Re: Signalling in Victoria

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

Christopher_Martin GORDON wrote:

>
> : David Langley wrote
> : Now I wonder when that went in. I can't find any reference to it at the
> : moment. It wasn't put in on 28Feb1998 when the additional signals for
> : suburban train stabling were provided. These alterations altered diagram 29
> : of 1997 which is still the current diagram unless one has been issued this
> : year. I have yet to see any WN's for this year.

Research has shown that the control lever went in at the racecourse on 1 Nov 1915
but the one at Showgrounds (lever 3) on 15 Feb 1973. These control levers do not
show up on signal box diagrams, or at least the ones I have a copy of. I presume
that although lever 61 gave control to Showgrounds to admit down trains to the
loop, the provision of the control lever at Showgrounds enabled an electric back
lock of the racecourse lever thus preventing the signalman at the racecourse from
restoring his control lever and attempting to shunt a train to the loop if the
signalman at Showgrounds was trying to send a train to the loop. Again I do not
have access at the moment to circuit diagrams for the line. Perhaps someone might
have an explanation for the provision of lever 3 at Showgrounds. It certainly
acted like the signal lever towards the loop because before you can clear signal
2 to go to the loop, lever 3 is required to be reverse (meaning that lever 61 at
Flem RC has to also be reverse). The points leading to the loop can be pulled
prior to the reversal of lever 3, there is no locking between them. The table of
locking shows that lever 3 is merely electrically released by lever 61 at
Flemington RC.

There are instructions about shunting electric trains to the loop line from the
racecourse end via messages exchanged between the two signalmen concerned. This
required the signalman at Showgrounds to sleeve his lever giving access to the
loop at stop. As this was the same lever as that for moves along the down line
then this would have been a little difficult, but the instructions do say that is
what he had to do. Perhaps he sleeved the points normal instead before sending
the reply to the racecourse signalman. The instructions also go on to say that
the first train is to run all the way up to Showgrounds box and stop just short
of the crossover leading to the up line. Drivers were also reminded that the
crane siding, which lead of the end of the loop behind the signal box as a sort
of runaway siding, was not wired for electric trains.

Trains stabled on the loop would re-enter traffic at Flemington RC as if they
were just arriving and would be signalled as such. Any further trains that could
not be stabled at the racecourse or on the loop line, or even on the refuge
between Box H and Ascot Vale Road, were returned to Ascot Vale Road on the up
line and then crossed over via No 4 crossover and run back to the racecourse and
line up nose to tail from the home arrival signal. This move of course occurred
after the conclusion of forward traffic.: >

> : > So the signalman at Showgrounds could take off the baulks (just chained)
> : > and un clip the points, then the signalman at Flemington reverse lever 61
> : > to give control of the loop line to Showgrounds and then a train
> : > could be sent down there.
>
> : The points are supposed to be spiked not just padlocked.
>
> Normally a train would shunt to a line in the correct direction,
>  then using a disc or dwarf signal run wrong line back.  But
> shunting from No4 Road at Flemington to the loop line is
> shunting wrond line first, so a train could be coming the other
> direction.  Hence lever 61 at Flemington.  This is to stop a
> train coming down the loop line with out the signalman at
> Flemington letting it.  So when 61 is reversed you can't shunt
> to the loop line (otherwise you would have a head on)

See above.

> The reason for the baulks is to move the "limit of shunt" board
> up towards showgrounds to stable another train.
>
> The signalling diagram show the "limit of shunt" board next to
> UR247 (as this is the normal position) but in practice it is
> next to the baulk to stable an extra train.
>
> The following would be done to return the line to normal
> operation:
> Move "Limit of Shunt" board back to UR247, remove baulk,
> unclip points.
>
> Then if the signalman at Showground wants to send a train down
> the loop line he must get Flemington Box to reverse 61.
> (to have control)
>
> Lever 61:
> Normal, Flemington can let trains into loop line
> Reverse, Showgrounds can let trains into the loop line

The provision of the "Limit of Shunt" board and also the baulks may be because of
the use of signalling staff not versed in the working of the line. Perhaps it is
because the modern signalling is fairly tightly controlled by the circuitry and
signalling staff on the racecourse line need these extra reminders. I don't know.
The instructions I talked about above clearly showed that these extras were not
required and we still shunted to the loop line in the wrong direction.

>
>
> Can you explain fouling bars please.

Fouling bars are provided (or were provided) were it was difficult for a
signalman to see the a train was clear of a certain set of points or section of
track. I remember that when shunting a suburban train into the siding A which was
is at the down end of Frankston yard, No 18 catch points were usually left closed
until the train had clearly stabled (perhaps even dropped its pantographs) before
the catch was opened due to the long distance and acute angle of view. At
Flemington RC, on the up line just clear of the last set of points, was a fouling
bar which was worked by lever 60. When the train was signalled to depart, the
fouling bar lever was locked normal by the lockbar (50) for 51 points being
reverse. In order to get a down train across from the down line to Nos 2-5 or to
reverse 38 points to get an up train out of Nos 2-5 to the up line, lever 60 had
to be reversed and in doing so, the fouling bar would rise pivot up and over thus
proving that the departing train had in fact cleared the area, and remembering
that the signals for the up train should not (according to the rules) be placed
normal until after the rear of the train had passed. At that stage the train
would be running over the fouling bar and would prevent its operation.

Now it has just occurred to me that maybe you have not heard the term fouling
bars at all. If not, they were the long angle metal bars that were provided at
(all in the days prior to electric locking with track circuits) certain facing
points and were located from the toe of the points back towards the signal
protecting the points. The easiest to see set in recent years, although they have
gone now, was the lock bar with fouling bar attached at Fawkner at the up end of
the platform. The plunger that actually does the mechanical locking of points is
refereed to as variously as a facing point lock, a lock bar, a plunger etc. In
fact it is a plunger and additionally has a lock bar/fouling bar attached or has
an electric lock on the lever in the signal box which proves the fouling track
section clear before being able to be released.

The fouling bar (its name describes its purpose) was supposed to be longer than
the space between the bogies of a carriage thus it would not be able to be
operated until a train was clear.

>
>
> --
> Chris Gordon
> http://www.ecr.mu.oz.au/~cmgord