Patent GB-370014-A (GB)
Title: Improvements relating to railway traffic controlling apparatus
IPC: B61L5/04
Filed: 1931-01-01
Abstract: 370,014. Railway traffic controlling apparatus. WESTINGHOUSE BRAKE & SAXBY SIGNAL CO., Ltd., 82, York Road, King's Cross, London.-(Assignees of Coleman, J. P. ; 134, Gordon Street, Edgewood Borough, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.) Jan. 1, 1931, No. 108. Convention date, April 25. [Classes 104 (i) and 105.] Railway traffic controlling apparatus such as points required to be moved from a first or normal position to a second or reverse position are operated by a fluid-pressure motor the supply to which is effected through, an electrically-actuated valve device controlled by a hand-lever which is provided with an electric indication lock to prevent the completion of the hand-lever movement until both the valve device and the points are in the required corresponding positions. In the arrangement shown diagrammatically in the Figure the points 82 are operated-by a motor C the supply of pressure fluid to the two ends of the cylinder thereof being controlled by valves 14a, 14b which are depressed against the action of their springs 18a, 18b by plungers on pistons 28a, 28b, one or other of which is acted upon by the pressure fluid admitted past a valve 39 controlled by a magnet L and one or other of valves 48a, 48b depending on which magnet N or R is energized. The two pistons 28a, 28b actuate a common rocker arm 60 which carries contact springs 76a, 76b to engage one or other of contacts 74a, 74b. These contacts and the contacts of a pole-changing device E actuated by the points control a polarized relay K which is energized normally or reversely in accordance with the point setting when the contacts are in correspondence. As shown, the points are normal and the polarized relay K is energized normally over the circuit : battery 91, wire 92, pole-changer contact 85, 86, wire 95, relay K, wires 96, 99, rocker-arm contact 74a, 76a, wire 97, contact 88, 89, wire 93 to the other pole of the battery. The hand-lever 122 is in the normal setting and the magnet N is energized over contact 112 to open its valve 48a but this has no effect since the magnet L is deenergized and its valve 39 is therefore closed. To set the points to reverse, the hand-lever 122 is turned clockwise until arrested by a latch 129 engaging the locking segment 124 ; in this position of the lever reverse contacts 113, 116 and contacts 118, 120 are closed so that the reverse magnet R is energized over contact 113 while over contact 116 and relay contact 105, still in the normal position, the magnet L is energized. The valves 39, 48b are accordingly both open and pressure fluid supplied to the chamber 34 can now pass to act on the piston 28b which descends and first causes the rocker arm 60 to snap over past a spring detent before depressing the valve 14b to supply fluid for the points motor C. The polarized relay K is now de-energized since the rocker arm 60 is not in correspondence with the pole-changer E so that the relay contact 105 is open in the above circuit of magnet L but a back contact 101 maintains the magnet L energized. When the points have been moved over and so correspond with the rocker arm the polarized relay K is energized but in the reverse direction so that contact 105 opens the above circuit of magnet L which now remains de-energized while contact 108 at reverse and front contact 102 complete over wires 145, 146, 147, 140, 134 the circuit of the indication lock magnet 130, which was prepared at contact 118 from wires 141, 142, so that the latch 129 is released and the lever movement can be completed. To restore the points to normal the lever 122 is moved anticlockwise from the reverse position until arrested by a reverse indication locking segment 123 ; the points are moved over and the indication lock released in a manner similar to that described above, the magnet N being energized instead of magnet R. Under abnormal conditions, such as examination of the valve device, a piston 28b in the position shown might be depressed to open the valve 14b but, before the motor C could move, the piston 28b would be restored since the rocker arm 60, having been snapped over, de-energizes the relay K so that the back contact 101 closes the circuit to magnet L to open valve 39 and supply pressure fluid to the other piston 28a (valve 48a being maintained open by magnet N) which lifts the piston 28b by the rocker arm 60 and the valve 14b then closes. The plungers of the pistons 28a, 28b and of the electromagnets L, N, R, co-operate with valve settings to close the venting outlets when in their depressed position. The structure of the valve device is described in detail and includes an air filter.