Patent GB-190418661-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in Railway Traffic Control Systems.
Inventor: ROWE WILLIAM
Filed: 1904-08-29
Granted: 1905-08-24
Abstract: 18,661. Rowe, W. Aug. 29. Signalling-systems; ; semaphore signals; controlling and locking signals; interlocking; signalling - instruments.-By the present improvements on the system of lock and block signalling described in Specification No. 19,505, A.D. 1901, an intermediate cabin may be temporarily cut out of use and two short sections worked as one long one. The exclusion and inclusion of the intermediate cabin can only take place when a train is passing from the rear to the advance section, and is effected by the use of an electrical and mechanical lock acting on the slide bar of the block instrument which connects up the two extreme cabins and also on a revolving contact-maker. A semaphore signal is described which may be operated from the cabin when open, or from any convenient position when the cabin is closed. Figs 1<a> and 1<b> show the system as applied to one end cabin A and the intermediate cabin B. Fig. 4 shows a part plan of the block instrument with the bar 9 bifurcated and locked by two electromagnets 10, 120, and adapted to lock the levers for points. The bars 124, 125 are held fixed by the armature of the magnet 120 and are also connected to the bar 101, which is locked by the magnet 10 so that, unless both magnets are energized, they cannot be moved. The bars 125, 124 are connected to the bell crank 126, to which is attached a locking-pin which locks the levers 129 in position. The bar 9 is the slide bar of the block instrument and, when pulled out, is held in position by the magnet 13. The bar 101 is connected by rack and pinion to the cylinder of the contact-maker 105 and prevents movement of that member when the bar 9 is out. Also, when the bar 9 is in and the bolt 101 is shot, the bar 9 is locked. The bar 101 is held by an electromagnetic lock; the key which turns the cylinder 105 can only be removed when the cylinder is in the position in which the cabin B is cut out. It is then used to unlock the local lever for operating the signal. The signal-operating gear is shown in Fig. 5. The weighted lever 142 carries a projecting plate 145 which can engage the levers 143, 144. It is connected to the lever 34 by the slotted link 140 and a pin. The wire 146 goes to the cabin and, when pulled, pulls on the wire 32, and, provided the electromagnet 39 is holding its armature, pulls down the lever 34 and sets the signal. When the cabin is closed and the magnet is not energized, the signal will not be pulled off by this wire, but, by pulling the wire 147 by means of a local signal lever, the lever 144 will be pulled down and the lever 142 will fall and through the link 140 will set the signal clear. To pass a train from A to B, the man at cabin A will ask by means of the signalling-circuit 160 for "line clear" and the man at cabin B will pull his bar 09 forward, the magnet 013 will hold it, the circuit being from earth, battery 057 at B, magnet 013, instrument contacts 20, 019, wire 059, contacts 061, 063 (these being moved in conjunction with point levers, thereby showing points to be propsrly set), wire 064, contacts 4, 3 of the cut-out switch 150, wires 064, 64, rail contact 7, Fig. 1<a>, wire 64, lightning arrester 152, relay 65, indicator 67, contact 69, and armature 70 to earth. The relay 65 closes the circuit to the outdoor signal from the battery 50, through the switch 153, coils 38, and detonator 46. On a train entering the section and closing the open rail contact 5, the alarm circuit, being open at the contacts 88, 87, will not give any alarm, but, on passing the closed contact 7, it will open the signal circuit 64 and the bar 09 will spring back to normal. The lock release is operated by the train passing over the contacts 8 out of the section. The circuit is from earth, battery 004, contacts 8, line 005, contacts 5, 6 of the switch 150, line 200, and the magnet 010 to earth. Contacts similar to the contacts 061, 063 may be introduced into the instrument circuit to ensure against conflicting levers being operated after a signal has been set clear. To include the cabin B with the system, the signalman at B waits for a train to pass over the contact 5 from his rear to advance section. He then draws the bar 202 of the switch 203, causing the electromagnet 113 to be energized and to release the check bar 101. By using the key which he obtains from the signal levers in the lock of the revolving contact, he thrusts this bar 101 clear of the bar 9 and at the same time turns the cylinder 105 ; connections are then made by the cylinder 105 between contacts 1 and 2, 3 and 4, &c. To exclude the cabin B, the signalman waits till a train releases the lock on the slide bar 9, and then turns his key and contact-cylinder, which then makes contact between the contacts 2 and 4, 1 and 3, 7 and 9, &c., thus connecting the wire 064 from C to B through to the wire 064 from B to A. He then withdraws the key from the lock and with it unlocks the supplementary levers and lowers the semaphore at the advance end of his rear section. Separate circuits and apparatus are used for the up and down lines.