Automatic Route Setting Machine Archive

Archive material relating to the Automatic Route Setting Machine, also known as “George”, comprising two boxes of archive material, four ring binders, two lever arch files and one bundle of A3 printed drawings.

Items include manuals, drawings, a log book, the specification for the system, timetabling information, a signalling diagram and a small quantity of handwritten notes discussing simulations of the ARS prior to its installation.

The manuals include the first line maintenance manual for the ARS which provides a detailed description of the system and how it works, as well as manuals for some of its components (including the RL02 disk drives) and the systems it interfaced with like the train describer system (TDS).

The handwritten log book covers the period 15/03/1983 to 26/06/1984 and records problems encountered during the installation and early operation of the system, working visits and the moment when the ARS signalled its first train at 06:02 on 04/07/1983.

The Automatic Route Setting Machine, also known as "George" was the world's first computerisation of the decision process hitherto made by signallers. The computer could take data from the pre-planned timetable and the live location of trains supplied by the Train Describer System to make decisions about which services to prioritise and then set the routes and signals for trains accordingly. It was the progenitor of modern automatic route setting systems working alongside electronic solid state interlocking which was widely adopted in Britain and exported to a wide variety of railway systems outside of the UK.

This archive collection provides an insight into ARS machine and its installation at Three Bridges. The log book illustrates the problems and challenges that engineers encountered and how they worked to solve them, as well as marking significant milestones in the prototype's development. The manuals and drawings which comprise a mixture of bespoke manuals for the ARS and attached systems (like the TDS train describer system), as well as trade publications from suppliers of the ARS' components (including its Motorola microprocessors and Digital RL02 disc drives) will provide detailed technical information about the ARS' operation and maintenance which will be invaluable for the future understanding of the ARS.