USRE8045E - Improvement in electric railway-signals - Google Patents

Description

-PLL. POPE, Assignor to himself, S. C. HENnnIcxsoN, J. N. ASHLEY, and J. D. L1NG0LN.

Electric Railway-Signal..

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.To .all whom it may concern: I

" UNITE-D STATES' PATENT y .FRANK L. 'Pornos ELIZABETH, N. J., Assis-NOR To HIMSELF, STEPHEN c.'

HENDnIcKsoN, JAMEs N.,ASHLEY, AND JAMES D; LINCOLN.

/ *Minnow-:Meur IN snee-ram. nAiLwAY-sleNALs.-

"j f-Specmeation foi-nung part of Lett-ers Patent N0.149,152, inea Maren a1, '1874; name No. 9,045, aurea .l

January 22, 1878; application led August 25, 1871?'.l

Be it. known um I, ram; L Pea of Elizabeth, in the county of Union and State 'of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Signaling Apparatus for Railroads; and I hereby declare that the following is a full, cle and exact description thereof reference being to mwing, which forms part v of this speciiication. l i

the accompanying My invention relates to certain'improvements'v in electric signaling apparatus for railroads, and means of'operating the same, for which United `States Letters Patent No.l

Y 129.425 were granted to me July 16, 1872.

The object of myfpi'esent invention is t0 so arrange a seriesv of semin'lhoric and audible signals actuated by electro-magnetism at intervals along the line of a railroad that each o1' the said signals will be automatically exhibited or sounded by the passage of a train, -'and will remain visible -orv audible until the train is under the protection of the next succceding signal, when `the rstmentioned signal will be withdrawn or reversed, by whichmeans one train following another upon the same track may be' cautioned, and thus pre. vented from approaching too closely vto the preceding train or coming "in collision with it.

The invention set forth in this division consists in the combination of an additional or secondary circuit with a'primary circuit, c omposed in part of a rail or railsof arailroadtrack; and also in the combination of a visual and an audible signal, either or both, with the said primary and secondary circuits, in such manner'that the'said signals will be actuated whenever a metallic connection is established between two of the rails of t-he track, which are insulated froml each other.

, By the employment of a secondary circuit, I am enabled to overcome in aa great measure the diiculties arising from the necessity which has hithertoexisted of adjusting the signaling-instruments to the varying strength of the current, caused by the. necessarily imperfect insulation during wet weather of that portion ot' thc circuit formed by the rails of the track. The signaling-instruments are included in a DrvisroN B.

secondary circuit not subject m such varia-v tions, which circuit is controlled by a relay placed in the primary" circuit. 4The relay is not interrupted in its action by any ordinary variation of the current'in theprimary circuit and maybe readily4 and conveniently adjus `whenever necessary.

'.llhe accompanying drawing is ageneral plan of a signaling apparatus embodying my' invention.

A A represent a portionl of the lne of 'a railroad. A short section, a a, of th'e'trackis insulated from metallic contact with the rel mainder by spaces a' a a' a' or otherwise.

The two rails a. @when bridged by the wheels and axles of a passing locomotive or car, complete an electric circuit, which includes the wires l, 2, and 3, the battery B, and the helices ofthe relay C, so that, during the passage of a locomotive or train over the insulated section of track 'c a, which forms a circuitclose;l for the primary circuit, the relay C willl continuously ,close a secondary circuit for a suicent length of time to allow a signal-disk to be moved into position by its action by bringing the lever 'c into contactwith thepost c', in a manner w'ell understood. The relay C is placed in a compartment of the box or case D, which also contains the machinery of the primary signal. The box or case D is mounted upon a suitable support above or lalongside the track. v When the lrelay-lever c is brought in contact with the post c', a secondary circuit is closed, which includes thewire .4, battery E, wire 5, electro magnet M, wires 6 and 7, lever F. screw f,'post f, and wires- 8 and 9.

y The course of the primary and secondary circuits is plainly shown by the heavy lines in the figure. When the circuit is closed at c c',

the electro-magnet M becomes charged and attractsthe armature m, which is attached by means of a rod (shown by dotted lines) to the'lever m3, having its flcrum at m. A rigid arm., m fixed to this lever, revolves the signal-disk l byfmeans 'of the crank gvand pitman g', as more fully explained in vmy former patent of August 27, 1872, No. 130,941.

-In my present invention. however, I prefer met with the poles,

I to make use of a single disk-,(1, having two y targets', H H, of some suitable strongly .con trasting color, arranged upon it in such a man- Vner that one-fourth of 'a complete revolution .ofthe diskl G will cause the vtargets H H to be displayed through' circular openings I I in the case (Indicated by the dotted-lines.)

It will therefore be understood, Without fur-I' ther explanation, that when the electromagnet M ischarged the amature m'will be attracted, and the disk Gr turned through the distance of one-fourth of a revolution, lthereby displayingthe targets H H of the signal through the openingsI I.

In order to lmove the signal-disk G in a prompt and effective manner by means of an electromagnet, it is necessary to construct it of very light and thinl material, such as cloth or paperstretched'over a'hoop.' 1t is also necessary to inclose it on all sides with a case,

D D, provided -with suitable openings I I, as herembefore explained, through which the signais, are exhibited. These openings should be covered by glass. vThe object of this arrangement is to prevent currents of air from interfering with the movement of the signal, so that a much small-er battery-power is required than would be necessary if the signal were` exposed tothe action'of the wind. Y

The lever or circuit-chan ger F is pivoted at f, and in its normal position is supported by the screw f1, which rests upon the post f but when the armature m has nearly completed its stroke, as hereinbefore explained, the eXtrem-. ity of the lever m2 comes in contact with the 'screw f, forming an electrical connection at that point, and at the same time raising the le- -ver F and breaking contact between j' and f1.

The effect of tllis'is to transferthe current of the battery E from the electro-magnetM'to the electro-magnet N. The current will now take the path which may be traced as follows: Commencin g at the negative orpole` of battery E, thence through wirel 4, poste', lever c, wires 9, 10, and 1 1, electro-magnet N, wires 12 and- 7, lever. F, screw f2, and wire 13, to the positive or pole of the battery` The object of this arrangement of circuits s as follows: First the cutting off of the curl rent from the signa -niagnet M before the-completion of the stroke prevents the violent shock to the apparatus which would otherwise result from vt-he greatly -increased attractive l power eirerted by the m'agnet at the ,end of the stroke, when the armature is nearly in coni and the fulll power of the battery immediately becomes available for other purposes, second, the electro-magnet N is thrown into circuit, and the momentum of the disk G, after the circuitthrough M is broken,

is suicient to bring the lug or armature n, attached to its circumference, into contact with -tlie magnet N and the attractive force of the latter exerted uponthe ,lug or armature n serves to firmly lock the signaldisk G in its new position, and at the saine time to prevent any recoil or vibration.

2 i aus Analarm-bell or vibrator, P, operatedA or controllediby an electro-magnet, xp, maybe em ployed in connection with the prunary signal, 1 and operated by the same relay C andbattery B. AUpon closing Ythe relay a branch circuit will -be formed through the wires 4, 14, and 15,

whichl willv include the magnet p. The manner in which the apparatusis operated-by the passage of a locomotive or train will now be explained When the front wheelsl and axle of the, locomotive pass onto-the cir cuit-closer formed. by the insulated section of y tracka c', tlie'signalfdis'k Gr-isturned, as'here -iiibefore explained, and 4the targets H-Hghlisplayed through the openings danger 7 or caution I I, indicating cuit closerl a a, the apparatus will remain in the position last described; but when the last n car has passed oir' from the insulated section, the circuit of theI relay C, (which I term'the primary circuit,) and also that which acts upon the electro-magnets M and Nof the visual signal and upon the electro-magnetpl of the audible signal, (each of which circuits Iterm a secondary circuit,) will be broken. If

suitable means are employed for retaining the visual signal in position, the saidsignal will continue to be displayedafter the circuit is broken; 'i

otherwise it 'will return to its normal position bythe action of the counterbalanceweightW The weight Wis adjustable upon asmall spindle, w, and is placed upon the periphery ofthe j si gnal-disk G. It should be suicient toslightly overbalance the weight of the armaturen, and to cause lthe signa-Lto .returnfto its original pos ition when the attraction between N 'and n is destroyed. When placed upon the periphery of the disk in this manner,'a very small weight is sufficient to accomplish this result, and much friction is thereby avoided'.

In some cases it may be preferable to arrange thel signal-disk so that lthe danger-signal may be concealed by theaction of the elec.v

vtro-magnet, and displayed by the action of the counterbalancing-weight W, and this may be done without in any ,manner changing the general principle upon which the signal is operated. Ido not-hereinclaim, in general, the use ot' the rails of a railroad-.track as a portion of an electrical circuit for operating a signal; neither do I claim the devices shown :"or transmitting the motionof the armature m. to the si gna-ldisk e l I claiml as my inventionf 1. An additional or secondary circuit, in t combination with a primary circuit, composed in part of a rail or rails of a railroad-track, sub- 1staitially as and for the purpose herein speci- 2. Thccombination of thefollowingelements:

a primary circuit, composed of the conductors 1, 2, and 3 andthe rails a. a of a railroad-track t connected thereto, so arranged that said circuit will be completed by establishing a metallic connect-ion between two'of the said rails, insulated from cach other, a secondary circuit,

v Diu'ingthe timethat the entire train is passing over th track'fciroperated and controlled by a relay, C, placed in said primary circuit, a visual or semaphoric signal, G, and an electro-magnet, M, substan- V tially as and for the purpose herein specified.

3.' The combination of the following elements: a primary circuit, composed of the conductors l, 2, and 3 and the rails a a of a railroad-track connected thereto, so arranged that said circuit will be completed by establishing a metallic connection between two of thev said rails,

insulated from each otlielga secondarycircut, operated by a relay, C, placed in said primary circuit, and an audible signal, P, under the i control of an electro-magnet, substantially as specified. A FRANK L. POPE.y Witnesses:` CLARENCE CURY,

GEORGE A. HAMILTON.

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