Mechanische Stellwerke-Ausländer fragt.

[Piotr Szajko]

First of all I would like to apologize for using English instead of German. Unfortunately I don't feel fluent enough in your language to speak on technical topics.
My name is Piotr Szajko and I am a student at the Technical University in Wrocław. I am writing my engineer diploma on topic: "History of mechanical interlockings". I would like to describe all kinds of mechanical interlockings common in Poland. I know the site: stellwerksfotos.de and I must say it is very helpful in my topic. Although photos of interlockings (in pretty bad resolution) aren't good to point out differences between several interlocking types (bauart?).
I have several questions but I don't want to ask them before I get to know that there is someone willing to speak with me and help me a bit.
Does anyone know if there are books similar to "Einzelbauarten der Weichen- und Signal-Stellerei Max Juedel" but from other manufacturers? Or maybe someone in German has already written a book about differences and history of mechanical interlockings?
Thank you in advance and I am looking forward for any answers!
Piotr Szajko
PS. I hope you don't mind copy-pasting this post to another German forum?

[Spirit of ChristianMUC]

There are books concering the mechanical interlocking type "Einheit" from the 1920's, when this type of interlocking was introduced. For older technologies i don't know books with detailled descripton. But - as there are a lot of interlockings of the different originally german types in Poland - i think there must be descriptions in polish language. Did you ask at the PKP infrastructure company? I guess, there are still a few hundert mechanical interlockings from german companys working in Poland.

[Boris Merath]

Please ask your questions - i can't guarantee you that we can answer you all of your questions, but we will try it.

For books about mechanical interlockings please contact me directly. I would prefere if you could use an instant messaging service like ICQ, MSN, Skype or Gadu-Gadu, but also e-mail would work.

How much time do you have to de your work? Perhaps I can organize more books, but it would take some time.

[ropix]

Well, there ist one book describing the different types of interlockings used in Preussen before the invention of the "Einheitsstellwerk" called "Die Mechanischen Sicherheitsstellwerke Band 2" written by Samuel Schreiber. It covers interlocking machines from Jüdel, Gast, Lehmann, Scheidt und Bachmann (but I have never heard of them in Poland), Willmann, Fiebrang, AEG an Zimmermann and Buchloh. That is http://www.amazon.de/Die-Mechanischen-Sich...ischen-Staatsei ]available at Amazon [/URL]as a reprint and has a lot of drawings. The differences between the different constructors are explained (but of course in German)

[Piotr Szajko]

There are books concering the mechanical interlocking type "Einheit" from the 1920's, when this type of interlocking was introduced. For older technologies i don't know books with detailled descripton. But - as there are a lot of interlockings of the different originally german types in Poland - i think there must be descriptions in polish language. Did you ask at the PKP infrastructure company? I guess, there are still a few hundert mechanical interlockings from german companys working in Poland.

Actually the most popular type of mechanical interlocking is Einheit (or Polish Einheit-like type) so it is well described in Polish literature and to be honest it is the only type described in acceptable level of details. Of course I mean, let's say, public literature. I have a strong feedback from PKP PLK (Polish infrastructure company) and I am afraid that knowledge about non-Einheit types is in the brains of people who work on them and maintain them. I haven't found or heard about any written maintance instructions for non-Einheit types of interlockings. Polish literature is pretty poor on this topic. Of course there is mentioned that after WW2 there were original German interlockings but no drawings or even names of manufacturers are included.
As far as I know there are not THAT much original German interlockings. They still exist but I doubt that there are still few hundrets

Please ask your questions - i can't guarantee you that we can answer you all of your questions, but we will try it.

For books about mechanical interlockings please contact me directly. I would prefere if you could use an instant messaging service like ICQ, MSN, Skype or Gadu-Gadu, but also e-mail would work.

How much time do you have to de your work? Perhaps I can organize more books, but it would take some time

Time doesn't matter at all. I have to finish my work by the end of this year. I have already started research, documentation and writing. I can't get too deep in the topic so it won't be too detailed work. As long as there are no essential errors it will be good and acceptable engineer diploma. The thing is I am going to continue this topic as a hobby. So the deeper I get, the better for me

Well, there ist one book describing the different types of interlockings used in Preussen before the invention of the "Einheitsstellwerk" called "Die Mechanischen Sicherheitsstellwerke Band 2" written by Samuel Schreiber. It covers interlocking machines from Jüdel, Gast, Lehmann, Scheidt und Bachmann (but I have never heard of them in Poland), Willmann, Fiebrang, AEG an Zimmermann and Buchloh. That is [url=http://http://www.amazon.de/Die-Mechanischen-Sich...ischen-Staatsei senbahnen/dp/1168464315/]available at Amazon [/URL]as a reprint and has a lot of drawings. The differences between the different constructors are explained (but of course in German)

Thank you very much for the link. I presume it is impossible to get this book in Poland so I think I am going to order it soon.


Here are some questions I have in mind now:
1. According to the website www.stelwerke.de the main pre-Einheit manufacturers were Juedel, Bruchsal and Zimmerman und Bucholch. Comparing the photos of several products of different manufacturers I find it hard to accept the previous statement. Do those three manufacturers patented their own solutions to basic elements of interlocking systems? I don't know the English words but I mean Blocksperren, Fahrstrassen, Befehls, Zustimmungshebel and Verschlußregister. How significant is the difference between the Mentioned Three and the rest of manufacturers? Comparing photos I can see some similarity. Luckily I will soon be able to see on my own some different non-Einheit interlockings so maybe it will solve my problem.
2. The Einheit standard was introduced in 1920. Does it mean that after 1920 every single manufacturer in Germany produced only Einheit interlockings? The individual ideas and solutions were abandoned?
3. Here you can see http://stellwerke.pechstein.net/index.php?...mid=26&catid=74 Polish P.46 (I guess 46 means year of introduction but so far I haven't found any confirmation) Schluesselwerk. The author describes this as M43 beacuse of the similarity of hebel shape. Is the 43 the year of introduction? Are there any drawings of M43?
4. I am afraid I don't understand what is the German Befehlsbwerk word for. I have seen several photos and I think I still don't get it right. Dictionaries aren't usefull at all. I can see this Befehlswerk is connected with station and or line blocks. There are hebels (Fahrstrassen hebels?) but I can't see any connection with "ground devices" like signals itself (or signalweichen). Is it somehow connected with mechanical station block?

Hopefully I have written this in understandable form.
Thank you very much for all your replies! I don't know how I will repay to you

[ropix]

Hm... - I will repeat in different answers because writing one becomes to confused.

4) the Befehlswerk. Normally with the Einheit-Typ we don't need that. You have - for a normal station - two inerlockings. One with a Fahrdienstleiter (the person who has the controll over the whole station. He accepts and announces the trains on the route and gives permission to the other interlocking controlls to set signals to green), one with a Weichenwärter. (that Person who relies on the permission of the fahrdienstleiter)

With the older types, all Signal Boxes were dependend on permissions from a Fahrdienstleiter which was settled in the station. He has the Befehlswerk to give permission to the signal boxes. So because he only gives permissions (but does not anything with the exterior) he only needs block fields for the permissions and Fahrstraßenhebel so he cannot give permissions which are exclusive.

[ropix]

To the M43. We have M43 for mechanical and E43 for electrical. It is said to be "inventend" in 1943 (but I'm a little incredulous - 1943, we all had other problems than a new construcion of interlocking?)

I have never seen drawings of the M43 type. But all pictures from Pechstein definitely look like M43

[ropix]

2) yes, the companies switched to produce Einheitsstellwerke after 1920. In 1921 there was one station build from one company with Einheit on the one edge of the station and their old system interlocking on the other edge. But thats seems unique in germany.

Before 1920 some testings were done. So some firms used parts of the new for their old signal boxes (which can be seen at Jüdels lock for route-locking-block)

The Einheit officially consists of the best ideas of the old systems and should unite all the advantages. (Well - I don't think they have always managed to get the best ideas, but they tried )

The big signal firms began to fusion which at last leads to the VES. (united signal equipment manufactur)

[ropix]

1)

The biggest companies I think were Jüdel and Bruchsal (in some areas called Schnabel and Hennig, Factory Bruchsal). There were many firms installing a interlocking machine after the patent of one of the two. Next important were Zimmermann and Buchloh, AEG and perhaps Siemens (Siemens has equiped the K & K monarchy with interlockings).

Bruchsal has not so many identical parts with Jüdel. I think the same screws were usable for both. Zimmermann locks identical to Jüdel on the first view. And if you can inspect one I think that will stay by the first view. It realy has some differences in the Verschlussregister or how levers are designed.