US1265142A - Railroad signaling system. - Google Patents

Description

1.1. TURNER.

RAILROAD SIGNALING SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FlLED NOV- l, 1911.

Patented May 7,1918.

' INVENTOR.

wl-rncsszs. Xvi/flea I MQ 1 7% JAMES J. TURNER, F PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

RAILROAD SIGNALING SYSTEM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May v, 1918.

, Application filed November 1,1911. Serial in). 658,046.

7 b all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J AMES J. TURNER,

. a citizen of theUnited States, and resident of Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented av new and useful Improvement in Rallroad Signaling" Systems; and I do hereby declare being white for safety, in which case the train is free torun at full speed; green for" the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to railroad signaling systems. Asthese systems are now employed for governing the movement of trains steady continuous. light isused, the usual'signals caution,fi11 which case the train is run-at a 'lower speed, requiring special watchfulness by the engineer; and red, for danger, requiring the train to stop. The use of the white light for safety has led'to accidents, espe cially in largely settled districts where numerous other'lights are exposed, and the engineer may mistake them for signal lights. Other accidents have occurred where the colored lenses of thesignaling apparatus have been broken exposing the white light, and the engineer has mistaken the signal for one ofsafety. For this reason some roads have done away with the white light, substituting green for the same and further substituting yellow for the green in the caution signal; but in a foggy orfhazyatmosphere the red light has at times been mistaken for the yellow light, and thishas created a condition likely to leadto accidents. In fact no three colored lights each clearly distinctive from each of the others have yetfbeen found. The object of the present invention is to provide a system by which these difiiculties are overcome, and one also in whichfurther signals may be employed, for example, a signal indicating to theengineerboth high and low speeds of safety, the former permitting the running ofthe train at the very high speeds whichare now employed on some lines,

.Tothese ends the invention consists in governing the movement of the trains by displaying a pulsating light and thereby distinguishing the condition of thetrack-way. The invention includes either the displaying of different. pulsations of" light rays for the diflerent signals, or the displaying of a pulsating light, for example, a pulsating white light'for safety, while for all other signals a steady light is employed. v, y

v In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a face view illustrating the invention; Fig. 2 is a side view thereof; Fig. 2 is a detail view of the parts shown in Fig. 2; Fig. 3 is a face view, Fig. 4 a side view; and Fig. 5 a detail view of one modification thereof; Fig. 6 is a face view of anothermodification; and Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic view of another modification embodying the system.

lVhile the invention is intended to include the employment of the display of any pulsating light in connection with a railroad signaling system, as it may be employed in difierent ways, I will describe several systems suitable for the purpose together with some forms of apparatus therefor. The invention is illustrated in connection with the usual semaphore system utilized for signals in day-light. For example in Fig. 1, 2 rep resents the signal post having the semaphore arm 3 mounted thereon and adapted to be placed in different positions by the usual mechanism, which is not here described. I have illustrated this semaphore as also carrying the different lenses and in this figure have illustrated the same as adapted say, for four positions instead of the three positions now employed on such semaphores. The up ward vertical position marked A being intended for high speed running; the downward inclined position B for regular full speed running; the upward inclined position G for caution and the horizontal position D for danger. The semaphore also carries the usual lenses A, B, C, D, corresponding to these different positions and adapted tobe carried in front of the lamp 4 mounted on the signaling post. These lenses may be of different colors, for example clear white for full speed and regular running, green for caution and red for danger. The colors, however, may be varied according to the requirements of the systems. Upon the signaling post is mounteda suitable electric .motor 5, which has a pinion 6 upon its motor shaft 7 meshing with a gear wheel 8 upon the shaft 9 mounted on the motor frame, the outer end of said shaft being mounted in a bracket 10 secured to the post. The gear wheel 8 is fixed to the shaft 9 so as to rotate continuously therewith and secured also to said shaft is one blinding arm 11 which always rotates thereon. Mounted loosely upon this same shaft are the clutches 12, 13, 14 carrying the blinding arms 15, 16, 17, and adapted to engage with the clutch 18 on the period; for example,- where the shaft 9 is driven one rotation in 10 seconds, the light will be interrupted by the blindsfour times insuch period of 10 seconds. However, by simple mechanism one of more of the blinds may be disconnected from the shaft t) so that for signaling purposes only three, or. two, or one such blind passes the light withim such period,and the engineer caninthis way by watching the pulsations within the hired period know the signal: given even though by accident the colored lenses operated by the semaphore may be broken. For example, the clutch 14 carrying the blinding arm 17 is connected. to the clutch lever 25 pivoted on the bracketlO and having. the arm 26 with its opposite end extending to the sliding cam. block 27'- which h'as the cam slot 28 with which the arm 26 engages, so that on the movement of the cam block the clutch 14% may be thrown out of or into engagement with the clutch 13 and rotate with it. In like manner the clutch 13 is operated by the lever 29 and arm 29' engaging within a cam slot 30 in the cam block, and the clutch 12 has the lever 31 havingthe arm 32' engaging with. the cam slot 83 in the cam block. This cam block as illustrated is mountedto reciprocate vertically, being operatedthroughthe rod 34 having connections leading in the usual way to the signaling. station, which it is not considered necessary to illustrate. Connected also to the cam block is the rod 3a which extends to and is connected to the crank on the semaphore shaft so that the semaphore is thrown into the different positions described to bring the lenses into proper line with the signal lightsandto give the proper daylight signals. The arms 26, 29 and: have yielding connections 36, which consist preferably ofi short sleeves within which are mounted springs against which the ends of the rods 26, 29?, and 32, respectively, abut,- to provide for the snapping in of the clutches. These yielding connections may consist, for example, as shown in Fig. 2 of the hollow sleeve 36 having within it the spring- 36" against which the head 32 of the rod 32 abuts; l

VVith': the above apparatus the signaling systemcan be operated, for example, in the following way: For, signaling for high speed all of the clutchesare connected to the driving shaft. 9 and to each otherso that they are operated at different positions and the signal will display a pulsating light interr-upted four times: in the rotation of the shaft, so signaling high speed, for instance si xty or more. miles per hour. The operator withdraw the clutchtl3 sothat the lightis interrupted only twice in the fixed period indicating caution, and for the vdanger sigf m1 can withdraw the clutch 12,1eavii1g only one blinder passing the light during the fixed" period. Thus the operator has only to watch the pulsating light and; the liability of his mistakingany other steady light-close to the road'jfor' the signal light is entirely overcome, and according to the number of interruptions of the light during the fixed period he receives the signal for the running of the train. In case of accident to the sig, nahng a 'jparatus, for example, where any clutch is-out oi order so givinga fewer number of interruptions to the light, as the danger slgnal 1s always in operation" accident Will: be prevented, as in such case the train will stop.

I-n the employment of the-system I may provide for displaying the pulsatinglight in cennectlon only with one position of the signal. For example, this is illustrated in Figs. 3, at and. 5, which illustrates the obstructlon of the steady light of the lamp only where a white light is displayed, say, in the position of safety. In this case the same semaphore carrying,,its'different colored lenses is employed and, by the p'osi tionmg. of the semaphore, currentto operate an electric motor i's turned' on or off according to whether it is desired" to operate the hl'inder so as to display the pulsating light or not. On. the supporting, post is mounted the lamp 37 and the semaphore arm 88, motor 39, illustrated as carrying two blinders 450 on a shaft 41' driven by the motor. The wires 42 48,,carrying the current to the motor pass to a switch 44, illustrated n Fig. 5 and operated by the shaft' th carrying the semaphore, ,and' alsocarrying a switch contact plate 4'6 adapted to register with the contactplates 47, 4:8,,so as to. carry the current to the motor hysuitable wires 49, 49, or simply to connect the. main lines 42', 43. In this ase when the semaphore is moved to safety thev current passes through the motor and thereby rotates t'he blinders traveling in front of the lamp. VVh'en, however, the semaphore is moved to the position of caution or danger the motor is cut out so that a steady light isthrown through the colored lenses. In this case the pulsating'light' is the signal of safety and the ordinary steady colored lights of caution or danger, and in case a steady white light were displayed, for example in case of breakage of the colored lenses, the engineer knows that the signaling system is out of order and necessarily stops his train. y

In Fig. 6 I have illustrated the use of clock work for giving the display of pulsating light, the apparatus being the same as in Figs. 3 to 5 and the parts similarly letter-ed but the blinder 50 being reciprocated vertically by clock work or like mechanism, as illustrated at 51. In this case the blinder may be reciprocated continuously so as to give a regularly interrupted pulsating light which may be utilized for all the positions of safety, caution and danger. In like manner as illustrated in Fig. 7 I may employ a continuouslypulsating light, utilizing for that purpose an electric lamp in which an interrupted current is employed so that at all times a pulsating light is displayed. In such case the lamp 55 is supported on the signal posts in the ordinary way, and current is carried along the line of the road in any suitable way, such as by over-head Wires 57 supported on the posts 58 and leading to the difi'erent signal posts along the line, asuitable current interrupter 59 being located at some point along the line.

It is evident to those skilled in the art that the method can be employed in different ways, the above being simply examples, and as I believe that the methodis broadly new it is to be understood that any such systems are included therein.

WVhat I claim is:

1. In railroad signal systems, the method of governing the movement of trains, consisting in interrupting at will the flow of the light rays 21. certain number of times within a given period and simultaneously swinging a semaphore into a predetermined position to indicate a certain signal during such interruptions, and interrupting the fiow of light rays a different number of times within said period and simultaneously swinging a semaphore to a difierent position during such interruptions to indicateanother signal.

2. In a railroad signaling system, the combination of a lamp, a motor and a blinder operated by said motor and adapted at intervals to cut oif the light rays from the lamp, and a second .blinder independent of the first adapted to be connected to and operated in like manner by the motor and means whereby the first blinder may be uperated alone or in conjunction with the.

second.

3. In railroad signal systems, the combination of a lamp, a motor, a rotary shaft driven by the motor and having a blinder adapted to be carried past the lamp, and another blinder having means whereby it may be connected to the motor and carried past the lamp in a different position from the first blinder.

4. In railroad signal systems, the combination of a lamp, a motor, a rotary shaft driven by the motor and having a blinder adapted to be carried past the lamp, another blinder adapted to be connected to the motor and carried past the lamp in a difierent position from the first blinder, and operative mechanism for connecting and disconnecting tfiBfSQCOIlCl blinder to and from the motor s a t.

5. In a railroad signal system, the combination of a lamp, a motor, ashaft driven thereby, a clutch mechanism, a blinder adapted to be connected to said shaft by said clutch mechanism and carried past the lamp, lever connections to said clutch, and means for operating said lever.

6. Ina railroad signal system, the combination of a lamp, a motor, a shaft driven thereby, a clutch mechanism, a blinder adapted to be connected to said shaft by said clutch mechanism, and carried past the lamp, lever connections to said clutch, and a reciprocating cam block for operating said lever connections.

7. In railroad signal systems, the combination of a lamp, a semaphore carrying lenses of different colors adapted to be brought in line with said lamp, said semaphore being adapted to be placed in dif ferent positions, and means operatively connected with said semaphore for operating said semaphore and means displaying at will a different number of pulsations of light within a given period according to the position of the semaphore.

In testimony whereof, I the said James J. TURNER have hereunto set my hand.

JAMES J. TURNER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the fconimluloner of Patents, Washington, D. 0.

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