What utter bollocks, or are you trying to suggest that there is no need for facing point locks on single track lines etc?! A facing point is to do with direction of traffic, not the track layout.
All points on passenger carrying lines at a terminus are both facing and trailing for example.
Sorry, should have looked like this:-
facing in the opposite direction.
Correct. However, in the UK the term means facing/trailing *in the normal direction of traffic*. Trains on double lines in the UK generally travel on the left, therefore any pair of points at which you can be switched when travelling in the normal direction etc etc is facing, and any pair of points which joins your line from behind you (so to speak) is trailing. If you draw past a pair of trailing points and reverse over them then they become facing to your movement. If your movement is a passenger train then they must have either a facing point lock (FPL) worked from the signalbox or be manually clamped and padlocked before the movement takes place.
It isn't, but believe it, I'm not making it up. Welcome to the bizarre and surreal world of British pre-Grouping railways. This is the country that built most of its rail network in the space of 20 years over 100 years ago and still doesn't have a standard system for coupling two vehicles together.
The Midland Railway (not the LMS, that was later) avoided facing points wherever possible. A perusal of any MR track plan will bear this out. Where other companies provided loops to recess goods trains for faster trains to pass, the Midland provided a trailing siding into which the train had to be reversed. The LMS and BR later converted some of these to loops but the lay-byes at Ais Gill were there until the box closed in 1980something (?) and the ones at Kirkby Stephen are there to this day.
Where there HAD to be a facing connection (Hellifield, Settle Junction for example) then one was put in as even the MR conceded that reversing passenger trains at one of its major junctions was a bit daft, but as built there was no facing connection at Hawes Junction (Garsdale) as the Hawes branch was NER and nothing to do with the Midland. Trains from the south had to reverse to get onto the branch.
No doubt numerous people will now post examples of MR locations with goods loops...
Stuart.
How rude. What he meant was that for signalling and maintenance purposes, because all points on a single line are facing to passenger movements at some point, then they are treated as facing points for the purposes of deciding whether to fit FPLs, and how often to test them etc. But then you knew that...
As Martin perfectly explained further down his post, which was (to my mind) a very clear and not at all at odds with what you are saying.
On any line with bi-directional running, such as single-track line, all points are facing for one direction of running. If such runing is of a passenger train, a facing-point lock is required to be fitted.
Which seems to sum up exactly what you are saying. Now what exactly is 'utter bollocks' about that?
Did you read anything beyond the first paragraph of this post before rubbishing it?
passenger
them
Err the OP was asking what a FP is, not how they work or protected etc.
necessarily facing in the opposite direction.
Define normal, it's now customary to fit locks to all points (normally within the actuator) due to the operational problems cause if passenger trains need to traverse trailing points in a reverse direction - it was once common to have PW / S&T men standing by points with temporary point locks in hand.
Trains on double lines in the UK
points
effect), but how else is
track by any other
bizarre
country
Yes it does (or should I say, did), it had it before the first world war, guess what you saw / see if you drop a buck-eye coupler [1], it's only in the last 30 years that operating problems have been caused by the use of non (RCH) standard coupler in the attempt to lessen the work involved in coupling stock...
[1] The SR Cig and Big stock (built early '70's) used buck-eye couples but behind them there were standard coupling hooks, whilst every unit carried an screw coupling amongst it's 'emergency tool kit'. I also suspect that ever Mk3 coach had the same coupling arrangement, although I don't have any personal experience of their draw bars.Sorry everybody else. Could somebody please tell me how to do a killfile on IE6 ? Thanks.
Stuart.
RTFM...
Then block your own out going messages so we don't have to suffer your utter ignorance.
"Stuart." wrote
Your 'killfile' is in your email software (Outlook Express?) rather than IE.
In OE click on a message from the person you wish to block then go to Message > Block Sender. It's done!
John.
Aha ! Wrong application. Thanks John.
I understand what you all mean now. One track is reserved for up traffic exclusively while the other is reserved for down traffic. The points are arranged such that in the normal direction of travel on these tracks there is a minimum of facing points.
The concept is only valid on directionally dedicated multiple track lines.
Well within my ability to understand, it just didn't occur to me that the tracks were directionally dedicated. Some lines here do that, but none anywhere near where I live.
I think that whilst you are correct, the concept of facing points is more to do with the direction of travel against the point. This can be on a single line or multiple.
A facing point is, a "point" at which you arrive at the single end first (think it's called the toe) which then splits into two or more routes. A trailing point is, a "point" where you arrive at the multiple end first and where the road then becomes one.
Direction of travel from LH side of page :-
Facing point -----------\------------ \ \------------
Trailing point ------------/------------ / /--------------
As I understand it it is to do with the potential for a train to take the wrong road if the point blades move or give whilst a train is crossing.
If I have still got this wrong I am sure I will receive lots of advice and abuse.
Eddie <
Sorry made an arse of the trailing point drawing. Should be like this:-
--------------/------------- /
-----------/
Eddie.
Well most of us won't abuse you, although going by some of the other posts some might.
Kevin Martin
Here is an interesting instance of how a facing point was avoided for accessing the sidings at a passing station on a single-track line
Andy
Err that's a FACING point in the USA and other countries / railways that use left-hand workings !
Facing point
---> ______/_____
Trailing point
----> _____\______
Hi Andy,
In a long loop (or on ordinary double track of course), the diamond would also often have a trailing single slip connection.
Which has reminded me that I have this long forgotten page on my web space explaining the working of such a connection to avoid facing points:
Martin.
---------- email: snipped-for-privacy@templot.com web:
Oops, I mean *right hand* working.....
Don't worry, Jerry. We all know you make the occasional mistake, just like the rest of us!
TOS
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