Alstom UK Limited

Damian Mounsey Poole

In an arrangement for monitoring the resistance between adjacent rail-ends of a section of railway track, the usual insulating end-post between the ends of adjacent rails is a molded component provided with an embedded conductive mesh or perforated plate situated roughly halfway between the rail-ends. The resistance between each rail-end and the conductive part is monitored to detect any significant decrease in resistance between either rail and the conductive part. When a sufficiently large resistance drop is detected, the normal track signaling circuits associated with the section of line involved are still able to function normally, since the insulation on the other side of the mesh is still unaffected at this stage. Railway personnel are now able to effect a repair to the affected part of the track at their (and the passengers') convenience before the whole end-post fails, disrupting normal service.

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Altrincham, United Kingdom

Damian Mounsey Poole