Patent GB-1335220-A (GB)
Title: Control systems for railway marshalling yards
IPC: B61L17/00
Filed: 1970-12-16
Abstract: 1335220 Hump yard control system SOC TECHNIQUE POUR L'INDUSTRIE NOUVELLE SA 16 Dec 1970 [16 Dec 1969] 59654/70 Heading B7H In a hump yard, the control system is arranged so that vehicles which are routed incorrectly due to catch up can be detected. The control system includes a number of route number stores Si-Sn, equal to the number of switch points W1-Wn, which are each associated with a register selector F1-Fn and a decoder G1-Gn. The stores each include a part central store H1-Hn in each of which the route number of a vehicle being humped is stored and a zone store Z1-Zn storing the route number of the vehicle being switched by the associated switch points. Switches w1-wn connect the register selectors in a similar branching layout to that of the switch points of the track. When a vehicle enters monitoring section i1, switch k1 is operated and triggers register selector F1 which in turns triggers controlling electronic equipment E to transfer the first vehicle route number from store H1 to zone store Z1. As soon as the number is written in store Z1 it is interpreted by decoder G1 and the required switch points setting is transmitted via conductor v2 to points W1. When the vehicle enters monitoring section i2 switch k2 is operated whereby assuming the vehicle is to be routed via points W2 the route number stored in Z1 is transferred via register selector F1 and switch w1 to register selector F2 which stores it in zone store Z2. Decoder G2 then initiates setting of points switch W2. When the next vehicle enters section i1 switch k 1 is operated causing the sequence switch in device T to move from T1 to T2 whereby the route information on the next vehicle is read out of store H2 and transferred to zone store Z1 for subsequent transfer as its associated vehicle moves through the yard.  Should the second vehicle enter section i2 before the first has left section i3 and points W2, a wrong runner store 01 is activated via contacts k2, k3 whereby contact k22 is opened preventing transfer of the route number of the second vehicle stored in Z1 to selector F2 and store Z2. If the first vehicle leaves section i3 and points W2 before the second vehicle leaves sector i2 and points W1 then via the wrong runner store the contacts k22 are closed and transfer takes place in normal fashion and the second vehicle number now in store Z2 is read by decoder G2 and the points W2 set accordingly. However if the second vehicle leaves section i2 and points W1 before the first has vacated section i3 and points W2 then the wrong runner store issues a pulse to effect transfer of the second vehicle number to store Z2 but the number is not decoded to set the points W2. Thereafter the second vehicle follows the route of the first to the first destination where comparison of the destination route number with that of the second vehicle indicates a wrongly routed vehicle. Means are also provided using the wrong runner stores and a length measurement of the vehicles or cuts of vehicles being routed for preventing long wheel base vehicles, which span an approach section and its points, from being incorrectly routed.