Prototype Electrical Safety (elecric roads)

Most systems used overhead DC trolley wire.  The wire was the hot side and the rails were ground. The situation is fairly safe.  If there is a high current draw the rails can get elevated above ground some, but usually not a problem.  If the wire came down, you are looking at the same hazard as any power line that came down.  There were a few third rail operations.  These were more dangerous, but still few human problems.  Animals did not do as well around third rail.  Some of the early third rails were uncovered, protected only by livestock fences and signs.  Kids at a local high school use to dare each other to walk on the third rail.  Many did.  More recently the P and W in Philadelphia had wooden cover board that was in bad shape, no fences in places.  To prevent the cover board from falling onto the third rail they removed it.  I saw a man who's back yard adjoined the right of way mowing the grass.  He did a thorough job and mowed the grass under the third rail.  I was surprised when a few years ago in Chicago they took down the trolley wire on the Skokie line and replaced it with third rail.  This line has great crossings.  They just gap for the crossings and start the third rail about ten feet back from the sidewalk. I worked for a 1200 volt third rail system.  it was fully fenced so only employees should have had to deal with the third rail. Only incident I heard of in 30 years was a MOW man who got his steel tape measure across the third rail.  Tape vaporized, he was unhurt.  At least one trespasser did not fare as well.

I am guessing the tape measure touched both inside and outside rail, and that kids

walking the track, were careful NOT to touch both inside and outside rail simultaneously?  There is probably more physics involved in why it is/was not dangerous to touch the ground rail on all those old interurbans, than is easy to explain here, and why the third rail systems are not as dangerous as I'd think?

There are YouTube videos on how 3rd rails and animals get along....not always good! (but most of them are Deer....which have destroyed a number of my cars.....so.....) 

As for livestock, the Syracuse Lake Shore & Northern in Central New York used cattle guards similar to those used on steam roads. 

As a youngster who grew up in third rail territory in New York City, I can tell you that the outside third rail was simply one more potentially dangerous part of your environment where you took precautions.....just like staying out of traffic, being careful looking out your 5th floor window, not falling asleep on the subway at 2 AM, not staring at a member of the Fordham Baldies gang, etc. etc.

Darwin took care of those with less common sense.

Jim

I grew up next to the Bay Ridge Branch of the Long Island RR  They had overhead catenary and it also paralleled the Sea Beach line of the NY Cty subways   There were many more accidents involving the catenary than the Third rail.  It usually resulted in kids riding the tops of trains.  The rail closer to the third rail is usually a signal rail ( Note:usually) The running rail is usually the opposite rail which prevents touching both at the same time.  Of course if there is a train in the signal block both rails have potential.