Block Posts on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
A block post in
A block post in railway signalling
Railway signalling (), also called railroad signaling (), is a system used to control the movement of railway traffic. Trains move on fixed rails, making them uniquely susceptible to collision. This susceptibility is exacerbated by the enormou ...
is the signal box
In signal processing, a signal is a function that conveys information about a phenomenon. Any quantity that can vary over space or time can be used as a signal to share messages between observers. The ''IEEE Transactions on Signal Processing'' ...
at one end of a block section
Absolute block signalling is a British signalling scheme designed to ensure the safe operation of a railway by allowing only one train to occupy a defined section of track (block) at a time. This system is used on double or multiple lines where ...
.
German practice
In Germany, block posts are known as ''Blockstellen'' (abbreviation: ''Bk'') and are defined as railway facilities on the open line that mark the end of a block section, as part of a block system. They usually have ahome signal
The application of railway signals on a rail layout is determined by various factors, principally the location of points of potential conflict, as well as the speed and frequency of trains and the movements they require to make.
Non-provisio ...
in each direction and on each running line. They are mainly found where the distance between two railway stations is greater than average.
In the early years of the railway, block posts were local signal boxes manned with block post keepers. Today there are only a few of these classic, railway staff-operated block posts. Their function has been largely superseded by equipment that forms part of an automatic block signalling (''Selbsttätigen Streckenblocks'' or ''Sbk'') system or by a central block post in a station signal box at one end of the section between two stations.
Block posts are described in the German railway regulations, the '' Eisenbahn-Bau- und Betriebsordnung'' or ''EBO'', at § 4 sub-paragraph 4. :de:Blockstelle at German Wikipedia.
See also
* Automatic Block Signal * Centralised control *Block signalling
Signalling block systems enable the safe and efficient operation of railways by preventing collisions between trains. The basic principle is that a track is broken up into a series of sections or "blocks". Only one train may occupy a block at a ...
*Signalling block systems
Signalling block systems enable the safe and efficient operation of railways by preventing collisions between trains. The basic principle is that a track is broken up into a series of sections or "blocks". Only one train may occupy a block at a ...
*Token (railway signalling)
In railway signalling, a token is a physical object which a train driver is required to have or see before entering onto a particular section of single track. The token is clearly endorsed with the names of the section it belongs to. A token sys ...
References
Railway signalling block systems Railway signalling control {{rail-transport-stub