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Choosing and Placing Signals
Which signal goes where, which one to buy, and what it should show. Signals are the part of a German layout that most often goes wrong, and plenty of advice on forums and in shops is wrong too. This page explains the rules with pictures of real situations. Every rule says where it comes from, and where something is our own advice for a model layout, it says so.
It covers the German DB light signals that Viessmann makes with LEDs: H/V light signals and Ks signals. What each signal looks like is on Signal Faces.
Short version
- Every station entrance gets an entry signal, every track a train leaves from gets a departure signal.
- A distant signal stands one braking distance before every main signal and tells the driver what the main signal shows.
- Hp 2 (green over yellow) means "slow, 40 km/h": show it when the route goes through a turnout's curved side. Straight through: Hp 1.
- A distant signal on the mast of a red main signal is dark.
- Signals stand on the right of the track, seen in running direction.
A main signal (Hauptsignal) tells the driver whether the next stretch of track may be used. Its job depends on where it stands, not on how it looks (Ril 301, 301.0003 §1(6)):
| Job | Where | Shows | Viessmann (LED, plain wires) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry signal (Einfahrsignal) | where the line enters the station; it is the station boundary | Hp 0, Hp 1, Hp 2 | 4012 |
| Departure signal (Ausfahrsignal) | at the end of each station track that trains leave from | Hp 0, Hp 1, Hp 2, Hp 0 + Sh 1 | 4013 |
| Block signal (Blocksignal) | on the line between stations, dividing it into sections with one train each | Hp 0, Hp 1 | 4011 |
| Distant signal (Vorsignal) | one braking distance before a main signal | Vr 0, Vr 1, Vr 2 | 4010; with marker light 4030 |
| Main signal with distant on one mast | where the next main signal follows about one braking distance later | as above, distant dark at Hp 0 | 4014 block, 4015 entry, 4016 departure |
| Light shunting signal (Lichtsperrsignal) | where shunting moves need permission, for example leaving a siding | Hp 0 (two reds), Sh 1 | 4017 high, 4018 low |
Does a station need these signals at all? Real lines do not always have them. The railway rules (EBO §14) say:
- an entry signal is needed when trains enter at more than 50 km/h;
- a departure signal is needed when trains leave at more than 60 km/h;
- a distant signal is needed when trains run faster than 60 km/h in front of the main signal. Otherwise a plain board marks the braking point (the Ne 2 board, below).
So a quiet branch line with slow trains may have no signals at all, and that is prototypical. On a main line every station has them.
This is the most common situation on a layout: a station with a passing loop. The picture shows the signals for one direction, trains running from left to right. The other direction is the mirror image: its signals stand on the other side of the track.
How to read the pictures. They are drawn as Hive-Rail's panel: the SpDrS60 tiles, as on the map and in the module editor.
- Each signal lies small along the track, below it. The ring at the left end is the foot of the mast, and the screen shows the lamps the real signal shows.
- Yellow track lamps mean a route is set.
- Red track lamps mean the track is occupied. That is the train.
- The white name plates give the signal and track names ("Gl" = Gleis, track).
- Vr for A: a distant signal, one braking distance before the entry signal. It tells the driver what A shows.
- A: the entry signal. It carries a second distant signal on its mast for the departure signals N1 and N2, because they follow soon after. Viessmann 4015.
- N1, N2: one departure signal for each track, at the end of the track, before the turnout. Viessmann 4013.
Names. In the DB's usual practice the entry signals of a station are A (from one side) and F (from the other). The departure signals for trains that came in at A are N1, N2 and so on, numbered by track; for trains from F they are P1, P2. For example, at Deuten station, trains from the south enter at A and leave at N1, and trains from the north enter at F and leave at P1. This naming is common practice, but it is not set in the signal rulebook.
Watch the signals as a train enters track 2 over the curved side of the turnout, waits, and leaves:
What happens, step by step:
- Nothing set. The distant signal shows Vr 0 (expect stop), and A shows Hp 0. The distant signal on A's mast is dark while A is red (Ril 301, 301.0003 §2(9)).
- Route into track 2. The route goes over the curved side of the turnout, so A shows Hp 2, "slow". On its own, Hp 2 means 40 km/h from the signal through the turnouts behind it (Ril 301, 301.0101 §4(4)). The distant on A's mast shows Vr 0, because N2 is red. The distant signal before A shows Vr 2 (expect slow). The law requires Vr 2 before every Hp 2 when trains pass the distant at more than 60 km/h (EBO §14(14)).
- Behind the train A drops back to Hp 0, its own distant goes dark, and the distant before A shows Vr 0 again.
- The train waits at N2, which shows Hp 0.
- Departure. The way out also runs over a curved turnout, so N2 shows Hp 2.
- Everything returns to stop behind the train.
A train that runs straight through on track 1 crosses the turnouts on their straight side. It gets Hp 1 everywhere, with Vr 1 on the distant signals:
Why the entry signal needs a yellow lamp. Only Hp 2 shows the yellow lamp. An entry signal whose station has a loop has to show Hp 2, so it needs that lamp. A block signal (4011) used as an entry signal can only show red and green, and cannot signal a train into the loop. That is a common mistake.
Between two stations the line can be divided into block sections with block signals, so that more than one train can be on the line, each in its own section. The question is always: does the distant signal stand alone, or on the mast of the previous main signal?
- If the next main signal follows about one braking distance after this one, its distant signal goes on this signal's mast, below the main signal. The rulebook gives 1000 to 1300 m on a 1000 m line (Ril 301, 301.0003 §1(7)).
- If the gap is longer, the distant signal stands alone, one braking distance before its main signal. A stand-alone distant should be at least 300 m behind the main signal before it; if it would be closer, it goes on that signal's mast instead (de.wikipedia, Vorsignal).
In this example:
- N1 at Adorf is a departure signal with a distant (Viessmann 4016). Block signal 11 follows about one braking distance later, so 11's distant sits on N1's mast.
- 11 is a plain block signal (4011). The next main signal, A at Bdorf, is far away, so 11 needs no distant on its own mast.
- Vr for A stands alone (4010), one braking distance before A.
Watch how N1 shows Hp 1 with Vr 1: "go, and the next signal is green too". As soon as the train has passed, N1 goes red and the distant on its mast goes dark.
Braking distance on a model. The real braking distance is usually 1000 m on main lines, 700 m on some, and 400 m on slow branch lines (de.wikipedia, Bremswegabstand). In H0, 1000 m is 11.5 m of track, so on almost every layout the distant signal stands much closer than the rule says. The real railway marks a distant signal that stands more than 5 % too close with a white marker light (Zusatzlicht) (Ril 301, 301.0003 §2(7)). Viessmann's 4030 has it.
Our advice: on a model, treat the shortened distances as normal and leave the marker light out. Use the 4030 only where you want to show a distance that is clearly short even by your layout's standards, for example a distant signal right next to its main signal on the same module. Whichever you choose, do it the same way everywhere.
Shunting moves are not trains. They follow the shunting signals:
- Hp 0 + Sh 1 on a departure signal: trains must stop, but a shunting move may pass. On a signal with two reds, one red goes out and two white lamps rising to the right light up (Ril 301, 301.0101 §2(5)). This is why the departure signal 4013 has two reds and two whites.
- A light shunting signal (Lichtsperrsignal, 4017 high or 4018 low) shows Hp 0 with two reds, or Sh 1 (shunting allowed) with two whites (Ril 301, 301.0101 §2(4) and 301.0601 §3). A typical place is where a siding joins a main track.
One red or two? The rulebook allows both for Hp 0: "one red light or two red lights side by side" (Ril 301, 301.0101 §2(3)). Viessmann's block and entry signals have one red, the departure signal has two. In Hive-Rail's module editor, tick Hp 0 with one red only if both reds of your departure signal are wired to one output (see Signal Faces).
The DB has fitted Ks signals since the 1990s, but only with electronic interlockings (de.wikipedia, Ks-Signalsystem). A Ks signal puts the main and distant functions on one screen:
- Ks 1 (green): proceed.
- Ks 2 (yellow): expect stop at the next signal.
- Hp 0 (red): stop.
There is no Hp 2 in the Ks system. Speeds are shown by a lit number, the Zs 3 (white, above the screen; "4" means 40 km/h). The Zs 3v (yellow, below the screen) announces a speed. When a Zs 3v is lit, Ks 1 flashes green (Ril 301, 301.0102 §2(3)).
The panel tiles do not draw the Zs 3 numbers; the caption says what they show.
| Job | Viessmann Ks |
|---|---|
| Entry signal | 4042 (main signal), or 4045 multi-section signal (main + distant, with Ks 2) |
| Departure signal | 4043 (with Sh 1), or 4046 multi-section |
| Distant signal | 4040 |
H/V or Ks? Pick by era and region:
- H/V light signals in this form (the "1969 type", Viessmann's manual) fit a DB layout from the 1970s onward.
- Ks fits a modern layout with a modern interlocking.
The Ks system works together with the older systems on the real railway (de.wikipedia, Vorsignal). On a model it looks best to keep one station consistent.
Note for MobaLedLib users: all Viessmann Ks signals are multiplex models. They need Viessmann's multiplexer 5229 or 52292 (Viessmann product pages) and cannot go straight onto WS2811 channels. See §7.
| Mistake | Right | Source |
|---|---|---|
| The distant on a main signal's mast shows Vr 0 while the main is red | it is dark | Ril 301, 301.0003 §2(9) |
| Hp 1 for a route over the curved side of a turnout | Hp 2 (or Zs 3 on Ks) | Ril 301, 301.0101 §4(4) |
| Vr 1 before a signal that shows Hp 2 | Vr 2 | EBO §14(14) |
| Signal on the left of the track | right, seen in running direction. On double track, signals for running on the "wrong" track stand on the left | Ril 301, 301.0002 §2(3) |
| A block signal (red/green) used as entry signal into a station with a loop | an entry signal with yellow (4012/4015) | follows from the Hp 2 rule |
| Sh 1 shown together with Hp 1 | Sh 1 only with Hp 0; Hp 1 and Hp 2 are for trains only | Ril 301, 301.0101 §1(1) and §2(5) |
| A distant signal without its board | a stand-alone distant carries the Ne 2 board (two black chevrons on white); not on a main signal's mast | Ril 301, 301.1401 §2 |
| Main signal without a mast sign | light main signals carry the white-red-white mast sign | Ril 301, 301.0002 §8 |
MobaLedLib drives LEDs through WS2811 chips: each WS2811 has three outputs, and one output can drive one lamp of a signal. Small 5 V WS2811 boards are sold cheaply in packs of 100.
Which Viessmann signals fit. Use the models with plain wires, one wire per lamp:
- 4010 to 4016;
- 4030;
- 4017 and 4018.
In the 4013 manual's colour code, red is red, green is green, a white lamp is blue, and black is the common plus for all LEDs (Viessmann manual 4013). The WS2811 switches each lamp on the minus side, so black goes to +5 V and each lamp wire goes to one output.
The multiplex models (472x) and all Ks models (404x) do not fit, because their lamps share wires. Viessmann sells them for its multiplexer 5229 or 52292. MobaLedLib has a Charlieplexing program for its Servo_LED board that is meant for "Viessmann and other multiplexed light signals" (MobaLedLib release notes, version 1.0.0). We have not tried it.
| Signal | Lamp wires | WS2811 boards | MobaLedLib macro |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4012 entry | red, green, yellow | 1 |
EntrySignal3: Hp 0, Hp 1, Hp 2 |
| 4013 departure | red 1, green, yellow, red 2, blue (both whites) | 2 |
DepSignal4: Hp 0, Hp 1, Hp 2, Hp 0 + Sh 1 |
| 4011 block | red, green | 1 | no own macro. Our suggestion: EntrySignal3 with the yellow channel left free, and never send Hp 2 |
| 4010 distant | 2 yellow, 2 green | 2 | no ready macro in MobaLedLib 3.5.0 |
| 4014 to 4016 with distant | main + 4 distant lamps | 2 to 3 | no ready macro; the distant must be dark at Hp 0 |
The channel order in the table is the one the macros use (EntrySignal3 and DepSignal4 in MobaLedLib.h). With DepSignal4, Hp 0 lights channels 1 and 4 (both reds). Hp 0 + Sh 1 lights channel 1 and the whites on channel 5, so red 2 goes out, as the rulebook says.
Before you power up:
- Viessmann builds these signals for 10 to 16 V AC or 14 to 24 V DC, about 10 mA per LED, with resistors and a diode inside (Viessmann manual 4013).
- The WS2811 limits the current itself. The MobaLedLib wiki reports that Viessmann light signals work on 5 V boards, the reds need no extra resistor, and a 4.7 kΩ resistor in the white wire keeps the whites from being too bright (MobaLedLib wiki, LocoTurn lighting and signals).
- Start with one signal and look at it before wiring a whole station.
- Switch through every aspect once. If two colours are swapped, swap the two wires.
The aspects you can't get from a macro: the distant signal (4010) and the combined signals (4014–4016). Their lamp patterns can be made with MobaLedLib's Pattern Configurator, in the Excel tool. MobaLedLib Studio does not have the Pattern Configurator yet.
In the module editor, choose the tile that matches the signal you bought. The palette tooltip shows the Viessmann numbers for each tile. Then tick the options your signal has. See Signal Faces, section 7.
We have tried to state only what these sources say. Where a sentence is our own advice for model layouts, it says our advice or our suggestion.
Rules of the real railway
- Ril 301, Signalbuch (SB), DB Netz AG, valid from 15 December 2024. This is the DB's signal rulebook, and the source for what each aspect means, where signals stand, distant signals on main signal masts, the marker light, one or two reds, Sh 1, Ne 2 and the mast signs. DB published it as a PDF; the link has moved, and an archived copy is at the Wayback Machine. The rulebook is copyrighted, so we cite it and do not copy from it.
- Eisenbahn-Bau- und Betriebsordnung (EBO) §14, German federal law, at gesetze-im-internet.de. It is the source for when entry, departure and distant signals are required, and for Vr 2 before Hp 2.
Background (German Wikipedia)
These articles are good overviews. Where they disagree with Ril 301, Ril 301 wins.
- Einfahrsignal, Ausfahrsignal and Blocksignal: what each kind of signal does.
- Vorsignal: the 300 m rule, and how Ks works with the older systems.
- Bremswegabstand: 1000, 700 and 400 m.
- Ks-Signalsystem: when Ks was introduced, and speeds shown only by Zs 3.
- Bahnhof Deuten: a real example of the A/F and N/P names.
The models
- Viessmann product pages for the H/V light signals and the Ks signals: the item numbers, the aspects, and "only for multiplexer 5229/52292".
- The Viessmann manual for the standard light signals, 1969 type (4010–4016, 4030), downloadable from the 4013 product page: wire colours, voltages and current.
MobaLedLib
-
MobaLedLib on GitHub:
MobaLedLib.h, where the channel order ofEntrySignal3andDepSignal4comes from; the note that the plain WS2811 macros cannot drive Viessmann multiplex signals; and the release notes for version 1.0.0 (Charlieplexing). - MobaLedLib wiki, LocoTurn – Beleuchtung und Signale: 5 V operation and the 4.7 kΩ resistor for the whites.
Not checked
Each of these is marked where it appears:
- the signal letters A/F and N/P, which come from practice and one example, not from the rulebook;
- the 4011 on
EntrySignal3, which is our suggestion; - the Charlieplexing route for multiplex signals, which we have not tried.
The pictures on this page are drawn by Hive-Rail from its own SpDrS60 panel tiles and signal faces. They are schematic, not to scale.