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THE TELEGRAPH ORDER SYSTEM
The Telegraph Order system may sound very confusing and mixed up. Even at the Railway College most students just cannot get a proper understanding of the system. Unfortunately if they fail the Telegraph Order test they have to rewrite the whole exams.
To understand it better note that in the event of a train being dispatched from a station to cross opposing trains, the Train Control Officer is responsible for issuing orders for the train departing from his station as well as for the opposing trains back to his station. The orders for the opposing trains are carried by the drivers of the outgoing trains and exchanged at the crossing point.
The Telegraph Order system is used throughout South Africa.On various sections it is the normal method of train control Where the Van Schoor system is in use and the instruments should fail or a tablet get damaged or lost, the instruments must be sealed and Telegraph orders introduced until the Van Schoor instruments are back to normal. Where the Wooden Train Staff and paper ticket are the normal method, Telegraph Orders will also be introduced in case of a Staff being lost or badly damaged. Also in case of a Staff being at the wrong end of the section, which could cause a serious delay, the Staff will be locked up and Telegraph orders introduced.
Telegraph Orders can be worked over sections of any length, regardless of how many crossing places may be in between. Should a Telegraph station which is normally open be closed, that station becomes an interloop and the section is extended to the following open Telegraph station*
*Telegraph stations are manned stations.
It will be noted that where the Wooden train staff is in use, the unmanned stations between two Telegraph stations are Token stations whereas on the Telegraph order system the closed stations are Interloops.
A………………..b………………c…………….D…………..e………………f………………G
Normal Telegraph section is A to D. if D is closed the extended Telegraph section will be A to G.
The following train orders are used for controlling trains;
A ORDER – Station to station order
C ORDER – Station to interloop order
E ORDER – Interloop to interloop order.
G ORDER – Interloop to station order
Train # 1 is ready to depart. The Train Control Officer at A will by means of Phone or Radio contact the TCO at D. They will then exchange messages A and AI for train # 1 to go through to D. A will then complete an A order in duplicate. The original copy is filed at the station and the duplicate handed to the driver. The driver if satisfied that the information in the Order is correct may then depart and run right through to D.
After arrival of train # 1 at D train # 2 will be ready to depart and the TCO at D will communicate with the TCO at A. A is expecting train # 3 and they decide on crossing trains # 2 and 3 at b. Simultaneously they decide on train 3 also crossing train 4 at c.
Messages B and BI are then exchanged for train 2 and 3 to cross at b, and another B and BI for # 4 to cross # 3 at c The TCO at D will then complete a C order for train # 2 to proceed to b. (Station to interloop) He will also complete an E order for train # 3 to proceed from b to c. Both orders are handed to the driver of # 2. He will then complete another C order for # 4 to proceed from D to c. He will also complete a G order for # 3 to proceed from c to D. Both orders are again handed to the driver of #4.
The TCO at A will complete a C order for # 3 to proceed to b. He will also complete a G order for # 2 to proceed from b to A and another G order for # 4 to proceed from c to A. The C order and the two G orders are then handed to the driver of # 3. The C order is his authority to proceed to b. He will then hand the G order, made out for # 2 to the driver authorizing him to proceed to A. The driver of # 2 will hand the E order which he received from the TCO at D to the driver of # 3, authorizing him to proceed from b to c. The driver of # 3 will hand the G order to the driver of # 2 to proceed from b to A.When #3 and # 4 meet at c orders will once again be exchanged, the driver of # 3 obtaining a G order to proceed from c to D and the driver of # 4 a G order to proceed from c to A.
D station is closed at 10.00 and is regarded as an interloop. Stations A and G then exchange messages for # 5 and # 6 to cross at e. A hands the driver a C order to proceed to e and a G order for $ 6 to proceed to A. G hands a C order to # 6 to proceed to e and a G order for # 5 to proceed to G. The orders will all be endorsed " Station D closed"
A order dating back to 1913
C order dating back to 1913
