Lower Quadrant
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Lower Quadrant
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The Bennett Brook Railway is home to the only operating Lower Quadrant Signals in Western Australia. Although the railway is yet to be fully signalled, the most commonly used form of signal in WA, the Lower Quadrant, is being put into place on the BBR by our signalling dept. Currently Mussel Pool station is fully signalled, with all trains operating under the guidance of the lower quadrant signals found there. Other signal masts are to be found around the Whiteman Village Junction station precinct, some of which are operable and others still to be commissioned. Currently all of these signals are operated mechanically from the signal cabins using signal "Wire and Pulleys". Some future signal additions will see the use of Electric signal motors to operate them. This will allow signals to be operated from the Signal Box or Automatically when signal boxes are unmanned..
MOTORISED
LOWER QUADRANT SIGNALS GRS (General Railway Signal Co.) electric signal motors were initially
used on the upper quadrant signals which were installed on the old Eastern
Railway between Bellevue and Koojedda circa 1928. Some of the motors were subsequently used on lower quadrant signals especially on distant signals where the distance from the signal cabin to the signal was too long to use a signal wire pulled from a lever in the signal cabin. The most prominent use of motorised lower quadrant signals in WAGR was the pair of 4 doll bracket signal gantries at Pier Street Perth directing trains into Perth Station from the Midland and Armadale lines. Two of the signal motors from these signals have been generously loaned (on a long-term basis) to BBR by Rail Heritage W.A. As part of the project to signal the Whiteman Village Junction (WVJ) Yard, use will be made of motorised lower quadrant signals as outer-home signals on the 3 approaches to WVJ. At the time of writing, only the Mussel Pool Line is completed. The outer home signal protects the station yard during shunting and run-around movements preventing another train from entering that section of track. The signal rests at “danger”. On approach of a train, the signal automatically sets to
“clear” providing that there is no train in the section between it and the
station platform. Once the front of
the train passes the signal, it reverts to danger. The power to run the signal motor is derived from batteries charged by solar panels.
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Bennett Brook Railway Webmaster N. Blinco
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