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add safety section
Narrow-gauge lines are usually cheaper to construct and have often been used for short industrial lines, connecting branch lines, and places where it would not be economic to construct a more substantial line.
Narrow-gauge lines are usually cheaper to construct and have often been used for short industrial lines, connecting branch lines, and places where it would not be economic to construct a more substantial line.
However, some narrow gauge lines, such as those of [[Queensland]] and [[South Africa]], are built to the same standards as standard gauge lines and perform just like standard-gauge lines.
However, some narrow gauge lines, such as those of [[Queensland]] and [[South Africa]], are built to the same standards as standard gauge lines and perform just like standard-gauge lines.
== Safety ==
=== Incident statistics ===
Trains are one of the safest modes of passenger transportation in common use today.
In 2007 in the United States, there were 579,505,279 passenger trips on railroads regulated by the [[Federal Railroad Administration]] (excluding [[mass transportation|urban transit]]), resulting in 5 fatalities and 1155 injuries, or a fatality rate of approximately 1 per 115 million passengers, and an injury rate of 1 in 500,000.<ref name="FRA statistics">http://safetydata.fra.dot.gov/OfficeofSafety/</ref>
<!--Please expand by comparing to other modes of transportation.-->
=== Issues ===
==== grade crossings ====
Most railroad fatalities occur at crossings or involve trespassers, rather than passengers. In 2007, 851 people died in railroad-related incidents in the United States.<ref name="FRA statistics" /> Of these, 5 were passengers, 470 were trespassers, and 338 were vehicle occupants or pedestrians at railroad crossings.
Some railroad-crossing collisions occur when a [[motor vehicle]] begins to cross railroad tracks while other vehicles are stopped ahead. In order to prevent such accidents, some traffic signals may be designed to provide "[a] special sequence of signal phases and timing to provide additional clearance time for vehicles to clear the tracks prior to the arrival of a train"<ref name="4D13">''Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices'', [http://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/htm/2003r1r2/part4/part4d.htm#section4D13 chapter 4D].</ref><ref name="8D07">''See also'' ''Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices'', [http://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/htm/2003r1r2/part8/part8d.htm#section8D07 chapter 8D].</ref>; however, such designs are not mandatory. It is the driver's sole responsibility never to start to cross any railroad tracks until it is certain that both the tracks and the roadway beyond are clear.<ref>''See, e.g.'' [http://mva.state.md.us/Resources/DL-002B.pdf ''Maryland Driver's Handbook''], page 103 (page 53 of online edition).</ref>
==== derailments ====
<small>''This article is a stub. You can help Conservapedia by [{{fullurl:{{FULLPAGENAME}}|action=edit}} expanding it].''</small>
=== Rail operations ===
In order to prevent trains from colliding, railroads use electrical signaling systems. The most common systems in use today are based on variations of [[automatic block signaling]], which can be supplemented by [[positive train control]].
==== automatic block signaling ====
In automatic block signaling, railroad tracks are divided into sections known as blocks. The signaling system prevents more than one train from occupying any one block at any given time by detecting the presence of trains and by using colored lights (similar to [[traffic signal]]s) to indicate to train crewmembers whether it is safe to proceed<ref name="train control systems">''See'' [http://www.ntsb.gov/events/symp_ptc/presentations/03_VanderClute.pdf Train Control Systems].</ref>; for example, a yellow signal may be used to instruct train crews to slow down, and a red signal may be used to instruct train crews to stop so as to avoid entering a block that is occupied.
==== positive train control ====
[[Positive train control]] is a technology by which "automatic control systems" are able "to override mistakes made by human operators" in order to prevent train collisions.<ref name="NTSB recommendation">http://www.ntsb.gov/recs/mostwanted/positive_train.htm</ref> [[Amtrak]]'s Northeast Corridor, for example, uses a system that comprises two elements, "positive train stop" and "civil speed enforcement," which together provide the functionality of positive train control.<ref name="NTSB recommendation" />
Positive train control systems can prevent those collisions that are caused by crewmember inattention to signal indications.<ref name="NTSB testimony">''See'' [http://www.ntsb.gov/speeches/s050428.htm National Transportation Safety Board: statement on positive train control].</ref>
== Trains ==
== Trains ==
{{main|Train}}
{{main|Train}}
[[Image:Gallitzin_rr.jpg|thumb|260px|Train emerging from the famous tunnels in Gallitzin, Pennsylvania. This photo illustrates how a good deal of railway freight is hauled these days -- in intermodal shipping containers]]
[[Image:Gallitzin_rr.jpg|thumb|260px|Train emerging from the famous tunnels in Gallitzin, Pennsylvania. This photo illustrates how a good deal of railway freight is hauled these days -- in intermodal shipping containers]]
The vehicles that operate on railways are known as ''[[train]]s'', and usually comprise one or more [[locomotive]]s hauling a number of vehicles.
The vehicles that operate on railways are known as ''[[train]]s'', and usually comprise one or more [[locomotive]]s hauling a number of vehicles.
== Further reading ==
== Further reading ==
====Notes====
<references/>
====Bibliography====
* Armstrong, John H. ''The Railroad: What It Is, What It Does''. 4th edition, 1998, Simmons-Boardman Books. ISBN 0-911382-04-6
* Armstrong, John H. ''The Railroad: What It Is, What It Does''. 4th edition, 1998, Simmons-Boardman Books. ISBN 0-911382-04-6
* Jack Simmons & Gordon Biddle (eds), ''The Oxford Companion to British Railway History'' (Oxford 1997)
* Jack Simmons & Gordon Biddle (eds), ''The Oxford Companion to British Railway History'' (Oxford 1997)
====External links====
* [http://www.fra.dot.gov/us/content/1265 Federal Railroad Administration » press room » positive train control]
* [http://parovoz.com/spravka/gauges-en.php Railroad Gauge Width], a comprehensive list of railway gauges and countries where they are and were used.
== Notes ==
== Notes ==