US805827A - Railroad signal-circuit. - Google Patents

Description

PATENTED NOV. 28, 1905.

E. W. VOGEL. RAILROAD SIGNAL CIRCUIT.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 20, 1901.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EUGENE W. VOGEL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE RAILROAD SUPPLY COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF lLLlNOIS.

RAILROAD SIGNAL-CIRCUIT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 28, 1905.

Application filed September 20, 1901. Serial No. 75,928.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EUGENE W. VOGEL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, county of Cook, State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Railroad Signal-Circuits; and I declare the following to be a full, clear, and eX- act description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates in general to electrical railroad-signals, and more particularly to an arrangement of the controlling-circuits whereby a plurality of signals located at diiferent points are simultaneously operated upon the approach of a train and are successively discontinued as the train passes by.

It is frequently necessary that a number of signals located at different points along the trackas, for instance, at a series of highwaysshould all be actuated upon the approach of a train from either direction but it is undesirable that any one of the signals should be continued after the train has passed the point where it is located. Previous -to my invention, so far as I am aware, the arrangements of the circuits for eifecting the operation above described have necessitated the use of two Wire conductors between the several signals, which has added materially to the expense of such systems, as the signals are frequently located at a considerable distance apart. The use of two wire conductors is also objectionable in that they are liable to become crossed, thereby short-circuiting the system.

The object of my invention is to provide an arrangement of circuits for effecting the simultaneous operation of a plurality of signals upon the approach of a train and effecting the successive discontinuance of the signals as each. one is passed by the train in which no wire conductors between the several signals are required, thereby economizing the cost of construction and also avoiding the danger of short-circuiting the system by the crossing of the conductors, which exists where two wires are employed.

My invention will be more fully described hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which the same is illustrated as embodied in two convenient and practical forms, and in which Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view illustrating one arrangement of my invention, and Fig. 2 a similar view illustrating a modified arrangement of my invention.

Similar reference characters are used to indicate the same parts in the two figures of the drawings.

Reference-letters X and Y indicate the rails forming a railroad-track.

A, A and A indicate insulated sections of the track located at either side of highways B and B or at other points where it is desirable to place signals.

a, a and a indicate track-batteries which are connected to the rails of the track-sections A, A and A respectively.

Signals F and F of any preferred form are located at the points B and B and are actuated upon the closing of local circuits through batteries G and G respectively. The local circuits are controlled by interlocking relays of any desired form, an interlocking relay of the Hovey type, covered by Patent No. 552,181, dated December 30, 1895, being illustrated for convenience. Electromagnets O C are located in track-circuits connected to the rails of the insulated track-sections A and A at either side of the point B. The electromagnets O and C forming part of the interlocking relay at the signal F are provided with track-circuits connected to the rails of the insulated track-sections A and A at either side of the point B Armatures D, D D and D are attracted by electromagnets O, C C and 0 when the latter are energized, as indicated in the figures of the drawings. When the truck of a train occupies any one of the insulated tracksections, the track-battery connected thereto is short-circuited, thereby denergizing the electromagnet connected thereto, which perv mits the corresponding armature to fall into engagement with a contact in the local circuit which operates the signal. For instance, upon the fall of either or both of the armatures D and D a local circuit through the signal mechanism F is closed as follows battery G, lead g, to armature or armatures D D to the contact-point E, through the signal mechanism, to the other pole of the battery. When either or both of the armatures D and D fall into engagement with contact E, a local circuit is closed through the battery G and signal mechanism F thereby actuating the latter.

It is evident that whenever any truck of a train occupies the insulated track-section A the battery (1 would be shortcircuited, there by deenergizing electromagnets C and C and permitting the'armatures D and D to fall into contact with the points E and E respectively, which closes the local circuits and actuates the signals at both points B and B The operation of the arrangement of circuits illustrated in Fig. 2 is as follows: When a train enters the insulated track-sectionA, the battery 11 is short-circuited and the armature D permitted to fall into engagement with the contact E through the denergization of the magnet C. A local circuit through the battery G and signal mechanism F is thereby closed, actuating the signal at point B. As soon as the front truck of the train enters the track-section A the battery (1 is short-circuited, thereby denergizin both of the magnets C and C and permitting the fall of the armatures D and D the latter closing the local circuit through the battery G and signal mechanism F through its engagement with contact E thereby operating the signal at the point B The operation of both signals continues until the last truck of the train passes from the insulated track-section A, whereupon the battery a is no longer short-circuited, but energizes the magnet C, thereby lifting the armature D out of engagement with the contact E, which discontinues the signal at point B. When the train passes from the insulated track-section A the battery a is no longer short-circuited, but energizes the magnets C and C thereby elevating the armatures D and D out of engagement with the contacts, which discontinues the signals at both points B and B It might be noted that the short-circuiting of the battery (1 by the train after passing the point B does not close the signal-circuit at that point, inasmuch as the armature D having fallen on top of the armature D is lifted away from the contact-point E by the elevation of the armature D The same explanation applies to the signal at B when the train has passed from the insulated tracksection A, inasmuch as the elevation of the armature D will lift the armature D which has fallen upon the former, out of contact with the point E, thereby discontinuing the signal at B as soon as the train has passed such point.

In order that both signals may be operated when the front truck of a train enters upon the insulated track-section A when coming from the left or when the train enters the insulated track-section A when coming from the right, I have illustrated means for short-circuiting the track-battery a thereby denergizing the magnets C and G which closes the signal-circuits at both points B and B In order to effect the operation referred to, I mount upon each of the armatures D, D D and D contacts h, 71, 7?, and 7L4, respectively, such contacts being insulated from the armatures. A fixed contact 6 is located between and in the path of the contacts h and h and is connected by lead k with the lead 00 connecting the magnets C with the rail X of the insulated track-section A A lead 76 extends from the contact h to the lead of, connecting the magnet C with the rail Y of the insulated track-section A A similar fixed contact e is located between and in the path of the spring-contacts k and 71, and is connected by lead k with the lead as, extending from the magnet C to the rail X of the insulated track-section A The lead 76 connects the contact h4 with the lead y, extending from the magnet O to the rail Y of the insulated track-section A". The ends of the spring-contacts h and M, which engage the fixed contacts 6 and 6 respectively, are provided with insulating material, so that when either of the armatures D or D falls before the armature D or D falls the short circuit around the magnets C and C will not be closed.

The operation of the embodiment of my invention shown in Fig. 1 is as follows: When a train approaching from the left enters the tracksection A, the trackbattery a is short circuited, thereby denergizing the magnet C and permitting the armature D to-fall into contact with the fixed point E, thereby closing the signal-circuit through the local battery G and signal mechanism F and also closing a short circuit around the track-battery a and denergizing the mag nets 0 and C as follows: rail X of the insulated track-section A to leads :6 and 7: to fixed contact 6, to spring-contact h, to lead 7c, to lead 1 to rail Y of insulated track-section A The deenergization of the magnet 0 permits the armature D to fall into engagement with the fixed contact E thereby closing the local circuit through battery G operating the signal mechanism F at point B When the train passes from the tracksection A, magnet C is energized, thereby elevating the armature D out of engagement with contact E, which breaks the local circuit and discontinues the signal at B. The signal at B continues until the train has passed such point, when it is discontinued by the energization of the magnet C by the track-battery (1, which is no longer short-circuited, the armature D being thereby elevated out of engagement with the contact E and lifting with it the armature D which falls upon the spring-contact on the armature D through the short-circuiting of the track-battery a and a consequent deenergization of the magnet O; The continuance of the short circuit around the battery a after the train has passed the point B is not effected by reason of the insulated point on the spring-contact it being beneath the spring-contact h, breaking the short circuit through the leads lc, contact 7L4, fixed contact (2 lead 76 to lead 00 When a train approaches from the right in Fig. 1, the operation is similar in all respects to that above explained and need not be, therefore, described in detail, it being suflicient to state that the signals at both B and B are simultaneously operated when the front truck of a train enters the insulated traclcsection A and both signals continue until the last truck of the train has passed the point B when the signal at such point is discontinued and signal at B continued until the last truck of the train has passed such point.

From the foregoing description it is evident that I have invented an arrangement of circuits for operating railro ad-signals whereby a plurality of "signals located at distant points are simultaneously operated upon the ap proach of a train and are successively discontinued as they are passed by the train in which no wire conductors are employed to connect the circuits at the several signals, the electrical connection between the signals being entirely effected by the rails of the insulated track-section extending between the signals. It is further evident that the coils of the magnets O and G which are energized by the single-track battery a may be and preferably are each of a resistance double that of each of the magnets C and G which are energized by separate track-batteries a and a in order that the battery a may be of the same strength as the batteries a and c g and yetnot be consumed any more rapidly,

and consequently need not be recharged any oftener.

While I have shown a Hovey relay as the means for controlling the signal circuit at each signal, I do notwish to be limited thereto, as any form of interlocking relay may obviously be employed.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a railroad signal system, the combination with aplurality of signals, of closed track-circuits controlling the operation of said signals, an insulated track-section between said signals to the rails of which said circuits are connected, and a source of electricity directly connected to the rails of said tracksection whereby when the first truck of a train enters said insulated traclvsection said source of electricity is short-circuited, substantially as described.

2. In a railroad signal system, the combination with a plurality of signals, of normally open circuits for operating said signals, interlocking relays controlling said signal-circuits, closed track-sections including magnets of said relays, an insulated tracksection between said signals to which are connected track-circuits including magnets of both relays, and a source of electricity directly connected to the rails of said insulated track-section, whereby when the first truck of a train enters said insulated track-section said source of electricity is short-circuited and the magnets connected thereto deenergized, substantially as described.

3. In a railroad si nal system, the combination with a plura ity of'signals, of normally open circuits for operating said signals, insulated traclcsections at each side of said signals, an insulated track-section extending between said signals, track -batteries directly connected to the rails of each insulated track section, closed track circuits leading from said insulated track-sections at either side of each signal, electroma nets in said track-circuits, armatures control ing the signal-circuits operated by said magnets, means for short-circuiting the track-battery connected to said track-section extending between the signals whenever a train approaches either signal thereby deenergizing a magnet at a second signal and rendering operative said signal, substantially as described.

4. In a railroad signal system, the combination with a plurality of signals, of circuits for operating said signals, insulated tracksections at each side of said signals, an insulated track-section extending between said signals, track-batteries directly connected to the rails of each insulated track section, closed track-circuits leading from said insulated traclcsections at either side of each signal, electromagnets in said track-circuits, armatures controlling the signalcircuits operated by said magnets, contacts carried by an armature at one signal controlling a short circuit around a magnet at a second signal thereby deenergizing said magnet and rendering operative said second signal, substan tially as described.

' 5. In a railroad signal system, the combination with a plurality of signals, of closed track-circuits controlling the operation of said signals, a plurality of insulated tracksections to one of which two of the said trackcircuits are connected and to each of the other of which a single track-circuit is connected, track-batteries of equal strength directly connected to said insulated track-sections, and magnets in said track-circuits for controlling the signals the coils of those in the circuits connected to the single track-section having a resistance twice that'of the magnets in the other track-circuits, whereby the batteries are consumed with equal rapidity, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I sign this specification in the presence of two witnesses.

EUGENE W. VOGEL.

Witnesses:

GEO. L. WILKINSON, CLARA O. CUNNINGHAM.

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