Iga Tetsu Iga Line signals

[dmmedia]

Hello and thank you for such a warm welcome to this forum.

 

I am trying to model a part of Iga Line, which is located in Mie prefecture.

 

I have a question about Iga Line signals. It seems, that this type of signals is almost only type predominantly used all over the way. This is a round signal with 2 or 4 aspects (a or b on the picture). I am not sure about number of aspects, because I have found no information about this type of signals over the internet, but looking cab ride videos on Youtube revealed, that these signals might have 4 aspects. However I haven't seen that 2 horizontally placed aspects ever lit. The only variants I have seen are all aspects are black (c), top aspect is lit (d) and both vertical aspects are lit (e). And the only thing that is clear for me, that when combination e is lit, the train may proceed. Among the things I suppose, I believe, that these signals are related to the level crossings located between such signal pairs.

 

Image 1. Iga Line signals

 

 

So my questions are:

 

1) How many aspects does this signal type have?

 

2) How its aspects should be interpreted?

[kvp]

If these signals match the old hungarian tram signals, then two horizontals are stop (red), one dot is caution (yellow) and two verticals are go (green). Full dark is proceed (slowly) on sight. Some 3 lamp traffic light interconnected tram signals still have these dots as masks over the lamps, but they are rare. I'll try to check if my assumption is right.

 

EDIT: After watching a few cab videos, they are clearly the crossing indicators, vertical two dots is closed and clear, dark is open or moving and the two horizontals (where present) could be the obstruction indicators (crossing blocked). The line block signalling is clearly separate and uses 2 color signals which seem to show either red (stop) or yellow (proceed).

Edited October 14, 2017 by kvp

[dmmedia]

Thanks for suggestion.

 

I think, I'll never have obstruction on my layout (until I eventually decide to implement Faller Car System :) ), so I can ignore the horizontal aspects at the moment.

 

But I still wonder what could 1 lit vertical aspect mean? I have seen that in only one video, where the train came to the station, and the vertical aspects were dark, then 1 aspect got lit, and after the second got also lit, the train moved further. However in other videos 2 vertical aspect light both together.

 

My guess is only that it could be a proceed slowly signal, and there are 2 consecutive crossings nearby and while the 1st is closed and clear, the second is still open. And the reason, why train was not moving while only one aspect was lit, is that leaving time according to timetable was not reached yet.

 

This is especially important for the layout, since we commonly compress the space to not make layouts huge and I definitely will have more than 2 crossings nearby. And if my guess is correct, I should see single aspect lit signal more frequently.

 

Unfortunately, I do not know japanese, and my google-translate-fu is not that powerful yet to assemble this question with correct words.

[kvp]

While i couldn't find the japanese page for these signals, you could just wire the crossing clear switches in series, so no clear is given until all of them are fully closed. This would allow using a single larger white smd led to illuminate both lamps and give a more prototypical dark or two vertical lights pattern.

Edited October 14, 2017 by kvp

[dmmedia]

That's the choice between prototype mimic and prototypically correct operation. I should decide which one to choose.

 

Also it may come out, that my guess was incorrect. Maybe somebody else could clear the things up.

 

I have already googled and browsed through several japanese railway equipment manufacturers websites and still nothing. Perhaps this is custom or very old signalling system. Perhaps I should try to write directly to Iga Railway company asking my question, but as I remember, very few people can talk english in Japan.