Dispatching in Braunschweig

Before you get your approval to run the service on a signal box, you need to find out about the local characteristics. After training as a general trainee signalman, dispatchers were always paired with a person skilled in the signal box. This chapter is the brief introduction to the area. Read it carefully. It contains very important information. The text is "peer to peer" written as if you are in the signal box, the first day after training.

Since the original schedule is supplied from the winter 1974/1975, there's some extra information in relation to the inner German border, of course.

Have a more detailed look at the Braunschweig Hbf panel here.

Introduction

Hi mate! Welcome to one of the most interesting dispatching areas in Germany. We have just started with the new schedule and are very excited about your addition to the dispatching team! Let us also go at the left side of the panel.

Teufelsspring

The orange double line track is the main route to and from Gross‐Gleidingen and is use mostly for passenger traffic.

Trains headed to Gross‐Gleidingen continue to Hannover Hbf and Hilsdesheim Hbf. Since the construction of the Wall, however, traffic has shrunk. You’ll find many express trains and international trains from Amsterdam CS and Paris.

The brown route is the freight train route to our neighbouring station Beddingen. This is used mainly for traffic to and from the Salzgitter steelworks and Volkswagen plant. Trains to this area must first be offered and accepted. Remember, if you accept a train from Beddingen, you must set the direction of the block towards you using the EaGT button together with the EaT button on the panel.

All the block signals in Teufelsspring are equipped with automatic route setting. Steering numbers: 1 gets you East‐West between Gross Gleidingen and Schandelah; 2 gets you to the Braunschweig Hbf platforms. Lastly, number 5 is used for trains running to and from Beddingen, Gliesmarode and Braunschweig Hbf Shunting Yard 7.

Passenger trains can go 120km/h here, although the freight trains are usually much slower.

Gabelung

If you want to send a freight train to Shunting Yard 2 (Rbf Stw 2), this is your last chance before entering the station proper. There is no need to offer trains here, as the shunting yard manager knows what traffic arrives and when by the train number indicator system.

Okerbrücke

The green line is the main route to and from Rüningen and is the passenger train route to Salzgitter, Wolfenbüttel, Seesen, Goslar, Bad Harzburg, Göttingen and Frankfurt.

Steering number 4 is used together with automatic route setting so there is little worry. The other steering numbers we talked about at the left.

Speeds here are 120/100 km/h.

Braunschweig Hbf (West)

This area looks complex but it really isn’t. Passenger trains normally go to track 7 or track 8. Trains from Rüningen normally go to track 4 because of the higher track speeds through there.

If you’re sending traffic to Shunting Yard Stw 7, you need to go via track 7 or 8 and then via Schmiedekamp.

Tracks 20‐24 are just small stabling areas. Tracks 25‐30 are stabling tracks for express freight trains. Track 27 and 28 is the express freight platforms. Tracks 11, 14, 43 and 41 are only for parking locomotives or other short vehicles. Normal trains have no business there, as there’s just a gravel platform.

This system was designed in the 1950s. The East‐West traffic was greatly overestimated. Therefore, there’s a little more flexibility when scheduling.

Braunschweig Hbf (Oost)

Tracks 63‐73 are the entry and exit tracks to and from Shunting Yard Ba (Abstellbahnof). Be kind to your colleague there and ask him first before you send a train there. If he sends a train to you, you’ll see the number appearing in the train number indicator. Trains run around 25km/h to the platforms. If you’re headed to sidings, use track 60 or 63.

Trains from Schandelah/Helmstedt usually go straight through to track 6 due to the high speed allowance. Track 150 operations in only one direction to Shunting Yard Stw 7. Sometimes it’s faster to let a freight train go via track 6 when he’s headed to Gross‐Gleidingen.

Schmiedekamp

Tracks 121‐123 come out of Ba, but not much happens here. From time to time,an empty train will go to and from Helmstedt, but that’s about it. The East‐West main line continues to signal G or 11 where you see the orange line beginning. When switch 565 is in reverse, trains head to Shunting Yard box 7 (Rbf Stw 7).

Signals 111 and 112 are equipped with automatic route setting, with steering number 1 handling the main East‐West traffic – you need to worry about the freight traffic to Lünischteich, though. I strongly recommend that you first offer your freight train to Gliesmarode before you let the train pass 161. This helps to prevent deadlocks.

Buchhorst

Signals 113 and 114 are both equipped with automatic route setting, so you only need to worry about the freigh traffic. The block section to Schandelah is quite long here.

As I said before, since the Wall was build, there’s less traffic here, there there are still a few international trains and a commuter train to Berlin. All other trains teminate in Helmstedt. There are a few military trains to Berlin that come this way as well.

Mückenburg

Mückenburg is very small: just a switch and two signals. But, you have to be careful here! Make sure you offer trains to Gliesmarode before sending them! It’s pretty much single line working from here!

Lünischteich

This is a small corner of the panel… note that the track to Gliesmarode is fairly short… about 600m or so.

You’ll hear the ringing quite soon after it leaves Gliesmarode. If you don’t set the route quickly, the train will come to a stop. Even though the speed here is 60km/h, you’ll want to set a route to signal 144 right away after you accepted the train from Gliesmarode.

Abbreviations

Short Name	Full Name
HGGL	Gross Gleidingen
HBDD	Beddingen
HBTZ	Broitzem
HRUE	Rüningen
HBS	Braunschweig Hbf.
HGAA	Abzw. Gabelung
HTFS	Abzw. Teufelsspring
HOKB	Abzw. Okerbrücke
HBSBA	Braunschweig Hbf, (Stellwerk Ba) (Shunting Yard Ba)
HBSRA	Braunschweig Rbf, Stellwerk 7 (Shunting Yard 7)
HBSRZ	Braunschweig Rbf, Stellwerk 20 (Shunting Yard 20)
HBSRE	Braunschweig Rbf, Stellwerk 2 (Shunting Yard 2)
HMUC	Mückenburg
HLNT	Lünischteich
HSMK	Schmiedekamp
HBUH	Buchhorst
HWED	Weddel (Braunschweig)
HSDL	Schandelah
HGLI	Braunschweig‐Gliesmarode