Re: What!!! Running crosses???!!!!???

[David Langley <del@ancc.com.au>]

Rod wrote:

>   I do wonder about some of these drivers who appear to pass the Auto on
> Yellow at about 30 kph and run at that speed for the next 8 or 10 km!!
> Regulations allow for us to be fully
> conversant with the track and that means knowing exactly where the home
> Arrival is and where the train running at normal speed needs to be slowed to
> enter the loop at low speed. T. C. ofton weep at the speeds some drivers
> maintain on the gauge.
>

On the North East SG you cannot pass a yellow light and then run 8-10 kms to the
next signal. The whole idea of the aspects was that where you went that distance
between signals you only got one proceed aspect - green over red. Yellows were
only provided on signals about 2-3kms out from another signal - not necessarily
a home signal.

Running crosses on the SG were certainly quite possible with the old and fairly
reliable Westronic equipment where the whole line was scanned every 4 seconds
and change of status and commend instructions were dealt with in that time. The
Teknis system is a very much slower CTC system and the elapsed time between the
command (or change of status) and an change in the signal aspects or route set
can be relatively long. Trains to perform running crosses would have to be
travelling very much slower than before or arrive at the precise time to permit
the system to respond.

When I was a Signal Maintenance Technician at Seymour this Teknis syetm was
considered by us to be a retrograde step.

DEL.