LARGEST IN THE WORLD.

Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 114, 15 May 1924, Page 15

LARGEST IN THE WORLD.

NEW SIGNALLING STATION.

STDNET INNOVATION. RAILWAY IMPROVEMENT. (From Our Own Correspondent.) SYDNEY, May 10.. The new combination of automatic

signalling Installed in the Central Railway Station yard, Sydney, is stated to to the largest of its kind in the world, and makes for absolute safety in its operation. During the change-over last week-end, and for some days afterwards, the run- ! ning time-table was thrown out considerably by the new system, but now • that its working has been perfected the j train traffic is normal and travellers ! have a chance to realise how remark- ] able the installation is in its entirety. Its main feature is that it establishes complete control of the yards, which the old system did not possess. It is much larger than anything previously constructed, and contains three floors. The ground floor is used for the storage of power, the second for the batteries and' wires, and the top for the levers which work the signals. Above tne levers are replicas of the lines they control, and as the train approaches under the con- i trol its progress can be followed over the criss cross of lines right into the plat- j form. j The same tell-tale records the depar- i ture of the trains, and follows them until they pass beyond the jurisdiction of the new system, at the Illawarra junction. Once the light disappears the expert operators know the line is clear for other traffic. I

It is stated that an accident is impossible provided the drivers respect the signals. The installation is so perfect that if even the rear carriage of a train still remains on the line the light shows it, and the operator knows that the line is not clear.

A new telephone system has also been installed, from which experts can communicate with any parts of the Central yards. These officers will be known as the train directors.

The officer in charge, discussing the new system wth a party of visiting pressmen, said that there was no railway terminus in the world like Sydney. Here, with a population of a million, all the passengers are conveyed to one station. In other large centres the trains are run to various stations in the area. This is one of the problems the Railway Department will have to face at a later date.