End-of-train signal
A train end signal is used in railway operations at the end of a train and marks the end of the train . With its help, the completeness of trains can be checked visually by the staff of the railway company.
Purpose of the end-of-train signal
The end-of-train signal is part of the system for the secure operation of several trains following one another on the same track or in the track block system.
With simple technology, the information about the occupancy and driving on a track section is recorded visually and transmitted by telephone or telegraph ( train notification procedure ). The presence of the end-of-train signal is checked by the dispatcher of the train sequence station and when it is recognized, the route section behind is reported as being free of occupancy by rail vehicles. Only then does it authorize the admission or release of further train journeys in the relevant route section. If no final train signal is detected, a train separation must be assumed, i.e. parts of the train are still on the respective track and subsequent train, blocked or shunting runs must not be permitted in order to avoid accidents.
With many track diagram and remote-controlled signal boxes, the end of the train is no longer visually determined. The end of train detection as a prerequisite for the next journeys is replaced by track vacancy detection devices. On lines with a functioning automatic track vacancy detection system , visual monitoring of the end of the train is not necessary. Nevertheless, the train end signal cannot be dispensed with. In malfunction and other exceptional cases or if there is If, for example, the local guidelines (DB) require, the dispatcher or other company railroader must be able to determine beyond any doubt the completeness of the train that has driven in or driven through.
Types of train end signals
Train end signals consist of either signs (daylight) or lights (darkness), depending on the ambient light conditions. They are shown in pairs - on the left and right - at the bottom of the last car at the stern.
According to UIC Code 532, freight wagons must be equipped at each end with two signal supports at the same height with a horizontal distance of more than 1.3 m and a maximum height of 1.6 m above the top of the rails. Passenger cars built from 1979 onwards must have two red signal lights at a recommended height of 1.6 to 2 m above the top of the rail, with a light intensity of at least 15 candela .
Germany
In Germany, a distinction is made between daytime and nighttime signals for the Zg 2 signal . The end of the train on the last vehicle has the following tags as a tag:
- a red and white or red and yellow board or
- two red and white or red and yellow panels or
- the night signal of the signal ( vehicle lighting ).
The following signs are permitted as night signs:
- one red light or two red lights or
- a retroreflective sign of the day or
- two reflective panels of the day sign.
The night sign with red light is allowed to blink. The light bulbs used are white, only the colored discs in front of them turn the signal into a red light. LED lights are generally used in new- build vehicles. If an electrically operated end-of-light signal is available and usable, no other symbols may be used.
Switzerland
In Switzerland, the last vehicle leads down at the back:
- a red light or
- a red flashing light or
- two red lights on the same level or
- a red and white striped disc
Austria
In Austria, the last vehicle on a train or side journey is :
- a steady red light or
- two red continuous lights arranged on a transverse axis at the same height above the buffers or
- a round retroreflective disc with a red circular area with a white border or
- a rectangular reflective sign with white triangles on the sides and a red triangle above and below or
- two rectangular reflective signs with white triangles on the sides and one red triangle each at the top and bottom on a transverse axis at the same height above the buffers
In the case of trains being pushed in , the final signal may remain on the last car.
historical development
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In the early years of the railway and up to around 1980, the end-of-train signal consisted of clip-on signal lamps, so-called superstructure lamps. These were placed on the side signal supports on the last car so that they were visible to the front and back. In this way, the completeness of the trains could also be determined from the locomotive or from the driver's workstation high up in the baggage car. For this purpose, these lanterns had light exit openings for red light to the rear and white light to the front as well as the unlit white-red day symbol on the sides. The lamps were operated with petroleum. There were lighting calendars for changing from day to night signs and vice versa. Well-preserved superstructure lanterns are valued by railway enthusiasts.
Since the 1960s, due to the experience with the continuous brake and with vehicles with built-in tail lights, the visibility of the front end signal has been dispensed with. The signal supports were then placed in the end walls above the buffers. Another reason was the need to climb into the vehicles under overhead contact lines.
The operation of the kerosene lamps was laborious, because they had to be refilled and cleaned every day and readjusted about half an hour after lighting to avoid soot. Experiments with electric battery lights were also unsatisfactory. After 1980, maintenance-free reflectors or flashing or flashing lamps were introduced, initially in a form of their own in most of the countries of the European standard gauge network. These had to be changed at the borders, especially on freight trains. Only since 2006 has the use of foreign end signal signs been largely permitted.
Electric end signal lamps have been permanently installed in railcars since the 1920s and in passenger coaches around the end of the Second World War. In most countries this built-in final signal also consists of two red lights at one height, but there are exceptions. For example, in Spain two red lights below the roof edge and one on the right below, this signal was also used in the Soviet Union. In Sweden it's a flashing red light. The final signal can be switched over for some types of wagon and increasingly also for locomotives for international use.
Simplified train end
In addition to signal Zg 2, a simplified train end was and is also possible in Germany. During the day it consists of a red, round disc with a white border, which is suspended from the right buffer, and at night it consists of a red lantern. In the German Signal Ordinance of 1907 it was listed as Signal 16a , in the Signal Ordinance of 1935 as Signal Zg5 . The Kleinbahn signal order from 1926 also lists it as Signal 6 . Initially, it only applied to individually running railcars and locomotives, but was later also approved for train journeys under simple conditions. In the signal order from 1987 it is carried as signal 102. If the infrastructure operator's regulations provide for it, the simplified train connection can still be used today.
See also
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ V2 Signal Regulations § 30 Train Signals
- ↑ Michael Kelm: The Prussian end-of-train signal and its application on small and private railways . In: The Museum Railway . No. 4 , 2018, ISSN 0936-4609 , p. 26-28 .