Railroad Grade Crossings – AASHTO/AREA

Overview: Computes compliance of on-grade crossings with requirements of AASHTO/AREA standards.

Entry into Module:

This module of the program is normally entered by clicking on the REC-TEC block in the upper left of the REC-TEC Window causing the drop-down menu to appear. Place the cursor on the Railroad Grade Crossings block and click on AASHTO/AREA on the sub-menu to initiate this module.

Under certain circumstances, the user may choose to use the Files block instead of the drop-down menu approach. Selecting any file with an .AVA extension in the Dialog box accessed from either the Open Single File or Open Multiple Files block opens this module.

Selecting AutoLoad [ON] from either the Setup Menu or the AutoLoad Icon on the upper right side (third line) of the REC-TEC Window automatically loads the scenario that was on the screen when the module was closed, either individually, or when the program was closed. With AutoLoad [OFF] on the main REC-TEC Window, modules will start without loading a file.

Data Entry:

This module contains the following data entry blocks within the leftmost frame:

· Right Rail Elevation Change – From Left Rail (+/-)

· Right Approach Elevation Change – Measured from Right Rail at a distance of 30 feet.

· Left Approach Elevation Change – Measured from Left Rail at a distance of 30 feet.

Output:

The output from this module consists of an interactive graphic showing the Vertical Alignment for a Railroad Grade Crossing and if the crossing complies with AASHTO/AREA regulations.

Options:

Several Command Buttons appear in a frame located at the lower right corner of the module Window. The Command Buttons allow the user to engage options including the option to Open and Save the data required to generate the scenario shown on the screen at the time the file was saved.

· Open .AVA File – Calls up a Dialog box, which Opens any pre-existing .AVA file and displays the output results.

· Save .AVA File – Calls up a Dialog box, which Saves data on the screen to files with any user-selectable filenames. This is independent of the automatic saving as “LastFile.AVA” of the data at the close of this module or the close of the program.

· Graphics – Displays an interactive graphic showing the Vertical Alignment for a Railroad Grade Crossing and if the crossing complies with AASHTO/AREA regulations.

· N – This button toggles a graphical number pad on the screen that can be used to enter data into the input boxes without using your keyboard number pad. This may be useful for presentations as data entry can be accomplished using a wired/wireless mouse.