Re: Signalling in Victoria

[Eddie Oliver <eoliver@efs.mq.edu.au>]

Tony Gatt wrote:
> 
> David Langley wrote (re the Showgrounds "Rostrum" on the Flemington Racecourse line):

> >
> > The person in charge on the rostrum does have control over the arrival signals
> > from both directions. There is what looks like a GRS Table Interlocker provided and it
> > was photographed when the Signalling Record Society visited there a couple of years
> > ago.
> > The arrival signals are controlled because they can be held at stop when he wishes to
> > delay the arrival of the next train say until the crowds on the platform have cleared.

I thought the main purpose of the control was to ensure locking between
the two opposing directions - i.e. to prevent a train being admitted to
the Showgrounds platform from the Newmarket end while simultaneously one
was being admitted from the Racecourse end. In other words, it provides
a sort of central interlocking between the two separate signal boxes,
which would otherwise have required some direct interlocking between
them.

Contrary to what someone else said, this IS clearly documented in the
instructions for the Racecourse line. It includes instructions that when
leaving the Rostrum unattended, the signaller must ensure that the
control lever is left in the position which allows the platform track to
be used as the normal direct route from Racecourse towards Newmarket, as
one would expect.

I do not understand why it had to be a full GRS or GRS-like lever rather
than just a simple three-position toggle switch.

Eddie