neutral section

English

Noun

neutral section (plural neutral sections)

1. (rail transport, electrical engineering) A dead section of overhead line for supplying power to trains between two live sections, used to separate two power supplies, different phases and supply voltages.
   • 1960 March, “Silicon Rectifiers for a French dual-frequency Bo-Bo locomotive”, in Trains Illustrated, page 166:

     When a driver approaches a neutral section separating sections of 25 kV. and 15 kV. overhead catenary, he trips the main circuit-breaker but keeps his pantographs up; as soon as the next section of live wire is reached, he re-sets his contact-breaker, whereupon voltage-sensitive relays automatically make appropriate connections to the auxiliary circuits.

Related terms

• dead section

Anagrams

• countersalient