USRE11343E - Train signaung apparatus - Google Patents

Description

I 2Shets-sneet l. H. R. MASON:

TRAIN SIGNALING AHARATUS.. No. 11,343. Reissued May 30, 1893,.

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Y 2 Sheng-*sheet 2. H. R. MASON.

lTRAIN SIGNALING APPARATUS, Y No. 11,343. Reissued May 30, 1893.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

I L Liners.

TRAIN SIGNALING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Reissued Letters Patent No. 11,343, dated May 30, 1893. Original No. 450,333, dated April 14, 1891. Application for reissue filed November 15, 1.892. Serial No. 452,103.

To (AZZ whom, it 71mg/ concern..-

lleit known that l, IIARRYRMASON, a citizen ot' the United States, residing at Chicago, in the eountyol Cook and Stateof Il'linois,have invented a new and useful Improvement in Train Signaling Apparatus, et which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in pneu matie signaling apparatus and is particularly designed for use upon railway-trains employing air-brakes of the class generally in use, wherein the brakes are maintained in the state of release by a supply of air-pressure in the brakepipe, and are applied by a rednetion of pressure in the latter, my main object being to provide improved signaling meehanisln consisting' of a signal within hearing 'of the engineer and in direct communication with the-said brake-pipe to be actuated by a reduction of air pressure therein, and exhaust valves or conduetors signal-valves upon the ears of the train in convenient locations at which air from the brake-pipe-may be caused to escape to reduce the pressure therein sufficiently to aetuate the signal without setting the brakes.

One effect of my invention is to dispense with the separate independent train-pipe parallel with the brake-pipe, which has been hitlierto provided for signaling purposes, and thus save the expense attendant upon its construetionand repair, as well as giving other advantages.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a' broken diagrammatic view of the various appliances of an air-brake system embodying my' improvements; Fig. 2, an enlarged sectional View of the engineer-s brako-valve taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1 and viewed in the arrows; Fig. 3, an enlarged broken view showing the eonduetors signaling-valve in vertical section, and Fig. 4 a section taken online 4-et of Fig. 3 and viewed in the direction of the arrows.

0f thevarious appliances shown in Fig. l., and which, with the exceptions of the engineers brake-valve, the signal, and the conduotors signaling-valve, are those in use lin the iVestinghouse system of air-brakes, A is the air-pump; l, the main air-rcservoir; (l, the

engineer-s brake-valve; D D, the brake-pipe; D', the hose-sections and couplings therefor between cars; E', a triple valve; F, annuxiliary reservoir; G, a brake-eylinderg 1I, a cond uetors signalingvalve, and 1 a conductor-s brake-valve. n

The engineer-s brake-valve shown, and the one I prefer to employ, is ot special construetion, and so much of its construction as relates to an enginee1"svalve alone, as such, for regulating the supply of air to and the exhaust from the brake-pipe forms the subject ot' Letters Patent of the United States No. 450,332, granted to me April 14, 1891, torA a brake valve for air brakes. 1t involves, generally stated, a shell having a port j, eommunieating with the main reservoir, an exhaustport s, passages 'l' and q, communicating with the brake-pipe, a rotary valve-plug p in the shell. provided with the diagonal passage p and Ibrauch passage 232, and a movable diaphragm or piston-valve q', interposed in the passage q and having its seat at q2, and` provided at its periphery with one or more small passages qi. The Valve q' is maintained normally open by a spring g4.

In operation, to exhaust pressure from the brake-pipe and apply the brakes, tho'pingp is turned to cause its passage p to register with the exhaust-port s and its branch passage p2 with the port or passage lr. 'Pressure is supplied to the brake-pipe to release the brakes by turning the plug to cause its passage 21' to extend from the port t to the port lr, and when the pressure in the brake-pipe has been raised to that entering the port the plug is turned to the position shown, whereby the pressure is directed through the passage q. The resilient quality of the spring q" is such that the passage of air through 1he #pas sage q to overcome any reduction of pressure in the brakepipe dueto slight leakage in the system would not a'teet the position of the valve q', while any exhaust fronian unopening of the the said valve to be'foreed to its seat by the pressure from the main cylinder, and thus prevent exhaust ot' the latter, which was the main object of the invention.

due cause, as the parting of a coupling vrthe eondnetors valve,would cause l'OO Besides performing the function described, a valve in the nature of the valve q', located, as this one is, in a passage auxiliary to the main or direct air-passage, olfers facilities for the operation of a signal to be actuated `by the movement of the valve toward its seat. Thus the signal may be produced by having the valve, in its movement, make or break contact in an electric circuit for actuating a gong or othe alarm, yor by extending the stem of the valve through the shell and connecting it with or placing in its path a signal or signal-operating mechanism. Mechanisms for carrying out my invention by the two methods suggested have been devised, but are reserved for separate applications for Letters Patent.

Myprosent application relates to thc system generically and to the specific means for carrying it into eteet which, as at present advised, I prefer-.that is tol say, through the medium of a whistle located 'in the enginecab andactuated by the progressive movement ot the valve.

In Fig. 2 is shown in detail mechanism connected with the valve (1 for producing the sounding of a whistle. ten ds through a chamber o, in which the valve qlworks, and screwed into the end of the chamber o opposite the valve-seat q2 is a hollow plug-n, open at its outer end fn. and having a central reduced opening nzin its end nearest the valve-seat q2. The interior of the hollow plug n affords a .chamber n, which is closed at its end fa', by a screw-plug in. The plug 'm is piovided in its inner end portion with a central longitudinally-extending piston-chamber m', terminating abruptly at m2, from which extends a narrow central passage m3 through the outer end portion of the said plug. Intcrsectng the chamber in adjacentto its end m2 are one or more small passages m* through its shell and communicating with the chamber ail. Upon the sido of the pistonvalve q opposite the seat q2 is a chamber Z, closed by a centrally-perforated screw-cap l. In the `chamber in is a piston-valve it' upon one end of a stem 7e', which latter extends loosely through the opening 'n2 and cap Z' into the chamber l, where it is .provided with a hcadv'. About the stein lf.' and confined between the cap Z and= head 7a2 is a spring 2, which operates normally to press the head 7;? against the side of the valve il', iVhen the valve q is in its normal posi-tion shown, the valve l.; is pressed at its outercnd against the seat m2 by the spring 114 lo close the passage m3, and around its said end the valve k is reduced'in circumference to a distance beyond the passages m1. The opening n2 is somewhat larger than the diameter ofthe stem it', and inner end of the piston 7c is arranged to seat against and close the opcningn2 when the valve il is forced to its seat. ',lhe outer ond of the plug in connects with a whistle, as shown in Fig. l.

The passage q ex-A In operation, the valve p being in the condition shown in Fig. 2, which is the running position, as described, any exhaust of pressure in the brake-pipe beyond that which the spring q" is arranged to withstand will cause the valve q to be moved toward its seat and draw with it the valve la. I The chamber 'n3 is charged with ai r-pressure from the chamber o through the openingi and'when-the valve k is thus withdrawn from its seat at m* air from the chamber fa will flow througln the passages inland m3 and sound the whistle. Should the reduction of pressure in the brake-pipe be from an y violent cause, as the opening of the eonducto1"svalve or the parting of a coupling, or the like, the valve q' will he forced to its seat, shutting oit the flow of air to the brake-pipe, the valve It' will close the opening n2 to prevent escape of air throueh that channel, and in the meantime the wliistle will be sounded to warn the engineer by the expansion of air from the chamber n3.

In order to adapt the signal mechanism described to the purpose of a conductors signal, I provide a spring qt, which will, without yielding, withstand a pressure of, say, threef pounds, which is more than is necessary .to prevent movement of the valve q' when slight leakages exist in the system, and which shall require a pressure of, say, ten pounds to compressit sufficiently to bring the valve q' to its seat. Thus a sudden reduction of five pounds in the brake-pipe will cause the excess of pressure from the main reservoir to move the valve more or less in the direction of its seat and open the valve k until the pressure on opposite sides of the valve q.is equal- :ized by the passage of air through the chair nel Q3. A sudden great reduction of pressure 'in the brake-pipe, which would produce closing of the valve q', would necessitate a turning of the valve p to open communication he` tween the main reservoir and'passage lr in order to permit the'valve q to be opened again. In order, therefore, that when the conductor or other person operates the signal no mori.

,air shall escape from the brake-pipe than is necessary to simply withdraw the valve /tl from its seat without closing .the valve 1;', I provide upon eachfcar of the` train, if it be a passenger-train, ov'upon the caboosc if it be a freight-train, a conductors signaling-valve ll,

which may be of the construction shown in detail in Figs. 3 and fl. ported upon a branch. I)2 of the brake-pipe The vvalve li issupand comprises a shell divided internallyinto two chambers t' and 7L by a diaphragm g. The chamber communicates through an opening t" with the branch pipe D2. In the diaphragm are one or more close passages @which .lead from a recess i3 to the open air. Extending through the diaphragm are openings g' and g2. In the chamber t" is a spring-rentroiled slidevalve f, the stein f of which extends to the outside of theshell tli rough astnli1ig-boxj,1\*liele it is provided with a ringfs. The slide-val vej shuts off all comm unication between the chamberz'and passages i2, and when in normal position it opens communication between the chamber h and outside air through the passages y2 i3 v2 and closes the openin g g to shut olf communication between the chambers h and t'. \Vhen the valve is moved from its normal position against the resistance of its spring, it closes 'the outlet g2 and opens the passage g. The chamber is charged with air-pressure from the pipe D2. Thechamber h is ot' internal dimensions which, when the passage g is opened, will cause the air expanded into it from the chamber L' to reduce the pressure in the latterchamber,braneh pipe D2, and brakepipe to create a negative impulse, or impulse of reduction in the latter which will travel to the signal valveq' and cause the same to be actuated. The ring fil may be connected to a cord x, which runs over a pulley'm and extends along the car in the same manner as a bell-cord. To signal the engineer, the operator pulls the cord as, which moves the valve f to close the outlet g2 and open the passage g. lhe expansion of pressure into the chamber h produces a sudden limited reduction of pressure in the brake-pipe, which by creating an impulse of reduction which travels to the signal valve q', causes the excessive pressure behind tho valve q to move the latter slightly and open the valve k to sound the whistle. The air from the main reservoir passing through the openings (fin the valve q' quickly raises the pressure in the brake-pipe again to normal, producing an equilibrium ot pressure on opposite sides of the said valve, which permits the spring 14 to force back the valve Q' and return the valve 7i: to its seat. Thus the opening of the valve 7a is only momentary, causing the air which escapes through the passage mi to produce a sharp quick sound of the whistle. When the cord n: is released by the operator, the valvef is instantly returned to its normal position by its spring, closing communication between the chambers h 'L' and opening the passage from tho chamber L to the open air, to which all ypressure from the chamber h will immediately escape. The signaling mechanism, when operated, is certain and practically instantaneousin its action,so that several signals maybe given in the space of a. l'ow seconds.

1 do not limit myself to details of the-construction of the 'valve mechanism fol-actuating the signal nor ,tr-,ho conductor-s signalingvalve, which are susceptible of modifications that would not depart from the spirit of my invention.

Furthermore, the eouductors signaling valve is not to be limited to use with a signaling syst-em employing the brake pipe air as a signaling medium. An exhaustfor vent valve constructed on the principle ot' my conductors signaling valve will be found useful in various signaling connections in which it is desired to creato impulses of reduction in a pipe charged with air under pressure, and to have air-escape regulating mechanism at the vent valve which will operate positively to limit the volume of air escaping with each operation.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination with a pipe charged 4with fluid/under pressure, and signalingy with fluid under pressure and signaling mech# anism communicating therewith tobe actu-,-

ated by impulses of reduction of pressure in" the said pipe, of a Valve for creating said im. pulses,communicating with the said pipe and with an expansion chamber and operative at will to throw the said chamber alternately into and out ot communication with the said pipe and the outside air, whereby with each complete operation it will vent air from thesaid pipe into the said chamber and then,

close communication between the pipe and' chamber and open the chamber to the out-v side air, substantially asand for the purpose set forth.

3. In an airbrake system for' railway-trains; the combination, with the brakepipe, ofsignaling mechanism upon or near the enginecab connected direct-ly with the brake-pipe and actuated bya reduction of pressure there-v in, and a couduetors signaling-valve upon a car Iot the train connected with the brake. pipe and provided with air-escape-regulatng f mechanism, whereby in each operation of theeonduetors signaling-valve only a limited re' duet-ion of the pressure in thebrake-pipe can be effected Without reference to the time which the conductor-s signaling-valve is caused to remain open, substantially as described.'

4. Ina train-signaling system, the combii nation, with the-conduit-pipe charged with articially-created fluid-pressure, of a conf4 Y ductors signaling-valve upon a car ofthe train having an inlet-port from the said conduit-pipe and an exhaust-port to the outside air, and air-escape-regulating mechanismlbe'- tween the said ports, whereby in each operirjl tion et' opening'the conductors signalingvalve only a limited reduction of' the pressure in the conduit-pipe can be elected Awithout reference to the time which theeondnctors signalinga'alve is caused' to remain open, snbstantially as described.

5. In an ai rbrake system for railway-trains,

the combination, with the brake-pipe, of signaling mechanism upon or near the engine:

. phragm or the'said pipe, and a s1 pipe without closing it, s

cab connected directlywith the brake-pipe andactuatedb'ya reduction ofvpressure therein,'and valve mechanism upon a ear of the train connected with the brake-pipeand provided with an expansion-chamber, whereby itis capable, with each operation, of effecting areduetion of the pressure in the brakepipe, limited by the capacity of the expansion-chamber, which is less than the redue tion necessary to apply the brakes, substantially as described. p

6. In an air-brake system for railway-trains, the combination, with the brake-pipe and main air-reservoir, of a main and a supplemental air-passag'e between the brake-pipe and main reservoir, engineers brake-valve mechanism between the said passages and main reservoir, operative to direct pressure from the main reservoir through either of said passages at will, a valve in said supplemental passage normally open and adapted to be moved in the direction of its seat by a rush et air to it fromv the main reservoir in excess of the normal, and signaling mechanism actuated by movement of thesaid valve, substantially as described.

7. In an air-brake system for railway-trains, the combination, with the brake-pipe and main air-reservoir,of a main and a su pplem ental air-passage between the brake-pipe and main reservoir, engineers brake-valve mech-v anism between the said passages and main reservoirmgplerative to direct pressure from the main reservoir through either ot said passages at will, a spring-controlled valve in said supplemental passage held normally open by its spring and adapted to be moved in the direction of its seat by an impulse et pressure against it from the main reservoir above a eertain determined limit in excess ot the pressure in the brake-pipe, and to be closed only by an impulse of pressure ervoir above a certain determined limit, which is still further in excess of the pressure in the brake-pipe,signaling mechanism actuated by. movement of the said valve, and valve meehanism upon a ear of the train connected with the brake-pipe and capable when operated of effecting only such a limited reduction cf the pressure in the brake-pipe as will cause the impulse of pressure from the main reservoir to move the val-ve in the said supplemental ubstantially'as described. s S. In a signaling apparatus tor railwaytrains, the combination, with a pipe charged with an artieally-created fluid-pressure, of a movable diaphragm or equivalent piston in the said pipe moved by a variation of the pressure on its opposite sides, signaling mechanism actu-ated by movement of the said diapiston, an eXpaiision-ehambcr 4on of thetrain connected with 'gnallngwalve interposed between the said pipe and expansionchamber, operative alternately to altord comone of the cars from the main res-` munication between the said pipe and expansion-.chamberand between the expansionchamber and outside air, whereby with each operation of the signaling-valve to open it -onlysuch limited exhaust. of pressure from the said pipe will result as will charge the said chamber, and whereby when the said valve is closed the pressure in the said chamber will escape to the open air, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

9. In an airebrake system for railway-trains, the combination, with the brake-pipe and main air-reservoir, of a main and a supplement-al airpassage between the brake-pipe and main rese1voirengineers brake-valve mechanism between the said passages and main reservoir, operative to direct pressure from the main reservoir through either of said passages at will, a valve in said supplemental passage normally open and adapted to bc moved in the'direetion of its seat by a reduction of pressure in the brake-pipe, signaling mechanism actuated by movement ot said valve, an expansion-chamber upon a car ot the train connected with the brake-pipe and having an exhaust-passage to the outside air, and a signaling-valve interposed between the brake-pipe and expansion-chamber, operative alternately to aitord communication between the brake-pipe and expansion-chamber and "bxetween the expansion-chamber and outside air, whereby in each operation of opening and closing the signaling-valve the said chamber will be filled' with pressure from the brake-pipe and then exhausted, effecting only such a reduction of pressure in the brakepipe as will move the valve in the said supplemental passage without setting the brakes, substantially as described.

lO. In an air-brake system for railwaytrains, the combination, with the brake-pipe and main air-reservoir, ot' a main and a supand main reservoir, eng'uiteers brake-valve mechanism betiveen the said passages and main reservoir, operative to direct pressure from the main reservoir through either of said passages at will, a prin g-eontrolled valve in said supplemental passage held normally open by passage, and adapted to remain unaffected by movement ot' air to it to overcome .ft-certain limited reduction ot pressure in the brake pipe te be moved part way to its seat by a limited reduction of pressure in the brakepipe beyond said iirst limit to be moved to its seat to close the passage only by a reductien ol' pressure in the brake-pipo beyond said second limit, signaling mechanism actuated by movement of the said valve, an expansioi'i-cha upon a car of the train connected'wlth the brake-pipe and having an exhaust-passage to the outside air, and a signaling-valve interposed. betwecn the brake-pipe and expansionehamber, loperative alternately to allord comits spring, partly closing vthe said' mbcr et predetermined capacity i IOO plemental air-passage between the brake-pipe y munication between :the brake-pipe land` expansion-chamber and between the said'chamber and DutsideA-air, whereby in each operation of opening ang-@losing the' signaling- Valvethe said chanllier will be lled with pressurev from the brake-pipe and than exhansted, effect-,ing only such a. reduction of pressure in the brake-Ripe as will cause the I valv'evin tle V:mid snpplemental passage to be moved without being closed, substantially as 1r:k

described. i y 1 A HARRY R. MASON; In presence efl l y Y W. DYRENFORTH,

' M. J.-FRQS'T.

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