Block Sections

The state of a block section is characterized by two values: the voltage and polarity of its power supply. While the voltage determines a train's speed, the polarity determines its direction, provided that the engine of a train remains within the particular block section. There are naturally two directions for a train to go which are called clockwise or counterclockwise in the context of the model railway. The voltage is controlled in 8 levels from 0 (power off) through 7 (maximum speed).

There are basically two different kinds of block sections: long and short ones. A long block section is equipped with two velocity meters near the block section limits and trains are allowed to stop within such a block section and wait until the following block section is available. In contrast, short block sections provide no velocity meters and trains are not allowed to stop. This means that trains must be able to proceed to the next long block section along their route before they are allowed to cross a short block section.

Clemens Grelck
generated on: Mon May 31 10:19:12 MET DST 1999