Abt switch used in 1895 built Dresden Funicular Railway (photo of 1985)Ī railroad switch ( AE), turnout, or points ( BE) is a mechanical installation enabling railway trains to be guided from one track to another, such as at a railway junction or where a spur or siding branches off.Ī switch (points) consist of a pair of linked tapering rails, known as points ( switch rails or point blades), lying between the diverging outer rails (the stock rails).
