Danish Signaling, Exit Signals

Updated 990405

Contents

 Introduction
 Exit Signal Types
 Exit Signal Aspects and Indications
     "Stop" (Danish: "Stop")
     "Stop and Proceed" (Danish: "Stop og Ryk Frem")
     "Proceed" (Danish: "Kør")
     "Proceed Through" (Danish: "Kør Igennem")
     "Conditional Stop" (Danish: "Betinget Stop")
Exit Signal Useage
     Location of Exit Signals
     Copenhagen Suburban Lines
Peculiarities
 
Comments to this document

Introduction

Exit signals are found on almost all stations today. Their main purpose is to mark the exit from the station area and thus act as a sort of "entry signal" to the line.

Exit Signal Types

Exit Signals may be divided into two physical and two logical types. The physical types are a 2-lamp and a 3-lamp type as shown below. A variation of the 2-lamp signal is a 4-lamp signal found on the "S-Bane" (the Copenhagen Suburban Network) includeing two yellow lamps for a cab signaling aspect.

Logically Exit Signals are divided into advance signaling Exit Signals and non advance signaling Exit Signals. Non advance signaling Exit Signals are found where the next Main Signal is preceeded by a Distant Signal. Non advance signaling Exit Signals are marked by a yellow plate with a black letter "F" on the mast (left).

Non advance signaling Exit Signals are always the 2-lamp type. Advance signaling Exit Signals on main lines are always the 3-lamp type. Almost all double track on the S-bane features the 4-lamp Exit Signal type while one line features a 2-lamp advance signaling type and yet another features all three types. Some installations vary from the rule.

Exit Signal Aspects and Indications

"Stop" (Danish: "Stop")

 
  • Stop 
X X X X

"Stop and Proceed" (Danish: "Stop og Ryk Frem")

 
  • Stop, then proceed to next Main Signal. Maximum speed in the block after the Exit Signal is 60 km/h (40 mph). Next Main Signal must be expected to show "Stop"
X X X

"Proceed" (Danish: "Kør")

 
  • Proceed at prescribed speed
X X X X
  • The signal does not convey information about indication on the following Main Signal
X      
  • Expect next Main Signal to show "Stop" (A following Entry Signal may show "Proceed" or "Proceed Through" with a permitted speed of less than 75 km/h)
   X X X
  • Trains with active Cab Signal: Cab signal will govern
X X X X

"Proceed Through" (Danish: "Kør Igennem")

 
  • Proceed at prescribed speed. Next Main Signal shows "Proceed" or "Proceed Through" with a permitted speed of at least 75 km/h
X X X
  • Trains with active Cab Signal: Cab signal will govern
X X X

"Conditional Stop" (Danish: "Betinget Stop") (S-bane only)

 
  • Train without active cab signal: Stop
X
  • Trains with active Cab Signal: Cab Signal will govern
X

Exit Signal Useage

Location of Exit Signals

Exit Signals at Platform Tracks

In the example below, Exit Signals are placed at the end of the platform tracks. This configuration has gone in and out of use when resignalling and is therefore primarily found on installations older than the mid-50s or newer than the mid-80s. This configuration is only used on minor stations with 2-4 platform tracks, most of them on single track lines. The Exit Signal acts both as the signal protecting the line and as the signal informing which train is to depart. The rightmost configuration is an older configuration (still in use) where the Exit Signals for all tracks are placed together to form a Signal Group (Danish: Signalbillede).

Exit Signals with another Main Signal at Platform Tracks

In the most common application of Exit Signals their main purpose is to control access to the line outside the station, rather than point out which train is permitted to leave the station.. The latter task is then carried out by a signal placed at the end of the platform track, while the Exit Signal is placed near the Station Limits, usually with the Switch Limit Board on the same mast.

Exit Signal at the Switch Limit combined with Platform Exit Signals is by far the most common configuration. Where the distance between Platform Exit Signals and Exit Signal is short, no Proceed aspect can be shown on the Platform Exit Signal, unless the Exit Signal shows Proceed. On single track lines this is almost always the case as the low traffic volume does not justify the extra complexity of the interlocking. The Exit Signal is controlled by the Line Block System though a release mechanism keeps it at "Stop" until the station interlocking locks an Exit Route.

In many such configurations, the Exit Signal can be regarded as superfluous but a reason for the "extra" signal is to avoid having failed switches or track circuits in the station area lead to a train having to proceed onto the line past a signal showing "Stop". It is also likely that the "extra" signal now and then catches a train having overrun the Platform Exit Signal and on its way onto a (perhaps) single track line.

Exit Block Signals are sometimes found instead of Platform Exit Signals on stations with older interlockings. A common reason is that the station previously had Exit Signals at the Platform Tracks and no block on the line. When Line Block was added it was connected to a new Exit Signal and the old Exit Signals were then converted to Exit Block Signals.

Exit Signals with Exit Route Signals

A previously fairly common configuration on larger stations was a common  Exit Signal for all Exit Routes, with individual Exit Route Signals near the Platform Tracks to indicate which track could be departed.

Copenhagen Suburban Lines

On the Copenhagen Suburban lines is used a special cab signaling and trainstop system called HKT (Danish for
"HastighedsKontrol og Togstop" - "Speed Check and Train stop". Using this cab signaling system, trains do not
use lineside signals, but instead move between HKT Stop Marker signs. For a description of the Exit Signal when using cab signaling, please refer to the Platform Exit Signal and the Automatic Block Signal documents.

Peculiarities

Sorry, no real peculiarities come to mind...

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