why are there plugnin on each side for teminal wire
So you can daisy chain connections to other parts of the railroad. (my guess - others may differ.)
Also a handy place to hook up a voltmeter. I made a set of test leads from an extra track power cable, beats crocodile clips.
Yampa Bob : That is a very good idea . However I still wish the receptacle would have been designed with the contacts running for &aft completely beneath the track , that lump on both sides of crossing makes it more difficult to disguise.
Not to mention the dented oil pans from driving over it.
For somebody putting track down on a floor or table, it makes sure that no matter how you install the track, the receptacle is on the outside of the loop.
Gene
Terry - you obviously have never driven over an LIRR crossing. Dented oil pans and flat tires are the norm at several crossings for the unwary driver. The MTA has bigger fish to fry rather than waste their time filling in potholes at grade crossings (The dispute is usually who has to fill it - the railroad, the county or the town.).
At one crossing in Bay Shore the crossing has steel diamond plate between the rails because there is a lot of truck traffic. Last winter the plate dislodged and one end was sticking up - a nice pointed corner to hit. I must say that the railroad had it fixed in about a month's time; a record.
So the Bachmann crossing may not be so unprototypical!
Woody -
Ahhh. But I'm sure I have. I lived in New York (Yonkers) for about 4 years when I worked at the UN back in the 70's. I've been all over NYC and LI.
The approaches on one of our ranch crossings was so steep a 3/4 ton truck could get high centered on the tracks. I called UP and said the next time I would just leave the truck there and let them buy me a new one. MOW was out in 2 days, took 30 tons of fill to raise and flatten the ramps.
Same thing must have happened across the street . After the truck played tag with the west bound freight and lost , UP rebuilt the crossing , they added a full flashing light with arms on both side and lengthed the approach and made the rails flush with the road bed . Recently UP started removing the wires and poles from the right of way . I asked one of the technicians why and he told me that they had not used that system for a number of years . I guess with copper prices being up it made sense to take it down before it was stolen . Progress marches on. John II