Axle counter

An axle counter is a device on a railway that detects the passing of a train between two points on a track. A counting head (or 'detection point') is installed at each end of the section, and as each train axle passes the counting head at the start of the section, a counter increments. A detection point comprises two independent sensors, therefore the device can detect the direction and speed of a train by the order and time in which the sensors are passed. As the train passes a similar counting head at the end of the section, the counter compares count at the end of the section with that recorded at the beginning. If the two counts are the same, the section is presumed to be clear for a second train.