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Highway and railway crossing lights
Highway and railway crossing lights are essential safety devices designed to alert motorists and other road users of an upcoming railway crossing. These lights play a critical role in preventing accidents by providing a clear and visible warning of the potential presence of trains. Here is a core description of these vital safety features:
1. Visibility and Warning: Highway and railway crossing lights are typically mounted on both sides of the tracks and are designed to be highly visible. They consist of red incandescent lamps mounted in reflectors behind red lenses, flashed alternately at a rate of 35 to 55 flashes per minute for each lamp .
2. Alignment and Direction: Proper alignment of these lights is crucial. They must be precisely directed to cast a narrow, intense beam towards approaching motorists. The alignment patterns vary for two-lane, two-way highways and multilane roads .
3. Regulatory Compliance: These lights are installed in accordance with the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), which provides guidelines for their placement, operation, and maintenance. MUTCD specifies that the flashing light signal should display two red lights mounted in a horizontal line and flashing alternately to indicate the approach or presence of a train .
4. Durability and Reliability: The lamps are designed to operate on standby battery power should commercial power fail, ensuring continuous operation. Wattages commonly used are 18 or 25 watts, with some railroads using quartz iodide bulbs of 16 or 36 watts .
5. Technological Advancements: While traditional incandescent lamps have been the primary warning device, there is a shift towards more efficient technologies such as xenon flash lamps. These offer a warning of markedly greater effectiveness with little deviation from the basic framework of applicable standards and conventional equipment .
6. Color and Perception: The color red is used for these lights due to its general connotation in traffic signals and its long history of use in grade-crossing protection. The color of light emitted depends on both the source and the lens, with xenon lamps having a higher color temperature, which affects the choice of red roundel used .
7. Supplementary Signs: A crossbuck sign is always used in conjunction with the flashing light signal and is usually mounted on the same post above the light units. Other supplementary signs may include the “Do Not Stop on Tracks” sign and the “Number of Tracks” sign .
8. Illumination: At least one luminaire should be mounted on each side of the track at the crossing, providing at least 10.76 lux [1 footcandle (fc)] of illumination on the vertical plane 5 ft from the centerline of the track. The illumination should cover a distance equal to the normal height of rail equipment (at least 15 ft above the top of the rail) .
In summary, highway and railway crossing lights are a critical component of traffic safety infrastructure, combining high visibility, regulatory compliance, and technological advancements to ensure the safety of motorists and pedestrians at railway crossings.
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