Why it is more convenient to put the ear on the track to hear a train approaching from far away?
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Is it possible to hear a train coming by putting an ear to the rail track?
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Adam J M Richards, Train "nut"
Answered Nov 30, 2016
It was a technique that worked better in days when train speeds were lower than they are today and when there were more rail joints. Most of what you would hear were vibrations caused by the wheels moving over the joints. Metal is an efficient conductor of sound and so the sound could propogate further in the rail than it would in air (and get around corners as well).
It was not necessary to put your ear actually on the track, if you had a solid piece of wood or metal - such as a pick-axe handle - you could place one end firmly onto the track and your ear to the other end.
With higher speeds and more continuous rail, the rails will often start audibly “singing” a few seconds before a train arrives - loudly enough that a person standing near the track will hear it.
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Adam J M Richards, Train "nut"
Answered Nov 30, 2016
It was a technique that worked better in days when train speeds were lower than they are today and when there were more rail joints. Most of what you would hear were vibrations caused by the wheels moving over the joints. Metal is an efficient conductor of sound and so the sound could propogate further in the rail than it would in air (and get around corners as well).
It was not necessary to put your ear actually on the track, if you had a solid piece of wood or metal - such as a pick-axe handle - you could place one end firmly onto the track and your ear to the other end.
With higher speeds and more continuous rail, the rails will often start audibly “singing” a few seconds before a train arrives - loudly enough that a person standing near the track will hear it.
plZ follow me alo
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