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Guard Rails, Emergency Guard Rails, Bridge Guard Rails. Pick one. The exact name depends on who you are talking to. As Ken V says, they are to keep a derailed car from getting so far from the track that they strike a part of the bridge.
Some Railroads swear by them, other railroads swear at them. There are lots of standards of how long in approach to the bridge, the nature of the end treatment, and the gap between these rails and the running rails.
There have been cases where they were regarded as saving the bridge in case of derailment, and others where they were regarded as making the situation worse. Generally they are regarded as fairly ineffective if the speed is high.
George
Posts: 2810 | From: Olive Branch MS | Registered: Nov 2002
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