Pre and past 1910 on Epoch I and II until 1935

Hi All, 

the continental Epoches are different to the british Epoches, specially in their beginnings, when their 1rst train run. 

In Germany or better I say at Bavaria the 1rst running train was the Stephenson 2-2-2 Patentee known as our "Eagle" Train. One locomotive with two open freight cars and passenger coaches of all 4 classes.
The "Eagle" run between Nuremburg and Fuerth onto a short Distance by nearly 70 Km/h and was the fastest connection between both towns.

During Epoch I it gave lot of own Imperial Kingdoms or own Counties onto German spoken Territory.
Nearby Cassel (Kassel) in northern Hessia the Friedrich Wilhelm North Railway used the 1rst at Henschel in Cassel built Locomotiv the "Dragon" an early 4-4-0.
In later years some more Dukes and Kings started Railways. 
The bigger kingdoms established own State Railways.
In 1871 after the won war against France the German Reich with a Kaiser (Ceasar) had been declared aat the mirrow hall of the Versailles Castle nearby Paris in France.
In 1875 gave the 2nd Chamber of thegerman Parlament a new Law and Rules to all existing Railways in Germany. These rules were for  operating and building railways (EBO), Signal Rules (SO) and Military Railway Rules (MBO). 
1875 is marking the 1rst central giving rules to all Railways.
In 1905 are created New more complex rules. The older rules became invalid.

This Drawing is showing you different types of Home Semaphore Signals.
The Arm was in the past a lattice Arm and all Semaphore were upper Quadrant signals.
The backside of the Signal Arms showed the negative Site of the normal view. The Arm was red with white rand From backside and white with red rand from frontside.

In 1910 gave it some important changes to the before signal rules.

First we are talking abaut the pre 1910 Signals. 

It is in general not from interest how the semaphore arm looks like, so the ball or square in the right end of the arm helping to identifying their Silhouette by sunrise or sundance.

It gave Semaphores with 1, 2 and 3 Arms for same direction. The upper arm is same for all kind of Home Signals.

In the drawing the left Signal is showing the Hp0 Aspect in "Stop" position. Night Sighn: red lense over with shining lantern.

The second signal from left showing the Hp1 Aspect in "Go" position. Night Sighn as inner Home Signal a white light as Starter Signal a green lense over white shining lantern.
All following turnouts will be in straigt position. 

The 3rd Signal shows the Hp2 Aspect in "Caution" position.
Night Sighn: two white or green lights. One following turnout will be following in diverging route parallel to the main route. It is possible that such signals have two coupled arms so that the Hp1 Aspect never will be shown. Speed Limit is 40 Km/h.

The 4th Signal is showing the Hp3 Aspect "Caution". Night Sighn: three white or green lights. More than one diverging turnouts are following. Speed Limit is 40 Km/h. It was possible to have coupled signal arms without the Hp1 Aspect.

The 5th Signal showing the HpRu Aspect, which means a closed line for Railway Traffic or "sleeping" Railway Traffic. Such signals never had together coupled semaphore arms.

The Repeater Signals or Distant Signals had a green Disk with green lens for the white shining lantern.
When the disk moved into horizontal position than the white lantern shoewd the withe night sighn.
Green light or full visible disk means: awaiting Hp0 "Stop" or Hp1or Hp2  "Caution" position onto following Signal.
White light or horizontal position of the disk means: the following signal is in Hp1 "Go" position.

The outer and inner Home signal showed white lights in all three possible positions of "Go" and "Caution" that means another or stopping signal is following.
The green lights of the Starter Signals indicating to leave a station or yard area. The last following signal is the outer Home signal.

You see, these rules could make trouble by destroyed lenses.

In 1910 the signal rules got reformed into the new valid norms.
The Aspects of Hp2 and Hp3 got orange lenses, the upper arm of all Home Signals got red and green lenses.
Upper top Arm:
Hp0 - red light
Hp1 - green light
Two arms in diagonal up position:
Hp2 - green and one orange lights
Three arms in diagonal up position:
Hp3 - green and two orange lights

The Distant Signals changed completely:
When seeing the green Disk - Vr0 - two yellow lights in diagonal  - awaiting "Stop" position. 
When not seeing the green disk in horizontal position - Vr1 - two green lights in diagonl - awaiting "Go" position.
In later years a white with red rand Arrow had been added. 
Disk in horizontal position and arrow in diagonal down position - Vr2 - awaiting "Caution" one upper green and one below green and orange lights.
Seeing the green Disk and the Arrow in diagonal position meaning - Vr3 - "Caution" awaiting - one upper green and two below orange lights.

In the 1912 had been decided to remove the third Semaphore arm. Until 1927 should be all third arms removed from the signals But it took another ten years until the last ones had been removed from Main- and Branchlines. Private Railways had their own signal systems when not using public state railway tracks.

The laws of the German Reich from 1871 are strictly prohibited that the pulic people may not use any loading area or platform when train movements are happen. The public need to await behind platform gate until the public got the permission to go onto platforms. The station bell was used to inform the passengers or the public people what would to be to do.

One Bell signal after short pause again means the platforn can be used for entering the train.

Two short bell signals means to leave the platform behind the gates.

Three short bell signals means Caution of Danger leaving immedietely the platform.

It was not allowed for the railway to make train or Loco movements after the train stopped on platform and as long as the public people went onto platform or loading areas. The signal indicates the HpRu position and by night blue light.

The position of the signals alongside the tracks was normally onto right side of track but when space was restricted, it was built the signals onto left side of track, too. In later years after 1935 a special sighn gave info about wrong side of valid signal.
In Epoch I it was allowed to build signal in batteries that means more than one signal in short distance to each other. The signals needed to stand onto a good visible position mostly in short distance to the point from where it should be valid. By more than one signal in directly neighbourhood alongside the tracks the engineer need to count the track onto which he drove beginning in the right than looking to the batterie of signals and beginning to count from the right to pick his valid signal an to identifying the Signal Aspects.
This practise have got similarities to british semephore signals.
At the prussian kingdom it was a common practise to show Semaphore arms of the other direction onto the same Signalpole.


The Locomotives used normally two white light Lanterns in the front and one showing red light or coloured disk in the back onto double track lines. 
 Onto single lines it was essantial to show a third lantern in the front and a second lantern in the back.
The front lantern was placed below the smokestack onto the smokebox.

All railways operated with single line operations, did "train following movements" in shorter distance to each other in one block. Such operations needed additional special signalling onto the trains, so that the signalmen could know when the last train was passing by.
The blocks on single lines were  the distance between two of the main signal boxes in middle of stations.
Not all signal boxes could make decissions for themself and needed permission from the signal crew chief mostly located onto bigger signal boxes or inside of station buildings. The Chief's position had been marked with a big F in addition to the geographical location of the signal boxes' lettering.

By operation of "train following movements" than the first running train had a green flag or by night a green lensed lantern onto third lantern position onto top of the smokebox or at Railcars in middle of the roof or in middle of the car body below the windows. The End of train signal was a green lensed lantern onto the coupler hook.

The last or one alone train used the third white light in fron and one or two red lights in the back.

A violette lense on third lantern in front and one violette lensed lantern onto coupler hook in the back gave signal in Caution of Danger, the line need to be checked first before the next train may passing by. In 1910 the violette lense got replaced by orange lense.

Onto double track lines it could be possible to move onto wrong side.
The left lantern in front needed to show red lense and the end of train onto the roof needed to show green lens on right side in back view and in front visibility a red lense. The left end of train lantern shows a red light in the back and green light in the front.

The shunting signal onto locomotives were a red light onto right lanterns of both sides the other lantern shows white light.
The green lenses by end of train lanterns changed in 1910 showing white milky glasses only.

Most of these rules changed in 1935


In 1937 the new established DR - Deutsche Reichsbahn used the in 1935 changed signal rules and laws about more effective train and passenger operations. Some of them are valid up to now.Passengers need to have a ticket and in addition a permission to use the platforms. By buying the platform ticket they are accepting to go onto platforms by own risk. The railway need not paying for accidents when falling down from the platform or dying by train movements inside the stations.

Me I am interesting for myself specially in Epoch I up to the year of 1908. 

The station tracks needed to hold one double length freight train in minimum per each siding track.
If that station would be a crossing point for other trains than are needed more parallel tracks on mainline stations in minimum one or two of such tracks on branchline stations.
The military rule book speaking about double length normal freight trains by military order.