US1123973A - Automatic train-stop. - Google Patents

Description

M. C. WRIGHT.

AUTOMATIC TRAIN STOP.

APPLICATION FILED APR. z2. 1914,

Patented Jan. 5, 1915.

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AUTOMATIC TRIN STOP.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 2z, 1914 Patented Jan. 5, 1915.

A TTOIiA/EYS MARSHALL o. WRIGHT, Aor lNEW Yoan, N. Y.

AUTOMATIC TRAIN-STOP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 5, 1915.

Application filed April 22, 1914. Serial No. 833,4575.

; To all 'whom 'it may concern Y ances, and has particular reference to means for stoppmg a tram automatically 1n case.

of the carelessness or disability of the engineer. i

Among the objects of the invention is to provide means located along the roadside adapted to coperate with certain devices carried b the locomotive, whereby, when the switc is open, the signal semaphore is at danger, or other occasion demanding the train to be stopped, a normlly closed electric circuit controlling ceral devices upon the locomotive willA he bro en by the breakage of a mechanical v tain s1' device servm to control both the circuit aforesaid and the air line leading from the brake mechanism.

The roadside device herein shown and described as a preferred means for carrying out the peculiar locomotive devices, is not claimed 1n this case, but is made the subject matter of a divisional case, filed by me on the 2nd day of September, 1914, Serial No. 859,790..

The foregoing 'and many other objects of the invention willvh'ereinafter be more fully described and claimed and illustrated in the drawings forming a part of this specification in which like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views, and in which- Figure 1 is a vertical transverse section of a locomotive, looking forwardly, and including a diagram of the signal devices carried thereby and indicating the correlation between the locomotive devices and the roadside device; Fig. 2 is ax vertical longitudinal section of the roadside signal box; Fig. 3 is ahorizontal section of theu same on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2; Fig- 4 is a diaram of the wiring of the devices just reerred to; Fig.v 5 is a view of a modification including an electro-pneumatic control; Fig.v 6 is a vertical sectional vlew of the resignal lamp for the locomotive cab; Fig. 8

is a'view of a combination signal lamp and audible'alarm for the locomotive cab; Fig. 9 1s a side elevation of that embodiment of the invention in which the trip or obstacle 1s connected directly and mechanically with the semaphore; Fig. 10 is a transverse section of a rail indicating in elevation an emergency trip device-adapted to be quickly connected to the rail; and Fig. 1l is a plan view of the obstacle.

The several parts of the device may be made of any suitable materials, and the relative sizes and proportions, as well as the general design of the mechanism, may be varied to a considerable extent without departing from the spirit of the invention hereinafter more fully set forth and specically claimed.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, I show at 15 an outline of a vertical transverse section of a locomotive cab look` ing' toward the front or in the direction of travel. Connected to any part of the locomotive, as for instance, the pilot beam 16, is an auxiliary air line 17 connected to the usual 'air brake system, Vthe auxiliary pipe 17 being maintained charged with compressed air the same as the other parts of the air brake system. The pipe 17 may extend beyond bo'th ends of the pilot beam, and the safety 'circuit devices herein set 'forth obviously may extend likewise to both ends of the pipe whereby the safety appliance will be available with the locomotive running either forwardly or back- Wa-rdly. i

The engine equipment further includes a battery 18 located at any convenient place and havingv a circuit including a wire 19 leading through an outlet connection 20 and thence to a head 21 of a metal rod 22 extending downwardly at the side of and below the end of the pilot beam and substantially in alinement'with a downwardly extending pipe 23 constituting anextension of the train line auxiliary pipe 17. To the coupling 23 is connected, as by screw threads, a collar 24 having a central port therethrough registering with the center of the pipe 23. The head 21 and collar 24l are connected in spaced relation by means of a breakable release plug 25 made of carbon or some other suitable material which is easily broken and which serves to make elecltrical connection between the battery wire connected to the collar 24. Referring more particularly to Fig. 6 it will be observed that the release plug is formed hollow for communication with the cavity leading from the pipe/23 through the collar 24, and the ends of the plug 25 are secured in the respective sockets by means of a bed of cement 27 or oakum or the like, and then the remaining portion of the cavity is lled with molten lead 28. This provides a reliable electrical connection through the plug and yet insuring the prompt breakage of the plug with an accompanying breakage of the circuit and release of the air when the roadside obstacle is struck by the downwardly projecting rod 22.` The wire 26 leads through a relay 29 back to the battery 18. f

An auxiliary circuit 30 from the battery leads to and through a lamp 31 and an audible signal 32 ylocated within reach of the engineer. Ther lamp 31 and bell 32 may be connected to the locomotive, cab separately from each other, as shown in Figs. 1 and 7, or they may be combined in the same connection as shown in Fig. 8. Included in the circuit 30 is an armature 33 associated with the relay 29, the same being held up when the circuit is closedthrough the relay, but when the circuit is broken said armature drops and completes the normally open circuit 30, causing the auxiliary cii'cuit 30 to ring the bell and light the lamp in the locomotive cab.

Referring now to the roadside device, I mount in upright position, either upon an extended tie 34 or a bed of concrete, a base 35 having a strong flat spring 36 connected thereto at the lower end of the spring, as shown at 37. The structure of the spring is such that it tends to assume the position shown in full lines in Fig. 1, but is normally held under tension in the distorted position shown in dotted lines, the spring being bent outwardly or away from the railway track. To the upper end of the spring 36 is connected 'a trip or obstacle in the form of an,

arm 38 adapted to project laterally and inwardly toward the railway track in a horizontal position and in the path of the rod 22 abovedescribed.

At `39 I show a signal box or casing sec curedin a definite position just on the outside of the obstacle 38, said casing being` preferably connected and supported upon the base bracket 35. In this casing are secured red and green targets 40, and 41` the other of which is respectively, one or always caused tgshine more lamps 42 located within the casing in the same circuit 43. Either lamp alone would be sufiicient, but for the purpose of increasing the reliability of the service I desire to employ two.

At 44 I provide a solenoid having a horiby reason of one or zontally movabl core'45. On the inner end of the core is sedured a shutter 46 which, in one position, obscures the red target; that is to say, the solenoid 44 being in a normally closed circuit 47 from a switch box 48, the roadside obstacle 38 connected to the core 45 by means of a link 49 will be held in the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, and hence the removal or failure of any essential part of the mechanism will cause the obstacle 38 to be setin stop position by virtue of the spring 36 or other suitable means, at which time the shutter 46 will obscure the green target, allowing the red target to show. The switch box'48 is shown provided with a lever 50 which may be connected for operation with any movable part of the track or semaphore signal mechanism.

Thev operation of the mechanism thus far described may be brieily summarized as follows: When a switch is open, the signal devices being set at danger, or if for any other reason a train should be brought to a stop, the circuit 47 will be broken and the solenoid 44 denergized. Under these circumstances the force of the spring 36 will set the obstacle arm 38 in the position shown in full lines in Fig. 1, and there hold it in the path of the depending rod 22. It may here be noted that the dimensions or proportions of the 95 strike the obstacle, causing the plug 25 t-be snapped, breaking the circuit between the parts 2l and 24 and denergizing the relay 29 in the locomotive cab, causing the visible and audible alarms to be made operative as already described. When the plug 25 snaps, the air line will be opened from the brake system, causing the brakesl to be set automatically in a well lmown'manner.

When the signal and tripping mechanisms are set at stop or danger position, it is possible to allow the train to proceed under orders by the manipulation of a normally open hand switch 52, restoring the energy to the solenoid 44 and hence retracting the obstacle arm 38 momentarily while the switch 52 is held closed by a'trainman.

The casing. 39 is substantially closed, inclosing the lamps, the solenoid 44, and the shutter 46. I provide, however, on the outer end of the core 45 a disk or plate 53 l ing normally close to the inner wall 54 of the casing so as to prevent rain or snow from entering the casing or rcollecting upon the core 45.

In Fig. 5 I show an electro-pneumatically controlled means for operating the obstacle arm 38, the same being practically equivaty manera 3 ulent to the devices already described in connection with the roadside devices. In place, however, of the solenoid 44 I provide a horizontal pneumatic cylinder 44 in which 5 is located a reciprocating piston 55 connected to a stem 45 and against which a spring 56 bears and tends to force the piston inwardly or toward the track, causing or aliowing the obstacle arm 38, connected as above described, to be operated. The opposite end of the stem 45 has se'cured to it the shutter 46 for the purpose already set forth.

At 57 I show an air supply pipe leading into the inner end of the cylinder at 58, the air passing through a normally open valve 59 in said pipe. An outlet pipe 60 is connected to and leads from the main pipel 57 between the valve 59 and the cylinder, and the outlet pipe is provided with a normally closed valve 6l.

At 44a I show a. solenoid corresponding to the iirst mentioned solenoid 44 in that it is in a lnormally closed circuit 47. The core of this armature controls the position of the valves 59 and 6l in the manner above stated. When the circuit 47 is broken and the solenoid 44a denergized, the valve 59 is closed and the valve 61 is opened, allowing the air contained normally within the cylinder to be discharged to the atmos here and the obstacle arm 38 will be move to tripping position.

Fig. 9 indicates diagrammatically a semaphore, the arm 62 of which is set, at danger position. 63 represents any suitable connection between the semaphore arm and the obstacle arm 38 which permits the force of the spring 36 to set the obstacle arm in tripe0 ping position when the signal arm 62 is set as shown. When, however, the arm 62 is moved downwardly to safety position, the connection 63 withdraws the obstacle arm 38 out of the path of the rod 22 in amanner similar to that already set forth.

In Figs. 10 and ll I show an emergency obstacle adapted to be carried as a part of the train equipment and designed to be set by a flagman in the rear of a train to prevent an oncoming train from colliding with the standing'train. This device comprises an upwardly and inwardly projecting arm 38 having at its lower end adjacent the rail a forwardly projecting hook 38a adapted t0 55, be projected bodily. forwardly between the web of the rail It and a iishplate F. The length of the base portion of this arm and the height thereof are so proportloned as to correspond substantially in the position of the eli'ective portion of the obstacle with the automatically controlledobstacle, above set forth, with respect to the path of the rod 22. This emergency device may readily be removed after the emergency has passed so as 55 to.be out of the way of the oncoming train.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent l. In an automatic train stop, the combination with an auxiliary air line, of a rod projecting from the locomotive in proximity to said air line, a battery, a circuit from the battery including a relay and a frangible plug connecting the rod to the air line, said plug having a hollow interior communicating withthe opening in the air line and normally closing said air line, roadside devices adapted to be struck by the rod whereby the frangible plug will be broken, lbreaking the circuit and opening communication from the air line, and signal means within the locomotive made operative as 'a result of the breakage of said circuit.

2. In an automatic train stop, the combination of an air line carried by a locomotive, g5 a frangible 4plug connected to the air line,

a rod projecting from the locomotive, said rod being held in rigid spaced relation to the air line connection by said plug` a battery carried by the locomotive, the circuit from e@ the batteryleading through said plug and being normally closed, devices associated with said circuit made operative by theV breakage of the circuit, and roadside devices adapted to be arranged in the path of the projecting rod and serving to be struck by said rod, causing the plug to be snapped and said circuit broken.

3. In an automatic train stop, the combination of a battery carried by a locomotive, la@ a rigid stationary member projecting from the locomotive, a projecting rod associated with said member, aV frangible plug connecting said rod rigidly with said stationary member, a normally closed circuit leading from the battery through the connection between the rod and the stationary member, said circuit includinga relay, movable roadside devices adapted to be set in the path of the rod when the train should be stopped 11e whereby, upon thestriking of said roadside devices by the rod, the rangible plug will be snapped and the circuit broken, and signal means made operative as a result of the breaking of the circuit through the relay.

4. In an automatic train stop, the combination with an air line connection secured to and projecting rigidly from a locomotive, a striking member associated with said rigid air line, a frangible plug making rigid con- 13e nection between the striking member and the air lineand normally closing said air line, a battery carried by the locomotive, a normally closed circuit leading from the battery and including a relay, signal means in the locomotive made operative upon the breaking of the circuit through the relay, and roadside devices adapted to be struck by said striking member whereby the frangible plug will be broken, allowing the escape of air from the air line, the breakage of said plug resulting in the breakage of said circuit.

5. The combination with a rigid air line connection carried by a locomotive and movable roadside devices, `of a striking member associated with said rigid air line, and a carbon plug serving as a rigid frangible connection between the striking member and the air line and having a hollow center communicating with the opening in thel air line whereby, when the striking member engages the roadside devices, the plug will be broken and the air allowed to escape from `the train line.

6. In an automatic stop for railway cars, the combination of a striking member, a

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