US361730A - Shellman b - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Shet 1."

S. B. STEWART.

RAILWAY SIGNALING.

No. 361,730. Pate wntedApr, 26, 1887.-

njzhemio. 15171671727,

S. B. STEWART.

RAILWAY SIGNALING.

No. 361,730. Patented Apr. 26, 1887.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SHELLMAN B. STEWART, OF MONTOLAIR, NEXV JERSEY.

RAILWAY SIGNALING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 361,730, dated April 26, 1887.

Application filed November 5, 1886. Serial No. 218,116.

To aZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it kno wn that I, SI-IELLMAN B. STEWART, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Montclair, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bell-Pulls and Electric-Signal Transmitters, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to signaling devices for railway-trains; and it consists in the combination, with the usual signaling-cord and mechanical signal, of electrical conductors and an electrical signal and circuit-closer, as fully set forth hereinafter, whereby to enable the conductor or other party upon the car to transmit either mechanical or electrical signals to the forward end of the train.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating the construction of my improved signaling device, including the operating and conducting cord, mechanical and electrical signals, and generator. Fig. 2 is an external view of the cord and two of the supports, sho wing the eircuit-closing device. Fig. 3 is an external part perspective View illustrating the operation of the circuit-closer in connection with thesignal-cord supports. Fig. 4 is a part sectional view for illustrating the connection between the conductors and the circuit-closer. Figs, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 illustrate the construction of one form of circuit-closer. Figs. 10 and 11 illustrate different modes of connecting the circuitcloser and conductors.

The usual means of signaling to the engine upon trains of cars consists of a sectional cord running through supports within the cars, the sections being connected between the cars, the rear end attached at the rear of the last car and the front end connected with the signal-bell or other signaling device upon the engine. This means has proved to be defective for a number of reasons, but mainly because of the fact that when the train is a long one the amount of slack in the cord is so great that it is taken up with difficulty, and in all cases it is almost impossible to employ any system of signals, a single stroke at the most being all that can be secured by the most extended pull upon the cord. To obviate these difficulties, it has been proposed to use electrical conductors and to signal the engineer by complet- (No model.)

ing or breaking the electrical circuit; but this is objectionable from the fact that in case of any defect in the battery or other accident resulting in impairing the efficiency of the electrical device there is no means of signaling.

To overcome the defects in the means heretofore used and proposed, I employ a cord, A, suspended as usual, consisting of joined sections, and connected at the engine end with any suitable signaling device-as, for instance, with the hammer g of a gong, Gso that signals may be transmitted as when the ordinary cord is applied; but in addition to these elements I use the cord as a support and protector for two insulated conductors in the form of wires 10 w, which extend longitudinally through the cord, are connected with a gen erator, Bas, for instance, a batteryand electrically with an electro-magnet arranged to operate a hammer, g, which may strike the gong G or an independent gong, and I also employ means for completing the circuit at different points when desired, so as to thereby energize the electro-magnet and sound the alarm. By these means I secure all the advantages of the cord for operating the usual mechanical signal, and also the advantage of using an electrical signaling apparatus, permitting any suitable system of signals to be employed, and this I secure without any separate supports or connections for the electrical conductors.

Different circuitclosing appliances may be employed for the purpose of completing the circuit at intervals; but I prefer to use the circuit-closer illustrated in Figs. 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9.

In Fig. 4 a part of the cord A is shown in longitudinal section with the two conductors w w, and a branch wire or conductor, L,con-\ .or bow-shaped metal spring-plates, e, which thus surround the portion of the cord between the two tl1imbles,but are not normally in contact therewith. Centrally between the thimbles upon the cord is a metallic ring or sleeve, It, which is in electrical connection with an extension or branch, L of the other conductor 10, the sleeve B being of such size that the surrounding bow-springs e are normally out of contact therewith; but it will be seen that one or more of the bow-spring'se may be brought into contact with the sleeve R, and thereby complete the circuit between the branches L L and the conductors 20, so as to operate the alarm bell of the engine. Such circuit-closers are arranged at suitable intervals upon the cord, and the parts are electrically connected with the conductors w in any suitable manner, the branch conductors L L being formed either by connecting separate wires to the conductor or by doubling a section of each conductor to form a loop, as shown in Fig. 10. In other instances each conductor may consist of separate sections, the ends of which are brought to the outside of the cord A, as shown in Fig. 11, for connection with the different parts of the circuit-closer.

By making the circuitcloser out of a series ofsubstantially parallel curved springs around a sleeve, I am enabled to prevent the closing of the circuit by the drawing of the cord through its usual supports, inasmuch as the springs c are normally out of contact with the sleeve R and will not be brought in contact therewith when the cord is drawn through the usual openings in the supporting-rings c or in the ends of the cars F, as shown in Fig. 3; but when the device is grasped by the hand the contact is effected,inasmuch as the pressure is then made the means of carrying the spring contact-plates farther inward than results from the passage of the same through the openings of the supports. 7

In most instances I prefer to protect the circuit-closers by means of surrounding envelopes or sleeves K, Fig. 3, of rubber or other water-proof material, which prevents the parts from being clogged by ice or snow and tends to maintain them free from dust and dirt.

Ido not limit myselfto the precise construction of the circuit-closer herein set forth, as such closers may be made and connected with the wires in different ways obvious to any one skilled in the art. The cord A may be connected with the mechanical hammer 9, either directly or by means of a supplemental cord, H, Fig. 1, extending over guide-pulleys, and having a spring section tending to prevent injury to the hammer when the cord is suddenly pulled to an undue extent.

I claim- 1. The combination, with the cord and mechanical alarm of a railway-train, oftwo insulated electrical conductors extending through the cord, and in circuit with a generator and electrical alarm, pressure circuit-closers carried by the cord,each consisting of two isolated parts arranged to be brought into contact by pressure, one part in electrical connection with one of the said conductors and the other part in electrical connection with the other conductor, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of the signal-cord carrying continuous insulated conductors,a series of two-part circuit-closers between said eonduetors, one of which parts consists of howsprings,and a protecting sleeve or casing, K, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination of the signahcord carrying two electrical conductors and a circuitcloser consisting of separated thimbles carrying bow-springs between them and connected with one ofthe conductors, and an intermediate ring connected with the other conductor and normally out of contact with said springs,

substantially as set forth.

Signed at New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York, this 25th day of October, A. D. 1886.

SHELLMAN B. STEWART.

\Vitnesses:

ANDREW W. SMITH, JOHN F. BAHR.

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