'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Railroads are one of the most intriguing parts of Minecraft. Roller coasters are fun and building one in the game, albeit in a limited capacity, is one of the most fun aspects to explore.
They're also a practical part of the game as railcarts are one of the fastest ways to get around, even though they require a lot of work on the front end. They're also the subject of a difficult achievement to complete (On a Rail).
When constructing a railroad of any kind, players will undoubtedly discover that there are multiple types of rails to use in Minecraft. There are currently four different rails:
- Regular
- Activator
- Detector
- Powered
Detector and powered rails often get confused for one another, but they serve different purposes. Here's the difference between the two equally important rails.
Powered and detector rails in Minecraft: Exploring the difference
According to Minecraft Wiki, this is what a detector rail does:
"A detector rail is a block that can transport minecarts and can be used as a switchable redstone power source."
A detector rail essentially detects when a minecart goes across it. It doesn't change how the cart behaves or make it stop rolling. The rail only reacts to the cart going over it and releases a redstone pulse.
This is an effective way of using redstone. Players can make automatic doors, traps or anything else using a detector rail. They would need to connect other devices to the rail with redstone dust, but almost anything is possible.
Also, according to that same wiki, here's what a powered rail does:
"A powered rail is a type of rail that is used to increase or decrease the velocity of moving minecarts."
A powered rail speeds up the cart going across it. Momentum will make a minecart move forward, but eventually, that will run out. However, that isn't the case when using powered rails.
This is an effective way to make minecarts go uphill. Without them, they might make it up a few blocks before rolling backwards and never making it to their destination.
Powered rails also require redstone, which is the key difference between them and detector rails. Powered rails need redstone to function while detector rails give off redstone pulses.
Powered rails, without any redstone pushing them, will function just like a normal rail. Detector rails will do the same, though they will always put out a brief redstone pulse no matter what.
The other main difference between the two rails is in the crafting recipe. Since they're both rails, the recipe is similar, but does require different elements.
A detector rail requires six iron ingots, a stone pressure plate and one redstone dust. Meanwhile, a powered rail requires six gold ingots, a stick and one redstone dust.
Both items have been in the game since the 1.6 update, which is also known as the Redstone Update, but neither of them are terribly familiar to many Minecraft players.
