SpDrS60 Panel

The panel

The panel consists of small tiles which schematically represent the area of responsibility. Behind these small tiles are signal lights that change to indicate various states. Tracks, signals, switches are all represented by different colours of light bulbs being on or off.

These lights are not infallible and do burn out, so remember that the panel can be wrong.

Buttons

Various types of buttons are used:

black (1) : Used for manually throwing switches, for instance. The black buttons are seldom used. You will find these for switches.
grey (2) : Used for setting shunt routes.
grey with a red dot (3) : used for setting train routes.
grey with yellow dot : used for specific operation related to Level Crossings.
brown with white dot (2) : these buttons are available on some dispatching panels instead of black buttons, in case the respective switch or track is equipped with axle counters.

Buttons may only be pressed, and cannot be pulled or turned as is the case with other dispatching panels.

Panel Magnets

Sometimes it is necessary to place reminders directly on the panel to indicate various things worth remembering. A good example is indicating where engineering work is occurring or where wrong line working is active.

The solution is panel magnets (4). These are magnetic labels that can be placed anywhere on the panel.

Collars

In some cases, it is necessary to prevent buttons from being pressed entirely. A good example of this occurs when there is engineering work being done on a track. In addition to magnets being placed, it’s also a good idea to place collars over the buttons. These look like plastic caps and come in two colours:

red
glass

The red ones are used when we want to be very explicit about not pressing a particular button. To place a red collar, press F5. The cursor will change to a red circle. Then, press the panel button or the group button to which you want to apply the collar. To remove the collar, press F6, followed by the collar you wish to remove.

Placing and removing glass coloured collars is done the exact same way, using F7 and F8 respectively.

A button with a collar cannot be pressed, even accidentally. If you need to press the button, you must first remove the collar, press the button, and then replace the collar. These extra steps prevent you to make mistakes and are good as a reminder!

Signals

There are a variety of signals on the panel. Almost always, signals are located on a track.

Train Number Indicators

One of the first uses of train number indicators in Germany was in Braunschweig. The indicators are tremendously useful for showing where trains are located.

There are limitations, however. Not every main signal has an train number indicator. The numbers jump to the next indicator when a signal drops to “stop”.