Railway Construction — John Stuart Mill — John Shaqi
Railway Construction
John Stuart Mill · en
Fig. 506 shows the arrangement applied to a double line with the
outlying siding turning out of the UP main line, the points lying in a
trailing direction for the running trains. Before the special and
_only_ key can be withdrawn from its seat in the interlocking frame of
the signal cabin, all the UP main line signals must be set to
_danger_, and cannot be moved from _danger_ until the key is restored
to its proper seat again. When the key is removed from the signal
cabin, it can be taken to the ground frame at A, inserted in the key
opening, and by turning it partly round, will release the bar which
locks the levers of the facing point bolt-lock and the points. When
these two levers are free the points can be opened, and vehicles moved
into or out of the siding B C, but the special key cannot be withdrawn
from the ground-frame A, until the points and facing point bolt-lock
are put back again into their normal position for main line working.
When the operations at the siding are completed, the special key can
be removed, and taken back to its proper place in the signal-cabin,
and ordinary working be resumed.
Fig. 507 shows the application of the detached locks on a single line,
and is a sketch of a portion of railway on which there is a small
station B, with a goods siding F G, where the traffic is too small to
require anything more than ground frames and detached locks. An
engine-driver before leaving the station A, receives a train staff,
which gives him possession of the line as far as C, including of
course the intermediate station B, and this staff he must carry with
him and hand over to the signalman on his arrival at the end of the
section at C. At each of the points D and E is placed a two lever
ground frame, similar to the one shown in Fig. 506, and attached to
the train staff is a key, which will operate either of the two ground
frames, but only one at a time, as the key must be inserted before the
levers can be moved. When the train is proceeding in the direction
from A to C, it will be more convenient to shunt vehicles into or out
of the siding F G, by means of the points E, but when proceeding from
C to A, the points D will be more convenient. Whichever of the points 334
be used, they must be set, and bolt locked for the main line before
the train staff and its key can be withdrawn from the ground frame and
restored to the engine-driver. As the siding is _trapped_ at F and G,
it is impossible for any vehicles to be moved out on to the main line
except through the medium of the train staff and key. The same
arrangement of detached lock is equally available for a single siding
with only one set of points.