US2469102A

US2469102A - Train carried transmitting loop for train communication systems

Info

Publication number: US2469102A
Application number: US776476A
Authority: US
Inventors: Edgar W Breisch; John I Seitz
Original assignee: Union Switch and Signal Inc
Current assignee: Hitachi Rail STS USA Inc
Priority date: 1947-09-27
Filing date: 1947-09-27
Publication date: 1949-05-03
Anticipated expiration: 1966-05-03

Description

May 3, 1949. E. w. BREISCH EI'AL 69, 02

TRAIN CARRIED TRANSMITTING LOOP FOR TRAIN COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 27, 1947 INVENTORS Brez'sch Edgar and J l-Seizz THEIR HTTORNLY E. W. BREISCH ET AL TRAIN CARRIED TRANSMITTING LOOP FOR TRAIN COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS May 3, 1949.

3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 27, 1947 INVENTQRS Edgar "(31 01501 2 and J LSeLiz THEIR ATTORNEY y 1949. E. W.'BRE1SCH ET AL 2,469,102

- TRAIN CARRIED TRANSMITTING LOOP FOR TRAIN COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS Filed Sept. 27, 1947 s Sheets-Sheet s A% w ww v 7 W F 7% A ARQAQQ m ES MQ BW 5/ H mw m5 um m Na m .A MN

w @54 Q5 Q INVENTQRS. g r Brezselz and n Sel'fz THEIR ATTORNEY Patented May 3, 1949 TRAEN CARRIED TRANSMITTING LOOP FOR TRAIN COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS Edgar W. Breisch, Edgewood, and John I. Seitz, Wilkinsburg, Pa, assignors to The Union Switch and Signal Company, Swissvale, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application September 27, 1947, Serial No. 776,476

6 Claims.

Our invention relates to a train carried transmitting loop for train communication systems, and more particularly to a transmitting loop for a steam locomotive equipped with inductive carrier telephone apparatus.

In inductive carrier railway train communication systems the track rails and conductors, such as line wires paralleling the track, form a circuit channel which transmits the communication current along the railway, the rails and paralleling conductors functioning as a transmitting channel due to their distributed capacitance and inductance to each. other and to ground. Train carried equipments of such communication systems are coupled to this transmitting channel through circuit elements mounted on the train for electrical coupling to the rails or line wires or both. In this way communication is effected between the train carried station and another station which may be located at some other point on the same train, or on another train, or at some wayside office.

The coupling arrangement for a train carried station may use independent circuit elements for the transmitter and receiver. That is, thetransmitter of a train carried station may be connected to one circuit element coupled to the rails or line wires, or both, and the receiver of this train carried station may be connected to another circuit element coupled to the rails or line wires, or both. An effective form of circuit element for the transmitter has been found to be a loop made to substantially surround the vehicle on which the equipment is mounted and connected to two pairs of wheels of the vehicle to include a length of the track rails between the two pairs, of wheels the loop. This loop is mounted in a vertical plane and thus it is conductively coupled to the track rails and inductively coupled to the line wires and other conductors paralleling the rails.

On steam locomotives the transmitter and receiver and the corresponding circuit elements are preferably mounted on the tender, only the control unit and telephone set being carried in the cab. In mounting this equipment on a tender it i necessary that it does not interfere in the taking on of coal and water, and also that the equipment is not where any part of it can be damaged during servicing of the locomotive.

Accordingly, a feature of our invention is the provision of a novel and improved transmitting loop for a steam locomotive having carrier inductive telephone equipment mounted thereon.

Other features-objects and advantages of our 2 invention will appear as the specification progresses.

To accomplish the foregoing features, objects and advantages of our invention, we provide the tender of a steam locomotive with a single turn loop, one end of which is terminaled to the hearing boxes for the rear pair of tender wheels and the other end terminaled to the bearing boxes of the front pair of tender wheels. The loop is formed for the most part by relatively large tubular conductors having a heavy cover of insulation. The conductor is run vertically at the rear of the tender and then forwardly over the top of the rear portion of the tender to a point just back of the coal hopper. Here the loop conductor is carried in a conduit or steel pipe inserted through the water tank. At the lower end of the steel pipe the loop conductor is connected to one side of a secondary winding of an output transformer, the primary winding of which transformer is connected to the transmitter. The other side of the secondary winding of the transformer is connected to a loop conductor which is carried forwardly under the water tank to a point about even with the forward truck and from which point it is cable connected to the bearing boxes of the forward pair of Wheels. To provide ample mutual induction of this loop with line wires and other wayside conductors, the loop is carried over the top of the tender as high above the tender top as clearance limits will permit.

Because this elevated portion of the loop may interfere with \vaterspouts being lowered to deliver water into the tender tank, this loop conductor over the tender is provided with a U- shaped section hinged at both ends so that this curved section can be manually rotated degrees. This U-shaped section of the loop is supported so that it can lie in a horizontal plane on either side of the center line of the tender. If a waterspout is to be lowered to the usual tank opening from the side on which this section of the transmitting loop is at the time lying, the section may be manually moved upward through an arc of degrees coming to rest on its supports on the side opposite of the tender center line, and in which position it is out of the way of the waterspout. To permit this rotation of the curved section of the loop without disturbing the electrical continuity of the loop, special connectors are provided for joining each end of the curved section to the adjacent stationary sections of the loop. 1

We shall describe one form of a transmitting loop circuit embodying our invention and shall then point out the novel features thereof in claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figs. 1, 2 and 3 are side, top and rear views, respectively, showing a tender of a steam locomotive having a transmitting loop embodying our invention mounted thereon. Figs. 4 and 5 are plan and sectional views, respectively, showing the means for electrically joining a curved section of the trans mitting loop with a stationary straight section of the transmitting loop of Figs. 1, 2 and 3. Fig. 6 is a phantom view showing by an enlarged scale the means for electrically joining the curved and stationary sections of the transmitting loop of the previous figures.

In each of the different views like reference characters are used to designate similar parts.

Referring to the drawings, the reference character LT designates the tender of a steam locomotive having inductive carrier telephone equipment mounted thereon. This telephone equipment is shown only as necessary for a full understanding of our invention and it may be any one of several different arrangements. For example, the telephone equipment may be similar to that shown in Letters Patent of the United States No. 2,064,6{12Qgrante'cl December 15, 1936, to Paul N. Bossart, for Railway train communication systems, or it may be similar to that disclosed in an application for Letters Patent of the United States, Serial No, 575,311, filed January 30, 1945, by Paul N. Bossart, for Railway train communication systems.

The transmitter, receiver, and power unit of the telephone equipment are housed in an equipment box EB which is suspended from the frame of the tender underneath the left-hand side of the taiik about midway between the front and rear trucks. The transmitter housed in this box EB is connected to a primary winding of anoutput transformer OT which is housed in a suitable case that is suspended from the frame of the tender under the tank near the equipment box,

the connections from the transmitter to the transformer being run in a conduit It. A secondary winding of the output transformer OT is connected to a transmitting loop that embodies our invention. This transmitting loop will be arranged to best suit the specific construction of the tender on which it is mounted but in all cases the general arrangement will be similar to that here disclosed. As here shown, one terminal of the secondary winding of the output transformer is connected to a conductor H which is' run forward under the tank to the front tender truck where the conductor ll is terminaled to the truck frame at 13, the conductor ll being secured in place by supports E2. The frame of the front truck is electrically connected to the bearing boxes of the front pair of wheels M by conductors 15, there being one such conductor 15, to the bearing box at each of the pair of wheels l4.

The other terminal of the secondary winding of the output transformer OT is connected to a conductor ll extending up through a steel pipe or conduit I8 inserted vertically through the tank of the tender at a point just .back of the coal hopper. The top of the vertical conductor I1 is fitted by an elbow connector to a conductor l9 is carried horizontally above the top of the rear portion of the tender, the conductor I9 being preferably located on the center line of the tender. The conductor 19 is clamped in place to a framework 20, which as here shown is constructed of timbers of substantial size to form a relatively rigid support. In the form of tender here shown, a so-called dog house 22 is mounted on the top of the tender just back of the coal hopper for a member of the train crew to ride as a lookout and the conductor I9 is carried in support 2| secured to the top of the dog house 22. This mounting of conductor l9 brings it about as high above the top of the tender as clearance limits for vehicles will permit.

The tender LT is provided with an opening 23 in the usual manner for receiving water, and which opening is fitted with a cover of the custernary construction. In taking water the cover plate is thrown open and the water-spout of the usual water plug is lowered for one end to extend into this opening 23. The conductor 19 if run back to the rear of the tender would interfere with the lowering of the waterspout, and since the water plug may be on either side of the track and the waterspout lowered over either side of the tender', the conductor I9 is ended at a point A forward from the opening 23 a sufiicie'nt distance for the conductor [9 to be free from the a copper tube shrunk fitted over a steel tube and over which copper-steel tube a tube of elastic material, such as extruded rubber, is shrunken. B y such construction, the conductor of the transmitting loop is one that is relatively rugged in construction and may be used as a hand rail, the rubber covering protecting the train crew from shock when the conductor is gripped. In a preferred construction, the copper-steel tube of the conductor may have an outside diameter of the order or 1% inches and the total outside diameter of the conductor may be of the order of 1% inches. For example, the construction of the conduetor may be similar to that disclosed in an application for Letters Patent of the United States, Serial No. 643,102, filed January 24, 1946, by Edgar W. Breisch, for an Insulated electrical conductor and the process of making same.

As best shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the conductor I9 is secured in place by

supports

26 and 21 carr'i'ed on the frame 20, the support 21 being near to the point A and the conductor [9 being cut off just beyond the support 21. The rubber cover of the conductor i9 is removed from the conductor where it extends beyond the support 21 to receive a clamping connector 28 which is clamped over the outside of the copper tube of the conductor. A solid steel bar 29 is pressfitted into the steel tube of the conductor I9, the bar 29 being about two feet long to assure a good low resistance contact between the bar and the inside of the tube of the conductor IS. The tubing of the conductor is is slotted as shown at 3B in Fig. 6 to aid in the tubing being brought into engagement with the bar 29 when the connector 2B is drawn down tight by bolts 3!. The outer end of the bar 29 is formed with a section 32 of a larger diameter, the shoulder of section 32 fitting up against the clamping connector 28 with "a Slight "clearance.

A T-connecwr 33 is fitted over the enlarged section 32 of bar 29, the connector 33 being rotatable on the enlarged section 32 of bar 29 as a bearing. The inside of the stem portion 34 of the T-connector 33 is machined to receive a tapered clamping sleeve and clamping nut which accept and clamp the end of the curved conductor 25, the end of conductor 25 having its rubber cover removed and its copper Clad steel tube cleaned to make a good electrical connection in the stem 34. The outer end of the Section 32 of bar 29 is drilled and tapped to receive a tap bolt 35, a washer 36 being placed under the head of the tap bolt 35 and made of a diameter for it to hold the T-connector 33 in place on the section 32 of bar 29. The clamp 28 is provided with a connector 31 which is an integral part of clamp 28 and is machined to receive a tapered clamping sleeve and clamping nut 38 to which one end of a flexible cable 39 is secured. The other end of the cable 39 is secured to a lug which is an integral part of stem portion 34 of the T-connector 33, and which is machined to receive a tapered clamping sleeve and clamping nut identical to those for connector 31 on clamp 23. Due to the short length of flexible cable 39, a connection of very low inductance is obtained. It follows that a connection is formed between the conductor [9 and the curved conductor 25, the conductor 25 being rotatable at right angles to the axis of the conductor l9 without disturbing the electrical connection between the two conductors.

At the rear of the tender, that is, back of the opening 23 of the tender tank, a conductor 4! is supported on a frame 42 to align the conductor 4! with conduct-or I9. The conductor 4! extends to the rear from a point B back of the opening 23 in the tender tank, the point B being preferably spaced a distance from the opening 23 equal to the distance the point A is spaced forward of the opening 23.

At the point B, the conductor 4| is connected to the other end of the curved conductor 25 through a rotatable joint that is similar to that provided at location A, for connecting conductor Hi to the curved conductor 25 and the description of such rotatable joint need not be repeated. To be specific, the curved conductor 25 is formed with a 90 degree arcuate section of a radius of the order of eighteen inches, a straight portion of the order of four feet, and a second 90 degree arcuate section to the point B.

Arcuat'e supporting members 43 and 44 are made a part of the frameworks 2i) and 42, respectively. These members is and 44 extend each side of the center line of the tender and are curved to agree with the curvature of the U-shaped conductor 25 so that the members 43 and 44 serve to hold the curved conductor 25 in the same horizontal plane as the conductors l9 and 4|. From the foregoing description it is clear that the curved conductor 25 can be rotated over to the left of the center line of the tender. as shown by the solid line of Figs. 2 and 3. or it can be swung from this left-hand position through an arc of 180 degrees to come to rest on its supports at the right-hand side of the tender center line. Also, it can be swung from its right-hand position back to its left-hand position.

The conductor 4| is ended near the rear end of the tender, and here it is connected by an elbow connector 45 to a conductor M; which extends downward and across the rear of the tender to a point near the left-hand rear corner of the tender. At this point the conductor 46 is joined to a conductor 41, the two

conductors

46 and 41 being secured by a support 48 fixed to the tender top. The conductor 41 is then joined to a vertical conductor 49 carried in a conduit or steel tube 50 inserted through the tank. At the lower end of the tube 50, the conductor 49 is joined to a horizontal conductor 5| secured on the underside of the tank by supports 52, the conductor 5| being terminaled at 53 to the frame of the rear tender truck. From the truck frame, the connection is carried through flexible cable conductors M and 55 to the bearing boxes of the rear pair of wheels 56.

It is clear from the foregoing that we have provided the tender LT with a transmitting loop that is effectively coupled to both the track rails and to line wires paralleling the track. Also, the curved U-shaped section of the transmitting loop is capable of being manually moved to either the right or left-hand side of the tender to be in the clear of waterspouts when water is being supplied to the tank without disturbing the electrical continuity of the transmitting loop. That is, normally, the section 25 remains in the horizontal position on one side of the tender. When the locomotive takes water at a location where the waterspout swings downward over the tender on the same side as the curved section of the transmitting loop, then this curved section is swung over to the other side to be out of the way of the waterspout. Furthermore, no part of the transmitting loop is in a position where it may be injured or interfered with when coal is being delivered into the hopper of the tender.

The advantages and usefulness of such a transmitting loop will be apparent to all those responsible for the maintenance and the operation of railway train communication systems of the type here involved.

Although we have herein shown and described but one form of a train carried transmitting loop for train communication systems embodying our invention, it is understood that various changes and modifications may be made therein within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit and scope of our invention.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is:

1. In railway train communication equipment mounted on a steam locomotive the tender of which has an opening in the top of its tank for taking on water, a transmitting loop mounted on said tender and including a front and a rear conductor fixedly supported in a given horizontal plane above the tender top and aligned on the longitudinal center line of the tender, said front and rear conductors having their near ends spaced approximately an equal distance in front and to the rear respectively of said opening, a U-shaped conductor to join said near ends of said front and rear conductors, two connectors one for each end of said U-shaped conductor. each said connector having a clamp to grip the respective fixed conductor and a rotatable clamp to grip the respective end of the U-shaped conductor to permit the U-shaped conductor to be rotated from said horizontal plane on one side of said tender center line upward and over to said horizontal plane on the other side of the tender center line to avoid interference of said loop with the lowering of a waterspout to said tank opening from either side of the tender, an other conductors to join the far ends of said front and rear conductors.

2. In railway train communication equipment mounted on a steam locomotive tender and having a, train carried transmitter coupled to a wayside transmitting channel; a transmitting loop which is made up of conductors that run parallel to the longitudinal center line of the tender below the tender tank, vertical at the rear and forward portions of the tender and parallel to said tender longitudinal center line a given distance above the top of the rear portion of the tank; the conductors above the top of the tank comprising a front and a rear stationary conductor and a movable conductor, said front and rear stationary conductors having their adjacent ends a fixed distance to the front and rear respectively of an opening of the tank top for taking on water, said movable conductor U-shaped to span between said adjacent ends of the front and rear conductors and to curve around said opening, two connectors to join the ends of said movable conductor to said adjacent ends of said front and rear conductors; and each said connector having stationary clamps to grip the respective ends of the stationary conductors, rotatable clamps to grip the respective ends of the movable conductor and flexible connectors to connect said stationary and rotatable clamps.

3. In a transmitting loop mounted on a tender of a steam locomotive for coupling a transmitter of locomotive carried communication equipment to a wayside transmitting channel, the combination comprising; horizontal conductors extending lengthwise underneath the tender tank, veritical conductors one near the rear of the tender and one toward the forward portion of the tender and other horizontal conductors disposed lengthwise of the tender a given distance above the tender top; said other conductors including a first and a second stationary conductor and a movable conductor, said first and second conductors disposed for their far ends to be connected to said front and rear vertical conductors respectively and their near ends to lie a definite distance in front and to the rear respectively of an opening in the top of the tender tank for taking on water, said movable conductor U-shaped to join said near ends of said first and second conductors and to curve around said tank opening, and two connectors one to join each end of said movable conductor to a respective end of said first and second conductors; and each said connector including a stationary clamp to grip the respective end of the stationary conductor, a rotatable clamp to grip the respective end of said movable conductor and a flexible connector between said two clamps; whereby said movable conductor can be moved from a horizontal plane on one side of said tank opening upward through an arc to a horizontal plane on the other side of the tank opening.

a. In a transmitting loop mounted on a tender of a steam locomotive for coupling a transmitter of locomotive carried communication equipment to a wayside transmitting channel, the combination comprising; a secondary winding of a transformer a primary winding of which is connected to said transmitter, said secondary winding having one terminal connected to a forward pair of wheels of the tender and its other terminal connected to a forward vertical conductor extending from beneath the tender tank to a given distance above the top of the tender tank, horizontal conductors extending lengthwise of the tender at said given distance above the tender top from said forward vertical conductor to a point at the rear of the tender, a rear vertical conductor connected to said horizontal conductors at said point at the rear of the tender, other conductors to connect said rear vertical conductor to a rear pair of tender wheels, said horizontal conductors including a movable conductor between a front and a second stationary conductor, said movable conductor U-shaped to curve around an opening of the tender tank for taking on Water, a rotatable connector to connect each end of said movable conductor to the respective ends of said first and second stationary conductors to permit the movable conductor to be rotated from a horizontal plane on one side of said tank opening upward through an arc to a horizontal plane on the other side of said tank opening.

5. In a transmitting loop mounted on a tender of a steam locomotive for coupling a transmitter of locomotive carried communication equipment to a wayside transmitting channel, the combination comprising; means to connect one output terminal of said transmitter to a forward pair of wheels of the tender, means including a front vertical conductor to connect the other output terminal of the transmitter to the forward end of horizontal conductors which extend lengthwise of the tender a given distance above the top of the tender at the longitudinal center line of the tender, and means including a rear vertical conductor to connect the rear end of said horizontal conductors to a rear pair of wheels of said tender; said horizontal conductors including a movable curved conductor interposed between a front and a rear stationary conductor, movable conductor formed to curve around an opening in the top of the tank of the tender for taking on water and joined to said front and rear stationary conductors by a rotatable connector, and each said connector comprising a fixed clamp which grips the respective stationary conductor and a rotatable T-shaped clamp which grips the respective end of the movable conductor and is journaled on the end of the respective stationary conductor to permit said movable conductor to be positioned on one side of said tank opening and to be swung upward through an arc to the other side of the tank opening.

6. In a transmitting loop mounted on a tender of a steam locomotive for coupling a transmitter of locomotive carried communication equipment to a wayside transmitting channel, the combination comprising; means to connect one output terminal of said transmitter to a forward pair of wheels of the tender, means including a front vertical conductor to connect the other output terminal of the transmitter to the forward end of horizontal conductors which extend lengthwise of the tender a given distance above the top of the tender at the longitudinal center line of the tender, and means including a rear vertical conductor to connect the rear end of said horizontal conductors to a rear pair of Wheels of said tender; said horizontal conductors including a movable curved conductor interposed between a front and a rear tubular stationary conductor, said movable curved conductor formed to curve around an opening in the top of the tank of the tender for taking on water and joined to said front and rear stationary conductors by a rotatable connector; each said connectors comprising a bar pressed into the end of the respective stationary conductor and its end formed as a journal, a fixed clamp which grips the outside of the respective stationary conductor, a T-shaped clamp which grips the respective end of the movable con- 9 10 ductor and is journaled on said bar, and a flexible REFERENCES CITED cable to connect said fixed and T-shaped clamps; whereby said movable conductor can be carried g gfig sigf are of record m the on one side of said tank opening and rotated over p to the other sid of the tank opening with the 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS electrical continuity of said 100p undisturbed. Number Name Date figgfi g 1,621,182 Weaver Mar. 15, 1927 2,064,642 Bossart Dec. 15, 1936