Levers with black and white stripes?

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4rail
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Joined: Thu Jan 15, 2004 2:11 pm
Location: Cairns - Great Barrier Reef

Levers with black and white stripes?

Post by 4rail »

Hi
I just found this brand new forum so i thought I'de give it a try. Last time I traveled on the Sunlander from Cairns to Brisbane I noticed lots of ground frames at nearly every station and they all had one lever that was black and white stripes. They had other levers to. Dose anyone know what the black and white lever is for. ide like to know.
Thanks.
yours 4ever, 4rail.
Statkowski
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Joined: Mon Jan 19, 2004 11:45 pm
Location: Cherry Tree, Pa., U.S.A.

Levers with black and white stripes?

Post by Statkowski »

Levers painted black indicate they control a switch (or turnout, or set of points). The white stripe would indicate an electric, not mechanical, connection.
4rail
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Joined: Thu Jan 15, 2004 2:11 pm
Location: Cairns - Great Barrier Reef

Post by 4rail »

Thanks for the suggestion. I don't think that right but. There is always just one of these levers at every ground frame and it goes black white black white stripes all the way down the lever. Any other suggestions.
yours 4ever, 4rail.
Statkowski
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Location: Cherry Tree, Pa., U.S.A.

Post by Statkowski »

After re-reading the previous postings, I may have mis-read something. If the lever was black (or blue, or red) with one horizontal white stripe about halfway up, then it'd be an electrical connection to whatever device it was (in the USA, at least). The posting implies an alternating black-white-black-white all the way down. If this is the case, then one might be obliged to ask someone who works with such things.

Visited an interlocking tower in Melbourne (N.S.W.?). Noticed they had wire connections between the interlocking machine and the switches (with a second notch on the machine to pull up the slack when the wire expanded). Have never seen such in the USA, nor do any publications here make reference to such. All mechanical connections between "Armstrong" machines and switches/signals/locks/derails were pipe-connected with compensators to take expansion and contraction into account. Of course, pipe connections could be fun in the wintertime with snow and ice build-up. But, when there's snow and ice outside, it's always nicer to be in a nice warm tower instead of hoofing up and down the tracks coupling and uncoupling cars.
pathsearch
Posts: 3
Joined: Mon Mar 08, 2004 3:04 am
Location: uk
Contact:

Post by pathsearch »

Statkowski wrote:After re-reading the previous postings, I may have mis-read something. If the lever was black (or blue, or red) with one horizontal white stripe about halfway up, then it'd be an electrical connection to whatever device it was (in the USA, at least). The posting implies an alternating black-white-black-white all the way down. If this is the case, then one might be obliged to ask someone who works with such things. . .
In UK - From:

Guidance Note: Signalling Control Centres
Railway Group Guidance Note
GK/GN0525
Issue One
Date October 2003

http://217.33.37.196/docushare/dsweb/Ge ... Gn0525.pdf

Part E, para E1.9

Alternate black/ white chevrons:
Detonators

Chevrons point up for up line or down for
down line; on single lines, chevrons point in
both directions

or alternatively

Black:
Points, Scotches, Derailers, Quadrants, catch blocks and boxes

Additional horizontal white band:
Any lever released from another signal box

The latter looks possible as the GFs presumably are released from a remote signal box or control centre.

Australia seems to be a glorious mix of UK and (later) US practise![/url]
Are we nearly there yet?
Guest

Re: Levers with black and white stripes?

Post by Guest »

4rail wrote:Hi
I just found this brand new forum so i thought I'de give it a try. Last time I traveled on the Sunlander from Cairns to Brisbane I noticed lots of ground frames at nearly every station and they all had one lever that was black and white stripes. They had other levers to. Dose anyone know what the black and white lever is for. ide like to know.
Thanks.
In Victorian (Australian)Signalling, a Black and White lever is a closing lever, ie you can switch in or out a frame. In simple terms either lock a frame into a certain position, or set it to automatic/manual operation ( if frame is controlling electrical ites only). The lever is half black half white.

In practise you have to unlock this lever to move other levers, even if there are only one other lever on a groundframe - a common NSW practise. This lever is usually locked by padlock or a annett key.

I image the same in Qld.

Regards,
David Head

PS if you are ever in Mebourne, come by DVR on a Sunday and ask for me, and I'll show you our signalbox fully based and operating like a Real signalbox...
mckenzie

black and white levers on QLD ground frames

Post by mckenzie »

Hi Guys,
The black and white levers are released by a higher interlocking, be it a nearby signal box, or control panel (CTC). When these levers are placed reverse, the mechanical locking frees the points lever, normally black.
Guest

Post by Guest »

Hi mckenzie and others,

Presumably there would be a corresponding release lever on the "higher interlocking". Would it also be black and white stripes? :?:
mckenzie
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Joined: Sat Dec 11, 2004 1:33 pm
Location: Bendigo, Victoria
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Post by mckenzie »

The 'lever' in a higher interlocking is normally the same paint scheme, i.e., black and white, but if its released from a switch panel, in Victoria it is black with a blue band, in N.S.W. it it is plain blue, and most other places it is white with black on it 'somewhere'.
QR Driver

QR Ground Frames

Post by QR Driver »

All ground frames in Queensland have a black/white lever, this is the Release lever which must be reversed/pulled to operate the rest of the levers in the frame. Most frames you have to contact control which
electrically releases the frame signified by a white light called a free light then the black/white lever is able to be pulled reversed to use the frame as required. When finished return the levers to normal in interlocking order with the release lever the last to throw back inform control and if everything correst free light extinguishes and frame locked for normal running.
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