London Banter - View Single Post - Why does the victoria line still have signals?

[email protected] · June 20th 16, 12:53 PM posted to uk.transport.london

On 14.06.16 22:40, Richard wrote:
On Tue, 14 Jun 2016 15:41:55 -0500,
wrote:

In article ,
(Richard) wrote:

According to Wikipedia "LUL claims that this is the world's first
ATO-on-ATO upgrade", which Paris, Barcelona, etc. might have something
to say about.

On the basis that the Victoria Line was the first automatically driven line
and its ATO system has now been replaced? Have Paris or Barcelona done that?

Both were testing automation in the 50s, and Barcelona's line 5 had
ATO in service in 1961 (so LUL aren't correct about being first). This
was a creaky system based upon photo-electric cells - I think Paris
v1.0 was similar, so it will have been replaced, I imagine twice.
Paris certainly replaced a lot of conventional ATO equipment on the
busiest lines in the 70s, but in that case it was more of the same
rather than the impressive upgrade that the Victoria line got.

Richard.

I believe that PATCO in Philadelphia was also using auto-pilot since day
one in 1969, mainly using what appeared be fixed trippers. Tripcocks on
the train that came into contact with them would then act in terms of
speed or stopping.