WinterTrain V5

Celebrating the 7 year anniversary of the project, it is time for a complete rewrite of the software….

Over the previous seasons the WinterTrain has developed, new functionality has been added while other has been given up. The documentation has been cleaned up to some extent, but part of it is still spread over more pages, some of it even inconsistent.

But more prominent the code it self has become a mess. So a rewrite started last year, a work that continues this year.

In a signaling system like the ETCS each train has an On board Unit (OBU) supervising the drivers operation of the train. In order to coordinate train traffic (and to avoid collision and derailment), a central system is computing and transmitting Movement Authorities (MA) to each train. This central system consists of a Radio Block Center (RBC) dealing with movement authorities and an Interlocking System (IL) controlling and locking track side elements like points, signals and level crossings. The IL is connected to track side elements via Element Controllers (EC), which forms the electrical interface to point machines, barrier drives etc.

On top of this a Traffic Management System (TMS) is handling the overall flow of traffic (e.g. which train is going where and when). All these systems have various forms of operator interfaces (HMI).

The Winter Train will include simplified versions of these elements. An OBU will be built into each train. Each OBU will have a (for good reasons) remote operator interface with wire-less connection to the OBU. This is called the Driver Machine Interface (DMI). The RBC and interlocking functionality will be realized as one system having a Human Machine Interface (HMI) for the signaller.

The figure to the right shows the overall functional structure of the WinterTrain. Add HHT to the figure.

The signalling system will be implemented using platforms like Arduino, JeeNode and Raspberry PI.

A note on language is still in place: The English language has several words for the mechanical track side “arrangement”, that directs a train in one of possible two directions: “turnout”, “switch”, “pair-of-point”, “point”,… At these pages, the word “point” will be used. The “motor arrangement” changing the direction, the train will go, is called a point machine.

The Danish words for “point” and “point machine” are “sporskifte” and “sporskiftedrev”

Another English phrase that may confuse is “in rear of”. In this writing the phrase will be used in line with the ETCS tradition: When a train is located “in rear of ” a signal or marker board, the driver can see the face (or front side) of the signal or marker board. In other words, when a train is located in rear of a signal, the aspect of that signal is valid for this train.

• Design - What is it supposed to do?
• Implementation - And how is this supposed functionality implemented?
• Engineering - Planing each specific project
• Realized HW as per winter 2021
• Defect list

• RBC, new feature
  • Shunting area
  • User concept
• TMS
  • Running hours in time tables
• Second DMI HW
• Operator panel (Track Table)
• Signal mount for track
• Additional small EC with U-devices only (similar to EC04 but with more power connectors, +5V and GND)