US1060403A - Electric train signaling and controlling means. - Google Patents

Description

A; J. ALLARD.

ELECTRIC TRAIN SIGNALING AND CONTROLLING MEANS.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 4, 1910. RENEWED JAI. 28, 1918.

Patented Apr. 29, 1913.

Attorney ihh 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

INVENTOR A J. ALLARD. ELECTRIC TRAIN SIGNALING AND CONTROLLING MEANS.

LPYIQIOA'HOH FILED OUT. 4, 1910. RENEWED JAN. 28, 1813. 403.

Patented Apr. 29, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

[NVENTOR 32255 NWHK v L ITN ESSIFS "UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

Q'NDREW J. ALLARD; OF'RICHMOND, VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD T0 T. F. GREEN AND ONE-THIRD TO DAVID R. CREECY, JR., OF RICHMOND, VIRGINIA.

ELECTRIC TRAIN SIGNALING AND CONTROLLING MEANS.

Iatented Apr. 29, 1913.

Application tiled October 4, 1910, Serial No. 585,298. Renewed January 28, 1913. Serial No. 744,785.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, ANDREW J. ALLARD, of Richmond, in the county of Henrico and State ofVir inia, have invented certain new and useful mprovements in Electric Tram Signalin and-Controlling Means: and I do hereby eclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descri tion of the invention, such as. will enable ot ers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in electric train-signaling and controll ng meansthe object of the invention being to provide a system of circuits and devices for protecting trains at railroad crossings by causin visual signals to be displayed in the cabs o locomotives on one road when a tram on another road is approaching the crossing, and to stop the train or trains to which signals have been given, in the event that the engineer or engineers should disregard the warning si nals.

With this object in view, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations of parts as hereinafter set forth and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings; Figure 1 is a diagralnmat-ical view illustrating the circuits and devices in proximity to a rail road crossing; Fig. 2 is a diagrannnatical view showing the circuits and devices on a locomotive; Fig 3 is a detail view of the brake controlling means, and Fig. 4 is a detail .view showing one pair of relays,

In Fig. 1 of the drawings, four tracks a, a and b, I) are shown, and 0 represents the railroad crossing of said tracks. The rails 11 of each track are arranged in insulated sections 2 and 3 and the former extends some distance from the crossing here its rails are insulated from the main rails of the track, shown at 3*. Beyond the farther end of each track section, a contactrail 4 (preferably about one-thousand feet in length) is located between the main rail 1 lof the track,'and between the inner ends of these contact rails and the adjacentinsulated track section, a shorter contact rail 5 (preferably about two-hundred feet in length) is located between the main track rails. Adjacent to the tracks, between the rails of which the contact rails are located, circuit controlling devices are situated, as shown at A, B, C and D Fig. 1,the circuit controlling devices AB being located adjacent to the tracks a, devices (.?-D bein located near the tracks b, b. Each set of said circuit controlling devices comprises relays 8-9 included in series with each other, and the relays at A are included in a constantly closed circuit with the relays at B, and with batteries 12 and resistance 14, by means of line conductors 11 and 13. The relays 8-9 at C and D are similarly connected.

In order that the armatures of the relays 8-9 shall respond to the pull of the magnets when urrents of different voltages are caused to traverse the coils of said magnets, under different conditions as hereinafter explained, the springs 10 connected with said armatures will be so adjusted that-the armature of relay 8 will be actuated upon the passage of a low voltage, and so that the armature of the relay 9 will be actuated only when a current of'higher voltage passes through the coils of the relay. For convenience, the relay 8 will be hereinafter referred to as a low voltage relay and relay 9 will be designated a high voltage relay.

Thc armature levers of each pair of relays are connected, by means of a conductor 18 with a main track rail. The contact 19 of relay 3 is connected by a conductor'20 with one terminal of a battery 21 and the other terminal of this battery is connected by a conductor 22 with a conductor 23. One end of the conductor 23 is connected with a short. contact rail 5 and the other end is connected with one terminal of a resistance 24, the other terminal of said resistance being connected with a switch contact 25 with which the switch arm 26 of a switch 26* cooperates. This switch arm is connected by means of a conductor 27 with a long contact rail 4. The contact 28 for the armature lever of relay 9 is connected by a conductor 29, with the conductor 20. The switch 26 comprises two mechanically connected arms 26 and 30 and suitable contacts for said arms.

The circuits and devices at the various points A-B-'C and D are the same and a detail description of one set will suffice for all.

Theresistance in the circuits of the relays is normally such (by reason of the resistances 14.) that-the voltage will be so reduced a and the circuit controlling that the low voltage magnets only will actuate their armatures and hence the local circuits of the batteries 21 will be normally open as shown in F ig. 1 of the drawing. When a train has passed the conductor rails in one of the tracks and is approaching the crossing, the local circuits controlled by the relays adjacent to the other or crossing tracks, should be closed at the relays so as to render the contact rails in these crossing tracks active, for the purpose of supplying current from the batteries 21 to actuate signaling and controlling devices'on locomotives should the latter reach these points while the firsbmentioned train is about to pass over the crossing. For example, if a train at T is approaching the crossing, the local circuits at C and D must be closed at the relays. To accomplish this, the resistance 14 included in the circuit of the relays at C and D must be eliminated from the circuit, so as to permit a current of sufficient voltage to be supplied by the batteries 12 to cause the high voltage relays 9 to actuate their armatures and close said local circuits at the relays. To accomplish such cuttingout of the resistances 14, the following electrical connections are provided: One rail of track section 2 of track a is connected by a conductor 6 with a rail of track section 2 of track a The other rail. of said section 2 of track a is connected by a conductor 6 with the other rail of track section 2 of track a and the last mentioned rail is connected by means of a conductor 6 with the conductc 13 in the circuit between the relays at C and D. One rail of track section 2 of track I) is'connectcd by a conductor 7 with one rail of track-section 2 of track I), and this track rail is connected by a conductor 7 with the conductor 11 in the circuit between the relays at A and B. The other rails of track sections 2 of tracks I) and b are connected by a conductor 7.

Now assume that a train at T is approaching the crossing and that the rails of track section 2 of track aare electrically conncctcd through the wheels and track-frame of the locomotive. Under such conditions, a circuit will be established from the battery 12 at C, by conductor 13 to battery 12 at D; then through the relay coils at D; then by conductor 11 to conductor 6 then by conductor 6 and 6* to one rail of track section 2 of track a; then through the wheels and trucks of the locomotive to the other rail of section 2 of t-rack'a; then by conductor 6, to a rail of section 2 of track a then by said rail and a conductor 7 d to a battery 7; from said battery, by a conductor 7 to conductor 11; then by said conductor to the relays at C and from said relays to the-battery 12 at C. It will thus be seen that when a train is at T, the resistance 14 in the circuit of the batteries 12 and relays 8-9 at C and D will be short circuited, and that the batteries 12 and relays 8-9 at C and D will be placed in a circuit. in which the battery 7 at B is also included in series. Current of sufiicient voltage will now be supplied to the relays at C and D to cause the armatures of the high voltage relays 9 at these points to be actuated and the local circuits of batteries 21 closed at said relays, so as to supply current for the circuits on locomotives which 'might arrive at C or D, while a train is on the track section 2 of track a and approaching the crossing.

Should a train pass the point B and approach the crossing, the relays at C and D would be actuated in the same manner as above described.

Trains passing the points C or D an traveling toward the crossing on the track sections 2 of tracks 6 or b will cause the operation of the relays agA and B to render active the contact rails 4-5 in the tracks a and a.

Each locomotive is provided with a contact shoe 35 to engage the contact rails 4 and 5, and in the cab of the loc motive, a solenoid 36 is located, the core 0 this solenoid being connected with a semaphore 37 also located in, the cab. A switch 38 is also located in the cab and comprises a lon tudinally movable bar provided with a plurality of contact plates 39, 40, 41 and 42} and a plurality of contact arms 43, 44, 45, 46, 4-7, 48 and 49. The switch arms 43, 49 are normally connected by the contact plate 39, and the arm 19 is connected by conductors 50-51 with the contact shoe 35. The switch arm 43 is connected by a conductor 52 with one terminal of the coil of solenoid 36, the other terminal of said coil bein connected, by means of a conductor 53 with the truck frame. I

\Vhen a train is on the section 2 of track a and approaching the crossing and another train reaches C with contact shoe 85 in en'- gagement with long contact rail 4, the circuit of battery 21 at C including the relays and resistance 24 will be closed through the cab circuit which includes the semaphore solenoid 36 and hence the semaphore 37 will be moved to danger or stop osition. In like manner, a train arriving at would receive a like signal. The same results would be produced by a train traveling on section 2 of track a and approaching the crossing. Likewise, a train traveling on section 2 of track I) or b and approaching the crossing, would cause the operation of semaphores on locomotives arriving at A or B when the shoes on said locomotives engag the long contact rails 4.

It is apparent that when a train has passed the crossing, the circuit in which the rails of track section 2 were included would be opened and hence the normal constantly closed. circuit including the relays adjacent to the tracks which are at right'angles to ti'letl ick on which the train is running, would be established to, include the resistances 14 and exclude battery 7,-thus causing the .high voltage relays. to release their armatures and opening the local circuits. The said local circuits having been thus opened, the semaphore on a locomotive which may be standing with its shoe on a contact. rail 4 will be released and the semaphore permitted to -move to safety position, thus indicating to the engineer that he may proceed over the crossing.

If, when an engineer receives a danger semaphore signal, he disregards the same and proceeds past the long contact rail 4, his train will, upon the shoe reaching the shorter contact rail 5, be stopped automatically if the train is making more than a predetermined rate of speed. The circuits and devices on the locomotive for accomplishing this result are shown in'Fi 2 of the drawings and will now be explained.

cylinder 54 (shown indetail in Fig. 3) is located on the locomotive and provided with a piston 55, the rod 56 of which is conlever 62.

nected with the. air-brake valve mechanism (not shown) for operating the same. The cylinder 54 is provided with a valve chamber 57 which communicates with the respective ends of the cylinder by means of ducts 58-459. and said valve casing is also provided with exhaust ports 60. An air supply pipe 60 communicates with the valve cham ber between the cxha'ust. ports. A reciproeating valve 61 is located within the valve chamber 57 and provided with suitable d nets for connecting respective ends of the cylinder with the air supply pipe and an exhaust port, alternately so to cause reciprocation of the piston 55 for operating the valve controlling mechanism of the air brakes. 1

hand lever 62 is pivoted at one end to a suitable support 63 and this lever is connected, by means of a rod 64 with the valve 61,-- said' lever being movable in one direction by a spring 'The v alve (i1 is maintained normally 1n the position shown in Fig. 3, by means of a latch 66 pivoted at one end to a fixed support and adapted at its other end to mgugc :1 lug or book 67 on the lever 62, such engagement being normally maintained by means of a spring 68. The latch lever 6(1 is provided with an armature 9 for an elcctro-magnet 70, and this magnet is con trolled by devices presently cxplained,to actuate the latch lever and release the hand Vl'hcn the hand lever shall have been thus released. the spring will be free to shift the valves 61 and thus admit air behind the piston 55 to operate the valve mechanism of the brakes.

The brake-controlling devices above described will be located in such position unnected by a conductor 73 with one terminal of the coil of magnet and the other terminal of said coil is connected, by a conductor 74, witlrthe switch lever 72. This switch lever is intended .to cooperate with a fixed contact 75 and the latter is connected, by-a conduc'or 7 6, with the battery '71. This circuit is maintained normally open by the engagement of a pivoted latch 77 with the switch lever 72115 shown in Fig. 2, and when Said switch lever has been released' by the operation of the latch lever, it will be thrown, by the action of a spring-'78, and be permitted to cooperate with the contact 75 to close said local circuit. The switch devices above described for controlling the local circuitof magnet 70,1will also be located under the locomotive, so as to necessitate the engineer leaving the cab to reset them. It is'apparent that the engineer can not resetthe'brake controlling devices shown in Fig. 3, until he has first reset the switch 72 to open the local circuit including the magnet 70 because the latter would not permit the operation of the latch lever 66- as long as the magnet 70 remains energized. The latch 77 is maintained normally in engagement with the switch lever 72 by means of a suitable spring and, the operation of said latch is controlled by an electro-maguet 7 9. .One terminal of the coil of this magnet is connected, by a conductor 80, with the conductor 51, the latter being connected with the contact shoe 35 as before explained. The other terminal of the coil of nmgnet 7%) is connected with one end of a stationary resistance 81, the other end of said resistance being connected 'with the movable arm 82 of a speedometer 83 of any preferred construction and suitably connected with the car axles or wheels. The arm 82 of the speedometer'also forms a switch arm adapted to coi'ipe-rate with a contact 84, the latter being connected, by means of a conductor 85, with the conductor 53. The speedometer will be so sot. that the circuit ncluding the magnet 79 will be closed at ti l -84 when the train is running beyond a predetermined rate of speed,--preteralily, five miles per hour or more.

The speed ot' the train when it reaches the long contact rail and while it is passing over such rail would (in most instances) be such that the circuit controlled by the speed-' olneter would be closed, but the voltage of the current supplied by the batteries 21 would be so cut down by the resistances 24 and 81, that the'magnet 79 would not be sufliciently energized to operate the trip 77, andv hence the circuit of the magnet 70 which controls the brake mechanism, would be kept open.

As before explained, theseinaphore 37 inthe cab will be moved to danger or stop position, when the shoe is in engagement with the long contact rail 4. At the forward end of this long contact rail,

va post 86 will be located alongside the railroad to indicate to the engineer, the end of the long contact rail, and therefore, the necessity for slackening the speed of the train or stopping it if the semaphore'37 still remains at danger. Should the engineer disregard the warning of his semaphore and permit the train to continue at a rate of five miles per hour (more or less, according to the setting of the speedometer) and the shoe 35 should reach the short contact rail 5, the air brakes on the train would be at once applied, by reason of the automatic manipulation and operation of circuits and devices, as follows: When the shoe 35 leaves the long contact rail 4 and engages the short contact permita movement of the piston rail 5, those portions of the circuit which include the resistance 24 will. be opened. and the circuits of the battery 21 will be closed through the conductor 23, short contact rail 5 and the cab circuits, thus placing the full voltage supplied by the battery 21 in the short contact rail and cab circuits. The circuitof the magnet 79 beingnow closed at the speedometer, and the resistance 24 having been cut out, sufiicient current will be supplied by the battery 21 to. so energize the magnet 79 as to cause it to actuate the trip 77 and release the switch lever 72. This switch lever will then be promptly moved by the s ring 78, into engagement with the contact and close the local circuit including the magnet 70 and battery 71. The magnet 70 will then move the trip 66 and release the lever 62, whereupon the action of the spring 65 will shift the valve 61' and 55 to opcrate the valve mechanism of the air brakes and the consequent application of the latter, thus automatically stopping-the train. Before the train can proceed. the-engineer must alight from his cab and manually re set, first the switch lever 72 and then the lever 62 as previously explained.

Should one of the constantly closed cir cuits including the relays at respective sides of the crossing become impaired, the low resistance relays would at once become deinergized and permit their armatures to engage the contacts 19, thus closing local cir' cuits of batteries 21 with the result of signaling or stopping train in the manner hereinbefore explained. In order hat the .ductors 27 and 101) switch 2t? are adapted (when thrown from i the position'shown in Fig. 1) to engage contacts 87, with which conductors 88 leading to telephone lines 88" are connected. In the cab, one terminal of the battery 71 is connected with a telephone terminal by means of conductors 76-91, and the other terminal of said battery is connected with switch arm 48, by means of conductors 73-92, and I the switch arm 48 is electrically connected with switch contact 40 by a conductor 93. The switch arm 94 of the telephone is connected by conductor 95 with arm 46 of the switch 38, and the contact point 96 for the tele hone switch arm 94, is connected, by a con uctor 97 with the arm 44 of switch 38. The contact point 98 is connected in the talking circuit of th'e telephone and the conductor 91 is connected with the arm 45 of switch. 38. The contact 41 of the switch 38 is connected I} a conductor 100, with the truck frame. he switch 38 is maintained in its normal position by means of a spring 99.

en the engineer desires to communicate with the despatchers oflice, he will first throw the switch 526 to connect the telephone line wires (through the medium of con- -with a track rail 3 anda conductor rail 4 and he will then move the switch bar 38 longitudinally. The result of this will be to include the battery 71 in circuit with the telephone line and in circuit with a rheotome hell (not shown) at the desp atchers office. .As soon as thefe removes the telephone receiver from itshook, the calling battery 71 will be cut out and the talking circuit of the telephone will be, closed. The engineer can now receive or ders from the despatcher and if such orders be'for him to proceed, the engineer will first restore the switches 26 and 38 and then pro reed with his train at a rate less than five miles an hour (more or less according to the setting of the speedometer 82) until he has passed the short conductor rail 5.

Having fully described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters-Patent. is':- i

1. The combination .with the tracks of a railway crossing, each track having an insulated section adjacent to the crossin rolling equipment adapted to electrically ridge rails of the tra ck, signal means on the rolling equipment, partial circuits on the rolling equipment for said signal means, contact rails near the outer ends of the insulated track sections, and a shoe on the rolling contro equipment connected in the partial circuits thereon'and' ada ted to cooperate with said contact rails,.of igh and low voltage relays of relays at opposite sides of .the crossing in series, a resistance included in each of sai d= closed circuits, normally open circuits in'"- cluding the insulated track sections and con-.-

nected with the closed relay circuits, whereb the resistance in one of said closed relay circuits will be out out when a train occupies an insulated rail section and the volta e in said closed circuit be thereby increase partial local circuits controlled by the relays and connected with the contact rails and with a track rail beyond the insulated rail sections. I

42. The, combination with the track ofa railway crossing, each track having an insu lated section near the crossing, rolling equipment and electrically controlled signaling means onlthelatter, of high and low volt'- age relays near theouter end of each insulated track section, closed circuits including the relays at o positesides of the crossing resistances inc uded i'njeach of said, close circuits, means for short-circuiti ig theirssistance in one of saidclosed circuits when strain occugiiesone of the insulated track sections, loca 'artial circuits controlledby the-relays, an means forflconnectingsaid local Eartialcircuits with the electrically ed devices of the signal means on the rcllin equipment. v 8, he combination with the tracks of a lated track section,

railwa crossing, each track having an insulate section near the crossing, rolling equipment, a signal and brake-controlling uipment, electr cal a means on the rolling e controlling devices for t e signal, electr cal controlling'devices for the brake controlling "means, partial circuits of different resistances for the electrical controlling means of the signal and brake-controllin means respectively, lon and siort contact rails near the outer en of each insulated track section, and a shoe on the rolling equipment connected with said partial circuits on the latter and adapted to cooperate with said contact rails, of high and low voltage relays near the outer end of each insuclosed circuits including the relays at opposite sides of the crossing,

Jresistances in each of said closed circuits,

normally open circuits includin the insulated'track sections and connects with said closed circuits for cutting out the resistance in the latter, generators in said open circuits, local artial circuits controlled by the relays, eac local partial circuit having branches connected with the long and short contact rails respectively, and a resistance included in the branch connected with a long contact rail.

In testimon whereof, I have signed this specification in the .presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ANDREW J. ALLARD.

Witnesses:

ARTHUR L. PLEASANTS, W. B. CLAIBORNE.

copies of this patent may be obtained for avo-oentsoaoh, by manning the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0."

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