Swingnose crossing

On a fixed railway crossing, the wheels need only drift by a small angle, say 1 in 20, before the vehicle may start to go in the wrong direction at the V of a V-crossing.

In addition, the open gap at a fixed V-crossing forms a weak point on the railway line where the heavily loaded wheel must bump across the resulting gap of about 10 cm (4 in), supported only by the portion of the wheel tread which is on the wing rail.

Swingnose crossings virtually eliminate the gap at V-crossings allowing for higher vehicle speeds.

In this device, the V-crossing does not need its own motor but is moved by the flange of an approaching wheel on the branch track.

It returns to its normal position when the diverging train has passed, pushed by a damped spring.