US555217A - lyncker - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) 2 SheetsSheet 1.

G. A. LYNCKER. ELECTRIC SIGNALING DEVICE FOR RAILROADS.

No. 555,217. Patented Feb. 25, 1896" (No Model.) 2 Sheets--Sheet 2.

G. A. LYNCKER.

ELECTRIC SIGNALING DEVICE FOR RAILROADS.

Patented Feb. 25, 1896.

ANDRZW BGRANAM. PHOTO-UMQWASHINFfOfl. D C

VNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GUSTAV ADOLPl-l LYNCKER, OF MUNICH, GERMANY.

ELECTRIC SIGNALING DEVICE FOR RAILROADS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No.- 555,21'7, dated. February 25, 1896.

Application filed April 27, 1895.

Serial No. 5 i'7,415. (No model.)

Patented in Germany J ly 25, 1893, No. 76,179, and in Austria-Hungary August 17, 1894, No. 1,238 and No- 43,886.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, GUSTAV ADOLPH LYNCKER, a resident of Munich, Bavaria, Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Signaling Devices for Railroads, of which the following is a specification.

The invention has been patented in Austria- Ilungary, No. 1,238 and No. $3,886, dated August 17, 1804, and in Germany, No. 76,179, dated July 25, 1893.

The electric safety device for railroad-trains has for its object to transmit a signal over the whole stretch up to the office of the next station when a train leaves a station and that a signal be made at the same time at the station it started from, showing that it is on the right track. This signaling of the train in motion is repeated at each watchmans post or box, so that each watchman, as well as the clerk in the next station of arrival, is always aware in what place said train is. If it happened that another train or an engine should run on the same track, the same would also be signaled over the entire stretch between the two stations and the danger of a collision or any other accident to the train could easily be averted by the watchman as well, as shown later.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a diagrammatic view of the entire system. Fig. 2 is a detail view, partly in section, of the track-blocks and the connections operated thereby for controlling the contacts along the line. Fig. 3 is a view of Fig. 2 a quarter-turn therefrom, with parts shown in dotted lines. Fig. 4 is a detail view of Fig. 2 in plan with parts in section. Fig. 5 is a plan view of the parts in Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a detail view of means adapted for maintaining the electric circuit constant during the passage of a long train,with means whereby the watchman may break the circuit after the train has passed.

Levers a are adapted to the outer side of one of the rails of the track at each watchmans post. Said lever, which is pivoted in a casing 17, fixed to the sleeper 0, reaches up to near the rail-head. The lower part of lever a, which oscillates upon a bolt, Fig. 2, is twoarmed, and one of the arms a presses upon one of the extremities of the lever e, whereby the other extremity of the latter causes the upward motion of a rectangular lever arra-n gement f in such a manner that an electric conducting-knob f touches a conducting-spring g, 2, placed over the same, and forms the electric contact. From these two contacts conducting-wires p r, Fig. 1, lead to the electric battery and to the alarm-signals. This simple lever contact apparatus is placed under a protecting-partition called the contact or circuit-closing box in order to be protected from the efieots of the weather.

The automatic track lever or block a has its upper part shaped with a central projection, the portions on either side being depressed in such a manner that their shape corresponds to the periphery of a suitable roller fixed to the locomotive. The latter is placed in such a manner that when it passes the automatic lever a it will, while rolling easily over the same, bend it down slightly around its axis, and thus the intermediate lever e placed underneath it will be depressed to the proper distance whereby the mentioned contact-lever apparatus f will work as explained. A disengaging-sprin g is placed near this contact-lever will return the parts to normal position and thus break the circuit at once.

If,a locomotive touches the automatic lever in an opposite direction-that is, when it runs backwardthe electrical circuit is not established. Thus no alarm is caused to ring, and the spring 6, which is located under the lever a opposite 6, will bring said lever a to the required position at once.

The general circuit connections may now be described. At the intermediate stations 'E signal-bells Z Z are placed, those marked Z being large and of a deeper tone than those marked Z, the former being arranged in the circuit 19 p to signal trains running from A to B, while those marked Z are in the circuit q q and are for the trains running from B to A. These bells are combined with clocks (not shown in the drawings) so that the time of the departure or passage of a train may be observed.

The electric line for the train running from A to 13 starts from the office of the station A at the key at and leads by a (positive) wire 1) through the clock and signal-bell n, which is located there, and through all larger signaling-clocks l at the various watchboxes in the direction of the arrow. This it does over the entire course with a connection with the signaling-clock n of the station E. From the latter there is a connection with the electric battery 0. A further line 1) (negative wire) leads from there in the direction of the arrow through all the contact apparatus f g located in the contact-boxes h to the key m of the station of departure A, Fig. 1. The line from station E to station A is arranged in the same manner. Line q leads from the key m to the signaling-clock j, from there in the direction of the arrow through all intermediate devices of the lower signaling or alarm clock Z connectin g with the signaling-clock j, to the battery c, from where it leads back (line q) to the corresponding contact devices, to the key m.

In the contact-boxes, wherein the contact devices for both tracks are located, the electric contact devices f and g, Fig. 2, and their corresponding conducting-wires p and 1), q and q are simply connected with the clockworks by the connecting-wires r and 4''.

As soon as the employ signals a departing train by means of the key apparatus m all signals will be rung. The running train will be signaled when passing each watchmans post by the pressing down of the lever a over the whole course and every time again at the office of the station of arrival. For instance, as the train is moving from A to B contact will be closed at the various boxes h and the circuit completed through line 7', line 19 ringing upper bells, Z, and returning to the wire 7' through return-wire 19. From this it will be seen that a train moving from left to right of Fig. 1 will when it reaches the second watchmans box operate only the signals in advance, while the signals in rear and at the starting station are silent for the reason that they are short-circuited. In the boxes one of the contacts, f, is arranged to be operated by a train running in one direction on one track, Whereas the second contact is operated by a train running in the opposite direction on a parallel track. \Vhen moving from B to A the circuit is completed in succession at the several stations through the contacts in boxes h and the wires 1''. A second contact device similar to that described is arranged to be operated by the train and is located at the first watchmans post E, as at f, Fig. 1, from where the moving-off train can also be signaled back to the station of departure A as being on the right track by means of the simple line 0 and 0' put into the circuit in combination with the battery D and above-mentioned signaling-clock n. The same arrangement is used for the train running from B to A by means of a return-line S S from the first watchmans post E to the signaling-clockj of the station B.

As trains can be of different length, according to the number of cars, the signal must sound until the last car has passed the crossing. To this effect a catch IV (dotted) is fixed to the rectangular contact-lever, Figs. 3 and 6, which when the contact-lever a. is in operation engages the spring WV. Thereby the contact of the conducting-knobs f and the conducting-spring g is made continuous and the alarm keeps on sounding. A light wire w leads from the extremity of the spring IV to the disengaging device-which is near the place of the switchman H of the crossing. As soon as the last car of the crossing train has passed the track, the switchman simply pulls the handle so of the disengaging device, the engaged spring W is released and the alreadydescribed disengaging-spring K,Fig. 2-,breaks the electrical circuit at once.

I claim- In combination, the electric circuit 1), p with signals at the terminal stations, the intermediate stations having signals in series on one side of the line, the contacts at the stations, the connections across the line at the stations including said contacts whereby signals will be sent ahead of the train at each station and the signal in rear will be cut out, the contact at the sending station and a supplemental circuit 0 0 including a signal at the sending station and a contact at the first intermediate station, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GUSTAV ADOLPH LYNCKER.

\Vitnesses:

ALBERT WEICKMANN, CARL MAYER.

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