US843703A - Railway signal system. - Google Patents

Description

PATENTED FEB. 12, 1907.

A. L. RUTHVBN.

RAILWAY SIGNAL SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED APR.20, 1906.

Wimesses UNITED STATES t-PATENT. OFFICE."

LFRED, L. RUTHVEN," oFir'oPEKA, KANSAS.

RAILWAY SIGNAL-SYSTEM;

all .u gha'm it may concern.-

; Be-it'lmown that I, ALFRED 'L; RUTHVEN, t

a1;eitizen' of the United States, residing at 'Top,eka,'in the county of Shawnee and State '5 bf Kansas, have invented new and useful Im-.

provements inRailway Signal Systems, of

- which the following is a specificatiom 1 The invention-relates to that class of railvway signal systems in which the signal is car- 'ro on the train, as in the cab of the loco.- 'motive, so that the signal is given either direct to-tlie engineer or so that the train may a sto'p ed automatically, it being" understood t at the mechanism herein claimed 115 'may be used, for either or both purposes." In

the class to which this invention specially relates the signal-mechanism is designed to be operative when two engines or trains are approaching each other within a short distance, so that both may be stopped, and thus prevent collision, and it is also adapted to opera ate Whenever two trains are within a given distance of each other upon the same track, whether they be traveling in the same or in '2 5 opposite directions, and, further, to indicate v by the signal upon each train in which direc-' tion the other train is going.

Objects of the present invention are, to

'1 the invention in its preferred form andhave .shownf-the :best mode of applying the prin-' 'ciple's thereef but it'is'to be understood that I donot'fintend to limitmyselfto the exact details( f-construction shown therein, as obvious changes-such as changes inform, proportions, materials, the transposition-of parts, and the substitution of: equivalent members will suggest themselves 'to' per- "sonsskilledin the. art and-without departing "from thespintof the inventionw 5 Figure lis aidiagrampf a. track divided ,into blocks with an engine ,orcar upon the Specification of Letters Patent. 3"

Application filed April 20,1906. Serial No- 312,919.

upon the track, and to this is secured, as to improve generally upon such signal systems Patented nab. 12.1907.

track equipped with my improved apparans. 3 Fig. 2' be detached view of'the'co'nnecting-lever between the trolley-lever andthe pole-chan er lever, and Fig. 3 is a side view'of the tro ley and connecting-lever.

"Like reference-numerals indicate. like 01" corresponding parts throughout the several, 7

views t 1 Each of the'two'rails 4 and 5 is divided intoblocks, 'asby the insulated points 6 6 6,

at suitabledistancesapart, as amile or two,

depending upon the nature of the track and also ofithe. traffic to be" controlled, and'the points of insulation arearranged alternately o in the-one rail or the other, so. as to make .-.-about [equally-distant overlapping blocks.

A third 'railor any other suitable conductor 7 is also laidor-hung along the track, prefer-j ably along the middlethereof between the two rails, as indicated-in the drawings. At

each point of insulation the third rail-or conductor has an ofiset oroutturned portion 8, the purpose of which will behereinaft'er explained. 8o

9 may. represent any carer locomotive the under side thereof when the third rail,

as'illustrated in the drawings, is used, a

trolley-rod 10, which carries in' a ivoted bracket 11 a trolleyor roller12l, whic has a groove or'sheave- 13 to engage the third rail. I prefer to use theroller, as indicated in the drawings, and to have it wide enough so that if it should-be thrown off the rail as-to the groove it will still bear against the rail with the higher surface of the roller,.even

in passing over one of, the outturned-places ior oflsets- 8 and without-losing contact' or electricalconnection with the-third rail, an 5 the groove will also readily the rail again. a The forward end of the pivoted trolley-rod '10 engages-with aconnecting-lever 24, iv-- oted to the frame at 25,-the up erien' of which engages with the arm 21 o the oper- ,i 00 ating-lever of the automatic ole changer 17 which is located in anysuita le place 'on the locomotive, tender, or car. 'Also located in a convenient places upon the locomot ve, car,

or tender are a manuall y-*operab le polep 5 changer-15, a signal device, as a hell l6,a nd- I a battery .31. Each'of the arms 18 .18 of the automatic pole-changer engages: with a series ofcontactsfas three innumber for A, each arm 26} 26 26, so arranged that nor-'11:)" mally (in the positions-shown inlth'e draw .385) t s eng e rp s e y've n e d own by tracing'the connections with the wires 28 and 30, respectivel 'Pivote'd to the connecting-rod lQ are t e links 20 20, pivoted by slots 23 23 to the oppositely-extended arms of the operating-lever 21, which is pivoted at 228 so that When said operatingleverjis move in either directionv by the connectlng-lever 24 the arms 18 18 will be drawn over said contacts. The arms are held against the normal contacts by a spring 33 and are or may be returned thereto ,b

' said spring; but as the curve 8 is rather gra ual the passage'of these arms over the contacts-may be accordingly slow, and it is apparent that the movement full way in either the same pole of the battery on each train. I in the same. direction shall be oon. nected to the third rail, and this connection moving may be controlled by. the manually-opera able pole-changer 15.v Thus we may assume that whenever'a. train' moves east (to the right on the drawings) the ositive side of the batteries on all trains 'shal be connected to the third rail, and when-movingwest the negative side shall'be' so'connected. Thus when the engine changes its direction of travel the engineer may simply shift the polechanger to adjust his apparatus properly.

come upon the same b ock, their respective flow through the circuit direction of the operating-lever and return othrough both trains,jand thus actuate the si a1 or other devices in both trains,- upon will make three contacts with the reversed connection of the poles.

One arm of. the automatic poleschanger is connected 'by wire 27 to the running-gear of the car or locomotive- 9, and thereby with the rails. The other .arm is .connectedyby ",wire 32with the trolley-rod and trolley, and

thereby with the thirdrail or conductor 7. One side of the ole-changer is connected to the bell 16," y wire 29, while the other ole of said manually operable pole-changer is connected by wire with one set of con.- tacts of the automatic pole-changer 17, the other set of contacts thereof being connected I by wire 28 with the bell or signaling device 16.

The normal. circuit may be traced, com-- mencing with the 'rail' 4, throughrumfinggear of car or locomotive, through wire 27 and one arm of automatic pole-changer, wire 30, pole-changer 15, and" battery 31,- wire 29, 'signalingdevice 16,'wire 28, other arm of automatic ole-changer, wire 32,- trolley- .rod10,'trol ey 12,.t0 the third rail, and this circuit isnormally 0 on by reason of there being 'normall no e ectlical connection between the or inaryfrai'ls 4 and 5. and the third rail or conductorfi'. Should such a uconnectionyoccur, the signal will .be actuated, either the ringing of 'a bell, the lighting of a light, or the operation ofgautomatic devices for stoppingthe train ondoing other work, the articular .work to be done being 7 immateria 'sofar as the present invention is. concerned. By .overla ping the circuits "predetermined distance of the train. a This there is njoplace in the trim where 'the signal will'no'tibe given by aproper electricalconnection between the opposite rails within 0.

electrical connection of the rails may be made by numerous devices, such .v as by the throwing of'switches, thegoing out of a bridge, or-by thevpresence of auothertrain on-the track 'withinthe prescribed distance,

' by any suitable means..- 1

- In actual ra'ctice I contemplate the equip- 'ment of eac train withan apparatus similar 6 to the one shown the drawings and that.

w ..ich the trains maybe stopped or such other precautions taken as may be necessary.

block and be moving in the same direction, no signal will be given, for: the reason that the batteries have the same polesconnected with the third rail, and thus neutralize each.

If, however, two trains be upon the same I other, and it is to overcome this difli'cult that the automatic ole changer is designe Upon assing over t e ofiset' 8 the automatic pole-c anger is operated'so as .to intermittently m e connection through the apparatus and the battery with-the poles reversed, I

and if'thereis. another train. upon the same block moving in the same directionthere-is obviously an 'intermittentsignal. given on ranged along t e track, suitable connecting means with the train, andra -signaling)device, I 1

i 1 x o.

a manually-o'perable pole-changer, a airflow,- and I automatically operable-pole-changer onreach train together with means arranged at intervals a ong the track forautomatically shiftingthe automatic pole-changer;

2. In a railway signal svstem, a series of.

conductors, one ofthe conductors having ofi-' sets at intervals along the line, means for. conries of overlapping sectional conductors a1":-

same direction and can govern himself ac- Y 10 1. In a railway danger-signalsystem, a sa-' necting with the conductors, signaling dey vices, batteries, manuallyoperable, polechangers, and" automatically-operable polechan ers. Y

3. n a railway signalsystem, av seriesof .conductors, one ofthe.conductors'havingbff sets, suitable signaling apparatus 'on. the f trains including an automaticpole-changer operable by sai offsets. v j 4. In a'railwaysignal system, a series of conductors, one of the conductors of. said circuits having offsets at intervals along the line, a trolley and trolley-rod for connecting engaging with said third rail operable by .electricall continuous and having oflsets ar-- ranged at intervals therealong a trolley on the electrically continuousandhaving outturned said conductor with the train, and suitable signaling deviceson the trains including an automatic pole-chan er operable by the engagement of said tro e'y' and trolley-rod with said offsets. v

5. 'In -a railway signal 'system,.a track whose rails are insulated and divided alternately into blocks as set forth, a third rail between said two'rails, said third rail being train for enga ingsaid third rail and oper-' able by said osets; and a battery, 'aflsignaling device, and an automatic pole-changer operable by said offsets, on the'train.

6. In a'railway signal'system, a track whose rails are insulated and divided alter-- nately into block's as set forth, a third rail between said two rails, said'third rail being portions at the points'of insulation of the other rails; a pivoted trolley on the train for said offsets; and a battery, a signaling de-' vice, and an automatic pole-changer operable bysaid trolley and oflsets, on each 1 tram.

which is electrically continuous and has offsets at intervals along the line, a trolley on the train movable laterally'by saidflofi'sets and continuously engaging said'third rail,"

and a battery, a si naling device, a manu-- ally-operablepole-c anger, and an automatically-o erable pole-changer controlled by said tro ley, on the train.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed myv name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ALFRED L, RUTHVEN."

Witnesses: I JOHN A. HULIT, Z. T. Frsrmn.

Images