Here are a few photos from my workplace in Fagersta Central PSB, Sweden. Commissioned in 1960 and controlling about 35 miles of mostly single track on two different lines, it is one of the smaller PSBs, but still a major junction. The switches on the main panel is used to set routes, while the lower ones are for setting individual points and release ground frames. The red switches are for cancelling routes and/or replace signals to red (without cancelling the route).
At Fagersta Central the Ludvika - Fagersta - Kolbäck (-Västerås) line crosses the single-track Krylbo-Frövi main line. The former has mostly passenger service, with an hourly Västerås-Fagersta service, extended to Ludvika 7 times per day. One service in each direction is through to Stockholm. The Fagersta - Ludvika section is worked by very traditional telephone block. The key you can see on the far left of the panel is used to clear the exit signal after receiving permission for a train from the next box down the line.
The main line has intense freight traffic, being a major north-south freight connection. It also has 6 passenger trains a day, with some occasional long distance sleeper services, mostly in the winter season. When these photos were taken, the main line was closed for planned engineering works, hence the collars.
All in all, we get about 90 through trains on a normal weekday, and plenty of ECS workings on that, bringing the total movements to well over a hundred.
As you can see in the photos, several shuntnecks, sidings, points, the parcels platform and one goods loop has been lifted. This happened during the 80s and 90s and as traffic has increased again we do miss some of these a lot. The box is sadly scheduled to close in late 2018, and control transfer to the regional control center in Gävle.
Comments and questions are welcome!
At Fagersta Central the Ludvika - Fagersta - Kolbäck (-Västerås) line crosses the single-track Krylbo-Frövi main line. The former has mostly passenger service, with an hourly Västerås-Fagersta service, extended to Ludvika 7 times per day. One service in each direction is through to Stockholm. The Fagersta - Ludvika section is worked by very traditional telephone block. The key you can see on the far left of the panel is used to clear the exit signal after receiving permission for a train from the next box down the line.
The main line has intense freight traffic, being a major north-south freight connection. It also has 6 passenger trains a day, with some occasional long distance sleeper services, mostly in the winter season. When these photos were taken, the main line was closed for planned engineering works, hence the collars.
All in all, we get about 90 through trains on a normal weekday, and plenty of ECS workings on that, bringing the total movements to well over a hundred.
As you can see in the photos, several shuntnecks, sidings, points, the parcels platform and one goods loop has been lifted. This happened during the 80s and 90s and as traffic has increased again we do miss some of these a lot. The box is sadly scheduled to close in late 2018, and control transfer to the regional control center in Gävle.
Comments and questions are welcome!
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