Re: Electric Staff in Victoria

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

John Dennis wrote:

> Greetings all.
>
> Apologies for the long posting, but recently I was involved in a
> discussion regarding the long section and short section staffs
> (staves?) at Puffing Billy.  This discussion then moved on to the
> application of Electric Staff in Victoria.

Staffs in Victoria, NSW & SA, staves in Qld.

> Now, I used to know all of this, but time marches on and my books are
> in storage.  So, I am looking for confirmation and comments.
>
> IIRC, there were two different types of electric staffs which could be
> split.  One, when withdrawn, could be unscrewed into two halves, which
> were then able to be used under Train Staff and Ticket rules with an
> intermediate station opened as a temporary staff station.

Yes, Divided Staff.

>
>
> The other style of staff could be split into two or three sections.
> One of these was the "staff", and the others were "tickets".  This
> type of staff allowed following movements through a section - the
> first train ran through on the ticket portion of the staff, and after
> arriving at an intermediate block post, a following train could run no
> the staff portion.  When both (or all three) trains arrived at the far
> end the staff was combined and sunk into the machine.
>
> One of these was called "divisible" and the other "composite" - I
> think in the order I have described them.  Any comments?

The first was called Divided Staff (divisible staff was used in NSW and
was actually the Victorian composite staff) and the second was Composite
Staff.

Composite staff was initially introduced to divide a long section up into
shorter sections to facilitate the movement of a number of trains in the
same direction. In later years it was used to enable the non-manning of
stations where there were few trains. Now staff exchange boxes did that
you will say but what about when there were two down trains and one up.
Here the composite staff would be split and Ticket A given to the first
train and the remaining portions given to the second train. For these
situations the trains usually ran many hours apart but it saved having a
signalman come on duty just to run the second down (or up) train. When the
second train arrived at the far end, the various portions were joined up
and the whole staff was either placed in the instrument at that end when
the signalman resumed duty or was used for another train in the reverse
direction possibly without the signalman coming on duty at all.

Some times staffs went up and down their section up to four or five times
between signalmen's shifts. There were a lot of interesting situations
where this was down and perhaps when time permits I will post some
information.

>
> A further query.  When first introduced into Victoria, the Electric
> Staff instruments required a person at either end to coordinate to
> release a staff.  To my knowledge the first

Yes.

> (or maybe an early)
> implementation of Automatic ES - where a staff could be removed from
> an instrument without an operator at each end - was at Mysia and
> Barraport on the Robinvale line.  In this case there was only one
> unattended station between attended stations.  Is this true?

Yes. The situation was Korong Vale (attended)-Mysia (unattended)-Boort
(attended) - Barraport (unattended) - Quambatook (attended). And yes both
Mysia and Barraport had upper quadrant signals provided from 1 May 1929
(with the auto ES) however the signals at Mysia were replaced by D.C.
searchlight signals on 25 June 1975, Barraport's upper quaddies remained
to the end - 19 November 1980 for both places.

>
> Incidentally, to the best of my knowledge these two unattended
> stations were equipped with three-position automatic upper quadrant
> signals.
>
> Subsequently the use of automatic electric staff was extended
> so it could be used in a series of unattended stations and implemented
> on the Gheringhap-Cressy-Maroona line.  True?

Yes. Here a different style of circuit was used and both ends of all
sections were true auto ES even though Gheringhap and Maroona were
attended stations.

> What other states used what VR termed automatic electric staff, and
> where else was it in use in Victoria?

Currently in use on the Frankston - Somerville - Hastings sections. Was
used on Wodonga - Bandiana for a short time prior to the bg being removed.
When the Portland line was provided with long loops at Glen Thompson and
Dunkeld and new loops at Grampians, Miakite and Myamyn. The electric staff
was set up for auto working and the sections were Maroona - Willaura- Glen
Thompson - Dunkeld - Hamilton - Miakite Loop - Myamyn Loop - Heywood.
Later Willaura Loop replaced Willaura and Grampians Loop opened and the
staff section was Train Staff & Ticket to Miakite with Hamilton being an
intermediate siding. These sections were notable for using Telstra land
lines inlieu of railway aerials.

>
>
> Once again, apologies for the length of the posting.

Never mind the length when talking about the fascinating world of railway
signalling.

David Langley.