From: jps@dworkin.wustl.edu (James Sterbenz)
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
Subject: Europe trip report and signals, part 2
Keywords: SJ, NSB, DSB, signals
Date: 12 Oct 92 20:47:31 GMT
Organization: Washington University  St. Louis, MO


Rail trip notes Switzerland, (Germany), Czechloslovakia, Austria, Italy,
Sweden, Norway, Denmark.

Note: as in part 1 this serves both as a general trip report for
rec.railroad and as a quick summary of notes and photos taken of
signaling for a small group of individuals interested in railroad
signaling.  If you are interested in knowing more about the signaling
aspects send email to me directly (jpgs@watson.vnet.ibm.com). 

This part covers Sweden, Norway, and Danmark

A short SAS hop and a bus ride from the airport that was almost as
long got me to the SJ station in Stockholm.  After dumping my luggage I
had a few hours to explore the train station and environs.  The
station was nice, but not really all that large.  Scandinavian
stations tend to be rather boring in the signal department, due to the
use primarily of position light dwarf signals in the yards, with high
colorlights only as entry and exit signals.  After seeing one of the
new high speed train sets and the familiar RCn electrics (lots sharper
paint scheme than an AEM-7 though), I hiked a few km to the first set
of high signals.  Most of the activity was commuter trains on the far
(and inaccessible) tracks, so I hiked to the other side of the
station, and the bridge over the river, which gave reasonable train
spotting.  The next day I walked all around the city; Stockholm is
quite nice.  As I got to the palace, military in very fancy dress
uniforms began to line up; there was about to be a parade with the
kings of Norway and Sweden.  The old city is quite concentrated,
situated on an island.  Very nice walking, and lots of nice shops with
a high concentration of antiques.  The thing to buy in Stockholm is
Crystal (Orrefors).  Storkyrkan (Stockholm Cathedral) must be seen by
anyone who like Gothic architecture.  The 52 rank pipe organ looked
very impressive, unfortunately I did not hear it.  A large model
sailing ship hangs in one of the transepts, a charming Scandinavian
tradition I would see in other churches.  I managed to find a good
model shop, and obtained a locally made kit for a SJ 5-lamp colorlight
signal.

The next 3 days were mostly consumed by the IFIP workshop (Protocols
for High Speed Networks), which lived up to its usual high quality.
The arranged event was a wonderful dinner cruise.  The subway (T-bana)
is an extremely impressive engineering feat, with large deep stations
that look more like caves than stations (but caving is another passion
of mine...).  The blue line stations are each are an art exhibit, with
each one painted in a different scheme.  The long days were wonderful.
The sun set about when I expected, but there was then about a 3 hour
dusk with complete darkness arriving about 23:00.


After the workshop, it was time to hit the rails again.  Surprisingly
(to me) train service between Stockholm and Oslo was not very
frequent, and a fairly long haul as well, so I decided to spend the
night in Karlstad (a 3 hour ride arriving at 21:30).  Train density
this far is fairly high (with most of the traffic headed to
G"oteborg).  I almost found out the hard way that reservations are
required to ride first class on the SJ (and I assume the NSB also); on
the DB, OBB, and SBB you can just hop the train a sit in any seat that
does not have a reservation tag.  On the SJ and NSB, the reservations
are controlled by a card printed by the computer with no tags by the
seat.  Fortunately, the reservations can be gotten until the train
leaves.

This is probably as good a place to put the quick signaling summary as
any; for purposes of comparison I'll do the SJ (Sweden), NSB (Norway),
and DSB (Danmark) together.  The SJ and NSB use home (H) and distant
(D) signals, which may be combined on a single mast (with a combined
head on the SJ and usually 2 heads on the NSB, except in station areas
or where blocks are quite short). 

Block signals:

    DSB                NSB                           SJ

                D       H      H+D          D         H      H+D
 
     -         ---     ---     ---         ---        -       -
   | G |      | Y |   | G |   | G |      /\ G /\    | G |   | G |
   |   |      | G |   | R |   | R |     wht( )wht   | R |   | R |
   |   |       ---    | G |   | G |      \ /W \/      -     | G |
   | R |        |      ---     ---         ---        |     | W |
   | G |        |       |      ---          |         |       -
     -          |       |     | Y |         |         |       |
    +-+         |       |     | G |         |         |       |
    |@|         |       |      ---          |         |       |
    +-+         |       |       |           |         |       |
     |          |       |       |           |         |       |

Interlocking signals:

                D       H      H+D          D         H      H+D
 
     -         ---     ---     ---          -         -       -
   | Y |      | Y |   | G |   | G |      /\ G /\    | G |   | G |
   | G |      | G |   | R |   | R |     wht(W)wht   | R |   | R |
   |   |       ---    | G |   | G |      \ /G \/    | G |   | G |
   |   |        |      ---     ---          -       |   |   | W |
   | R |        |       |      ---          |       | G |   | G |
   | G |        |       |     | Y |         |         -       -
     -          |       |     | G |         |         |       |
    +-+         |       |      ---          |         |       |
    |@|         |       |       |           |         |       |
    +-+         |       |       |           |         |       |
     |          |       |       |           |         |       |
     
 Diverging interlocking:    
 
     -   
   | Y |     -  
   | G |   / Y )
   |   | / G /
   |       /
   | R   /
   | G / 
     -
     |
                                                      
Dwarf:

    --                 --                         (r) --
   |ww .              |ww .                         . ww|
   |w w|              |w w|                         |w w|
   |g r|              +---+                         |g g|
   +---+                                            +---+


SJ: Signals heads are oval, with a white band around the edge (ala
SBB, SNCF, SNCB, FS).  The exception is the distant only heads which
are circular targets divided into quadrants painted black and white.
These used to be searchlight signals, but are apparently all
colorlights now.  The system (as the Finnish) is based on the German 1
to 3 arm semaphores with a separate distant disc, having been
translated to colorlights.  I saw no mechanical signals in
Skandinavia.  I also saw no evidence of the yellow lamp on entry
signals.  The lack of yellow and colorlight distants are changes from
the 1947 rules, and the searchlights seem to have been installed as
grade crossing signals (white or red with 3 yellow lights in a
triangle used for a distant).  Home aspects are steady; distant
aspects flash.  Dwarves are position light for switch point and route
set indications, with additional red and green lamps for block
indications.  I've called the reduced speed indication of 40 km/h
slow; medium may be indicated by a white number 7 with double green
for 70 km/h.

r  = stop      w  = clear      w  = slow clear              (dwarf)
               w               w
               g             g

R  = stop      G  = clear  G or G = slow clear              (home)
                           G    G
                           G

G* = approach  W* = clear       G* = approach slow          (distant)
                                G*

G  = approach  G  = clear       G  = approach slow          (home+distant)
G*             W*               G*                     
                                G*                      

 
NSB: signals heads are rectangular with cut corners (like the SBB but
somewhat larger).  A number of older oval heads are in place.  Home
aspects are steady; distant aspects flash.  I was unfortunately in
Oslo early Saturday morning and Sunday, and was unable to get an NSB
rule book, so this is all by observation for now...  Some of the NSB
exit signals have home and distant heads combined with a 6th white
lamp below used as a starting signal (normally mounted to the side of
the exit signal).  I'm not sure what the default reduced speed is
since I don't have a rulebook; other speeds may be indicated by an
additional white number (I saw 8 for 80 km/h).

R  = stop      G  = clear  G = slow clear                   (home)
               G                

Y* = approach  G* = clear                                   (distant)

G  = approach  G  = clear  G = slow clear    G  = slow app  (home+distant)
G              G           G*                Y*   
Y*             G*                                 


DSB: Signals heads are oval; there is no longer a concept of separate
home and distant signals and aspects (this is a change; the DSB
signals originally consisting of home and distant 2 position
semaphores as in the British system).  There are only a few of the
V-shaped diverging route signals, but this is a very nice visual way
to indicate the divergence!  Interlocking signals also frequently have
a rectangular head below with an array of white lights that modify the
speed indication with patterns (shown as "@" in the signal head).

r  = stop      g  = approach  g* = clear    (dwarf)

R  = stop      G  = approach  G  = clear
                              G         

Y  = stop      Y  = slow or   G = reduced clear
R              G    med app   G
               @              @

                               G = diverging
                             G     clear    

                               G = diverging   Y = diverging
                             G     clear     G     approach
                             @               @

note: reduced speeds indicated by white symbol @:

              \/      \/              |  
              /\              /\      |  

Speed (km/h): 30      40      60     >=75
             slow    slow   medium   high (timetable)

Legal with:   Y      Y  G    Y  G       G
              G      G  G    G  G    G  G

              [modified from Jan's table]

I had only a few hours of sleep; the train left Karlstadt just before
4:00.  The terrain looks a lot like Wisconsin and Minnesota; its not
surprising why there are so many Norwegian Bachelor Farmers * in
Minnesota, when you add this to the similar weather!  I reminded me of
the drive up to the Boundary Waters.

* Sorry, I just couldn't resist.  For those of you on the other side
of the pond, this is a reference to a well known (in some circles)
story teller from Minnesota...  I spent only a few hours of dark in
Karlstad, and hopped a very early morning train to Oslo.

I arrived in Oslo around 7:30 Saturday, and was it ever dead!  I had
intended to spend the weekend, but thanks to a suggestion by Brian
Lyles I decided to do the trip to Bergen.  The early afternoon train I
would have liked to have taken didn't run Saturdays, so after walking
around a couple of hours I headed out.  The disadvantage with this is
that nothing was open before I left.

The ride to Bergen definitely rates as one of the most spectacular in
the world!  It started out looking much like northern Minnesota;
forested with lots of lakes.  The weather was perfect, giving
incredible mountain views as we climed toward Finse.  The snow got
deeper until houses were almost completely covered; at times the snow
was as deep as the top of the train.  There were a number of train
sheds, and some extremely serious snow fences.  At Finse many people
were skiing (Nordic, of course!).  Just before the entry of one of the
sheds our locomotive stalled.  we sat for about a half hour as several
attempts were made to start.  Finally we took off.  Since we were on
single track, the schedules were screwed up in both directions.  We
skipped all the remaining stops before Bergen, passing a several
trains waiting for meets.  The decent towards Bergen was equally
spectacular: raging mountain rivers turning into a broad Fjord (-ish,
I'm not sure where it turned to salt water...).

Bergen was a sleeply little town, I had arrived in the evening and
walked to the coast.  First thing in the morning I was back on the
train to Oslo.  The day was cloudy, so I got some quasi-rest.  I got
back to Oslo mid-day on Independence day.  Quite a contrast from
Saturday morning!  The streets were full of partying people.  I spent
the rest of the day walking around; it is a nice hike from the train
station to the royal palace.

I had several options to get to Danmark, but none allowed Monday in
Oslo, so for the price of a hotel room I was able to get a sleeping
compartment on an intercity night train leaving at 22:40 to Kopenhaven
(Copenhagen).  I had never done this; and after I was able to resist
the temptation to hang my head out the window to spot signals I had
one of the best nights sleep so far!

I woke up at 6:00 to the switching operations at Helsingborg putting
us on the ferry Tycho Brahe to Danmark.  The extremely noisy people in
the next compartment and the corridor kept me awake -- people were far
less sensitive about this than they would have been in the US...  The
train arrived in Kobenhavn around 8:30.  I then headed to Skanderborg.
The train was a multiple unit diesel trainset with flat ends to allow
coupling trainsets together -- it sounded more like a bus than a train
(including shifting gears!).  The electronic displays on the train
were very impressive: large displays that indicated the next stop, and
displays above each seat with the person's name for which the seat is
reserved.  The terrain was very flat compared to Norway and Sweden,
and quite lush with fields of brilliant yellow flowers.  I saw quite a
few huge wind turbines in the fields.  The train drove on to the ferry
at Korsor for an hour ride to Nyborg.  A few people stayed on the
train; I got off and went above to get some coffee and enjoy the view.
These ferrys are truly massive, with multiple decks, and multiple
tracks.

At Skanderborg I was met by Jan, and spent a delightful 3 days with
Jan and Birthe and kids.  The first day we went to Arhus, the second
largest city in Danmark.  We got permission to enter that locomotive
shops; the DSB still has a number of MY diesels, which look somewhat
similar to E-units with cabs on both ends (and have EMD 567 engines, I
believe).  We went in the cathedral (which also had a large ship
model), walked around the city, and went to the open air museum.  The
next day we went to the Danish Railway Museum (Jernbanemuseet) at
Odense (and walked around Odense as well).  There was quite a nice
collection, and a number of old signals.

The next morning it was off to Kobenhavn.  This time I took a local
train hauled by a locomotive, which had the substantial advantage of
windows that would open, allowing me to hang out and photograph
signals (and other scenery).  Kobenhavn station is quite spectacular.
I did lots of walking in Kobenhavn, and stopped by the DSB offices
where I managed to get the most recent rulebook.  Kobenhavn has an
extensive street mall area.  I found a used bookstore that landed the
1959 DB Signalbuch, 1947 SJ rules, and 1951 JV (Finnish) rules (these
are fairly similar to the Swedish signals).  The Kobenhavn University
Geology Museum had an extremely impressive collection.  Kobenhavn
(and Danmark in general) seemed like a very nice blend of Skandinavian
and Continental influences.

In the evening after walking around the palace I went to the Tivoli
amusement park.  It is a wonderful place, kind of like Six Flags or
Disneyland, but a cut above.  Most people seemed to be there just to
meet and watch other people; there were lots of restaurants.  The
roller coaster was signaled!! (2 aspect block signals.)  When dusk
arrived there were interesting lights everywhere; it was a very neat
place that just doesn't translate well to text...

The next morning I went to the Orstedsparken and the Kobenhavn
University Botanical Gardens.  I walked to what appeared to be the
best model shop in the city, attempting to acquire some DSB signals (I
had seen these on a HO model in the Jernbanemuseet); unfortunately the
sole manufacturer of these had long been out of business...  It was
then back to the train station to catch a bus for the Airport.  This
was (except for a couple short hops in Skanderborg) only the 3rd time
I had been rubber tires in a month -- it felt quite odd.  At the
airport TWA had done there usual and lost my seat assignment on a full
flight.  Fortunately the Danish employees were quite friendly and
bumped me to business class.





-- 
James Sterbenz  IBM HPCC       (High Performance Computing and Communications)
                472 Wheelers Farms Rd. MS93           jpgs@watson.vnet.ibm.com
                Milford CT 06460-1844 USA                      +1 203 783 4380

From: alj@hpfcso.FC.HP.COM (Al Jackson)
Date: Thu, 15 Oct 1992 20:50:33 GMT
Subject: Re: Billy jones goes desiel
Organization: Hewlett-Packard, Fort Collins, CO, USA