The N.C. Department of Transportation’s Rail Division is going green with the installation of the state’s first solar-powered railroad crossing signal lights and gate warning system. The new system was recently activated in the Stokes County town of Pinnacle on Surry Line Road.
Beyond the use of the solar panels to charge the batteries and operate a couple of low-draw electric items, such as an interior light, vent fan, etc., the crossing signals and gates will operate like any other crossing automatic warning system connected to the power grid. It also looks like any other signal and gate crossing warning system except for the mast-mounted solar panels atop the crossing signal’s control panel.
