Patent GB-513515-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in railway track switch and signal control systems
IPC: B61L19/06
Filed: 1938-01-05
Abstract: 513,515. Railway route-setting apparatus. GENERAL RAILWAY SIGNAL CO. Jan. 5, 1938, No. 364. Convention date, Jan. 8, 1937. [Class 105] The invention relates to route-setting apparatus operated by freely movable entrance and exit buttons. The operation of an entrance button alone energizes an initiating network whereby pre-selecting relays are energized for all those points and cross-overs which are trailed normal in all the possible routes starting from such entrance and that when the exit button is operated a completion circuit is set up whereby - for the route defined by the particular entrance and exit buttons all the trailed-normal points and cross-overs are operated and the other points and cross-overs in such route are operated to the required normal or reverse positions. Where there are two or more adjoining track layouts a through route extending through two or more successive track layouts is set up by operating the appropriate entrance button for the required first track lay out and the appropriate exit button for the required final track lay out. Where there are optional routes the route first diverging from the entrance is the superior route to be set up but if a manual lever has been operated to hold a point in a position not conformal with such superior route then an inferior route is set up. A "run -around" is automatically set up if part of what would be the normal route is already included in another route or has been cut out by reason of some emergency. In setting up a route corresponding to the entrance and exit buttons 101NB, 108XB, for a lay-out represented by Figs. 1 and 4 in juxta position, the operation of the entrance button 101NB energizes the preselecting relays 10AZ and 11Z, these relays corresponding to all the points or cross-overs which are trailed normal in all the possible routes from the entrance point. The possible routes are (a) points 3ts trailed reverse, cross-over 9ts faced normal, cross-over 10ts trailed normal at the right-hand end (b) points 3ts trailed reverse, cross-overs 9ts, 10ts faced reverse, (c) points 3ts trailed reverse, cross-over 9ts faced reverse, cross-over 10ts faced normal, points 11ts trailed normal; thus it will be seen that the only members trailed normal are the cross-over 10ts and the points 11ts to which correspond the energized pre-selecting relays 10AZ, 11Z. The circuit for the relay 10AZ is from positive, entrance button contact 30, back contact 31 of unoperated exit relay 101XR. back contact 32 of unoperated pre-selecting relay 3Z, wires 33<1>, 33<4>, back contacts 34, 35 of points-control relays 9R, 10R, winding of the relay 10AZ to negative. The circuit for the relay 11Z is as above up to the wire 33<4> and thence passes by back contacts 36, 250, 37, 38, 39 of points-control relays 9AN, 9BN, of pre-selecting relay 9BZ and of points-control relays 10R, 11R to the winding of the relay 11Z. When the operator presses the exit button 108XB a relay 108XR is picked up by potential extended over front contact 40 of the preselecting relay 10AZ. Relays 10AZ and 108XR being thus energized potential is applied by front contacts 44,45 of the relays 108XR, 10AZ to pointscontrol relays 10AN, 9AN in parallel and over back contact 48 of points-control relay 9R, wires 49<4>, 49<1>, back contact 50 of relay 3Z to pointscontrol relay 3R. Thus the cross-overs 10ts, 9ts are set normal and the points 3ts are set reverse so establishing the route. The signal is cleared by its relay being energized by potential from a front contact of the exit relay over contacts of points-locking and correspondence relays. The lifting of contact 36 of the relay 9AN opens the circuit of the relay 11AZ which is not involved in the established route and is now available for the setting up of another route. In the event of some emergency the cross-overs 9ts, 10ts can be set and held at reverse and in such case the preselecting relay 10AZ would not be energized as the contacts 34, 35 would. be open; the relay 108XR can however still be energized but now over back contacts 36, 250, 37, 235, 239 and 40 of the relays 9AN, 9BN, 9BZ, 10BN, 10AN, 10AZ, and in this case the front contact 44 of the relay 108XR applies potential over back contact 45 of the relay 10AZ so energizing the relay 10R, a front contact 204 of which extends the potential to relay 9R over a back contact 205 of relay 9BZ, the potential again being extended over front contact 48 of the relay 9R to the wires 49<4>, 49<1> and so to the relay 3R- as before. This arrangement provides a "run-around." The normal points-control relays such as 9AN, 9BN for the cross-over 9ts are interlocked with the associated reverse relay 9R and it is thus impossible for conflicting routes to be set up. Where optional routes are possible as with the entrance button 109NB and exit button 102XB operated the first diverging route is the superior route. This is because at all other optional diverging locations one of the possible routes will trail the cross-over normal and so energize the associated pre-selecting relay. When the entrance button 109NB is operated the preselecting relays 10BZ, 2AZ are energized (the circuit of the relay 2AZ being so pre-designed since one of the optional routes, namely that over cross-over 9ts at reverse, trails the crossover 2ts normal) and it will be seen that a front contact 151 of the relay 2AZ applies potential from front contact 150 of exit relay 102XR to the points-control relays 2AN, 3N and this potential is extended over back contacts 153, 155 of the relays 3R, 9AZ, to the relay 9R which in turn extends the potential by front contacts 144, 145 to the points-control relays 10BN, 11N. The relay 10BZ was energized from positive over contact 120 of the entrance button 109NB and back contacts 121, 122, 123 of relays 109XR, 11R, 10R and thereupon extended the potential over its front contact 124, back contacts 125, 251, 126 of relays 9BN, 9AN, 9AZ, wires 127<4>, 127<1>, back contacts 128, 129 of relays 3R, 2R to the winding of the relay 2AZ. If, however, the superior route would conflict with a route already set up then an inferior route is set up. For instance, if the buttons 101NB, 108XB have been operated to set up a route as earlier described, then the relays 10AZ, 10AN, 9AN, 3R are already energized and when buttons 109NB, 102XB are operated the back contact 251 of relay 9AN is open and so prevents the relay 2AZ being energized. It should be noted that relay 102XR is in this case energized by the potential from front contact 124 of the relay 10BZ now passing over back contact 134 of the relay 9R, wires 135<4>, 135<1>, back contacts 158, 252, 130 of the relays 2BN, 2AN, 2AZ. The front contact 150 of the relay 102XR now energizes the reverse relay 2R over the back contact 151 of the relay 2AZ whereby the cross-over 2ts is set at reverse and the inferior route is set up. For a lay-out in which entrance and exit buttons are provided for sectional working or for a through route from one end of the lay-out to the other Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, should be regarded as being in line and in the order of their numbering. If entrance and exit buttons 101NB (Fig. 1) and 111XB (Fig. 2) for a sectional route are operated the relays 6Z and 111XR are energized by a circuit from positive, lever contact 30, back contacts 31, 32, 164, 253, 165, 166, 167 of relays 101XR, 3Z, 4AN, 4BN, 4BZ, 5R, 6R, to the winding of the relay 6Z and thence by front contact 168 to the windings of the relay 111XR. A front contact 172 of the relay 111XR then applies potential over front contact 173 of the relay 6Z to energize points-control relays 6N, 5BN, the potential also passing by back contacts 176, 177 of relays 5R, 4BZ to energize the relay 4R, a contact 180 of the latter then passing the potential by wires 49<2>, 49<1> and back contact 50 of relay 3Z to the winding of 3R. The points-control relays 6N, 5BN, 4R, 3R are thus energized to set up the sectional route and the entrance signal is cleared in conjunction with correspondence and pointslocking relays. This cleared route extends up to a signal corresponding to an intermediate entrance button, 106NB (Fig. 3). If the operator wishes to extend the route he operates this entrance button 106NB and an exit button 109XB. This action results in the pre-selecting relays 7BZ, 9BZ, 11Z being energized whereby the points-control relays 11N, 10BN, 9BN, 7BN are energized to set up the extended route. The intermediate signal is similarly cleared in conjunction with correspondence and points-locking relays. Instead of setting up the through route by the two operations, as described above, the operator need merely operate the first entrance button 101NB and the final exit button 109XB. The entrance button 101NB energizes the preselecting relays 5AZ and 6Z which in turn energize the relays 8Z and 7BZ which also in turn energize the relays 10AZ and 9BZ and this last energizes the relay 11Z. On pressing the exit button 109XB the relay 109XR is' picked up by potential extended from the relay 11Z. Potential is then applied by front contact 201 of the relay 109XR and front contact 203 of the relay 11Z to energize the points-control relays 11N, 10BN; the potential is extended by back contact 204 of the relay 10R and front contact 205 of the pre-selecting relay 9BZ to energize the points-control relay 9BN and then passes over wires 206<4>, 206' and front contact 207 of the preselecting relay 7BZ to energize the points-control relay 7BN and continues to the winding of a relay 106NX111 and over a contact 231 of unoperated button 106NB, a front contact 232 of a directional stick relay 15ES, wires 233<3>, 233<2>, and a back contact 171 of unoperated relay 111XR. The relay 106NX111 being energized, its front contact 351 applies negative potential over front contact 236 of the relay 15ES and wires 237<3>, 237<2> to complete the circuit of the relay 111XR, the other side of which has p