US657730A - Electric-railway signal. - Google Patents

Description

No. 657,730. Patented Sept. ll, I900.

-G. H. DUNHAM.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY SIGNAL.

(Application filed Nov. 11, 1899.) (No Model.) 2 Sheeis-$haat I.

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No. 657,730. Patented Sept. ll, I900.

G. I -l. DUNHAM. ELECTRIC RAILWAY SIGNAL.

I (Application filed Nov. 11, 1899:) (No Model.) 2 $hoets$hoet 2.

Gedrge Jilhmham,

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UNirED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE ii. DUNHAM, or QUINCY, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR oNEnALE TO ELMER H. HEATH, or BOSTON, MASSAonUSETTS.

ELECTRIC-RAILWAY SIGNAL.

si E'cIEIcATIoN forming part of Letters Patent no. 657,730, dated. September 11, 1900. Application filed November 11, 1899. Serial No. 736,651. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern: said wire and the space between the upright Be it known that I, GEORGE H. DUNHAM, portions being filled with solder or other of Quincy, in the county of Norfolk and State metal,which firmly connects said upright porof Massachusetts, have in vented certain new tions of the sheet metal together, as shown in 5 and useful ImprovementsinElectric-Railway Fig. 6.

Signals, of which the following, taken in con- Upon the upper surface of the T-shaped nection with the accompanying drawings, is stand 7 is mounted the metal box 8, one end a specification. of which is firmly secured to said stand by My invention relates to electric -railway the spring-hinge 9, constructed and arranged IO signals; and it consists in certain novel feaso that the tension of said spring tends to tures of construction, arrangement, and comhold the bottom of said box in contact with bination of parts, which Will be readily unsaid upper surface of the stand 7, as shown (lGISliOOd by reference to the description of in Fig. 3, but at the same time permitting the the accompanyingdrawings and to the claims opposite end of said box to be raised, mov- 15 hereto appended and in which my invention ing about the pintle of said hinge, as will he is clearly pointed out. more fully described hereinafter. The box Figure 1 of the drawings is a perspective 8 has mounted in the end thereof next to said view of a section of an electric railway with hinge an electromagnet 9, supported upon my signaling apparatus connected therewith. the plate or bar 10, of insulating material, 20 Fig. 2 is a plan of the signal-circuit-closing placed upon the bottom of said boxand havbox mountedin afixed position on the trolleying formed in its under side a longitudinal wire with the cover removed. Fig. 3 is a groove 11, within which is placed the metal vertical longitudinal section on line no a: on armature 12, directly beneath the pole ends Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a transverse section on line of said magnet, as shown in Figs. 3 and 1. 25 y y on Fig. 3 looking toward the left of said The poles of said magnet are set in said infigure. Fig. 5 is a plan of the signal-circuitsulating-plate above said grooves, but do not breaking box with its cover removed, and extend quite through the thinnest portion Fig. 6 is a transverse section of the same on thereof, as shown in Fig. An inclined line a ,2 on Fig. 5 looking toward the right of raceway 13, of insulating material, extends 30 said figure. 4 from said magnet to the opposite end of said In the drawings,1 is an electric car mounted box, in the upper surface of which is formed upon the rails 2 2 of a single-track railway, a groove extending lengthwise thereof, the b is the trolley-arm, 1 the trolley-wheel, and two walls of which are at right angles to each 5 the trolley-wire, all of which may be of any other, as shown in Fig. 4. The raceway 13 5 well-known construction, and said trolleyhas secured upon the upper portions of the wire is suspended from the cross sup'portwalls of its groove two metal bars 14 and 15, ing-wires 6, and the current of electricity is which extend from the end near said magnet supplied to said trolley wire from the main toward the opposite end of said raceway feeding-wire (not shown) in any well-known nearly three-fourths of the length thereof, as o manner. shown in Fig. 3. In the end of said box op- The object of my invention is to automatposite to said magnet there is mounted upon ically convey the intelligence from one turna shaft 16 the pendent lever 17, which proout on a single-track road to the next turnout jects through a slot 18 in the raceway 13 and in advance that the track between said turna corresponding slot in the bottom of the box 45 outs is occupied, and thus guard against the 8 and has formed upon its lower end the cydanger of collisions, and to this end I mount lindrical cross-arm 19, which is directly above upon the trolley-wire 5, at or near each turnand in near proximity to the trolley-wire 5, out,a T-shaped stand 7,formed of sheet metal said pendent lever being also provided with bent around said wire into a U shape, with the arm 20, which projects therefrom near I00 50 its upper portions turned outward at right its upper end horizontally, or nearly so, toangles to its upright portions and soldered to ward said magnet and acts as a counterweight to normally hold said pendent lever 17 in the position shown in Fig. 3. A metal sphere 21 is placed in said raceway-groove and normally rests in the lowest part of said groove and in contact with said pendent lever 17, as shown in Fig. 3, but is free to be moved along said raceway toward said magnet when the lower end of said lever 17 is moved in that direction by the contact of the flanges of the trolley-wheel 4 with the cross-- arm 19. The box 8 is in electric connection with the trolley-wire 5 and is connected with l the metal plate 14 by the wire 22, and the metal plate 15 is connected to the wire 23 of the magnet-coils, the other end of which passes out of the end of said box and extends to the signal-post 24 at the side of the track near said box 8, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3. The post 24 carries a single incandescent electric'lamp 25, connected electrically with said magnet-coils on one side and on the other with the wire 26, which extends to a point near the next turnout and connects within the circuit-breaking box 27 with the bar or plate 28, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6. The box 27 is mounted upon the trolley-wire near said second turnout in precisely the same manner asthe box 8 is mounted and has mounted in one end thereof the pendent lever 29, constructed and arranged in the same manner as in box 8 and having its middle portion wrapped with insulating material 41, and an angularly-grooved raceway 30, of insulating material, is placed in an inclined position in i said box and extends from end to end thereof, with its lowest end next to the lever 29. I

The cross-section of said raceway 30 is the same as the raceway 13 in box 8, and the angular upper corners of its two inclined sides have secured thereon at the end thereof next to the lever 29 the metal bars or plates 28 and 31, which extend toward the farthest oropposite end of said box a distance equal to about two-sevenths, more or less, of the length of said box, as shown in Fig. 5. The plate 31 is connected by the wire 32 to the signaltion of said plate, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 4. The pin 36 is connected electrically with the box 8 by the wire 38, and the pin 37 with the bar or plate 15 by the wire 39,

ing in the condition illustrated in the drawings, except thatthe car is upon the turnout (not shown) and is approaching the main line or single track, the electric circuit through the signal-lamps is broken and the lamps are not lighted. As the car moves toward the single track the flanges of the trolley-wheel strike the cross-arm 19 of the lever 17, thus imparting a sudden movement of said lever about its shaft 16 and causing the metal sphere 21 to roll up the inclined raceway 13 into contact with the plates 14 and 15, thereby closing the circuit through the signal-lamps, the current at the same time passing through the coils of the magnet, thereby magnetizing the soft-iron poles, which then attract the armature 12 and cause it to come in contact with the pins 36 and 37, and as one of said pins is connected directly with the box 8, and through it to the trolley-wire, and the other of said pins being in connection with the coils of the magnet through the wires 23 and 39 the contact of the armature 12 with the pins 36 and 37 causes the circuit through the magnet to be maintained until the circuit is broken at the box .27, notwithstanding the fact that the sphere 21 rolls down the inclined raceway out of contact wit-h the plates 14 and 15 as soon as the trolley-wheel 4 has passed the arm 19 of the lever 17. When the car reaches the next turnout, the trolleywheel 4 comes in contact with the cross-arm of the lever 29 and moves it about its axis of motion, causing the sphere 40 to roll up the inclined groove of the raceway 30 out of contact withthe plates 28 and 31, thereby breaking the circuit and extinguishing the signallights. The wires 26 and 32 are individually insulated, and then the two wires are laid side by side beneath the raceway 30, as indicated by dotted lines in Figs. 5 and 6.

The boxes 8 and 27 are connected to the T-shaped stands 7 by the spring-hinge 9 for the purpose of permitting the opposite ends thereof to lift against the tension of said springs to allow the trolley-wheel to pass under the cross-arms of the levers 17 and 29 in case the car is backed or run in the opposite direction. 7

It must be understood that in order to be able to give signals at each advance turnout in succession for cars running in both directions there must be provided a circuit-closing box and a circuit-breaking box at each turnout for cars running in one direction and the same number of similar boxes at each turnout for cars running in the opposite direction.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. In an electric-railway signal the combination with the trolley-wire, of a side-currentconducting medium connected to said trolleywire at or near one turnout, and grounded at or near the next turnout; a box or receptacle of conducting material mounted upon and above said trolley-wire; a pendent lever mounted in said box and projecting below it into near proximity to said trolley-wire; an angularly-grooved and inclined raceway of non-conducting material mounted in said box with its lowest end in near proximity to said lever; a pair of metal plates on the upper edges of said grooved raceway and extending from the end thereof opposite to said lever, toward said lever three-fourths, more or less, of the length of said raceway; an electromagnet mounted in said box; a plate of insulating material inclosing the poles of said magnet; a pair of metal pins set in, and projecting through said pole=inclosing plate; an armature beneath the poles of said magnet; conducting-wires connecting one of said pins and one of said plates on the raceway with said box; wires connecting the other of said plates with the other of said pins and with the coils of said magnet; a plurality of incandescent electric lamps in said circuit at or near the next turnout; a metal sphere resting in the lowest part of the groove of said raceway and movable along said groove, all so constructed and arranged that a trolleywheel carried by a moving car will act upon the lower end of said lever and impel said sphere along said raceway into contact with the metal plates on said raceway to close said side circuit and light the signal-lamp, and means to be operated by said trolley-wheel at or near said second turnout for breaking said side circuit and extinguishing the signallights.

2. In a signaling device the combination of a main circuit-line; a side circuit-line con- 7 nected at one end to said main line and grounded at its other end; a signal-lamp in said side circuit at or near its distant end; a circuitclosing mechanism connecting said main and side circuit-lines; means for automatically operating said circuit-closing mechanism to light said signal-lamp; a circuitbreaking device at or near said distant end comprising the box 27, the pendent lever 29 having its middle portion covered with insulating material 41; the inclined raceway 30 of insulating material, having its lowest end next to said lever; the metal plates 28 and 31 secured upon the upper edges of said raceway at the end thereof next to said lever and extending a short distance toward the opposite end of said raceway; and the metal sphere 4O resting upon said plates 28 and 31 and in contact with the insulated portion of said lever 29.

3. In a signaling device for electric railways, the combination with a trolley-wire or main circuit-line, and a side circuit-line constructed and arranged to be intermittently connected at one end to said main line and grounded at its other end, and a circuit-closing device operated by a passing trolleywheel; of a circuit-maintaining device, comprising the electromagnet 9 in said side cir cuit-line; the non-conducting plate 10 inclosing the poles of said magnet; the pins 36 and 37 set in and projecting through said plate; the armature 12; and suitable wires connecting said pins 36 and 37 respectively with the main circuit-line and with said side circuitline.

4. In an electric railway signaling device the combination with the trolley wire and trolley-wheel of an electric railway, of a side circuit-line extending from one turnout to the next and grounded at the latter turnout; a circuit-closing mechanism connecting said trolley-wire and side line at or near said first turnout and constructed and arranged to be automatically operated by said trolley-wheel; an electric signal-lamp at or near said second turnout and in said side circuit; and a circuit-breaking device in said side circuit-line near said second turnout comprising themetal box 27; mounted upon and in electric connection with said trolleywire; the lever 29; the angularly-grooved and inclined raceway 30 of non-conducting material; the short metal plates 28 and 31 secured to the upper corners of said raceway at the end next to said lever 29; the metal sphere 39 normally resting upon said plates 28 and 31, and the band of insulating material 40 surrounding the pendent arm of said lever 29 opposite said sphere, said plates 28 and 31 forming portions of said side circuit-line, and said lever 29 being constructed and arranged to be vibrated by the trolley-wheel and thus impel the sphere along the inclined groove of said raceway beyond the ends of the plates 28 and 31 and thus break the circuit and extinguish the signal-lights.

5. A circuit-closing mechanism comprising the following elements, viz: the box 8; the lever 17; the non conducting raceway 13; the plates 14 and 15 mounted on said raceway; the sphere 21 of conducting material; the electromagnet 9; the non -conducting plate 10; the pins 36 and 37; the armature 12, and suitable wires connecting said pins 36 and 37, respectively, with said box 8 and the plate 15, all constructed, arranged and operating substantially as and for the purposes described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, on this 8th day of November, A. D. 1899.

GEORGE H. DUNHAM.

Witnesses:

N. O. LOMBARD, GEORGE H. BROWN.

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