Facing point lock conundrum

[Steve M.]

In a traditional signal box with all the levers in the normal position, any facing point locks would not be engaged and the associated points not locked. As the usual position of any FPL levers is reversed and therefore locking the corresponding points is this setting considered 'normal', ie. with the lever reversed. In other words is an FPL point lock lever considered as normal when in the reversed (pulled) position ?

 

[LowLevel]

In a traditional signal box with all the levers in the normal position, any facing point locks would not be engaged and the associated points not locked. As the usual position of any FPL levers is reversed and therefore locking the corresponding points is this setting considered 'normal', ie. with the lever reversed. In other words is an FPL point lock lever considered as normal when in the reversed (pulled) position ?

Facing point lock levers are either locked in normal or locked in reverse, they can be either depending on local practice. The lever is still in it's normal position in the frame and reversed in the frame regardless of what the lock itself is doing.

Of the boxes I work 2 lock normal and 2 lock reverse.

 

[P Binnersley]

At Bewdley South on the Severn Valley Railway FPL No 12. is between a pair of crossovers and locks one point when normal and one when reverse.

 

[John Webb]

St Albans South had two crossovers between the two slow lines, one facing, one trailing. The former switched down trains into the Up slow platform for terminating, the latter was used to take service trains terminating at the Down slow platform back onto the Up slow, and in that use became a facing point and needed locking. So one lever was used 'Normal' to lock the facing crossover, the more common position, and 'Reversed' to lock the facing point formed when the trailing crossover was in use.
There was a 3-aspect ground-mounted colour light signal between the two slow lines which signalled trains across the trailing crossover onto the Up slow line - this type of signal was used due to limited platform space.

 

[MarkyT]

In my experience, FPL levers usually lock their associated points when in the reverse position but it can be in either or both, as others have explained. There are also so-called 'economical' FPLs which are operated by the same lever as the points with various designs of mechanisms - one example is shown here: http://www.valleysignals.org.nz/track/economicalfpl.html

Economical Facing Point Lock
An economical facing point lock (FPL) allows a switch and its associated lock to be operated with one lever. This page documents the operation of an economical facing point lock, using structures in the Hutt Valley area (with public access) as examples.

Many traditional style electric point machines have the equivalent of an economical FPL mechanism incorporated inside the casing.

 

[R G NOW.]

In some of the old signalling plans I have.The points are shown on some, that is, that the locks stand either in or out in the normal lever position. Looks like it was done like by whoever designed the systems. Most of the plans I have are from the line that ran from Andoversford to Cirencester, which is a midland railway design.

 

[MarkyT]

An FPL locked for straight route with the lever in the normal position is quite common in small ground frames where the FPL lever is also the GF release lever.

 

[R G NOW.]

An FPL locked for straight route with the lever in the normal position is quite common in small ground frames where the FPL lever is also the GF release lever.

Some also had to a key to unlock them. Sometimes a key token also unlocked them.

 

[MarkyT]

Some also had to a key to unlock them. Sometimes a key token also unlocked them.

Yes that can avoid having any electrical equipment at all attached to an uncovered purely mechanical frame which is great for reliability. The electrical annetts key release instrument would be safe and dry in a cupboard nearby, or as you say the mechanical release could work by inserting the single line token itself in the lock on the frame. Sometimes with a trainstaff there would be a separate key attached permanently to the staff, or the staff might have an annetts key formed into its end. Lots of variations and possibilities.

 

[Nippy]

Greenford No 8 points are locked with FPL 9 in the frame, to reverse you have to pull lever 9 to unlock, pull lever 8 to move the crossover and then put 9 back in the frame to lock and do the same to normalise...

 

[furnessvale]

Greenford No 8 points are locked with FPL 9 in the frame, to reverse you have to pull lever 9 to unlock, pull lever 8 to move the crossover and then put 9 back in the frame to lock and do the same to normalise...

Rhat is the sort of point locking I was accustomed to when visiting boxes, not as a signalman or directly involved in the signalling side I hasten to add.