Railway Signals in Goyanes

Railway signals in Goyanes evolved from electro-mechanical semaphores that changed position to indicate track block status. Before then though, railways employed “track officers” to manage sections of track using hand gestures, line-of-sight techniques, and physical tokens that had to be passed from train to officer and vice versa. This was wildly inefficient, and as the railways grew, technologies were developed to reduce collisions and improve railway safety. Starting with the Grand Trunk Railway and spreading quickly around the nation, electric track circuits that controlled semaphore signals began to take hold. The process started in the 1870s, but by the 1890s, Goyanes’ railway network was fully electronically signaled.

Modern signals in Goyanes use color-light technology, supplemented primarily by the Automatic Train Control (Automatisk Vagenkontroll - AVK) system.

Color Light Signals

Signals in Goyanes use anywhere between two and six aspects. The color aspects are designed to be used in conjunction with the AVK system, however they can function independently of each other, i.e. signals without AVK can govern speed restrictions and AVK without signals operates just fine. AVK operates semi-independently of color signals on HHT lines, and on many secondary lines signals operate independently of AVK.

The primary types of signals in Goyanes are organized into two types: main signals (hovedsignalen) and distant signals (vørsignalen). Depending on the distance between track blocks, a main signal and a distant signal may be combined, however they can and often are separated.

Because in the Goyanean system more green lights means a more restrictive condition, it is not fail-safe and lamp proving circuits are used to ensure safe operating conditions.

Speed limits imposed by the color-lights only apply to trains without AVK equipment. Trains without AVK equipment follow the speed restrictions made by the signal or by posted signs beside the track. Trains with AVK equipment follow the speed directions of the AVK system, but use the color lights to determine the status of the track ahead.

Main Signal (Hovedsignalen) Aspects

Signal		Meaning	Notes
	Danger	The train must not pass the signal without permission from dispatch. Permission may come via radio or through a shunting signal allowing permittivity.	If authorization is given to pass a signal at danger, the speed limit is 30 km/h.
	Proceed 100	The train may proceed past the signal at a maximum of 100 km/h, posted sign speed, or at the speed AVK provides.	There is a safety overlap several meters in front of the signal, so the signal will change to red as it passes the signal.
	Caution 50	The train may proceed past the signal at a maximum of 50 km/h, posted sign speed (if lower) or at the speed AVK provides. The next signal is between 400 and 800 meters away and is at danger, the train must stop before the signal.	If the next signal is more than 800 meters away, this aspect will usually not display. Sometimes this signal will be used to slow trains down for a diverging route, or to mandate a speed restriction.
	Proceed 100, expect Danger	The train may pass the signal at 100 km/h, posted speed, or at the speed AVK provides. However, the next signal is at danger and the train must slow down and stop before it. Two-aspect signals can show Proceed 100, expect Danger with only one flashing green light (right image). This is somewhat of an oddity on the network.	The next signal is between 800 and 3000 meters away. If the next signal is more than 3000 meters away there will be a separate, freestanding distant signal.
	Proceed 100, expect Proceed 100	The train may pass the signal at 100 km/h, posted sign speed, or at the speed AVK provides. The next signal is also displaying a Proceed 100 aspect.
	Proceed 100, expect Caution 50	The train may pass the signal at 100 km/h, posted sign speed or at the speed AVK provides. However, the next signal is displaying a Caution 50 aspect, so the driver must slow down and expect to pass the signal at 50 km/h or the speed AVK authorizes.
	Caution 50, Short Block	The train may proceed past the signal at a maximum of 50 km/h, posted speed (if lower), or at the speed AVK provides. The next signal is less than 400 meters away and is at danger, the train must slow down immediately.	In some situations there is no next block, instead the line ends ahead, i.e. at a terminal station.