Friday, May 31, 2013

Some Italian points, 2012

In 2012, we spent our holidays in Tuscany, near Lucca. Here are two postings with a few railway photos from that August. The first is about points (or switches, as the Americans call them) and a few other "things at tracks."

Here is the layout of the small station Fornaci di Barga in northern Tuscany, at the remote-controlled line from Lucca to Aulla through the valley of the Serchio river. The pink tracks have not been used for a long a time. The numbers of the points are my guesses from various letters on point machines or the like—they might actually be different:


There are only two tracks, a main track and a loop:

Fornaci di Barga, August 2012

The northern (Aulla) side is somewhat overgrown in summer. The points in the foreground are number 5:

Fornaci di Barga, August 2012

Fornaci is the place of numerous meets, therefore the points are kept shiny—but only on one side:

Points no.5, Fornaci di Barga, August 2012

A lock, which probably will never again be unlocked, guarantees that the points remain in the correct position for running movements. The blades of double slip number 8 most probably are dependent on points number 5, so that they provide flank protection for trains. Therefore, in addition to the empty lock (which locks the blades), there is another key which can only be removed when the points are lined up for the industrial tracks; and which is then used to unlock number 8:

Points no.5, Fornaci di Barga, August 2012

The hook near the lock is part of a simple blade lock. Here is the hook for the other blade. For simplicity, the counterpart of the hook is the rail base. At the top, there is the locking bar to the locks shown above:

Points no.5, Fornaci di Barga, August 2012

Points no.5, Fornaci di Barga, August 2012

Here are, once more, the points including the weight on which the number "5" is barely readable:

Points no.5, Fornaci di Barga, August 2012

Finally, here is a nameplate, probably from an overhaul some 25 years ago:

Points no.5, Fornaci di Barga, August 2012

The next points are the ones leading into the loop, numbered D1:

Points D1, Fornaci di Barga, August 2012

In contrast to the old external blade locks at points no.5, Italian electric point machines use internal blade locks. However, this sort of blade locks requires that the point machine is fastened very securely to the tracks. Here, one can see the necessary steel T bars:

Points D1, Fornaci di Barga, August 2012

As each blade is locked separately inside the point machine, there is a separate bar leading from the drive to each blade. Near these bars, there are separate locking bars which are used to check the position of the blades inside the drive:

Points D1, Fornaci di Barga, August 2012

This picture shows, in the background, the fouling point indicator of points no.5—a simple white beam between the rails meeting at the frog:

Points D1, Fornaci di Barga, August 2012

Finally, here are the double slip points (double slip switch) that have fallen into disuse long ago:

Double slip points, Fornaci di Barga, August 2012

The following picture shows, in the foreground, the lock mentioned above, which is necessary because of flank protection. Also these blades have blade locks using hooks below the rail base. One can also see some terminal box in the background and some cables, but I don't know their purpose (I didn't want to disconnect them and wait for some effect ...):

Double slip points, Fornaci di Barga, August 2012

Double slip points, Fornaci di Barga, August 2012

The opposite blades of the double slip points do not have blade locks:

Double slip points, Fornaci di Barga, August 2012

Double slip points, Fornaci di Barga, August 2012

Here are remaining parts of the double slip points, which had all us railway freaks puzzled when we were young:

Double slip points, Fornaci di Barga, August 2012

Double slip points, Fornaci di Barga, August 2012

The ensemble at Fornaci also contains somewhat desolate (but maybe still functional) track scales:

Track scales, Fornaci di Barga, August 2012

Track scales, Fornaci di Barga, August 2012

Here is another point machine, this time at the Lucca station. Also this picture shows that the blade locks are inside the drive, which is therefore connected to the rails with heavy steel sections:

Points D28, Lucca, August 2012

Points D28, Lucca, August 2012

Finally, here is a double insulated joint, also at Lucca:

Insulated rail joints, Lucca, August 2012

For what, however, one needs two double insulated joints side by side, I do not know:

Insulated rail joints, Lucca, August 2012

Insulated rail joints, Lucca, August 2012

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