The purpose of the circuit is to create a switch which cannot change position after power is applied to the circuit.
The position of the switch must be set before power is applied. After power-up, the position of the switch is locked.
The schematic shows a SPDT "RUN/OFF" switch on the left, and the coil of a DPDT relay on the right.
If the switch is set to RUN, the relay will actuate roughly one-half second after power-up. If the switch is set to OFF, the relay...