COLOUR LIGHT SIGNALS

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 7 January 1928, Page 9

COLOUR LIGHT SIGNALS

NEW RAILWAY SCHEME

A CCOfi'DLN'G to “'The Times,” the Southern Railway announces that it is about to embark on an expenditure of £150,000 on the installation Of colour light signals in substitution for existing semaphore signals. Colour light signals consists of powerful electric beams concentrated on the driver’s eye which are of great assistance in foggy weather as they can be seen much farther away than can semaphore signals. Tht" new system has been installed during the last year or two at a cost, of £IBO,OOO on the Ilolborn Viaduct to Elephant and Castle and Charing Cross, Cannon street and Borough Market junction sections., of the line. It has proved so successful that it is held by the railway officials that it is the most efficient method known of dealing with the intensive services which have to be handled in the inner London area, especially in foggy weather. When the work is completed the Southern Railway will have the most extensive in•,st a Haiti oil) '-of multiple aspvo.t colour light signalling in Europe, if not m the world. Two lines are now to be equipped with colour light signalling. _ The first portion is the .natural extension of the Charing Cross-Canon street Borough Market Junction scheme completed last year, and in addition the various connections between the Eastern and Central Sections lines between London Bridge and these points will bo included. **This work is estimated to cost, about £60,000. The second portion of the scheme takes in the Central Section Station at London Bridge, and in-

eludes all lines from that terminus down as far as Bricklayers Arms Junction and Old Kent road. The estimated cost of this scheme is £90,000, and it is hoped to have both sections completed and ready for use by June. 1928. The first section will be equipped with the four-aspect signals in the same wav as the previous sections, but on the second portion —that, is, on the Central Section at London Bridge —a modified system will be introduced, and will consist of three-aspect equipment, the signals and their meanings being: — Green, “All right, proceed;” yellow, “,Be prepared to find next signal at danger; ” red, “ Sotp.” With regard to the decision to install this “three-aspect.” apparatus on the Central Section lines instead of four as on the other sections, a Southern Railwav official explained that the number of aspects introduced was governed by the spacing -of the signals in relation' to what is known as the “braking” distance. By this is meant the distance within which the driver can bring his train to a stop. On tne Central Section from London Bridge terminus station the lines are not used for goods trains, which as a rule require greater distance in which to come ito a stop than passenger trains, and the connection' and signalling sections I are so situated that it will be possible jto work the new signalling apparatus Ifor passenger trains with only the one yellow or warning signal. The whole ■of the work of fitting this now appnr'atus will be performed by the Southern Railway’s own staff.