US1118311A - Automatic railroad block system. - Google Patents

Description

P. J. SIMMBN. AUTOMATIC RAILROADA BLOCK SYSTEM. APPLIUATIQN FILED JUNI; a. 14901.

winner o eo UNITEn sTATns PATENT FFCE.

PAUL I. or BERKELEY, CALIFomnia.`

AUTOMATIC RAILROAD BLOCK SYSTEM. l

Application led June 3,

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, PAUL J. SIMMEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Berkeley, in the county1 of Alameda and State-of California, have invented new and useful Improrements in Automatic Railroad furthermore will apprise the engine-driver or motorman whenever there is a defect in the cab circuit or in the line circiiit.

Afurther object of this invention is to' provide a system of this character especially7 adapted for a single'track railroad, in which ,there is a set.` of signals for ingoing trains and another set .of signals for outgoing "trains, all of which signals arel normally at clear,l and whlch lare so arranged that a train passing in either direction into a part of the-track between two sidings willi s lt at Y danger all the signalsbetween said sid ngs for trains passing in the other direction.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of one form of my improved block system. Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view of the cahcircuit of the system shown in Fig. 1. Fig-3 is a longitudinal sectional View of one of the solenoids and Fig. 4 yis a plan view of thesame.

Referring to the drawings, 1 indicates a railroad track, adjacent to one side of which are a series of groups of contact rails 2, 3, 4A,

. and 5.

V"the-cab, a's hereinafter described.

contact rail 2 of each group serves to notify lVhenever the engine arrives at one ofthesc contact rails, a circuit 4is closcdvin The first the engine-driver to be prepared to stop before he passes the next contact railf, and, consequently, the distance between these rails?. and 3 is arranged to be the maximum distance in which any train can be stopped as quickly as possible from its maximum speed. These rails' 2 and 3 of each group are connected by a wire 6, and. may therefore for electrical purposes he considered as a continuous rail, although the signal is first givenby the rail Q, and then repeated by fthecrailf. Theserails 2 and il might be made in a single continuous contact rail, but

Speeton o! Letter. Patent Paten/i ed` Nov. 2st, l 914.

1907. seran No. 377,062. f

this construction is avoided on account of expense.

.I n Fig. l. the signal: devices are shown in their normal condition and in this condition, a wire 7 leads from .the rail 3 to a contact point 8 which is in contact with a contact changer 9 carried bythe core 10 of solenoids 11, 12. Conne :te(l\i'ith said contactchangcr 9 is a flexible, wire '13 which leads td a wire il and thence to ground at said ground being in this case rei'ircsented liv one of the rails of the track. T hercfore,v if the contact at 8, 9. is closed, the arrival of the engine both at the rail Q and at thc rail 3. closes said circuit in the cab, and thereby assures the engine-driver that the lraclr .ahead of him is clear. The train then `proceedsuntil the engine arrives at the rail #l of the same group., the effect of'whieh is to close a"circuit as follows: `by a wire 1.7 through .the front solenoid 11. of the adjacent pair of `solenoids 11, 1Q, then by a' wire 18 leading hack over the line to the rear solenoid 12 of the pair of solenoids one block behind, and then by wire 14 to ground at 15. The effect of this is toencrgize the front solenoid l1 of the pair at the front end of the blockand the rear solenoid 12 at the rear end thereof. thcrcl v attracting the core at the front end of the block forward and retracting the core at the Lrear end of the block. Since this action takes place a each block station in turn. the coreI at each station is left in the advanced 1position as the engine leaves said station. and when thc engine arrives at the next station in advance said core is returned th itsnormal condition in which the contacts' Sfand 9 are closed. Thus. as the engine passes each block station, it separates the contacts S and 9 of the station immediately behind. which if closed would actuate the clear signal in the cab, so

yso

tact maker is formed with beveled edges 59, which in one of its positions are adapted to enter between two pairs o't spring contact clips G0, (S1, which'are connected with the wires 7 and 13. The high resistance wire 45 represented diagraniniati'cally in Fig. 1 is now shown in its proper position connecting the two binding posts 62 of the two spring contact clips. Located upon the top of the box at the other end of the movement of its arm are the spring contact clips G3, 64,

which are connected the one with the wire 7 and the other with the wire l1 as illustrated diagraminatically in Fig.`1. These contact clips are also connected b va high resistance wire G5.

In order to prevent the core and other parts from deteriorating under exposureto the weather the whole box containing these parts is tilled with oil. The resistance of the coils will be'sutlicient to maintain the oil sii-tticicntly warm and ltluid' iny cold weather. 66 indicates the binding posts for the two coils.

The advantages of the above construction are that the Acontacts are wiping contacts, which are self-cleaning: that the core when once moved is mechanically held in its positi-on to which it is so move( iintil'it is again moved by the energization of a coil; and that the mechanism is compact and requires no attention, which'is a particular advantage on account of these devices being generally located at great distances from a central station. However, it ca'n be seen that access can rea dily be had for the purpose of inspection and repairs.

1. In combination with a train having a normally closed circuitwhich includes an electromagnetic device provided with two separate and independentlymovable masses ot magnetic material, one ott said masses adapted to be held in attracted position except when the device is wholly deenergized` and the other ot' said masses being'adapted to be held in position onlv by the action of a stronger magnetic field through said device than that needed toihold said first mentioned mass in attracted position, means for giving a special alarm when said first mentioned .mass is released. said other mass serving as part of a signal, means in the path of the train at given points tor breaking said normally closed circuit and establishing a separate path to complete said circuit in ease of safety conditions, and means for inserting an eXtra resistance in said circuit in case of danger conditions.

2. In combination with a train having a normally closed circuit, means lactuated by the passage of the train past a given point tor establishing a separate path to complete saidl circuit in case ot safetvconditions. said means including a solenoid. having a double coil and a core operating in both coils and having a circuit controlling element, means for inserting resistance in said path in case ot' danger conditions. and means on the train inthe normally closed circuit tor giving a special alarm indication on the train in case said path is wholly intc-'iiiptcd.

In combination with a train having a relay, an armature for said relay,"adapted to beheld attracted except when said relay is wholly dciincrgicd, means for giving4 a special alarm when said armature is released. a normally closed circuit on the train including saidrelay. m'cans in the path of the train for establishing a separate path to complete. said circuit in ease of safety conditions, means `for breaking the circuit through said path,V and means including an extra resistance for establishing a third path to complete said circuit in case of langer conditions.

4. Apparatus comprising tracl: sections. a normally closed'cab circuit, signaling means controlled' by said circuit. and cooperating {initial-circuit forming elements, some of which are substantialliv on the track. said elements adapted to be placed in circuit with conductive pai'ts forming said cab circuit when the latter is opened and having means to alter the amount of current flowing through said cab circuit and actuate said signaling means. means for changing the relative positions of sonic of said elements with respect to each other t'or Yiiiving the circuit conditions as a whole in accordance with the condition ot a track section. said signaling means comprising a detective circuit indicating device. and means tor certitying the setting ot' the danger signals for succeeding trains. substantiallv as described. Apparatus comprising-track sections, a normally closed cab circuit having ot necessity onlva single electrical contact to be closed ord opened, signaling means controlled by said circuit. and cot'merating partial-circuit-forniing elements.1 sonic of which are substantially on thel track. said elements adapted to be placed in circuit with conductive parts forming said cab circuit when the latter is' opened and having means to alter the amount of current flowing through said cab circuit and actuate said signalingmeans, means for changing the relative positions of some of said elements with respect to each other for varying the circuit conditions as a whole in accordance with the condition ot .a 4track section, said signaling means comprising a defective circuit indicating device, and mea-nsfor certifying the setting of the danger signals for succeeding: trains` substantiallyl as described. i

G. The combination with a train having a normally closed circuit, of means actuated by the passage of the train past a given point for establishing a separate path to

Images