RR Signals

slimjim Oct 9, 2001

  1. Martyn Read

    Martyn Read TrainBoard Supporter

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    [​IMG]

    Good old UK manual signalling. [​IMG] These are Great Western Railway lower quadrant semaphores, which means the arm lowers to give a clear indication, instead of raises. The junction signal in the background has it's main route cleared for the train in the shot.
    This is Par in Cornwall, this July. I love the mix of ancient & modern you get in this part of the country, check out the main running lines, the up (eastbound) line is concrete sleepered (tied) with nice new flat bottom rail, the down line has classic British track, wooden sleepers with cast chairs bolted to them and bullhead rail. :D

    [ 08. March 2004, 14:34: Message edited by: Martyn Read ]
     
  2. Alan

    Alan Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    That is a beautiful picture, Martyn. You are lucky having such a mix in your part of the country.

    Got any more goodies?
     
  3. Martyn Read

    Martyn Read TrainBoard Supporter

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    There are some advantages to living in a relative backwater :D

    OK here's a couple more pics from Lostwithiel (if any of you guys happen to find yourselves in Cornwall on a weekday, Lostwithiel & Par are two pretty good places to watch trains!)

    [​IMG]

    This is the west end of Lostwithiel, and that's the rather georgous junction signal for the Fowey (pronounced Foy) branch, the right hand head controls the main line west towards Penzance.
    66173 has just backed out of the small yard (at left) with a train of empty clay waggons and is now heading for Plymouth with them. It will cross over to the left hand line (most of the UK is set up with left hand running on double track.) at the other end of the station. These class 66 machines (based on the SD70) are now pretty much the standard UK freight power.

    [​IMG]

    This is the London end of Lostwithiel with a Virgin HST heading west for Penzance. All the signals at Lostwithiel are controlled from this signal box, the ones farther away have been replaced by colour lights, but the ones in the station area are still manually controlled. The crossing has been modernised with lifting barriers & lights but again is controlled from the 'box rather than the more usual automatic installation. Note that in the UK they are pretty paranoid about people getting on the tracks, all that fencing and behind it a kind of cattle grid arrangement is designed so that people who get off the train go to the road side of the gates & don't walk in front of it!

    [ 08. March 2004, 14:37: Message edited by: Martyn Read ]
     
  4. Colonel

    Colonel Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    We have so many similarities when it come to Signalling here in Australia. I have maintained exact same type of equipment over the years and we still have lower quadrant signalling in the country areas and also upper quadrant signals.

    As for fencing the whole rail corridor is fenced here similar to what you have there.

    On our level crossing installations we are currently installing swing gates which close when a train approaches and prevents pedestrians from crossing in front of trains.
     
  5. Martyn Read

    Martyn Read TrainBoard Supporter

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    Australia sounds a fascinating place, from what I've seen (sadly not much :( ) in movies, on TV & other sources it looks like an interesting mix of ancient UK & modern US practise, it's on my "to do" list, one day [​IMG] but then so are a lot of things!
    :(

    Ah well...
     
  6. Roger HENRY

    Roger HENRY New Member

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    This is a good subject and the sites are great.
    Does anyone out there have a source for small (less than 3 mm) Bi Color LEDS?
    Roger Henry
    Brisbane

    AUSTRALIA
     
  7. Colonel

    Colonel Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    <blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Roger HENRY:
    This is a good subject and the sites are great.
    Does anyone out there have a source for small (less than 3 mm) Bi Color LEDS?
    Roger Henry
    Brisbane

    AUSTRALIA
    <hr></blockquote>

    Roger,
    You can purchase 2mm tip leds from Wangers at Ashfield Sydney, I have used them to build signals on my layout.
    You can see them here on my website
    Here is a photo of a level crossing I made with these LEDS

    [​IMG]
     
  8. Roger HENRY

    Roger HENRY New Member

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    Thanks the advice Paul re the LEDS but are they BiColor type? I have the Hewlett Packard 2 mm LEDS witht he axial leads, and very nice signals they make but have been searching for a really small BiColor LED for some 'searchlight signals that I want to develop.
    Like the photo. The X ing looks great.
    Roger Henry [​IMG]
     
  9. Peirce

    Peirce Passed away April 3, 2009 In Memoriam

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    The links to my pictures have been fixed in this thread.
     
  10. Peirce

    Peirce Passed away April 3, 2009 In Memoriam

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    This is just to bring this thread to the top heap again. There is a lot of good info for both modelers and prototype fans here.
     
  11. Colonel

    Colonel Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Yes Pierce you are right this is a great topic. I have just taken a few pictures to add to this topic. Now can anybody guess what this equipment is used for :D

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
  12. signalguy

    signalguy Passed away December 19, 2004 In Memoriam

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    First photo looks like a GRS switch machine on a split point derail.
    Second photo is a 2 aspect dwarf signal displaying stop.
    Third photo seems to be a false proceed signal. It displays yellow over yellow while the split point derail is in the derailing position.
     
  13. Colonel

    Colonel Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Well the first pic is of a Nippon switch machine.
    you are correct with the second pic.

    The 3rd pic is actually a signal showing red over red but the digital camera has made it look like an yellow indication. Signalguy how could you even think our system would show such a false indication lol :D
     
  14. Martyn Read

    Martyn Read TrainBoard Supporter

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    Anyone want to take a guess at this installation, I took this this weekend at Starcross, in the UK. I'm pretty sure I know what it is...(but I could be wrong.... ;) ) BTW I have updated my old posts on this thread that have missing pics due to photopoint, so if you missed them the first time why not go back & take a look! [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [ 08. March 2004, 14:39: Message edited by: Martyn Read ]
     
  15. Alan

    Alan Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Martyn, I believe that is a wheel counter, used in sections to count the number of wheels on a train entering a section, and (hopefully) counting the same number leaving the section!

    This system is used in places where conditions mess up track circuits, I think, and can replace conventional signalling. I seem to remember hearing that wheel counters are used on the Dawlish coast line, because of the salt water problems. (I think it was Gary (Gats) Rose who told me).
     
  16. rush2ny

    rush2ny TrainBoard Member

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    Colonel,
    That bush in the middle of the tracks in photo#1 is actually an experimental signaling device called a "tickler" :rolleyes: When the locomotive rolls over it, it "tickles" the bottom of the engine and clears it of grease and grime ;)
    It hasn't had much success in it's trial stages though because they usually erupt into flames after the loco passes over it. :D

    OK,Ok, I am goofing.....but it does look like a wheel counter in the first pic...

    Happy Railroading!
    Russ
     
  17. Peirce

    Peirce Passed away April 3, 2009 In Memoriam

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    Thanks, Martyn for updating your older photo links and for your new contributions. I, too, was a "victim" of PhotoPoint going under. I believe all of mine are also fixed now, but if anyone notices a link in need of repair, please let the original poster know about it.
     
  18. Martyn Read

    Martyn Read TrainBoard Supporter

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    Yep, I believe it's an axle counter installation, used instead of a track circuit where a track circuit could be unreliable (such as this line, where a little water on the track is pretty common!)

    Like Alan says, they count the wheelsets entering the block, and there will be another one at the other end of the block to count them out, if the same number of wheelsets leave as entered then the block is clear. [​IMG]

    (sorry, I edited out a bit here & Colonel replied to it, so i'll put it back in!)
    Axle counters have some disadvantages, the big one is that if you have to re-boot the signalling system (say there's a power cut) then track circuits will give a complete accurate picture of where every train has got to, whereas with axle counters the system will not "see" the trains till they pass another axle counter. Track circuits can sometimes detect broken rails as well.

    [ 22. October 2002, 08:05: Message edited by: Martyn Read ]
     
  19. Colonel

    Colonel Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Matryn you are correct although track cirsuits to not guarentee against broken rail protection due to circulating traction currents.

    Axle counters can be more economical on low density lines where the cost of installing track circuits can be quite considerable
     
  20. Martyn Read

    Martyn Read TrainBoard Supporter

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    You guys did well on that one, this one is a little more difficult. My one clue is that I think Gats will know what these are...
    [​IMG]
    And a closeup...
    [​IMG]

    [ 08. March 2004, 14:42: Message edited by: Martyn Read ]
     

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