S. Escapes y cruces

English translation: reverse curves, crossovers and crossings

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
Spanish term or phrase:curvas en S escapes y cruces
English translation:reverse curves, crossovers and crossings
Entered by: Charles Davis

18:50 Nov 17, 2014
Spanish to English translations [PRO]
Tech/Engineering - Transport / Transportation / Shipping
Spanish term or phrase: S. Escapes y cruces
A series of excel entries, so no context at all I'm afraid

The Document is headed

Interfaces Externas
INTERFAZ DE MATERIAL MOVIL CON ELEMENTOS EXTERNOS
Definición de interfaces entre el Material móvil con elementos externos, tanto de línea (incluyendo túnel y estaciones), como en talleres y cocheras.

This entry is in the GENERAL section:

Radio Mínimo Admisible (excepcional en Talleres y Cocheras y normal en línea).
*Curvas en S. Escapes y cruces*
Peralte y tolerancia.

I assume "cruces" is crossings or maybe junctions
William Pairman
Spain
Local time: 16:52
reverse curves, crossovers and crossings
Explanation:
1. As patinba and kpdinicola have already indicated, "S." is part of "Curvas en S.", which is fairly self-explanatory and means S-curves or S-bends. Both these terms are valid, but the one that seems to be most commonly used in relation to railways is "reverse curve". It's also known in Spanish as a "contracurva".

"In civil engineering, a reverse curve (or "S" curve) is a section of the horizontal alignment of a highway or railroad route in which a curve to the left or right is followed immediately by a curve in the opposite direction."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reverse_curve

Mario León, whose Diccionario del tren is a standby for railway questions, uses "reverse curve":
http://books.google.es/books?hl=es&id=et6IRQ60RO0C&q=curva e...

But as I say, either "S-curve" or "S-bend" would be fine. By the way, we had a question on "S-bend" in relation to roads, which I answered:
http://www.proz.com/kudoz/english_to_spanish/automotive_cars...

________________

2. An "escape" is not a siding. At least, not usually, although kpdinicola's Mexican source seems to be describing a siding. Normally it's what's known as a crossover. Mario León gives "exhaust", but I think that's a mixup; he gives "crossover" for "escape de enlace" and "double crossover" for "escape doble":
http://books.google.es/books?hl=es&id=et6IRQ60RO0C&q=curva e...

" Agujas dobles o escapes
Un escape, o aguja doble, es la unión entre dos vías paralelas."
See accompanying photo. This is a great page, by the way. "Agujas" are points:
http://comofuncionanlostrenes.blogspot.com.es/2014/01/aparat...

Mario León's definition of "escape" confirms this:
"aparato de vía que pone en comunicación las circulaciones de dos vías, generalmente paralelas, mediante dos desvíos con la misma tangente y con sus ramas desviadas en prolongación una de otra".

For desvío ("switch"), see:
http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desvío_(ferrocarril)

In English:

"A crossover is a pair of switches that connects two parallel rail tracks, allowing a train on one track to cross over to the other. "
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Railroad_switch#Crossover

_____________________

3. "cruce" is less clear. It can mean a level crossing, but I don't think it does here. I think it's just a crossing: in other words, a point where one track crosses another. A crossing has a crossing frog, which is a specially shaped piece of rail, but here I think they're talking about the actual crossing of tracks rather than the frog itself:

"The frog, also known as the common crossing (or V-Rail in Australian terminology), refers to the crossing point of two rails."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Railroad_switch#Frog_.28common_...

I'd put "crossing".

What all three of these things have in common is that they involve curves that diverge from a straight line, which is why the "radio mínimo admisible" is relevant.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 3 hrs (2014-11-17 22:33:00 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Forgot to say: the normal word for siding in Spanish is apartadero. Apparently in Mexico it's called a ladero o escape. If your text is from Mexico this is the translation, but not otherwise.

In Spain an escape is definitely a crossover, not a siding. Here's further confirmation from an ADIF document (see p. 12):
http://www.adif.es/es_ES/conoceradif/oferta_de_empleo_public...
Selected response from:

Charles Davis
Spain
Local time: 16:52
Grading comment
Fantastic, thanks Charles! Thanks to everybody else too!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +1S-curves, sidings and crossings
Karen Dinicola
4reverse curves, crossovers and crossings
Charles Davis
3emergency exits and crossings
TravellingTrans
3s-bends in sidings and crossing frogs
patinba


  

Answers


34 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
emergency exits and crossings


Explanation:
if S. Escapes is short for Salidas de Escapes related to tunnels and stations, then it would be an Emergency Exit, and cruce is a crossing

this is simply educated guessing

TravellingTrans
United States
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 4
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

38 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
s-bends in sidings and crossing frogs


Explanation:
The frog, also known as the common crossing (or V-Rail in Australian terminology), refers to the crossing point of two rails. This can be assembled out of several appropriately cut and bent pieces of rail or can be a single casting of manganese steel (Wikipedia)

Model Railway Track Layouts - The do's and don'ts
www.newrailwaymodellers.co.uk/track layout.htm
Traducir esta página
What model railway track should I buy and what should I avoid? ... carriages, the designated minimum of a "carriage length" in the middle of an S-bend, .... The point can act as a switch to isolate the siding when it isn't switched in that direction.
South Australian Mallee Towns
www.malleehighway.com.au/.../south-australian-tow...
Moorlands was a settlement that developed around the railway siding on the line to .... The large 'S' bend between Lameroo and Parilla is known as Yappara,

patinba
Argentina
Local time: 11:52
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 232

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Charles Davis: It depends which country the text comes from; in Mexico "escape" means a siding, but in Spain it means a crossover. In other countries I'm not sure whether it's used at all.
3 hrs
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

38 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
S-curves, sidings and crossings


Explanation:

This appears to be a railroad document. The "curvas en S." is one phrase, "cruces" is just as you said, and I researched "escapes" and found the following:

A siding, in rail terminology, is a low-speed track section distinct from a running line or through route such as a main line or branch line or spur. It may connect to through track or to other sidings at either end.

Source: wikipedia

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 42 mins (2014-11-17 19:33:11 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Sorry, forgot to add this important piece:

Escape o Ladero

Vía férrea auxiliar conectada por ambos extremos a la vía principal para permitir el paso de trenes o para almacenar Equipo Ferroviario

http://www.ciltec.com.mx/es/infraestructura-logistica/ferroc...

Karen Dinicola
United States
Local time: 10:52
Native speaker of: English

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  bigedsenior: it's about the minimum curve radius allowed when approaching these elements
2 hrs
  -> Thanks, bigedsenior.

neutral  Charles Davis: It depends which country the text comes from; in Mexico "escape" means a siding, but in Spain it means a crossover. In other countries I'm not sure whether it's used at all.
3 hrs
  -> Interesting info ... the plot thickens ... Thanks, Charles!
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
reverse curves, crossovers and crossings


Explanation:
1. As patinba and kpdinicola have already indicated, "S." is part of "Curvas en S.", which is fairly self-explanatory and means S-curves or S-bends. Both these terms are valid, but the one that seems to be most commonly used in relation to railways is "reverse curve". It's also known in Spanish as a "contracurva".

"In civil engineering, a reverse curve (or "S" curve) is a section of the horizontal alignment of a highway or railroad route in which a curve to the left or right is followed immediately by a curve in the opposite direction."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reverse_curve

Mario León, whose Diccionario del tren is a standby for railway questions, uses "reverse curve":
http://books.google.es/books?hl=es&id=et6IRQ60RO0C&q=curva e...

But as I say, either "S-curve" or "S-bend" would be fine. By the way, we had a question on "S-bend" in relation to roads, which I answered:
http://www.proz.com/kudoz/english_to_spanish/automotive_cars...

________________

2. An "escape" is not a siding. At least, not usually, although kpdinicola's Mexican source seems to be describing a siding. Normally it's what's known as a crossover. Mario León gives "exhaust", but I think that's a mixup; he gives "crossover" for "escape de enlace" and "double crossover" for "escape doble":
http://books.google.es/books?hl=es&id=et6IRQ60RO0C&q=curva e...

" Agujas dobles o escapes
Un escape, o aguja doble, es la unión entre dos vías paralelas."
See accompanying photo. This is a great page, by the way. "Agujas" are points:
http://comofuncionanlostrenes.blogspot.com.es/2014/01/aparat...

Mario León's definition of "escape" confirms this:
"aparato de vía que pone en comunicación las circulaciones de dos vías, generalmente paralelas, mediante dos desvíos con la misma tangente y con sus ramas desviadas en prolongación una de otra".

For desvío ("switch"), see:
http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desvío_(ferrocarril)

In English:

"A crossover is a pair of switches that connects two parallel rail tracks, allowing a train on one track to cross over to the other. "
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Railroad_switch#Crossover

_____________________

3. "cruce" is less clear. It can mean a level crossing, but I don't think it does here. I think it's just a crossing: in other words, a point where one track crosses another. A crossing has a crossing frog, which is a specially shaped piece of rail, but here I think they're talking about the actual crossing of tracks rather than the frog itself:

"The frog, also known as the common crossing (or V-Rail in Australian terminology), refers to the crossing point of two rails."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Railroad_switch#Frog_.28common_...

I'd put "crossing".

What all three of these things have in common is that they involve curves that diverge from a straight line, which is why the "radio mínimo admisible" is relevant.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 3 hrs (2014-11-17 22:33:00 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Forgot to say: the normal word for siding in Spanish is apartadero. Apparently in Mexico it's called a ladero o escape. If your text is from Mexico this is the translation, but not otherwise.

In Spain an escape is definitely a crossover, not a siding. Here's further confirmation from an ADIF document (see p. 12):
http://www.adif.es/es_ES/conoceradif/oferta_de_empleo_public...

Charles Davis
Spain
Local time: 16:52
Works in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 112
Grading comment
Fantastic, thanks Charles! Thanks to everybody else too!
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)



Login or register (free and only takes a few minutes) to participate in this question.

You will also have access to many other tools and opportunities designed for those who have language-related jobs (or are passionate about them). Participation is free and the site has a strict confidentiality policy.

KudoZ™ translation help

The KudoZ network provides a framework for translators and others to assist each other with translations or explanations of terms and short phrases.


See also:
Term search
  • All of ProZ.com
  • Term search
  • Jobs
  • Forums
  • Multiple search