Tie-FenLock 400 Depot Control System

The Tie-FenLock 400 DCS is the most advanced system of the Tie-FenLock series, providing a full signalling solution.

Fenix Rail Systems recommend the Tie-FenLock 400 DCS for its centralised depot control features, flexibility, low operating costs, legacy support and standardised interface to Network Rail (NR) mainline interlockings and Depot Personnel Protection Systems (DPPS).

General Operational Overview

The Tie-FenLock 400 system is presented on the Visual Display Unit (VDU) in front of the user. Any equipment controllable by the user can be clicked with the mouse using the left-click for standard operation and a right-click for failure/administrator roles.

As an additional feature, the software can be configured to show a car count, which is achieved by taking the axle count and dividing by the number of axles per car/carriage/coach (typically 4). Which becomes of benefit when permissive working is specified as it allows the operator to see the remaining stabling capacity.

Each interlocking request also features a yes/no option to complete the operation. This is to prevent accidental requests. Fault messages and degraded mode operations provide an additional pop-up image and window and each must be acknowledged before the system executes a new request.

Example of Operation

The most commonly used function on a Tie-FenLock 400 system is setting a route which is performed by 5 mouse clicks:

Start	–	–	–	Finish
Click on the signal at the start of the desired route,	Select “START” from the drop-down list that appears,	Click on the signal at the end of the desired route,	Select “DEST” from the dropdown list that appears, A message appears “Set route A to B?” with buttons YES and NO. The YES/NO are blanked out for 3 seconds before becoming available to mitigate erroneous setting.	Click YES If the route conditions are satisfactory, the route sets and a message “Route A to B set” appears and the VDU reflects lineside equipment states. If the route conditions are not satisfactory (e.g. points locked in the incorrect lie), the route does not set and a message “Route A to B setting cancelled – Points C locked reverse”.