Signalschablone 2.1
To explain railway infrastructure issues, schematic site plans often have to be drawn. In order not to have to redraw the symbols each time, the concept of blocks from AutoCAD is a good idea. However, AutoCAD is not a program for quickly and easily creating a site plan. Visio offers a similar concept, which is more compatible with other Windows programs. The signal template developed by me contains the most important symbols for safety-related location and overview plans (1: 1000) according to DB guideline 819.9002. However, they are somewhat reduced in size and partially simplified. I offer the signal template in version 2.1 for free download here. It can be copied as desired in its unchanged form. I would be happy to receive the plans generated with it.
Creation notes
To ensure uniformity, the following rules should be observed when drawing the plans, which are not covered by the symbols: Parallel tracks are to be drawn at a distance of 5 mm (corresponds to a box at zoom 100%). Tracks may only be drawn at an angle of n 45 °. Signals are to be inserted 2 mm next to the track, which results in a clear assignment in the case of several tracks. (This works best with zoom 400%.) Use Arial as the font. The font size in pt must be an even number (8, 10, ...). Only the triangular, filled tip is used for dimension arrows. Even if the drawing is to be used on a larger scale, it must first be drawn up according to these rules. When inserting z. B. in a word processor, the entire drawing can then be scaled to the final size - while maintaining the aspect ratio (recommended dimension: 120%). If individual elements are scaled in the original Visio file, later changes with the correct sizes are no longer possible. Therefore: Always save the Visio drawing in the original size!
Operating instructions from version 2.0
The symbols ("shapes") are organized in a layer structure. Therefore there is only one turnout symbol. The "Track boundary mark" layer decides whether the boundary symbol is displayed or not. Signal designations are an integral part of the signal symbol. A double-click on the symbol opens a dialog for entering the name (unfortunately no longer works with Visio 2016). No matter how the signal symbol is rotated - the designation is always correct. Download signal template 2.1 The template is subject to constant further development. Suggestions and suggestions are welcome. The meaning and use of the symbols is, among other things. described in the book Sicherung des Schienenverkehrs.
Signalschablone 2.1 (zip)
Signal template by Ulrich Maschek is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution - No Edits 4.0 International License (CC BY-ND 4.0).
Outlook on version 3.0
As part of the "digital planning" (PlanPro) it is planned to have site plans automatically generated from PlanPro data. For this purpose, new symbols are created that are slightly smaller than the conventional ones. The signal template 3.0 will contain these new symbols in their original size and line width. The distant beacons added in version 2.1 already meet the new requirements.