(1) Introduction
Some years ago in the 009 News, I wrote something about signalling a narrow gauge railway. This resulted in several replies, one by Derek Naylor who put in a few useful corrections from his own signalling experience. Although I don
It certainly interests me Ted, as my layout will be FR/WHR based signalling is something I need to consider.
As you know from previous email exchange, Ted, I don't know much about signalling, so seeing how you've gone about it will be very useful.
I've got that diagram you drew for the signalling arrangements I'll need stored safely away for when the time is right.
The addition of signals is certainly something that adds to the realism of a layout.
Definitely interesting. the IoSR is contemplating this as we speak, after all I've got a signal box for St Ruth amd there is one for Port Lucy too so some signals might be a good idea.
John W
Thanks, all - I will gather some photos of Dunalistair from my website to describe and illustrate the signalling at the harbour end of the C&DR, then I'll be back. ;)
(2) General principles, and a look at Dunalistair
Each station basically is signalled with a home and a starter each side, with a splitting home (bracket or single post) at Dunalistair and Inverlochan, to guard the split between running and goods lines. Starting signals are at platform ends or in some cases at station limits. Where they are at platform ends, they may be passed up to a limit of shunt sign. I
Ted
I do not know much about signalling but a signalling engineer of my aquaintance advises that in relation to old british narrow gauge lines less rather than more signalling would be the norm probably as little as one could get away with under BOT rules. His advice to me was that for a simple passing station or indeed larger passing staion with more than one loop the basic signalling required would be homes guarding the approaches to either end of the station with authority to proceed to the next station being possession of the single line staff and a cheery wave from the guard. In other words two signal arms only required.
The Irish tended to provide more signals and I think I would be correct in saying your layout appears to have much more in common with Irish lines from the point of view of traffic, complexity of layout etc.
As to current day 'preservation' lines some appear to have minimal signalling whilst others appear to indulge in a full signalling, signal box etc. I remember on one preservation line, which will remain nameless, a long running resistance by the committee to granting those preserving S& T equipment the right to build a signal box, erect signals etc as this would inevitably mean the BOT inspectors would have to visit and approve and once you erected a box at one end of the line than one at the other would be required and life would get much more complicated and wrapped up in red tape!
Malcolm
You are of course quite right, Malcolm. There is much more to signalling than the signal posts themselves as basic signalling is nothing but a set of rules, and a hand signal by the guard to proceed is a signal in itself. Having the single line staff on the engine is effectively a 'clear' for the next section, unless there are additional signals. What you write about the Irish lines being more densely signalled, and my borrowing from the Irish practice is correct. But I would also like to point to the Ffestiniog, which in the early days before it became a light railway was quite heavily signalled.
Although it is perfectly correct to build a narrow gauge line with minimal signalling, to me model signalling is another interesting aspect of modelling. It is a complete world of its own, and very interesting to figure out what is really needed for safety reasons and what you could get away with and why. Like the signalman waving a flag from the box instead of having a shunt ahead signal on the starters!
Here is the next instalment:
(3) Rae Bridge
Apart from being the most important intermediate station, this is the junction for the Glenfinnan Extension Railway and the Creag Dhubh Mountain Tramway. The branch is worked on the one engine in steam principle. The electric trams share the road section, diverging from the branch off-stage, and I imagine the road section is being released by the Rae Bridge signalman after a telephone call from a booth at the off-stage junction. As yet there is no point indicator on the point leading off the road section to the tram depot, just behind Rae Bridge station. There is a gate with a red diamond on it (a signal in itself) over the connecting line:
(https://forum.009society.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.009dutch.nl%2Fcdr%2Fmain%2Ffoto%2Fmotivepower%2Fother%2Fsmall%2Fp4224405a.jpg&hash=00171afadd96977b5f2ad136c2627802aed67d2f)
The main line itself, before Rae Bridge was rebuilt some years ago, was signalled very simply with a home and starting signal each end. This changed with the rebuilding and at the Dunalistair end provision had to be made for the branch junction. The home signal is now a splitting home with two arms on one post, the lower one of which (just visible above the distillery overbridge) is cleared for the branch, and the upper for the up main platform road:
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The (crossbar) starting signal shown in the photo above is the limit of shunting at the Dunalistair end of Rae Bridge. Effectively this is an advanced starter, leaving space for an engine and three or four vehicles during shunting moves. Next to the junction point at the platform end there are two signals. One is the branch home at the bottom of the connecting line from the branch, and the other is the platform starter for the down platform road. They cover the junction point in the down direction and each needs to be cleared for an engine to pass, otherwise power is interrupted:
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The exit from the works yard is covered by a miniature signal disk modelled after a Highland Railway prototype (see photo above). It works in conjunction with the yard point. For some reason there is no backing signal from the up platform past the yard point. There are limits to what I want to represent!
Finally, the other end of the station. There used to be a starting signal at the wrong end of the track, just beyond the footbridge and positioned low down so it could be seen under the footbridge span by the engine drivers. There was a limit of shunt sign against the road overbridge. Following a discussion in the 009 News I was convinced the starter should be moved up against the overbridge. I then fitted a short arm platform starter to the footbridge (it really is on a separate frame which doesn
It seems I forgot to write about the Rae Bridge down home signal and the fixed distance beyond the tunnel under Creag Dhubh. The down home has a repeater arm on a tall post that mainly serves to remind the operator about the setting of the signal. The signal arm itself is low down to be visible for the driver of a down train as it comes out of the tunnel. As the home signal cannot be viewed from afar, there is a fixed distant at the entry of the tunnel. This requires all trains to slow to a walking pace through the tunnel. Note the distant arm is painted like a home arm as they all were pre-WW1.
Here is a photo of the home signal repeater arm peeping over the bridge:
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The fixed distant in Glenclachan Gorge:
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Thanks for those , Ted. Interesting and it is always a pleasure to look at pictures of your empire. Definite food for thought. I once got someone on the FR to draw me what signals he thought my layout should have and there were so many I never built any! I'm wondering if the new working Dapol jobs will be modifiable for NG use, probably the n gauge ones... Hmm.
John W
Probably there is a lot of difference between present day signalling on the FR and what they used in the 19th Century. This was before the Regulation of Railway Act when every railway pretty much used its own standards. I used a few non-standard signals as 'relics' of early days on the C&DR.
Adapting the ready-made Ratio signals shouldn't be too difficult. You may have seen I use parts from the LNWR signal kits and some of them are the short arm version.
John, I had a look at some of the Dapol signals in my local model shop yesterday, the N gauge ones are quite stubby, around 40mm high. They look very neat, though.
I must have had a senior moment, still thinking Ratio. The Dapol ones look very good and they might just do the job in 009. If you use the 2mm ones I would put a slightly bigger arm on the existing one though, perhaps using thin styrene sheet.
(4) Inverlochan
To complete the tale of signalling the C&DR, here is the final instalment describing Inverlochan. This is by and far the simplest station on the entire railway. It has a colliery yard which has a simple run-round loop. Access is from the main line a short way inside the home and starting signals. Next, there is the goods siding which also is accessed from the main line.
Inverlochan has a combined home and starting signal on a single post. The home signal is a splitting home with the arms set one beneath the other on the post, indicating the clear route either for the main line or for the colliery yard. This signal is built from brass, with Ratio plastic arms. On the reverse side of the post is the starting signal, as shown in the following photo:
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At the moment there is no yard exit signal from the colliery yard, a serious omission, although the signalman at the tiny box is only a few yards away. So for the moment we will accept the use of flag signals for this purpose!
At the Craigcorrie end of the platform, right up to the colliery tramway overbridge, is the up starting signal which is also controlled from the mechanical lever frame. There is no down home signal provided as it would be beyond the tramway bridge, and in consequence there is no lever either