's the overspeed/signal change alert.

much of what those pictures depict are impedance bonds, which separate the track circuits (which operate the signal system) from the traction power return current. For more info, just google "impedance bond"

What is in place to prevent the alternating current signaling to pass through the bogies when they are on either side of the insulated joint? And, is the insulated joint as strong as the rail sections it is insulating? It would have to be; soas to prevent arcing when the chord of the wheel of the car touches both sides of the insulated gapped rails at the same time.

kuktari wrote:What is in place to prevent the alternating current signaling to pass through the bogies when they are on either side of the insulated joint? And, is the insulated joint as strong as the rail sections it is insulating? It would have to be; soas to prevent arcing when the chord of the wheel of the car touches both sides of the insulated gapped rails at the same time.

For this reason, track circuit polarity is swapped on the other side of the IJ.

that could be why the lights blink!