Crossing Protection with Indicators for Train Movements

Crossing Protection With Indicators For Train Movements By G. K. Zulandt Assistant Signal Engineer Terminal Railroad Association of St. louis St. louis. Mo. New Installations, on Terminal Railroad Asso ciation of St. Louis, include special color-light This indicator, 50 ft. from the crossing, dwarf signals, known as crossing protection in- . has a key-controller on top dicators, which inform ·enginemen whether f Iash in g -I i g h t signals and gates are operat ing, and give advance notice of time cut-outs main tracks are about 750 ft. long. The fastest train which was checked consumed 24.4 sec. from the tiirie it shunted its approach until it foul .ed the crossing. The flashing-light THE first of seven highway crossing being left open. The new flashing signals operated 4.6 se~-as a .pre gate installations to be made on light signals and gates at Lynch warning before the gates were r~: the Illinois Transfer Railway, oper avenue are controlled automatically leased; and the gates desc~nded 'in ated by the Terminal Railroad As by track circuits but, on account of 10.5 sec. Thus, the.gates were down sociation of St. Louis, has been switching moves. to serve industries, 9.3 sec. before the train arrived at placed in service recently at Lynch and because of other unusual op the crossing . ,Conventional direc avenue in East St. Louis, Ill. A traf erations, special cut-out features are tional stick relays are used to clear fic count for 24 hours over this necessary. , the gates for receding train moves. crossing showed a total of 195 As shown in the plan herewith, ·The clearing time of the gates is pedestrians and 2,636 street ve two main tracks and one side track 10.4 sec. hicles, which included buses of the extend over the street crossing. The East St. Louis City Lines. In a project includes track circuits to Time-Element Cut-Outs peak period, from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m., control the crossing protection auto Although many of the trains there were 240 vehicles, and in a matically by trains approaching the move through this territory at second peak, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., crossing in either ·direction on both normal speed on the two main there were 448 vehicles. In the 24 main tracks. At the crossing, on tracks, on the other hand there are hr., 49 train movements were made each main track, and on the side many instances in which stops are over the crossing, all of these being track, there is a separate track cir made on the approach sections and freight as there are no scheduled cuit which extends over the street cars are left on the main track passenger trains over this division. and about 50 ft. beyond. When any while switching moves are made to This crossing was formerly pro of these three track circuits at the serve industries. Therefore, in order tected by four mechanical gates crossing is occupied, the flashing to prevent delay to street traffic on that were operated by crossing light signals operate and the gates Lynch avenue, an arrangement of watchmen 24 hr. a day. The new go down and stay there, with no automatic time cut-outs was instal protection consists of flashing-light automatic cut-out of any kind. led in connection with the controls signals and short-arm gates which Based on maximum permissible applying to each of the four main are located to block only the ap train speeds in this territory, the ap track approaches to the crossing. proaching traffic, the receding lanes proach control sections on the two As previously explained, on the February, 1950 R A I l W A Y S I G N A l I N G and C 0 M M U N I C A T I 0 N S 103 average a train at normal speed descend about 1 deg., the home indicator "B" which is about 50- ft. arrives at the crossing about 25 sec. indicator "B" is lighted green which from the street curb line. after it enters its approach section. indicates to the engineman that In order to protect the crossing If a train stops, the ·flashing-light the gates and flashing-light signals and move past the red in the "'B" signals will cut out and the gates will go up, 75 sec. after the train entered th~ approach. <;rossing-Protection Indicators This project includes eight spe cial ways1<.1e dwart signals, known as cro~smg protection indicators, wnicn mrorm enginemen w11et11er t.ne :tlas.uing-ligHt crossing signals and gates are operatmg w protect the crossing, and also t11ese dwarfs give advance intormation of the termination of the operation of time cutouts. Each indicator is lo cated at the immediate right of the track on which it governs. ln order View showing two crossing-protection indicators to distinguish these crossing pro tection indicators as such, a small sized retlectorized cross-buck sign are operating to protect the cross indicator, either of two procedures is mounted on the case as shown in ing, and will continue to do so if can be followed: (1) move the front an accompanying picture. As apply he proceeds at normal speed to truck of the locomotive (or leading ing to each direction of approach ward the crossing. car) past indicator "B" onto the track circuit over the crossing. This to the crossing on both of the main Time-Element Relays tracks, there are two of these indi operates the flashing-light signals cators. For example, for a west Associated with the circuits for and lowers the gates, and then the bound train movement on the west each approach section, there are train can move over the crossing. ward track, there is an "outer indi two time-element relays, one of (2) A member of the crew can use cator "A" at the entering end of the which operates in 60 sec. and the his switch key to operate controller approach section; and a home indi other 75 sec. Both these time on a short pipe mast at the rear of cator "B" located about 50 ft. from element relays are set in operation "B" indicator which causes the the curb line of the street. The when the corresponding approach flashing-light signals to operate and "outer" indicators such as "A" track relay drops. The stick relay the gates to be lowered. Then the normally display green, and the of the 75-sec. time-element relay train can proceed over the crossing. checks the stick relay of the 60- home indicators such as "B" are Lunar White on Indicator "A" normally dark. sec. time-element up. At the end of the 60-sec. period, the "B" indi As previously explained, as a Typical Train Movement cator at the crossing changes from westbound train approached the As applying for a westbound green to red. At the end of the 75- "outer" indicator "A", that indicator train on the westward track, as th~ sec. period, the approach control showed green if the controls were train approaches, the outer indicator section, occupied by the train, is normal. On the other hand, if. the "A" displays green, which informs cut out of the control of the cross approach section had been occu the engineman that the controls are ing protection, so that the gates pied previously to initiate a timing normal and that he can expect that are. raised and the flashing-light period that had partially expired, the gates and flashing-light signals signals cease to operate. this "A" indicator would display a will operate to protect the crossing The change of the aspect of the lunar white aspect, rather than for 75 sec. after the leading truck indicator "B" at the crossing, from green. This lunar white aspect in of his locomotive passes indicator green to red, as mentioned above, dicates that an engineman is to "A", i.e., enters the approach sec gives the engineman 15 sec. ad reduce speed prepared to stop tion. This drops the track relay vance warning that the gates are short of indicator «B" at the cross which indirectly starts the opera to be raised. Accordingly, if he is ing. tion of the flashing-light signals and moving toward the crossing, he The main-track approaches, with releases the gates. When the gates brings his train to a stop short of the normal direction of traffic, are r- 50'~ ~ 50'1 B23tT :r C231T Lyn~h Ave. Gate 104 R A I l W A Y S I G N A l I N G and C 0 M M U N I C AT I 0 N S February, 1950 approximately 750 ft. long, and protection can be set in operation and Oakland, Cal. The 82.9- 1. each of these approaches includes either by using a key controller or section of this line between W eso, a hand-throw switch leading to an by occupying one of the 50-ft. sec Nev., and Alazon and the 177.6- industry, such as switch "F" in the tions beyond the curb line and W.P. line between the same points eastward approach on the eastward waiting for the gates to go down. are practically parallel, and a joint main track. This approach is cut The ends of this track circuit are trackage agreement provides for into two track circuits, C231 T and marked by small reflectorized eastbound train operations of both D231 T.

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