While doing some railfanning in the Land Of Lincoln last week with TB member ppuinn, we discovered the following: We found these on the Chillicothe sub, just a few miles west of town. They look like a detector of some type, but what kind? Is this for detecting hazardous materials? They look real involved. I found another one on this same line a few miles up the road. Any help from some of the employees or someone in the know would help. I fanned this same line in 2006 and these were not there, ppuinn had never seen them either so they have to be new. TIA.
I think they might be overwidth detectors. Those detect loads that are too wide for a specified district of track, obstacle, etc. When the electrified fine wire is broken (works similar to a rockslide fence), the wheel count will narrow down to what car is oversize. They work like a dragging equipment detector, and will report over radio what side of the train (north, south, east or west rail), and what axle number. That radio message will alert the train crew something is amiss.
I'm gonna say wide/ shifted load detector too. You mention there is another further down the tracks, is there a bridge between them?
The one (pair) here is about 5 miles (guessing) from the bridge that crosses the Illinois river, but the other set, about 15 miles west of here, I did not see a large bridge like the one that spans the Illinois.
I remember reading a story in a 2004 ed. of Trains about an AMTRAK fireman and a shifted contained that hit their FP40 (correct?) So, on a line with heavy (is it?) container traffic is would be prudent.
It would seem to me that installing a device there was for a reason. Such as having previous incidents in the vicinity. Thinking of costs involved, they usually first put detectors in places where there has been or are likely to be a certain difficulties. Does anyone recall problems around that site? Boxcab E50
