Third rail facts for kids
A third rail is a special metal track that runs alongside a train's main tracks. It gives electricity to the train, helping it move. You often see third rails on subways and local trains. Before third rails, trains usually got their power from wires above them.
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How Electric Trains Started
In the 1800s, smart people called engineers started figuring out how to use electricity to power trains. A Scottish engineer named Robert Davidson built an electric train in 1837. It used batteries to run. However, battery-powered trains were not practical for long journeys. They needed to be charged too often.
The First Passenger Electric Train
In 1879, a German engineer named Werner von Siemens created the first electric train that could carry passengers reliably. Siemens' train used a small 2.2kW electric motor. It could go a little faster than 13 kilometers per hour.
This new train pulled three passenger cars. It ran on a 300-meter circular track at an exhibition in Berlin. About 90,000 people rode it in just four months! Siemens' electric train was the first to use a third rail for power. The electricity came from a special machine called a dynamo.
Why Third Rails Are Important
Early electric trains needed a good way to get electricity everywhere the tracks went. While many modern long-distance trains use overhead wires, the third rail was the first successful way to supply power. It is still used a lot today, especially for local trains and rapid transit systems like subways.
How a Third Rail Works
The third rail is usually placed next to the two main tracks. Sometimes, it's even between them. A special part on the train, called a sliding shoe, touches the third rail. This shoe collects the electricity.
On many systems, there is a cover over the third rail. This cover protects workers who are near the tracks. Sometimes, the shoe touches the side or bottom of the third rail. This allows the protective cover to be placed right on top. When the shoe slides on the bottom, it works better in snow or when leaves fall on the tracks.
Staying Safe Around Third Rails
Third rails carry a lot of volts of electricity. This makes them extremely dangerous. Touching a third rail can cause very serious injuries or even death. Many accidents happen each year around the world because people come into contact with them. It is very important to always stay away from train tracks and especially the third rail.
Related pages
Images for kids
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Third rail layout. 1:Cover 2:Power rail 3:Insulator 4:sleeper 5:Rail
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A British Class 442 third-rail electric multiple unit in Battersea
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London Stansted Airport people mover with central rail power feed
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A contact shoe for top-contact third rail on SEPTA's Norristown High Speed Line (third rail not visible)
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Contact shoe on Metro-North M8 railcar, designed for both over- and under-running third rail.
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Redhill with the diesel Class 166 service run by First Great Western to Reading as the North Downs Line only has third rail electrification on shared sections.
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A Brussels Metro station. The elevated third rails for both tracks can be seen halfway between the platforms.
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With surface contact third and fourth rail systems a heavy "shoe" suspended from a wooden beam attached to the bogies collects power by sliding over the top surface of the electric rail. This view shows a British Rail Class 313 train.
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A train on Milan Metro's Line 1 showing the fourth-rail contact shoe.
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Sapporo Subway with a centrally placed guiding/return rail
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Third Rail scheme : two brackets and third rail
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hird rail in the safety shroud
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See also
In Spanish: Tercer riel (alimentación) para niños
