Patent GB-904499-A (GB)
Title: Information handling system for railway points control
IPC: B61L25/04
Filed: 1960-02-26
Abstract: 904,499. Railway classification yards. WESTINGHOUSE AIR BRAKE CO. Feb. 26, 1960 [Feb. 26, 1959], No. 6810/60. Class 105. In a free rolling classification yard in which cuts of rail vehicles are routed via several sets of points to storage sidings and in which primary and group retarders control the speed of the cut to ensure a safe coupling speed with the vehicles already in the siding, the first available one of a number of storage devices is allocated to the cut to which all information pertaining to the cut, i.e. points control, rolling resistance, weight and an indication whether its speed of exit from the primary retarder is correct is supplied and stored and the storage device generates an identity number in binary code (tangent acceleration code) which is cascaded through T.A.C. banks associated with each control location as the cut passes through the yard to ensure that the information required by that location for the control of the cut is obtained from the storage device allocated to the cut. The yard is of the type shown in Specification 903,741 and includes eight sidings, three sets of points in any route to the sidings, a main retarder and a group retarder between each second and third sets of points. Assuming a cut has to be routed through the yard to siding 2, it passes through the main retarder, points 1-8W (not shown) set to normal, points 1-4W set to normal, a 1-2 group retarder (not shown) and points 1-2W (not shown) set to reverse. Information storage.-As the cut enters track section AT (Figs. 2-4), track relay ATR releases and relays ATP and R energize, battery is applied via (front contacts) f.c. c of relays ATP and R1 and lead 208 to six storage devices 1RP-6RP (1RP only shown) (Figs. 11, 12), and the H relay of the first device with a de-energized B relay (indicating that the device is available for storing information) is energized via (back contacts) b.c.s of relays B, CR and A. Assuming device 1RP is available, relays 1H energizes and electronic storage unit 1ES, of the type described in Specification 853,908, is tested by a battery 214 applied to input terminal a of the unit over b.c. e relay 1A, if the unit is in order an output appears at terminal d of sufficient value to energize relay 1CR. Consequently relay 1A energizes via f.c. c relay ATP, f.c. c relay RI, lead 208, b.c. b relay 1B and f.c. a relay 1CR and relay 1H releases at b.c. b relay 1B and f.c. a relay 1CR and relay 1H releases at b.c. b relay 1A. The measured value of rolling resistance derived from radar velocity meter 9, differentiator 10 and bias unit 11 is now applied via f.c. a relay ATP, f.c. e relay 1A to terminal a of storage unit 1ES. Information relating to the three sets of points to be traversed by the cut is now read into the unit. This information is derived from an initial storage bank (not shown) into which it has been fed by manual or other means and appears on three lines 400, 401 and 402 which are energized or de-energized respectively depending on the reverse or normal position of the points in the required route. Since in this case the cut is bound for siding 2 only the last set of points has to be set to the reverse position, i.e. lead 402 only is energized and of the three points storage relays 1WS1- 1WS3, which are connected to the leads over f.c.s f, g and h, respectively, of relay 1A, only 1WS3 is energized. When the cut approaches the end of section AT it is assumed that the value of rolling resistance is now stabilized and can be stored, as the cut enters section MR1T relay R1TP picks up and relay RI releases, consequently a circuit is completed for relay 1B via f.c. c relay ATP, b.c. c relay RI and f.c. c relay 1A. Relay 1H re-energizes over f.c. d relay 1B and completes the storage of the rolling resistance measurement in unit IES. In addition, the energized points storage relays are locked over f.c. h of relay 1B and relay 1A releases at b.c. d relay IH. Before relay 1A released it generated on lines 231, 232 and 233 its identity number 001 in binary code (tangent acceleration code) by energizing line 233 over its f.c. d. This number is stored in C bank 54 by the energized (1) or de-energized (0) states of the T.A.C. relays 1CTAC-3CTAC (in this case 3CTAC only energized) and a stick circuit for the energized relays extends over f.c. d relay ATP. Slow release T.A.C. relays in B bank 55 are energized via f.c.s b of the energized relays in the C bank and b.c.s b, d and f of relay R1TP which is released when track section MR1T is vacated by a previous cut and are locked over f.c. f relay R1TP when the cut enters section MR1T. The weight information, which is indicated by two relays RLI and RHI (not shown), the first of which is energized if the cut weight is light, the second if it is heavy and both if the weight is medium, is now routed to the correct storage device via the contacts of the BTAC relays. The circuit extends via b.c. c relay 1BTAC, b.c. c relay 2BTAC, f.c. c relay 3BTAC, lead 430 which splits into two paths, one of which extends (assuming a medium weight) via a f.c. of relay RLI, not shown, and f.c. e relay 1B to energize weight storage relay 1RLS in unit 1RP and the other via a f.c. of relay RHI (not shown) and f.c. k relay 1B to energize storage relay 1RHS, these relays lock over f.c. h relay 1B. The code is transferred to the A bank 56 slow release T.A.C. relays when section MR2T is vacant via b.c.s b, c, d of relay GEC and f.c.s b of the energized BTAC relays. If the cut leaves track section MR2T at the correct velocity a relay CLV (not shown) is energized and the condition of this relay is also stored in the information storage device 1RP by relay 1CLVS which is energized via b.c. d relay 1ATAC, b.c. b relay 2ATAC, f.c. d relay 3ATAC, lead 450 and via a b.c. of relay R2TP and a f.c. of relay CLV (not shown), lead 452 and f.c. m relay 1B. This concludes the reading in of information to the storage device 1RP associated with the cut. Information read out.-The read out of information will be described for the points control location 1-4W (Figs. 7, 18 and 27), the apparatus at this location includes the points control unit 1-4WC and A and B banks of the 1-4 storage unit. As the cut moves into the preceding section and over the preceding points in the normal position, relay 1-4BT energizes over b.c. e relay GEC, a b.c. of 1-8 track relay and a f.c. of the 1-8 normal points indicating relay (not shown), and b.c. c relay 1-4BD, consequently relay 1-4BD is energized and closes at its f.c. e the T.A. code transfer circuits from A bank 56 to the BTAC relays in the 1-4 B bank over leads 243-245. Relay 1-4BT releases and assuming the A bank of the 1-4 storage unit is empty relay 1-4AT picks up over f.c. b relay 1-4BD and b.c. b relay 1-4BT, consequently relay 1-4AD is energized and the code is transferred from the B bank to the A bank relays A1TAC-A3TAC via f.c. f relay 1-4AD. Relays 1-4BD and 1-4AT release and the points control read out circuit from the storage device 1ES to the points control relay 1-4A1 is now prepared and extends via f.c. f relay 1-4AD, relay 1-4A1, f.c. c relay A3TAC, b.c. c relay A2TAC, b.c. c relay A1TAC lead 1RP(V) and via terminal v unit 1RP to contact b relay 1WS2; since points 1-4 are to be set to normal, relay 1WS2 is released and relay 1-4A1 does not energize. The points are now controlled to their normal position via a circuit extending via point A of switch 1-4MC, f.c. e relay 1-4AD, b.c. d relay 1-4AT, b.c. b relay 1-4A1, lead 104, f.c. b relay 1-4WP, f.c. c relay 1-4TR, normal control magnet NW of points machine 1-4SM and circuit controller E of 1-4GC. As the cut enters track section 1-4T the points control for the following set of points is read out of unit 1RP to a points control storage relay in the B bank of the 1-2 points storage location via b.c. g relay IATAC, b.c. e relay A2TAC and f.c. d relay A3TAC of the 1-4 A bank. At the same time the T.A. code is transferred to the B bank of the 1-2 phantom storage location controlling the 1-2 group retarder. Via the contacts of the T.A.C. relays at this location the measured value of rolling resistance is fed to a computer associated with the retarder and the condition of the weight relays 1RLS and 1RHS and the velocity relay 1CLUS is transferred to repeater relays at the phantom location. In addition, relay 1RO at the storage unit 1RP is energized releasing relay 1B and restoring the unit to its initial position. Specification 903,691 is referred to.