Patent GB-795149-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to railway route-setting equipment with electrical locking of the switch points
IPC: B61L19/06
Filed: 1955-04-12
Abstract: 795,149. Railway route setting apparatus. SIEMENS & HALSKE AKT.-GES. April 12, 1955 [April 9, 1954; April 9, 1954], No. 10569/55. Class 105. In a railway route setting apparatus wherein a route is set up by operating the appropriate push-buttons on a panel diagram defining the two ends of the route or by route relays controlled for instance from a central office, there is provided for each track points a route preselector relay V which, if the track points under consideration are required to be in their reverse (diverging) setting for the particular route, must be energized, either by operation of a panel key a or by a connection, e.g. at 13, Fig. 1, set up from a circuit for an adjacent region of the route. For each points there is also provided a " points engaged " relay B which when a high-speed straight run or a low-speed diverging or shunting run has been set up becomes energized to open contacts in the circuits for the particular route preselector relay V and for the particular relays W, WS for causing the points to be set. The signals for one or other direction of travel are under the control of a relay Ri lying in a dual circuit corresponding to the route and energized from one or other appropriate end thereupon to lie alternately in the other or the one branch of the dual circuit, Fig. 8. Indication lamps on the panel diagram are lit during the setting up of a route provided no components of such route are engaged at that time, Fig. 7. The relays B, W, WS, Ri are of the latch-up type, not releasing till a subsequent operation. The various component circuits such as 11-12 -13, Fig. 1, 14-15-16, Fig. 2, 21-22-23, Fig. 5, together with their associated relays, which each correspond to one of the various track points of the lay-out, are mounted on replaceable panel units and connected together by plug connections at their circuit terminal points. To set up a route requiring the track points corresponding to the circuit portion 11-12-13 shown in Fig. 1 to be at reverse (diverging) the operator actuates a push contact a21 to energize a relay V1 (route preselector relays) which sets its contact v11 so that a potential applied at 11 is extended to 13 and so to the adjacent circuit. If potential were already applied at 13 from the adjacent circuit then the relay V1 would be directly energized through a rectifier Z11 which incidentally prevents the potential from push contact a21 passing directly to 13. Turning now to Fig. 2 it will be seen that with contacts v12, v13 changed over a relay W10 (route selecting relay) is energized, thereupon changing over its contacts wl and w12 of which w12 causes a points setting relay WS (not shown) to be set so as to move the track points to reverse and also to change over its contact ws11; the changed-over contact w1 connects to circuit line 15 which of course is now open because of contact v12 having changed over. Referring now to Fig. 5, which shows the circuit arrangement for two points providing a cross-over the operation of pushbutton contact a21 will energize relays V1, W10 and points setting relay WS1 (not shown) in the manner described for Figs. 1 and 2 and so extend the potential, applied by push-button contact a22 to circuit point 11/14, to circuit points 13/16 and 23 whereby relay V2 becomes energized (over rectifier Z21) and in turn operates relay W20 and points setting relay WS2 (not shown) for the other points of the crossover. The other points may be a slip points. Fig. 6 shows a panel diagram and Fig. 7 the associated indicator lamp circuit for the control and indication of a track layout of the form shown by the diagram. Operation of buttons Ta, T2 to set up a route corresponding thereto closes contacts k/a, k/2, Fig. 7, and, if the route is unoccupied and track relay contacts Gl/a, Gl/W1,1, Gl/W3,2, Gl/2,1 closed, then lamps Fa, F2 are lit since the relays VI, V3 will have changed over their contacts v13, v33. The relays V1, V3 will also have operated their corresponding relays W, WS for putting the points to the required setting and the changeover of contact w316 will have energized directional relay Ri3, Fig. 8. A slow-to-lift relay B1, Fig. 12, energized when potential is applied, changes over its contact b11 to a release circuit P1; its contacts such as b13, Fig. 1, b14, Figs. 2 and 5, then open to prevent a new set up until the present set up is cancelled. The signals-a steady green light for a high-speed straight run or a flashing yellow light for a restricted speed diverging run-are controlled by relays S1, S2, Figs. 18 to 21 (not shown), energized over circuits including push-button contacts for the required route, track relay contacts, points detector and lock contacts and contacts of the relevant relays W, B with the relay Ri determining the entrance-end signal, Fig. 10 (not shown).