US537268A - Railway-signal - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.).

H. E. BOOTHBY. RAILWAY SIGNAL.

Patented Apr. 9, 1896.

HORACE E. BOO'IHBY, OF OHICAGQ,

PATENT OFFI E.

ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE HALL SIGNAL COMPANY, OF MAINE.

RAILWAY-SIGNAL.

srn'crrrca'rron forming part of Letters me t No. 537,268, dated April 9, 1895.

' Application filed November 30, 392. Serial No. 453,603- oa model.)

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, HORACE BOOTHBY, of Chicago, in the county of Cook' and State of Illinois, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Railway-Signals, of

which the following is a specification, refer ence being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part hereof. My invention relates to railway visual sig [0 nals and it has for its object to provide an inclosed signal whose indications will be dis tinctly visible by day'and night and whose operation may be efiected'electrically and an tomatically if desired; A

The invention consists of the construction hereinafter set forth.

In the drawings, in which like letters des ignate similar parts throughout the several views, Figure l is a rear elevation, partly in section, of a signal embodying myinvention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged rear elevation of the signal disks and their operating mechanism.

Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the upper part of the case on line as m, Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is an end'view of Fig. 2 with the armature partly in section. Fig. 5 is a front view of part of Fig. 2, showing one helix of the electro-mag net, its core extension, and part of the armature' in engagement therewith. Fig. ,6 is a detail-(to reduce scale) showing armature in position with magnet demagnetized. Fig. 7

is a plan view of armature and supporting bracket. v

A is a casing, provided in front and rear 3 5 with large registeringapertures a, and a and also with smaller registering apertures 01. and

(1 in front and rear, all of which, as shown,'

may be covered with plates of glass. Within the casing are the signal disks B and '0, fixed 40 upon an armature-E, turning upon an axis E and controlled by the motor D. 'The disk B is the day signal disk andrnoves in and'out of register with the apertures a, a and the disk 0 is the night signal disk and moves in 5 and out of register with the apertures a, a*.

If it is intended that these disks shall indicate danger when registering with their apertures they will be suitably colored, as for example red, the day disk being in this case preferably opaque or semi-opaque, so as to reflect sunlight and the night disk being pref- I have shown them as concurrently appearing at their apertures, they might be arranged to appear dis-simultaneously. In this latter case the appearance of oue disk' would indicate danger and the appearance of the other would cause a safety indication, by obscuring a red lantern for example.

f In the usual form of the signal the disks are both danger disks, and register concurrently at their respective apertures, as shown in the drawings, and they are preferably so arranged that when left to the action of gravity they will register with'th eir apertures, be-

ing moved out of register by the energization of the actuating mechanism, but this arrangement is not always essential.

The actuating mechanism is preferably constructed as follows: The poles at of the electromagnetsD D, are prolonged laterally as shown -particularly in Figs. 4 and 5, so as to be embraced'by wings e e, curved upon the are of a circle from the same radius but in opposite directions, and extending from the ends of a bar of soft iron forming the body of the arma ture E, which is pivoted centrally (slightly below theelectro-magnets) between the arms ff, of a bracket F, which is carried by and adapted to be adjusted lengthwise in a grooved bracket G, fastened to the inner face of the front board of the case A. The pivot E of the armature is preferably of trunnion form,

secured by screws, as seen in Fig. 7, The wings e e of the'armature are eachmade up of two curved plates or arms placed a sufficient distance apart to enable them'to straddle or embrace the prolongated poles at of "the magnets, so that while free to move thereupon, a full and efficient contact is' made by the armature with said poles when the magnets are energized-and one arm of each wing is preferably longer than its companion, so as to always maintain contact with or remain in close proximity to the poles at when the electro-magnets are demagnetized, so as to be easily attracted when the circuit is made and thus economizing battery power in operating the signal. See particularly Fig. 6.

e is a connecting pin or brace between the arms of each wing near their outer ends, set to one side as seen in Fig 4, so as to allow the armature to move past the poles to the full end of its throw.

The day signal disk B is connected closely by a short metal piece I) to one end of the pivoted armature E, while to the opposite end of the armature is connected a rod 0, to which may be adjustably secured a balancing-weight c, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, if found neoe ssary,and to the extremity of this rod is attached the night signal disk 0, this arrangement insuring concurrent movement of both signals with the one armature.

By providing apertures in front and rear of the casing for the day disk the engineer is enabled, upon looking back after having passed a signal, to see that the signal gives the proper indication. Moreover these apertures will present normally, that is, when the disk Bis out of register with them, a stationary disk which, if the plates of glass covering the apertures are both plain and transparent, will be white from the sunlight. This stationary disk will contrast strongly with the color of the casing and also with the disk B, and thus make the absence of the disk B from its apertures clearly distinct at a great distance from the signal, and at the same time will operate as a stationary signal disk arranged to be obscured by the disk 13 and to give a positive indication different from the disk B. In the case of the night signal the two apertures enable me to hang the lantern upon the back of the casing, thus avoiding the necessity of opening the casing to put the lantern inside, and thereby preventing probable disturbance of the signal mechanisms.

Various changes which will readilysuggest themselves to any one skilled in the art may of course be made without departing from the spirit of my invention.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a railway signal, the combination of a casing having an aperture in the front for a night signal,and two registering apertures in front and back for a day signal arranged to present a stationary disk to give one positive character of indication, a day signal disk and a separate night signal disk arranged to move in and out of register with their apertures, the day signal disk operating when in register with its apertures to give one positive character of indication and obscure the disk which the apertures normally present, and when out of register with the apertures to permit them to disclose their normal disk to give another positive character of indication, substantially as set forth.

2. In a railway signal, the combination of a casing having two registering apertures in front and back for a night signal, and two registering apertures in front and back for a day signal arranged to normally present a stationary disk to give one positive character of indication, a day signal disk and a separate night signal disk arranged to move in and out of register with their apertures, the day signal disk operating when in register with its apertures to give one positive character of indication and obscure the disk which the apertures normally present, and when out of register with the apertures to permit them to disclose their normal disk to give another positive character of indication, substantially as set forth.

3. In a railway signal, the combination of a casing having an aperture in the front for a night signal, and two registering apertures in front and back for a day signal arranged to present a stationary disk to give one positive character of indication, a day signal disk and a separate night signal disk fixed upon a pivoted arm provided with wing armatures and a magnet for operating the armatures so as to enable the signal disks to move in and out of register with their apertures, the (lay signal disk operating when in register with its apertures to give one positive character of indication and obscure the disk which the apertures normally present, and when out of register with the apertures to permit; them to disclose their normal disk to give another positive character of indication, substantially as set forth.

4. In a railway signal, the combination of a casing having two registering apertures in front and back for a night signal, and two registering apertures in front and back for a day signal arranged to normally present a stationary disk to give one positive character of indication, a day signal disk and a separate night signal disk fixed upon a pivoted arm provided with wing armatures and a magnet for operating the armature so as to enable the signal disks to move in and out of register with their apertures, the day signal disk operating when in register with its apertures to give one positive character of indication and obscure the disk which the apertures normally present, and when out of register with the apertures to permit them to disclose their normal disk to give another positive character of indication, substantially as set forth.

. HORACE E. BOOTHBY. Witnesses:

HENRY D. WILLIAMS,

Roar. A. KELLOND.

ICC

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