Re: Signalling in Victoria

[markbau1@aol.comQQQQyuk (MarkBau1)]

How on earth could a signal system that always tells you if you are proceeding
on the straight or on the diverging road be called anything but "route
signalling"

I stand by my statement that the overwhelming majority of US roads use the
GCOR. Add up the route miles and see for yourself.
Conrail and CSX are the only 2 biggies that use speed signalling.


<<  whereas I say that it is route signalling only if
there is an explicit indication of WHICH route applies (not merely that
it is one of possibly several diverging routes) >>

And that is precisely what GCOR gives you. If there is more than one diverging
route you get another light for that track, (top to bottom, left to right) On
GCOR you always know exactly which track you are to go on. Many roads even
eliminate "low speeds". If you have to pass a defective signal or get flagged
on top of another train the instructions state which track you are to go on. In
every case you know which track you are to travel on. If thats not route
signaling I don't know what is! On GCOR roads you determine speeds by local
route knowledge/timetable. For instance, the speed into the loops on the Moffat
vary from 10 MPH to 30 MPH, despite the fact that you always get a R/Y into
them. How could that possibly be called "speed signalling" The signals are just
telling me to proceed along a specific route and I find that speed in the
timetable.

I don't know who you know in the US but for your information, I've never heard
any train crew, road foreman, train master etc ever talk about "route" or
"speed" signalling. Although I would hope that signal designers are at least
familiar with international conventions. Even in Victoria, the brass, from
Cousins on down, referred only to places where you got an extra indication
behind a red as speed signaling.

Your defintion of route signalling would be a little confusing in Victoria due
to the existence of quite a few 3 pos. signals which do tell you exactly which
route you are taking by means of a route indicator.
Using your definition, VR 2 pos signaling was not route signalling because
discs could take you many places and at some locations a home signal could take
you to more than one location.

Mark.



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