Patent GB-845017-A (GB)
Abstract: 845,017. Car-counting systems for railway classification yards. WESTINGHOUSE AIR BRAKE CO. May 10, 1957 [May 11, 1956], No. 14886/57. Class 105. In a railway classification yard wherein the routing of various cars or cuts of cars is previously set up and stored in relay banks A1W, A2W ... B1W, B2W ... for the sequential setting up of the succeeding routes, the counting of cars destined for each storage track is effected under the control of the track relay ZTR of a very short track section ZT which can only be occupied by one axle at a time and of repeater relays for the first bank switch-pointscontrol storage relays A1W, A2W ... of the initial points for entry into a group of tracks, namely, the repeater relays A1P, A2P ... , these repeater relays A1P, A2P ... being maintained energized by stick circuits while a car or cut of cars is passing over the detector section 1-8T of the initial switch points 1-8SW governing entry to a number of storage tracks 1, 2...8 served therefrom; associated with the initial switch points (and each succeeding switch points) is a bank of switch-pointscontrol storage relays A1W, W2W ... which is energized in a combination required for a particular route including the initial switch points 1-8SW and subsequent switch points such as 1-2SW, 1-3SW, 1-4SW, or 5-8SW, 6-8SW, 7-8SW. The car counting may be effected in multiples of four axles and if, through failure of an axle to register, an incomplete registration of less than four remains, the counting apparatus is arranged, Fig. 2, so that it is automatically reset when the transfer action of the switch-points-control storage-relay banks is complete. When the switch-points-control storage relays A1W ... A4W are ready to receive a stored combination from the preceding bank B1W ... B4W a storage transfer relay AST closes its front contacts such as 18 whereby the combination appropriately energizes the relays A1W ... A4W, a storage detector relay ASD being also energized provided that relays 1-4ST, 5-8ST are closing their back contacts 14, 15 denoting that no transfer action for the relay banks of the later switchpoints 1-4SW, 5-8SW is occurring. Front contacts 21 of the switch-points control storage relays A1W ... A4W energize at the initial switch 1-8SW for entry into the group of tracks 1 ... 8, repeater relays A1P ... A4P in the corresponding combination over back contacts 22 of a relay 1-8TP; a repeater relay ASDP (denoting that a route has been registered) is energized over front contact 24 of relay ASD. Stick circuits for the relays A1P ... A4P and ASDP (these being slow to drop) are closed when the relay 1-8TP is energized by axles passing through the sections ZT, 1-8T. The.passage of each axle through the section ZT closes back contact 27 of track relay ZTR to actuate the counting device for that storage track to which the axle will be directed. For example if the relays of the switch-pointscontrol storage relay bank A1W ... A4W are all unenergized the switch points will all be at their normal left-hand setting and route 1 will be set up; the repeater relays A1P ... A4P will similarly all be in the de-energized state and therefore the pulses from the back contact 27 of the axle counting track relay ZTR will pass, by front contact 28 of relay ASDP and back contacts 29, 30, 31, 32 of the relays A1P ... A4P, to the counting device 1 for storage track 1. Fig. 2 shows the arrangement for counting the axles in multiples of four. The apparatus includes a general reset relay GRS (slow to release when shunted by a resistance 40) a general counting device GMC, and for the car-counting device of each storage track such as track 4 two counting devices such as 4MC1, 4MC2 and a reset relay such as 4RS. The counting devices have ten armatures but an armature, say 2, only acts to make its lower contact and open an upper contact by a pulse subsequent to the pulse which has actuated the preceding armature 1 and conditioned the upper contact of the first-mentioned armature, i.e. of armature 2. Thus as the four axles of a passing car cause the contact 27 of the very-short-section track relay ZTR to operate four times the general counting device GMC will have its fourth armature closed on to the lower contact 4 and upper contact of the fifth armature will be closed on to its upper contact where is connected a source of potential B so that the general reset relay GRS will thereupon be energized. The general reset relay GRS at its front contact 49 will apply potential over contacts 29... of the storage repeater relays A1P ... to a counting device for the route given by the storage relays. Thus with storage repeater relay A2P picked up for route 4 a counting device 4MC1 receives one pulse for the four axles of a car. Also a front contact 41 of the general reset relay GRS energizes a reset winding of the general counting device GMC. Further cars for storage track 4 will actuate later armatures of the counting device 4MC1 and when the tenth armature is actuated the lower contact 10 applies potential to a reset relay 4RS a front contact 43 of which then energizes the counting relays 4MC2 for counting " tens of cars. Also front contact 42 of reset relay 4RS energizes the reset winding of counting device 4MC1 so that the armatures thereof are returned to normal state. If owing to a failure to count axles correctly in fours the general counting device GMC has its armatures left at states 1, 2 or 3 then on vacation of the detector section 1-8T with consequent closure of back contact 37 of repeater relay 1-8TP, Fig. 2, and provided no route remains registered so that storage detector repeater relay ASDP allows its back contact 36 to close then the general reset relay GRS will be energized and by its front contact 41 will energize the lower winding of the general counting relay GMC to reset the armatures thereof. Instead of the very short track-section relay ZTR there may be used a treadle or a photoelectric cell device for counting the axles. The counting apparatus may be used to give a visible signal of the fullness of each storage track or may serve as a control for the track retarders of the classification yard. Specification 841,362 is referred to.