US940787A - Railway signaling apparatus. - Google Patents

Description

W. J. 000K. RAILWAY SIGNALING APPARATUS.

AIPLIOATION FILED AUGAY, 1908.

Patented Nov. 23, 1909.

4 BHEBTE-SHEET 1.

W. J. 000K. RAILWAY SIGNALING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION PILED AUG. 17, 1908.

I Patented Nov. 23, 1909.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

v w J 000K AAILWAY SIGNALING APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED, AUG. 17, 1908 W. J. 000K.

RAILWAY SIGNALING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 17, 1908.

940,787. I v Patented Nov. 23, 1909.

4 SHEETSSHEET 4.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE..-

WILLIAM J. COOK, OFDENVER, COLORADO.

' RAILWAY SIGNALING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 23, 1909.

Application filed August 17, 1908. Serial no. 448,930.

.figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in railway signaling apparatus, my object being to provide a block system whereby the signals are given by lighting lamps along the track, these lights being maintained at a suitable distance, in front and in the rear of the train whereby either an approaching or a following train will be notified of itsproximity to another train.

By virtue of my improved construction, provision is made for an electrical circuit whereby a lamp, for instance, islighted two miles ahead or' the train, and left lighted until the'train has left the lamp a. mile in the rear, when a magnet circuit will beautov matically closed, and whereby the magnet will serveto break the light circuit and extinguish the lamp, In myimproved construction, these lighting stations are arranged at suitable intervals, say a mile apart. 7 Every time a station is reached, two circuits are. closed, one to light alamp two stations ahead, and'theother to extinguish the light of the station in the rear. Of course, any other desired arrangement might be made, so. far as distance is concerned. Provision is also made for indicating in the train despatchers oliice the lighting and extinguishing of lamps along the line so that the train despatcher will know the exact locationof the train.

Having briefly outlined my improved co1istruction I will proceed to describe the same in detail, reference being made 'to the accompan'ying drawing, in which is illustrated an embodiment thereof.

In this drawmg, Figure. 1 IS a diagrammatic VIEW, llustrating the arrangement of the lighting stations alongrthe track,toe

gether with the means for-making1 and break ng the circuits. Fig. 2 is a detail .view lllustrating the means for lighting and;

extinguishing lamps in the train despatchers oflice to indicate the location of the train.

1+ig. 3 is a vview illustrating in detail the lighting mechanism at eachlightmg station. big. 4 is a. detail view illustrating the t means arranged alongfa rail of the track,

whereby as the train passes, the circuit is momentarily closed. Fig. 5 is a section taken on the line5 5, Fig. 4.. Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 3, 'but showing the lighting circuit closed, While in Fig. 3 the same circuit is open. Fig. 7 is a detail View illustrating the mannero'f depressing the spring contact along the track forclosing the clrcu ts.

The same reference characters indicate'the same parts in all the views.

Let the numeral 5 designate one of a series of posts arranged along the track at suitable intervals. These posts may be termed lighting stations. To each post is secured an arm 6 carrying an incandescent lamp 7. One of the conductors 8.1eading to these lamps, is connected-with a feed wire B, while the other conductor 9 leads to al con tact 10 fast on .a rod 12 slidably mounted in a bracket 13 having upper and lower stops 14. and 15. A coil spring'lti normally holds the contact 10 at its upward limit of movement and in engagement With'the upper stop is of the bracket .13. Below this rod .is' 10- cated an electro-magnet 17 'which,"when energized, actsto draw the rod 12 downwardly sutticiently to bring the contact 10.intoengagement with thecontact18, also mounted upon the post. At the same time the contact 10 passes beneath 'a spring-actuated latch 11 which serves to lock the contact in the depressed position or in the position whereu by the lighting circuit is closed (see Fig; 6) The contact 18 is connected with a feed wire A by a conductor 19. One terminal of the coil of the magnet 17 is connected, with the feed wire B by a conductor 20,-while' the other terminal is connected by aconductor 21, and a conductor 22 with -a spring. con.- tact 23, cooperating with a contact 24; acted upon by aroller 25 carried by the. engine 26 to close the lighting circuit. These contacts 23 and 24 -are located any desired distance,

in the rear of the lamp to be lighted. The bringing of the contacts 23iand 241. into engagement with each other not only energizes I the magnet 17 whereby alampT 'is lighted at a suitable distance ahead of the tram, but also closes the circuit througha magnet a 27in the rear of the'train, which actsfupon ing, upon which four stationsare indicated, 1

v the latch 19 to move the latter to'a position these stations torelease the spring-actuated), light-clrcuit closing contact whereby the lamp. .7 is extinguished, asuitable distance in the rear of the train. The wire 21 leads to one terminal of themagnet 27. From the opposite terminal of thisflmagnet a wire 28 leads to a magnet 29'in-the train despatchers oflice (see'big. 2), which acts upon a magnetic part 30 .to move a spring-actuated contact 31 into engagement with a contact 32 con- ,nected with the feed wire B by,a conductor The contact 81 is connected with the feed wire A by a'conductor 34; hence,

a the contacts 31 and 32 are brought into en gagement, a lamp 35 is lightedin the despatchers office. When the contact 31' is depressedto bring it into engagement wit the contact 32, it is locked in. that position by a spring-actuated latch 36. The cond'uctor 28 leads to one terminal of the magnet 2 9, while a' conductor 37 leads from the opposite terminal to'one terminal of a mag-, net3'8. from whose, opposite terminal leads a conductor 39 to a feed wire 13, thus complet; ing the circuit through the magnet.38 which acts upon the spring-actuated latch 36 to re-" lease the contact 31, whereby another lamp 315 in the train despatchers office is eittinguished. Hence, by properly designating .the lamps in the traindespatchers ofiice to harmonize with those along the track, the 'des patcher is kept p'osted with reference to the lighting and extinguishing of the signal lamps. along the track, and the location of the train. v

Wherever a side track is located, I prefer to employ' a switcharm 40 connected by means of a conductor il with the Lteed-wire At Afcontact 42 located adjacent to the I switch arm is connected by means of a con ductor 4:3 and branch conductors-414:, with the conductor 21 leading to the magnets 27 of a number, of stationsin the, vicinity of the switch. -From the feed wire B, conductors D lead toth'e conductor 28. Now, if it be- T ismay be-donenby moving the switch.

' comes necessary for a-train to go upon the sidetrack, it will be desirable to indicate a clear track by extinguishing the signal li hts both in front and rear of the train.

arm mto engagement with the contact 42, whereby the magnets 27 corresponding with the lampscontrolled by the train'upon the-= side track, will all be energized'and will act upon the latch 19 to release the contacts 10 to break the light circuits.

As illustrated in-the drawing, feed wires A and B are connectedwith the opposite poles C and D of an electrical generatorE,

, suitably located.

, In describing the operation of my improved signaling system, reference-will be had more particularly to Fig. 1 of the draw;

being designated from left to'right as 1, 2, 3'and 4 respectively. I will assume that the train at station No. 2 has brought the contacts 23 and 24 into engagement. In this event,'the current will pass from the feed Wire Athrough'a conductor 46 at station Nq. 2 to the contact 2 1, and thence to the contact 23, thence through a conductor 22 to a conductor 21, leading to one terminal of the magnet 17 of station N o. 4, whereby thesaid magnet is energized and acts'upon the cOntact lO of the said with the contact 18 of the said station, whereby the circuit is closed through the lamp 7 of that station, the contact 10 being locked in the circuit-closing position by the latch 19 of station No. 4. Simultaneously No. 4:, the current also passes in the rear of the train, from the contact 21, to the magnet 27 of station No.- 1, thus energizing said magnet which acts upon the latch 11 of that 3 station, to release the spring-actuated contact 10, whereby it is separated from the contact 18, thus breaking the circuitof the lamp 7 at station'No. 1. It Will thus ht observed that the lamp of the 'stati on in the rear is extinguished, and the lamp at the station in advance is lighted every time-the train reaches any station along the track. it it is desired that trains going in both directions shall control the signal lights,

andtheir necessary apparatus on each side of the track, .the one set being controlled ing apparatus'wi'll be duplicates.

assume that the contacts 2 5 and 24s are that the current, after passing through the magnet. 27 of station No. l, wil'l pass through a conductor28 to a magnet 29 in the train despatcl1e1"s.oflice, whereby a contact 31 of one set of instruments is brought into ongagement with a contact 32, .thus closing farthest to the left in Fig.22: At the same time the current will pass from the magnet 29 througha conductor 37 to the releasing x-magnet of the train despatchers oflice,

instrl ments is actuated torelease the contact 81 of a corresponding set of instruments," whereby the last named contact is allowed to separate from its corres onding farthest-to the left in Fig; 2.- i l By properly designating. the lamps which are lighted and extinguished every time a train-reaches a station along the track, the

with the ,lighting of the lamp 7 at station there will be a distinct set of signal lights the opposite direction. These sets ot'signal station,to bring the latter into engagement Attention is called (0 the fact that if we brought into engagement at'station No. 2, i

the circuit through the lamp 85 next vto that 12o whereby the contact 3.6 of another set of contact 32, thus extinguishing the amp 35 train despatcher will be kept thoroughly posted as to the signals which are given along the track'by the various trains. In this connection it may be stated that. the.

lamps may ,be placed upon this map or rep-' resentationmf the railway lines at any desired number of stations, and so connected in the circuit which is opened and closed by. the action of the train, that the lamps located upon the map, so to speak, at the various stations, will be lighted simultaneously with the arriiyal of the train at these stations. By virtueiz of this arrangement, the exact location of all trains anywhere within the despatchers division maybe known to him.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is: I I I 1. In railway signaling apparatus the combination of lighting stations arranged along the track, each station having a lamp, contacts located in the lamp circuit and normally separated, an electro magnet which, when energized, brings the said contacts into engagement to close the lamp circuit, means for automatically locking the said contacts in the. circuit-closing position, and an electro-magnet forreleasing the locking means, circuit make-and-break devices arranged along the track and acted uponby a passing train, to momentarily place the said devices in the circuit-closing position, and connections between the circuit makeand-break devices and the 'electro-magnets at the lighting stations, whereby as the track make-and-break devices are closed, the

first named magnet is energized in one direction from the train and the lock releasing magnet energized in the opposite direction from the train, substantially as described.

2. Railway signaling apparatus, comprising lighting stations arranged along the track,-' each station including an electric lamp, electro-magnetic means for closing the lamp circuit, means for automatically lock ing the lamp circuit in the closed position, electro-magnetic. means for releasing the locking mechanism, circuit make-and-break devices arranged along the track and adapted to be momentarily placed in the closed" position by a passing train, and circuit con,- nections between the track inake-and-break devices and the electro-magnetic means of the lighting stat-ions, whereby when any track circuit makeand-break' device is in the opposite direction from substantially as described.

rection from the train, while the lock-re leasing electro-magnetic means is energized any train,

3. Railway signaling apparatus comprising stations arranged along the track at suitableintervals, each station includingan electric lamp, electromagnetic means for closing the lamp circuit, means for locking thelamp circuit in the closed position, electromagnetic means for releasing the locking mechanism, circuit make-and break devices arranged along the track, each circuitmakeand-break device being connected wit-h the electric apparatus of two stations, whereby as the track circuit make-and-break device is closed the electromagnetic means for closing the lamp circuit is energized atone station,

and the electromagnetic means for releasing the' locking mechanism is energized at the other station, electric lampswlighted in the train despatchers oflice, corresponding with f the lamps lighted and extinguished at the stations along the track, and suitable circuit connections between the track circuit makeand-break device and the iamps'in the'despatchers oflice, whereby as the lamps are lighted or extinguished at the stations, corresponding lamps in the train despatchers oflice are also lighted and extinguished;

4. Railway signaling apparatus, comprising signal stations arranged along the track, each station including an electric signal, electro-magnetic means for closing the signal circuit,'means for automatically locking the signal circuit in the closed osition, electro-magnetic means for releaslng the locking mechanism, circuit make-and-break de' vices arranged along the track and adapted to be momentarily placed in the closed position by a passingtrain, and circuit connections between the'track make-,and-break devices and the electromagneticmeans of. the signal stations, whereby when any track circuit make-and-break device is closed, the

electro-magnetic means for closing the signal circuit is energized in one direction from the train, while the lock releasing electromagnetic means is energized .in the opposite substantially as direction from any train, described. i

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

. WILLIAM J. COOK. Witnesses:

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