Automatic Signaling and Tunnel Protection on the Denver & Salt Lake
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The "Exposition F lyer" west bound ascending th e g rad e approaching signal N o. 353 at left which is equipped with operative grade sig n ~utomatic Signaling and Tunnel Protection On the Denver & Salt Lake Coded track circuits, up to 11,180 ft. in length, and headblocks located prop Denver and from the west, with lines points is SO, but the hor izontal dis erly for installation of C. on which the ascending grade would tance is only 38 miles. Starting at the T. C. later-Controll ed not exceed 2 per cent, compensated west end of double track at Ralston, for curva ture. From the west portal Colo., 7.15 miles from Denver and manual block through of the Moffat tu nnel, the Denver & at an elevation of 5,258 ft., the single 6.2-mile Moffat tunnel Salt Lake extends westward 72 miles track main line ascends westward at to Orestod and then 103 miles beyond not to exceed two per cent. compen to Craig. Also from Orestod, a sin sated for curvatu re, for 42.95 miles gle-track line of the Denver & Rio to the east portal. T he 127 curves THE Denver & Salt Lake has recently Grande W estern extends south and in this mileage represent a total of Installed automatic block signaling on west along the Colorado river for 39 5,708 deg. of central angle. The maxi 4.7 miles of double track and 47.7 miles.to Dotsero, Colo., where a con mum curvat ure is 10 deg. Between Iniles of single track between Denver, nection is made with D. & R. G. W . Arena and Clay, there ar e two 10-deg. Colo. , and the east portal of the line betwee n Pueblo, Colo., and horseshoe curves. I n addition to the Moffat tu nnel, and also, track-err Ogden, U tah. Thus, in addi tion to main tun nel through the divide, 29 CUited semi-automatic signaling has trains of the D. & S. L., the line be shorter tunnels, ranging from 300 ft. been installed for the direction of train tween Denver and Orestod is used by to 1,700 ft. in length , are located be move ments through the 6.2-mile sin those tr ains of the D. & R. G. W . tween M.P. 23 and the Moffat tunnel. gle-track Moffat tunnel. which are routed into and out of Den . The primary purpose for construct ver for direct connections to or from Difficulties of Train Operation Ing the Denver & Salt Lake originally, western points . Including the Moffat tunnel , was to T he territory which was recently In addition to the handicaps of provide a direct route westward from signaled, ext ends from Denver to the grades, curvature and tunnels, train Denver through the Rocky Mountain west porta l of the Moffat tunnel. The operat ion in this territory is all the tontinental divide to western Colo elevat ion of the Denver Union Station more difficult during winter months, rado, as well as to points beyond. The and various freight yar ds in that area with moderate snowfall, and tempera Site of the Moffat tunnel was chosen is approximately 5.280 ft. above sea tu res as low as 40 deg. below zero F. because of minimum tunnel length level, whereas the elevation of the east Furth ermore, the topography is such Under the divide, with portals at ele portal of Moffat tunnel is 9,192 ft . tha t from a practical standpoint , pass Vations which could be reached from The mileage by rail between these ing tracks can be located only at cer- J uly, 41 354 R A IL WAY SI GN ALI NG 19 Dwa rf signals 40 and 42 at Zuni where D. & S. L. fre ight trains enter and leave th e mai n line tracks tected, whereas an ordinary shunt fouling does not provide such protec. tion. The switch circuit controller On each passing track switch does not shunt the track circuit, but contacts in the controller are connected to operate a switch repeater relay. T he signals on this project are of the searchlight type, using the stand. ard color aspects, red, yellow and tain places, with the result that they example, between 10:00 a.rn. and green. The 250-0 ~m d -~ . ope.rating are not equally spaced as to distance 11 :30 a.m., there are four scheduled COli of each searchlight signal IS line or train time. The locations of passenger trains and usually two controlled, thus obviating the use ofa the passing tracks and the capacities freight between Denver and East signal control relay. Except for un in terms of fr eight cars are indicated Portal. The Ute, a fast westbound usual instances, to be explained later on the plan. During a 24-hour peri od, Rio Grande frei ght tr ain, usually the aut omat.ic signals are controlledby opposing tr ains are scheduled to make takes siding at Cliff to meet the east- the conventional A.P.B. system to dis. 4.0 Mi. -----~, r:-O.9M1:ll""------4J Mi. I RollinS ~ e ~ 'rO.IMi. 'I ' e.7Mi.-;[o.IMi.• I ' E.OMJ: ~1.1 M,:--?j"''-- -- ----.4.5Mi. Plorin lor y I Are na 347 nco» 76Carf I BES 2!(I ~ I E03 161 145 1/ ~39 ~ ~e04~ e ~ e ~ ~ 11 ~~ 1/8 Cars 17G Fig. 1- Track an d sig nal plan of the territory betwe> eight meets, and in one instance a ward passenger train No.6, while play positive Stop aspects for oppos westward local passenger train takes westbound passenger trains No. 5 ing station-to-station train moves, and siding for a through westward passen and No. 1 are closely following. permissive aspects for following train ger train, in the same direction, to movements. Each station-leaving pass. T he operation of extra trains Decision to Install Signaling positive signal which displays the Stop increases the number of meets to be aspect, Code Rule 292, is so designated made. On account of the increasing im by a reflectorized sign, displaying the On the ascending grades, the pas portance of this Moffat Tunnel route, letter "P," this sign being mounted on senger train speed is about 25 m.p.h. a decision was made to install signal the mast below the operative signal and the freight train speed about 20 ing, the first section being between unit. m.p.h. Between Cliff and P lain, pas Denver and the west end of Moffat The automatic signals are line con senger train speed is limited to 25 tunnel. For the most part, this in tr olled in the usual manner, using one m.p.h. and fre ight train speed to 20 stallation is automatic block signaling, control line wire in each direction, in m.p.h. On the 128.6-mile territory but certain features were provided so connection with a common control line between Denver and Orestod, a total that minimum expense will be re wire. The shor t track circuits at de of 8 passenger trains and at least 12 quired later when changing over to tector sections at switches are of the freight trains are handled daily. Du r centralized traffic control. The station conventional d-e. neutral type. The re ing the peak season of September and entering, station-depart ure signals and mainder of the track circuits, with October, as many as 35 trains have track circuits are located properly for certain exceptions, are the d-e, coded been handled daily. Helper locomo future C.T.C. Future OS sections type, using codes at the rate of 75 tives are usually required on ascend are provided with one track relay on per minute. One reason for using ing grades for freight trains, and, in the main line, and a second tr ack relay coded track circuits was to minimize order to equalize power, the operatio n on the passing track. Th e signal cir the numb er of track circuits ; the of light helper locomotives down the cuits are controlled indirectly by both lengths of these coded track circuits grades increases the number of moves of these relays by means of a repeate r range up to 11,180 ft. A second ad to be handled . The periods of maxi relay. T he advantage of this arrange vantage of the coded track circuits IS mum train congestion usually occurs ment is that broken bonds or broken that, in the future when converting during the forenoon and night. For rails on the fouling section will be de- this proj ect to centralized traffic con- July, 1941 RA ILWAY S IGNA LING 355 ~ I when either the yellow or green aspect is displayed, then through a fr ont contact of A<8 3T P , a series approach Grade ~_--,r--------- liqhf track relay, to the coils of 1015 and BL to common CL. When the 120 yellow 1183TP green repeater relay is released, as a Serie s t rack refc¥y, train passes the signal, the holding ;/ Fig. 2 - Diagr am circuit is through a back contact of of circ uits to con YGP, a fr ont of the stick relay, the tr ol a directional coil of 1015 and to CL. This circuit stick IOlY6P obviates the use of contacts in various relays as required in the conventional • stick relay pick-up and hold-up circuit. 8L the downhill end of the passing tr acks to facilitate train movements. Variations in Arrangements of The condit ional feature of this overlap Intermediate Signals is in effect for opposing movements CL - --- --' but not for following movements.