AWS Sounds

[E_Reeves]

Hi all,

Just wondering, what are the different types of AWS sound and when did they start to be used?

I know of:
- The old horn and single ding
- Horn and continuous bell
- Modern(er) horn and short(er) bell (used on class 57?)
- The modern basic horn and single ding
- The new electronic style used on new locos and units. Similar to the above.

Are there any more examples that I have missed?

Thanks

 

[Carlisle]

Hi all,

- The new electronic style used on new locos and units. Similar to the above.

I could be totally wrong but I first recall that type to be fitted to the likes of brand new class 60s and the Sprinter family of units onwards

 

[HarleyDavidson]

AWS/TPWS Mk4 actually talks to you.

Key on and it takes about 10-15s to activate, then it sounds the horn and a rather irritating female voice says: "TPWS/AWS operational".

Make a fudge of things and it tells you what to do.

SPAD - Contact the signaller.
Overspeed - Contact the signaller.

And when it goes wrong, it's a RPITA.

 

[Welshman]

The predecessor of AWS, which was the Great Western-devised Automatic Train Control [ATC], had a loud bell for "clear" and an equally loud whistle for "caution"

I suppose you'd expect to hear a whistle on a steam locomotive, but it seemed strange to hear it when sitting behind the driver in a 1st Generation Western Region dmu.

 

[satisnek]

I can remember sitting at the front of (I think it was) a Class 317 some years back and thinking to myself that I hadn't heard the old AWS 'clear' bell, which was emanating from the cab, for ages.

Class 150s have the electronic 'ping', I think they may have been the first.

 

[D365]

AWS/TPWS Mk4 actually talks to you.

Key on and it takes about 10-15s to activate, then it sounds the horn and a rather irritating female voice says: "TPWS/AWS operational".

Class 68s do the same as well it appears, there is a video on YouTube of a cab startup on a DRS "Open Day".

 

[slick]

On 3177xx 3178xx and 315s all retain the original bell for "clear" although the warning horns across the fleet vary so much, I can recall at least 5/6 different types from really low pitched horns to high pitched loud ones with completley different sounds! (Also dependent on if somebody has stuffed paper in it to muffle the sound) A case of whatevers in the maintenance stores at the time me thinks. Then the modern "chime" and warning for 3176xx 379 360 321 etc.


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