Patent GB-524357-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in control systems for railway track switches and signals
IPC: B61L19/06
Filed: 1939-01-28
Abstract: 524,357. Route setting apparatus. GENERAL RAILWAY SIGNAL CO. Jan. 28, 1939, No. 2977. Convention date, Jan. 29, 1938. [Class 105] Route setting apparatus is controlled by manually operated electric switch devices, such as pairs of contact bars bridged by a removable stylus, located on a miniature diagram panel in or adjacent the limbs of the points and other track sections ; the route is set up by operating the manual switch devices for the necessary series of points and track sections and a signal is cleared for traffic in that direction in which the sequence of manual switching operations is effected. Fig. 1 shows the diagram panel wherein the tracks, points, and cross-overs are represented by grooves lined with pairs of contact bars 14 and having translucent strips 15 to be illuminated for indication purposes, the grooves being formed between the edges of appropriately cut plates 12 of insulating material screwed on to the base panel 10. To set up a route from A to C the stylus 20 is inserted in opening 28 at A, drawn along the upper track, and removed through opening 28 at C. The following pairs of contacts 14 are therefore briefly closed in sequence UA, U1AN, U2AN, UC and referring to Figs. 5A, 5B it will be seen that contact UA picks up an entrance relay ANR over back contacts 30, 31 of relays 1AN, IR ; contact U1AN picks up the relay 1AN (normal-control relay for cross-over 1) over back contact 34 of relay IR ; contact U2AN picks up the relay 2AN (normal-control relay for cross-over 2) over back contact 34 of relay 2R ; contact UC is however ineffective to pick up the entrance relay CNR for the end C since back contact 30 of the relay 2AN is now open by reason of the preceding energization of the relay 2AN. The relays are maintained energized by stick circuits, that for the entrance relay ANR comprising a front contact 32 of the track relay ATR for the entrance and detector section AT of points 1A, while the stick circuit network for the points control relays 1AN, 2AN maintains these relays energized until a train has entered and left the particular sections. Before train entry the relay 1AN is stuck up over front contact 35 of the entrance relay ANR, back contact 36 of relay 1R, and its own front contact 37 ; front contact 40 of the relay 1AN extends the potential over back contact 41 of a relay ATRP, wire 5, back contact 41 of a relay CTRP, back contact 36 of relay 2R and front contact 37 of relay 2AN whereby the relay 2AN is stuck up. When the train enters, the track relay ATR drops. its contact 32 to deenergize the entrance relay ANR but the back contact 32 of this track relay ATR continues the stick energization of the relays 1AN, 2AN. As the train enters the section CT the back contact 32 of the track relay CTR continues the energization of the relay 2AN but the relay 1AN is dropped as soon as the train leaves the entrance and detector section AT since back contact 42 of the track relay ATR opens before back contact 41 of the slow relay ATRP closes. Thus the cross-over 1 is free to be operated for a non-conflicting route as soon as the detector section AT is free. The entrance relay ANR clears the signal for entrance at A as soon as the cross-overs and points for the route are in correspondence with their control relays, Fig. 7 (not shown). The operator may cancel the route by a push button ACN, adjacent the signal indicator AGK, which opens the stick circuit of the entrance relay ANR which in turn opens its front contact 35 to break the stick circuit network. A form using only a single cancel button for all routes is described, Fig. 10 (not shown). Panel indication lamps arranged to illuminate strips as shown in Fig. 8 are controlled as shown in Fig. 9, flashing indications being given during occupation of a section and the signal indication being flashed while the route is being established. For route A to C the signal indicator lamp AGK is flashed as soon as the entrance relay ANR is picked up, an interrupted supply from a cam interrupter 74 being applied over a back contact 81 of a signal repeater relay AGKR until the signal clears, whereupon a steady supply is applied over front contact 81 of the relayAGKR. As soon as the route setting control for route AC is applied lamps AK XKa, XKb, CK are lit over front contacts 82 of the track relays ATR and CTR and front contacts 83, 85 of the relays 1AN, 2AN while when the points have moved to the required positions lamps 1ANK, 2ANK are lit over front contacts 86 of the points repeater relays 1WNP, 2WNP. Thus the proposed route is first shown as a partial line which becomes a continuous line when the route is actually set up. When the train enters, the track relay ATR drops and its back contact 82 applies the interrupted supply to flash the lamps AK, 1ANK, XKa for the panel indicator of the track section AT. Similarly the lamps XKb, 2ANK, CK are flashed when the train enters section CT. When section AT is vacated the lamps AK, 1ANK, XKa are extinguished since relay 1AN drops ; similar action occurs when the section CT is vacated. The points can be operated individually by holding the stylus 20 on the particular pair of contact bars such as U1AN. Specifications 169,795, [Class 105], 389,307, and 513,515 are referred to.