Frog is US and modeller terminology - British railway engineers call it a crossing. Frog was however used for the junction in traditional tramway overhead wire.More vocab: the thing we call a frog, they call a Herzstuck, heart piece.
Also in trolleybus overhead wiring, although these were complicated devices!Frog is US and modeller terminology - British railway engineers call it a crossing. Frog was however used for the junction in traditional tramway overhead wire.
Hence why Network Rail shorten it to S&C - switch and crossing. But overall call the complete unit “points”. To differentiate a normal point from more complex pointwork, the term ‘plain lead’ is often used.Frog is US and modeller terminology - British railway engineers call it a crossing. Frog was however used for the junction in traditional tramway overhead wire.
The frogs are works of art!If you look closely you will see that they are two separate rails, albeit machined to fit together. A remarkable piece of geometry regardless!
Very common in Germany - almost unheard of here!
Also in trolleybus overhead wiring, although these were complicated devices!
I think this shows it (left hand line)!View attachment 110848 Then there are "Barry slips" - think there's still one in Woking Down Yard.
It's also called a 'frog' in the UK - my late father's career was on LU (as was mine) and he and his colleagues always referred to them as frogs.Frog is US and modeller terminology - British railway engineers call it a crossing. Frog was however used for the junction in traditional tramway overhead wire.
LU has had an American influence from the days of Yerkes so this is no surprise.I think this shows it (left hand line)!
View attachment 111082
It's also called a 'frog' in the UK - my late father's career was on LU (as was mine) and he and his colleagues always referred to them as frogs.
Likewise in my 20 years on Network track renewals and 40 years at Heritage railways.LU has had an American influence from the days of Yerkes so this is no surprise.
So far as BR was concerned, I never heard the term "frog" anywhere in my 12 years in the civils dept.
That's an interesting view, despite the weeds! It would appear to show a 'Barry slip', but this location is a few yards East of the actual Junction. My previous image, with the 66 in view, relates to an original Barry slip adjacent to the Down Portsmouth line, South-West of the junction, and probably about where the rear of the aggregate train in your view is standing. The points to which you refer (left hand road) were originally a genuine double slip albeit the right hand road (in your image) which way back use to merge at this location with the siding nearest the Down Slow Line, would appear to have been disconnected more recently....can't tell for sure, those pesky weeds again, lol !
One for 'Western Sunset' if I may. Are you able to comment as to the origins of the phrase 'Barry Slip' by chance? Just curious, that's all. There was also one in number 1 Siding at Wimbledon West Yard, alongside the Down Wimbledon Chase line, as it once was. Cheers.
Quite understandably, the frog bit him!Getting rather off topic - in Dauphin, Manitoba, it is said that some men were having problems with recalcitrant trackwork when one got a gory accident to his hand. The colleague who took him to hospital explained to the nurse that he was using a hammer and chisel to cut the nuts off a frog.
Strange - only yesterday I watched a video on YouTube about three-way points; going from a single line to three lines at the same point. Are there any of these in the UK network?
One at Southampton mentioned upthread (#27).Yes, mostly in yards and sidings.
There was also a new 3 way put in at Eastleigh only about 3 or 4 years ago, it’s positioned in full view from the east end of the footbridge.One at Southampton mentioned upthread (#27).
This one? https://www.google.com/maps/@50.9690312,-1.3492825,99m/data=!3m1!1e3There was also a new 3 way put in at Eastleigh only about 3 or 4 years ago, it’s positioned in full view from the east end of the footbridge.
Aren’t there also a couple at Waterloo now, leading into the main suburban side, since the 2017 works?
That’s the one, thanks.
Strange - only yesterday I watched a video on YouTube about three-way points; going from a single line to three lines at the same point. Are there any of these in the UK network?
Yes, mostly in yards and sidings.
Yes. See the before image on this NCE Article: https://www.newcivilengineer.com/th...-track-the-kings-cross-crossovers-29-06-2021/Did Kings Cross have any before its remodelling?
Before it was remodelled the station throat at Euston had a lot of bullhead double slip switch diamonds, you could hardly see the sleepers for rails.
They most certainly were!and they were pigs to maintain! especially that one right off the end of the low numbered platforms, I forget the number.
What's the difference between a double slip and a switch diamond?As a fun aside, I was once on a training course (Crewe, 1970s) during which the rather bombastic instructor declared that it was physically impossible to have switch diamonds within double slips. I mentioned that I had worked on such a set just the previous weekend, to which he replied that I clearly didn't know what I was talking about.
Normally when two tracks cross you'll have a fixed diamond, with 4 gaps at the corners for the flanges. A switched diamond eliminates the gaps allowing higher-speed running but at the cost of essentially being two sets of stub-ended points adjacent to each other, requiring interlocking and point motors. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f0/Switchdiamond.jpgWhat's the difference between a double slip and a switch diamond?