ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Railroad switch

A railroad switch is like a piece of train track that can turn the train in a new direction. It's like when you play with toy trains and move the little pieces of track to make the train go a different way. The switch is a bigger version of that.

Imagine you are playing with your toy train and you have a piece of curved track that you want to connect to a straight piece of track. But there's a problem - the train will run off the track on the curve! So you need a special piece of track to fix it. That's where the switch comes in.

The switch is a special piece of track that has two different paths for the train to follow. It is like a fork in the road. When the train reaches the switch, it can go straight ahead or turn left or right, depending on which way the switch is set. The switch is controlled by a special lever or button that allows the train to move in different directions.

Switches are really important for trains because they allow them to go to different places on the track. Without switches, trains would only be able to go in a straight line and would never be able to turn or switch tracks. But with switches, trains can travel anywhere they need to go!

Even though switches may seem like a small thing, they are very important for making sure all the trains get to where they need to go safely and efficiently. Thanks to switches, trains can travel on tracks that go in many different directions, just like cars can turn onto different roads.