Controlling the Trains

On entering the traffic control centre of the London Midland Region one can see the “train board”– a diagram occupying one wall showing all the running lines, sidings and yards. At desks facing the board sit the controllers responsible for various stations into which the district is divided. Each has a desk telephone switchboard through which he can talk or be called by numerous stations, signal boxes and sidings. He can also talk to other controllers in the same room or other offices in the building .He has a good view of the whole board and can watch all events on the railway.

A network of telephone lines spreading throughout the country links stations, signal boxes and marshalling yards with the traffic control offices of British Rys. The staff of controllers receive reports of running trains and keep records showing the state of traffic at any moment.

Unit 3 The Operation of Trains

All railroads are divided into divisions in order to simplify the problem of running trains. A division may be of different length. Each railway has two kinds of trains: regular trains and extra trains. A regular train is a “ scheduled” train, a train listed on the railroad time-table. Regular trains may be both freight and passenger ones. Passenger trains are subdivided into fast expresses, which have long runs and make few stops and local trains which stop at all stations. Freight trains are used for carrying goods. Some freight trains make few stops during their runs and some freight trains stop at small stations to load and unload freight. “Extra” trains are not scheduled in the railroad time –tables.

One of the main passenger train problems is to run time-table trains to meet public requirements. There are some basic principles on which passenger trains have to work. The branch trains tend to be late on their return journey to the main line. This results in delays to expresses. Therefore, close supervision is necessary at every station. Suburban services involve special considerations, the chief of which are the development the possible line capacity. In normal times there is a large passenger business apart from the ordinary trains.

In winter most special trains run in connection with sports. In spring and summer the railway devote much attention to excursion business. In addition to the constant watch on punctuality there must be a watch on the loading of trains.

The examination and collection of tickets are to be done in the train while it is on its way.

Exercises

I. Mind the translation of the words “some” and “the same”:

1.All hump yards are constructed on the same principle.

2.Some trains run only between terminals on a single division.

3.Some trains have their terminals on different divisions.

4.Up and Down yards are on the same side of the line.

5.The work of the flat and hump yards is not the same.

6.Some of the sidings were removed..

7.Most of the traffic control centres are of the same design.

8.Some countries change the gauge on their railways.

9.Both trains run at the same speed.

II. Translate the sentences, paying attention to the word “it”:

1.It is necessary to prepare traffic schedules as soon as possible.

2.Our age is called the age of automation. It is also called the age of computers.

3.It is known that marshalling yards are being provided with computers.

4.The rail becomes longer when it is hot and becomes shorter when it is cold.

but

1.It is in the freight yards that the journeys of all freight trains begin and end.

2.It is the computer that made train operation really automatic.

3.It is the dispatcher who controls all the train operations.

4.It is the switch that makes the train pass from one track to another.

5.It is the main-line tracks that carry the largest volume of traffic.

III. Mind the translation of the word “one” (“ones”):

1.A hump yard is one in which the wagons are pushed up a “summit” by an engine.

2.One must know the difference between the hump and flat yard.

3.The new hump yards will be more effective than the old ones.

4.The first train arrived at one p. m., the second one at two. The one that arrived the first was dispatched on the same day.The other one was dispatched some days later.

5.All railroads, except the very short ones, are divided into sections.

6.The one who drives the locomotive is called a driver.

7.One should mention that a train dispatcher must be very attentive.

8.The “Aurora” train is one of the most popular.