Patent GB-440765-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in systems for the remote control of railway track switches and signals
IPC: B61L19/06
Filed: 1935-03-22
Abstract: 440,765. Route-setting apparatus for railways. GENERAL RAILWAY SIGNAL CO., Rochester, New York, U.S.A.-(Assignees of Wight, S. N. ; 226, Thurston Road, Rochester, New York, U.S.A.) March 22, 1935, No. 9028. Convention date, April 21, 1934. [Class 105] Operation of the two levers associated with the ends of a route energizes a route relay individual to such route and thereby effects the required settings of the various points in the route and clears the signal. The direction of movement of the levers determines at which end of the route the signal is cleared. The levers are located on a panel diagram which is provided with miniature points to denote the route being set up and with lamps to indicate when the track points are locked against operation. Fig. 1 shows a miniature-diagram panel and the interlocking route relays 10-30, 10-40, 20-30, 20-40, 40-50, 40-60 by which the setting up of a conflicting route is prevented and by which current is applied to the signal and points control bus wires 73 ... 82. Fig. 3 shows the track layout and the various control relays (some in skeleton form only) concerned in the energization of the signal control relays such as 10GZ, the actual clearing of the signals being effected in the manner as shown in Fig. 5, for the signals 40EA, 40EB, 40EC, 50, 60. Fig. 4 shows in skeleton form the control arrangements for the points 7TS. To set up an East-bound route from the signal location 20 to the signal location 40 over the cross-overs 3TS-3TS, 4TS-5TS at normal and to clear the required signal 20A, the operator moves the panel buttons 20RB, 40RB to the right. A polarized route relay 20-40 is thus energized in the positive direction from (+) over right hand contact 22 of button 20RB, back contacts 26, 27 of conflicting route relays 20-30, 10-40, and right hand contact 42 of button 40RB to (-). The route relay 20-40 at its front and normal contacts 33, 34 applies voltage to the signal control bus wire 77 to energize a signal control relay 20GZ, and at its front contacts 36, 37 applies positive voltage to the wires 81, 82 leading to the polarized control relays 23Z, 45Z which are thus positively energized to set the two cross-overs 2TS-3TS, 4TS- 5TS at normal. The detail control of the cross-overs by their relays 23Z, 45Z is effected in the manner shown in Fig. 4 for the control of the points 7TS by the relay 7Z. The points motor 7SM is operated normally or reversely over contacts 99, 100 of a polarized field relay 7WZ which is moved to normal or reverse position by normal or reverse energization of the panel relay 7Z, and is maintained in such position by a stick circuit over back contacts 89, 90 of a slow-dropping lock relay 7L which is de-energized as later described, as soon as a route over such points has been initiated. A two-winding relay 7LP is inserted in the circuit to the relay 7WZ so as to require the panel relay 7Z to be in correspondence with the points setting, as repeated by the relay 7WPP, before a change of points setting can be effected. So long as the lock relay 7L is de-energized, and so preventing a change of the points, the relay 7LP is de-energized and a back contact 70 thereof is used to light a panel lamp 71 denoting " points locked against operation." In addition a lamp 169 is lit over a back contact 168 of the points repeater relay 7WPP during the change over of the points ; this lamp will be sustainedly lit over contacts 166, 167, if the panel relay 72 and the points repeater relay 7WPP are out of correspondence. When the points have moved over to correspond with the field relay 7WZ a normal or reverse correspondence relay 7NCR, 7RCR is energized; these relays are used to control the clearing of the signal. A points indicator 7ts on the panel diagram is operated from the panel relay 7Z and so at once informs the operator of the route he is seeking to set up, permitting him to rectify a mistake at once. The detail control of the signals is effected in the manner shown in Figs. 3 and 5. Referring to Fig. 3 and remembering that the bus wire 77 had a voltage applied thereto when the route relay 20-40 was energized it will be seen that a relay 20GZ is picked up over a back contact 104 of a relay 20RR and thereafter sticks over its own front contact 103. Remembering further that the two cross-overs are being set at normal, that their lock relays 23L, 45L will shortly be dropped and their normal correspondence relays 23NCR, 45NCR energized, it will be seen that in due course a front contact 121 of relay 20GZ will complete a circuit through winding of the relay 20RR over back contact 122 of lock relay 23L, front contacts 123, 124 of correspondence relays 23NCR, 45NCR, back contact 125 of lock relay 45L, winding of a relay 40WRR, back contact 126 of a relay 40WGZ (an opposing-signal relay) and back contact 164 of a relay 40ERR. The relays 20RR and 40WRR are relays indicating the route set up between opposing signals and when energized they prevent the opposing-signal control relay being picked up; in this particular case the opposing-signal control relay 40WGZ cannot be picked up since back contact 108 of relay 40WRR has been opened. The signal is cleared over front contacts of a signal control relay such as 20GZ and its associated route indicating relay 20RR. This matter is illustrated in Fig. 5 for the signals 40EA, 40EB, 40EC, 50, 60. For instance the signal 50 has its green lamp lit over a front contact 161 of the signal relay 50G which relay is energized over front contacts 162, 163 of the signal control relay 50GZ and route indicating relay 50RR. In the case of the East bound signals at location 40 the signal 40EA is cleared over a front contact of relay 40EAG which is energized over a front contact 143 of a normal correspondence relay 7NCR for the points 7TS, a front contact 138 of the route indicating relay 40ERR, and over front and normal contacts 139, 140 of the signal control relay 40EGZ which is energized over the bus wire 73 ; if the route had been set up over the points 7TS at reverse the lower or branch line signal 40EB would be cleared by the energization of relay 40EBG over a front contact 145 of the reverse correspondence relay 7RCR. For a call-on signal 40EC to be energized the cabin operator depresses a push 40EPB, Fig. 1, to pick up a stick relay 40ECS whereby negative voltage is applied to the bus line 73 so that the relay 40EGZ is reversely energized and its contact 140 being thus put to the left hand side, Fig. 5, energizes a relay 40ECG whereby the call-on signal 40EC is cleared. From Fig. 5 it will be seen that the lock relay 7L is de-energized whenever a contact 155, 151, or 150 is opened by the energization of a bus line signal control relay 40EGZ, 50GZ, 60GZ for a signal governing traffic over such points. For emergency traffic conditions on the route 20-40 it might be necessary to have the two cross-overs at reverse ; this can be effected by panel levers similar to the lever 84, Fig. 6, which opens the wire 80 and applies one or other polarity to the panel relay 7Z. A spring-return device is described by which the buttons are at once returned automatically when moved to a " leaving " position, but such return device is ineffective when the buttons are moved to an " entering " position, Figs. 8-10, (not shown). With this arrangement the route relays 10-30, 10-40, 20-30, &c. are picked up by contacts of the two buttons and remain energized by a stick circuit over the " entering " button. Specifications 169,796, [Class 105], 371,921, and 389,307 are referred to.