semaphors

B

baz66

New member
I'm not very good at why railways run so someone (I'm sure) will answer this question and give the facts. Just the facts.
I got s&c today and it has lots of semaphore signals. Please explain (hello Pauline) the reason behind the yellow and red ones. Why are some with dual arms red-red or red-yellow. Would appreciate some knowledge of this curious railway phenomina. Is it only in GB or do other countries follow suit. OZ, europe ?
baz
 
On posts with a single signal arm, a red signal arm is known as a home or starter signal and cannot be passed in the 'on' position (horizontal with a red light = stop). These can be preceeded by a distant signal with the yellow arm. These can be passed in the 'on' position (horizontal with a yellow light = proceed with caution). In the 'off' position, both signals can be passed.

On posts with two arms where one is red, the other yellow, is basically the same as the above where there is perhaps limited distance to the next home signal. The yellow arm applies to the state of the next home signal.

Where there are two red arms on a post, things start to get more complicated. If one is at the top of the post and another near the bottom, this is a co-acting signal designed to overcome sighting issues and both display the same instruction.

If 2 or more red arms are close together at the top of the post, they will refer to a route setting ahead (I'm not sure if there are any of these in the S&C route, I can't remember). Generally the uppermost signal is the lefthand route and each subsequent arm down is the next route to the right.

The more common route indicator would be two posts on a platform with the left hand post referring to the left hand route ahead and so on. For this type of signal, the same basic rule applies as for the home and distant signal.
 
I thank you for your info very much.
For someone who has never been anywhere near the front of a train, That is good info. I did once take a trip on the zig zag railway near Mt victoria and I can still remember the sheer drops and the rattling that is part of that trip.
Also, at the top, there was a lot about the history of the railway which I personally liked more.
baz
 
If ypu are intereted in British signalling try to get hol;d of a book (several editions) called "Red For Danger" by R.C. Holt. Think I got the authors name correct. It is actually about train accidents from the Dawn of the railway to the 1950,s although in one edition another author added a chapter detailing later accidents. Generally the book describes the system of signalling in place before the accident, the events leading up to the accident and how the system was changed as a result. What the book does in effect is to give you a much better understanding of railway signalling and how it came about. Foe example ground frames and later on signalboxes were introduced as a direct result of a serious accident involving a train of children returning to a normally quiet station from an excursion.
 
Thanks colourlight. I'll look up the name on google. This signalling business has got me very curious.
baz
 
@colourlight (and others)

I have in front of me now the 'Red For Danger' I purchased years ago.

Inside the cover in pencil is $7.50 which back then was a large amount for a hard cover book.

Inside it says:
First published 1955 by John Lane
New extended edition in 1966
Second impression published 1971

By L.T.C. Rolt

Mine is the 1971 version and is a great read.
I have also read the soft cover book, but it does not cover as much as the hard cover.

I can recommend this book to anyone interested in railways.

Dennis
 
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