Re: Electric Staff in Victoria

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

Krel wrote:

> On Thu, 06 May 1999 23:37:40 +1000, David Langley <del@ancc.com.au>
> wrote:
>
>
> >
> Interseting that (AFAIK) in Victoria to obtain an electric staff
> (non-automatic) both signallers had/have to grind away on a magneto
> whilst in NSW they just hold down on the bell tap thingy.

That is their version of automatic electric staff. In fact it was switchable
between auto and non-auto. Victoria was either one or the other.

> Getting to Automatic electric staff - in NSW a strange wooden box on
> the wall with key hole converted normal electric staff instuments to
> automatic working. In Vic it seems that instruments were either auto
> or non-auto, I haven't heard of switching (David??).
>
> Frankston-Somerville-Hastings is operated automatically all the time
> even though Frankston is manned (personned?) nearly all of the time
> and Hastings is attended on dayshift. A steel box on the wall has a
> button which is pressed to obtain a release to pull a staff.

Purely automatic.

> Another interesting point is that Vic seems to have less qualms about
> swinging the staff. In normal operation this almost never ocurred in
> NSW but in Vic things are different. At Frankston the "Motor" hangs on
> to the staff and does not give it up to Frankston box after each trip
> unless it is requested to enable another train to run.

Victoria had a rule about swinging the staff at crosses because it avoided the
problem of what to do if the system failed in the act of changing the staff. We
had definite rules about NOT swinging the staff at non auto ES locations. Prior
to the auto ES, at Frankston a new staff was got for each trip of the Stony
Point pass as the loco ran past the box to run round but now that keep the same
staff until there is a need to change it or get another one out for a follow on
move.

> There are, also, two methods of opereating Long Island Junction. The
> points are staff-locked and, after the arriving train is in the
> siding, in clear and the points restored the staf is sunk in the
> intermediate instrument. For departure a staff is obtained prior to
> operating the points. The other method is as follows - After the train
> arrives the pointsare left lying for the sidng and the annet key is
> removed locking points and staff. The train shunts and when ready to
> depart pushes a key secured button to clear the departure signal and
> proceeds out onto the mainline; the annet key is restored and the
> points normalised and staff released.

Yes this is new and presumably saves the trouble of locking the place up and
sinking the staff if the next move is one from the branch towards Melbourne.
i.e. during the wee small hours.

David.