GB746735A - Improvements relating to automatic control of railway car retarders - Google Patents

Abstract

746,735. Railway car retarder brakes. GENERAL RAILWAY SIGNAL CO. Oct. 1, 1954 [Oct. 1, 1953], No. 28376/54. Class 103 (1). In a track retarder control mechanism for railway sorting yards using car retarders such as that described in Specification 303,446, [Class 103 (i)], wherein a car or cut of cars passing from the single approach track to any of a number of classification tracks 1-12 will pass through successive retarders such as Nos. 1-5, as shown in Fig. 1, the weight registered by the cars in passing over the weighting rail WR is successively passed in advance to weight storage means for successive retarders along the route, each retarder being arranged to determine in dependence on the weight registration stored thereby the extent of the braking to be applied by the appertaining retarder. The retarder control system includes the use of radar speed detecting apparatus, which actuates speed registration means for use in conjunction with the weight storage means for determining the extent of braking to be applied, and provision is also made for correcting for the curvature effects in different tracks and for cancellation of weight storages should there be insufficient spacing between the cars. As shown in Fig. 3A, the weighing rail WR operates a shaft 20 which closes contacts between finger 30 and fingers 31, 37 or 39 according to whether the car passing is of light, medium, or heavy weight classification, thus actuating weight relays 1LW, 1MW, and 1HW. Figs. 3B, 3C and 3D show part of the circuits by means of which the weight registrations are passed to relays 2W1, 2W2, 3W1-1, 3W1-2, 3W2-1, 3W2-2, 8W1, 8W2, 10W1-1 and 10W2-1 for storing weight information that is transferred from one storage unit to another as each associated car progresses, such transfers being governed by the transfer relays 2TN, 2TNP, 3TN-1, 3TN-2, 3TNP, 8TN, 10TN-1. Figs. 7 and 8 illustrate schematically by block diagram the manner in which speed control and other relays 4CK, 4XR, 4TN2, 4TNP, 5CK, 5XR, 5TN, 5TNP are governed by speed responsive apparatus associated with car retarders Nos. 4 and 5. Such block diagrams include units providing correction on account of variations in the track resistance due to curves. The high-pass electronic filters control relays 4LS, 4MS, 4HS, 5LS, 5MS and 5HS for indicating relative low, medium and high speeds of cars progressing within a speed range requiring retardation. The block diagrams also include the radar speed responsive apparatus. Fig. 11 shows a block diagram illustrating the manner in which correction is made for curves in the track according to the destination of a car. Fig. 12A illustrates by track diagram the progress of a car from the hump to classification tracks 1 and 2 in Figs. 1 and 13A is a sequence chart showing the mode of operation of the control apparatus for respective stages of progress of a car towards the tracks. U.S.A. Specifications 2,038,112 and 2,194,353 also are referred to.