electrified railroads

Electrified Railroads

Some freight operations and passenger operations use electric switching locomotives instead of a diesel locomotive.  

Some stretches of electrified railroad will see freight or passenger trains and have several railroads running on the tracks.  One example is the Northeast Corridor.  5 railroads operate on it and along it.  Amtrak, NJT, NS, SEPTA and PATH trains can be seen along the line.  Crossing these tracks is dangerous and there are few if any grade or pedestrian crossings.  Most will have stairs going under the tracks.  You see these in several spots on the line. 

There are 3 types of passenger trains that run on electricity, and you need to be careful around each one.  Some run at high rates of speed (up to 100 miles per hour) and are harder to spot, hear and react to if you are on the tracks.  DO NOT LET SIZE FOOL YOU!!

• Light Rail- NJ Transit

• Subways- MTA

• Full Size Trains-  NJT (more local) and AMTRAK (multi state with its trains and ACELA on the NORTHEAST CORRIDOR)  Some of these include multiple unit electric trains.

Power for these locomotives can come from an overhead wire network called a catenary.  Sometimes a third rail will be used where a pickup shoe grabs the power.  This third rail is ALWAYS live and you will be killed INSTANTLY if you touch it.  Workers have special tools, equipment and training to even be near the railroad.  You should always assume the third rail is live because you have no way of knowing if is live.

The same is true on the overhead catenary.  25,000 volts of electricity killed Jerome Fielding instantly from the catenary in the video, "18" shown below.  Life will never be the same and this could have been prevented had they chose not to be on the tracks.  You will have to live with the consequences of your choice over a whole lifetime if something bad happens to you or your friends.