POTENTIAL MEANS OF COST REDUCTION IN GRADE CROSSING AUTOMATIC GATE SYSTEMS. VOLUME I: OVERVIEW AND LOW COST RAILROAD/HIGHWAY GRADE CROSSING GATE SYSTEMS

This report, Volume I of a two-volume study, examines the potential for reduction of the cost of installing and maintaining automatic gates at railroad-highway grade crossings. It comprises a general overview; a review of current practices, equipment, and standards; a consideration of modification of existing specifications to permit use of alternative technologies; the generation of design concepts for new gate systems or subsystems intended to offer significant economic benefits; an analysis and comparative evaluation of the more promising concepts; and conclusions concerning further design, development, and test activities. Concepts found to be particularly promising include a low-cost gate-drive mechanism utilizing high-reliability commercially available components; a swing-away, gravity resetting arm support intended to reduce the incidence of gate breakage; and a gate arm using new materials to obtain resistance to breakage.

• Record URL:
  • https://railroads.dot.gov/elibrary/potential-means-cost-reduction-grade-crossing-automatic-gate-systems-volume-i-overview-and
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• Supplemental Notes:
  • See also PB-265 725.
• Corporate Authors:

  MB Associates

  P.O. Box 196, Bollinger Canyon Road
  San Ramon, CA  United States  94583

  Federal Railroad Administration

  Office of Research and Development, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590

  Transportation Systems Center

  55 Broadway, Kendall Square
  Cambridge, MA  United States  02142
• Authors:
  • St Amant, A
• Publication Date: 1977-2

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Pagination: 90 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: At grade intersections; Automatic control; Cost control; Costs; Crashworthiness; Economic benefits; Fail safe systems; Gates; Grade crossing protection systems; Intersections; Prevention; Railroad grade crossings; Railroad tracks; Safety; Safety equipment; Specifications; Standards; Traffic barriers; Traffic crashes; Traffic regulations; Warning systems
• Uncontrolled Terms: Barriers; Motor vehicle accidents
• Old TRIS Terms: Grade crossing protection; Impact vulnerability
• Subject Areas: Economics; Finance; Highways; Law; Operations and Traffic Management; Railroads; Safety and Human Factors; Security and Emergencies;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00154800
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Technical Information Service
• Report/Paper Numbers: FRA/ORD-77/067.I Final Rpt.
• Contract Numbers: DOT-TSC-859
• Files: NTIS, TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Jun 17 1977 12:00AM