Patent GB-499340-A (GB)
Title: Improvements relating to railway traffic controlling apparatus
IPC: B61L19/06
Filed: 1937-07-23
Abstract: 499,340. Route - setting apparatus for railways. WESTINGHOUSE BRAKE & SIGNAL CO., Ltd. July 23, 1937, No. 20433. Convention date, Dec. 31, 1936. [Class 105] A route over a track lay out is set up and the signal cleared by operating in sequence contact devices corresponding to the two ends of the route, the signal being cleared for entrance at the end corresponding to that contact device which is operated first ; this first contact device may be operated automatically by a train in an approach section so that then only the contact device, corresponding to the exit end of the desired route need be manually operated. The route set up is indicated by the illumination of a track diagram with miniature track sections the colour of which changes as the train enters each track section, the illumination being extinguished as each section is vacated. While the route is being set up a signal indication lamp on the diagram is lit, the colour changing when the track signal is actually cleared. If the signal cleared is a low-speed signal the indication lamp on the diagram is flashed. Where there are alternative routes between the two route ends a secondary route is set up when the primary route cannot be set up for any reason, such as a failure of the points to respond or by train occupation of a section thereof. The points may be individually operated. Fig. 1A shows the miniature diagram on which are located the control.buttons. Fig. 1B shows the relays immediately controlled by the buttons while Fig. 1c shows the route circuits by which various relays are selected to effect operation of the required points and to provide interlocking against conflicting routes. Fig. 1D shows the circuits for the signal relays. Figs. 1E and 1F show the points control arrangements with directional release of the locking thereof together with the approach locking arrangements and Fig. 1G shows the directional arrangements by which the diagram indicator lamps of Fig. 1H are controlled. To set up a route from 4 to 8 the buttons 4P, 8P are depressed in that order. Button 4P. picks up a relay 4PS which then sticks over the normally closed contact 17 of the button, a front contact 18 of a track repeater relay 7TP and a back contact 19 of a relay 7WSK. If the conflicting route 6-8 had previously been set up then relays 3RR, 5RR would already be energized and so would have opened contacts 15, 16 in the circuit for the relay 4PS. Relay 4PS being thus energized effects the energization of a relay 4RS over contacts 21, 22 of relays 1BNR, 1RR and a front contact 23 of the relay 4PS. The relay 4RS then sticks. The button 8P similarly causes a relay 8PS to be picked up and stuck but the associated relay SRS, being slow acting, is not lifted on account of the immediate opening of a contact 32 of a relay 5ANR which is included in a route circuit, Fig. 1c, and which becomes energized as soon as the relay 8PS closes a contact 30. The route circuit set up extends from +ve, over the front contact 30 of the relay 8PS, back contact 169 of the relay 8RS, back contacts 46, 45 of relays 5RWS, 5RR, winding of a relay 5ANR, paralleled contacts 48, 49 of relays 5LR, 5NWP, through a series of contacts, which may be regarded for the present as replaced by a jumper connection, up to back contacts 44, 43, 42 of relays 2PS, 1HNR, 1ANR, winding of a relay 1RR, front contact 47 of a relay 1LR, front contact 28 of the relay 4RS and winding of a relay 4HR. The relays 5ANR, 1RR, 4HR thus energized serve in the case of the relays 5ANR, 1RR to effect electric interlocking and the operation of the points, and in the case of relay 4HR to clear the appropriate signal at location 4 by the circuit of Fig. 1D, with consequent deenergization of a relay 4LS, Fig. 1F, so giving approach locking and to energize directional relays 7ESK, 3ESK, 5ESK, Fig. 1G, controlling the illumination of the track diagram. For instance the opening of back contact 38 of the relay 1RR prevents the energization of a relay 2HR for a conflicting route 2-8. The energized route circuit is isolated by the opening of back contacts 39, 40 of the relays 1RR, 5ANR. The route requires cross-overs 1, 5 respectively to be reverse and normal and this is effected by the reverse energization of a relay 1WR, Fig. 1E, over a front contact 50 of the relay 1RR and the normal energization of a relay 5WR over a front contact 57 of the relay 5ANR. Relays 1RWP and 5NWP are energized to repeat the respective points settings and accordingly the operating relay 4CG, Fig. 1D, for the low-speed signal at location 4, becomes energized by a circuit from +ve, over a front contact 79 of a relay 8LS (giving approach locking at the other end of the route), back contact 80 of the opposing route relay 8HR, a contact 81 which at present may be regarded as replaced by a jumper connnection, front contacts 82, 83 of the relays 5ANR, 5NWP, through a series of contacts which at present may be regarded as replaced by a jumper connection, a back contact 84 of a relay 2TES, front contacts 85, 86 of the relays 1RWP, 1RR, a back contact 87 of a relay 4TES, a front contact 89 of the relay 4HR, a front contact 89 of the relay 1RWP, a front contact 90 of a relay 4AGP (high-speed signal for location 4 at danger), winding of the relay 4CG to -ve over a front contact 91 of the relay 4HR. When the signal-operating relay 4CG is energized its contact 92 opens to de-energize a relay 4CGP and a contact 93 of this last relay de-energizes the approach locking relay 4LS, Fig. 1F, which opens its contact 94 to drop a relay 7ES which in turn drops a relay 1ES by opening contact 95, it being noted that the parallel contact 96 will be open since the cross-over 1 has been set at reverse. The opening of contact 97a of the relay 1ES drop's the lock relay 5LR whereby operation of the cross-over 5 is now prevented. The lock relay 1LR is dropped by the opening of contact 98 of the approach locking relay 4LS thereby preventing operation of the cross-over 1. The points 3 are not included in the route 4-8 and remain free to be operated since the lock relay 3LR remains energized over a contact 100 of the relay 1RWP (cross-over 1 at reverse) in spite of contact 99 of the relay 7ES being open. It should be noted that the route circuit, Fig. 1c, remains energized in spite of the lock relays 1LR, 5LR opening their contacts 47, 48 since these contacts are paralleled by contacts 101 of the relay 1RWP and contact 49 of the relay 5NWP both of which are energized. If instead of route 4-8 the route 4-10 is set up then route-circuit relays 5BNR, 3NR, 1BNR, 4HR are energized whereby the relays 5WR, 3WR, 1WR are energized to set the points at normal ; the high-speed signal at location 4 is then cleared by the energization of the relay 4AG by a circuit from +ve, over a front contact 178 of a relay 10LS (giving approach locking at the other end of the route 4-10), a back contact of a relay 10HR, front contacts of the relays 5NWP, 5BNR, a back contact of a relay 6-10TES, front contacts of the relays 3NWP, 3NR, 1NWP, 1BNR, back contact 87 of relay 4TES. front contact 88 of the relay 4HR, a front contact 193 of the relay 1NWP, a front contact of the relay 5NWP, and front contacts of track relays 7TR, 3TR, for the sections ahead. Those contacts which are described as being replaceable by jumper connections are contacts of relays, Fig. 2 (not shown), which are provided when a signal is required at an intermediate location 12 on a route, such relays being controlled by a button 12P whereby a train can be held at the signal 12 or the route can be extended to the location 8. An arrangement by which a route is set up with a train in an approach section by operating merely an exit button is shown in Fig. 4. It will be seen that the relay 4RS is picked up when a contact 402 of an approach section track relay 4AR drops, the circuit being from +ve over contact 17 of the unoperated button 4P, front contact 401 of the track relay repeater 7TP for the first section of the route, the back contact 402, a front contact 403 of a slow repeater relay 4ARP, a back contact 23 of the relay 4PS, and winding of the relay 4RS ; the relay 4RS then sticks over its own front contact 404 until the train has entered the route and dropped the contact 401 of the repeater relay 7TP. The relay 4RS thus energized acts in the same manner as when energized by manipulation of its control button 4P to set up the route and clear the signal when an exit button is operated. The miniature diagram is illuminated to show the route set up. When the track route 4-8 is set up the relay 4HR closes contact 58 to energize a relay 7ESK, Fig. 1G, which closes a contact 59 to energize a relay 1ESK over a front contact 60 of the route-circuit relay 1RR; the relay 1ESK then closes a contact 61 to energize over front contact 62 of the relay 5ANR a relay 5ESK. Accordingly the diagram strips 7K, 1RK, 1K, 5ANK, 5K are illuminated in white light to show the route, the lamp circuits being shown in Fig. 1H. Strip 7K is lit by a circuit over a front contact 63 of the relay 7ESK and a front contact 64 of the track relay repeater 7TP; strip 1RK is lit over parallel front contacts of the relays 7ESK, 1ESK, a back contact 73 of a relay 1RWS, a front contact 74 of the relay 1RWP, and front contacts 75, 76 of track repeater relays 7TP, 1TP; strip 1K is lit over front contacts 65, 66 of the relays 1ESK, 1TP ; strip 5ANK is lit over a front contact 67 of the relay 5ESK, a back contact 69 of a relay 5NWS, a front contact 70 of the relay 5NWP and a front contact 71 of the relay 5TP; strip 5K is lit over the front contact 67 of the relay 5ESK and a front contact 68 of the relay 5TP. When a train enters track section 7T the strip 7K becomes illuminated in red by the lamp R being lit over back contact 138 of the relay 7TP; the strip 1RK also becomes illuminated in red by the closure of back contact 75 of the relay 7TP. When the train enters track se