At first glance, you’d think it’s cattle. But in reality, it is not so. Sheepcracking refers to road infrastructure. This term in several senses (overpass) borrowed from veterinary language means, according to some specialists, several paths that intersect.

From an etymological point of view, the term « overpass » is an allusion to the leap-frog game (with a loose spelling) very popular in the playgrounds at the time of the beginning of the railway.

A grade separation, sometimes referred to as an English bifurcation, is a railway device consisting of a bridge, a trench or a short tunnel allowing a railway to cross another through above or below.

According to specialists, the interest of a grade separation is to separate the flow of rail traffic on two levels by improving both punctuality and safety. A grade separation can be used in different situations. Crossing of two lines at two different levels.

A grade separation may be used to allow the crossing of two lines at two different levels so that the presence of one train on one line does not prevent one train from traveling on the other line (shear).

In some situations, a grade separation may also be used in a bifurcation, for a two-lane or more high-traffic line: in a bifurcation at a level, if a train takes the fork, it automatically blocks the crossing. possible trains that would come in the opposite direction.

Sheeping allows her to solve this problem with a facility similar to that of highways or expressways.

Olivier Kamo