Morning journal and courier., 1882-10-14
An Ingenious Invention.
Automatic Block Signals for RaiIxva!
 From the Philad lphia Record.l


 From the Philad 1phia Record.
 s'The tain starts in fifteen minutes,'' said William c. Shafer, the electrician, at his workshop yesterday, as he proceeded to fire up tiny locomotive which was resting upon the rails of track that had been erected around the room in a circle This was in tended to illustrate the appliance of an cleo tric circuit to the systems of railroads in such way as to make accident by the colli- sion or telescoping of trains an impossibllity. In few moments the miniature locomotive was as restless under the pressure of steam as the larger specimens. Small passenger coaches were attached the little whistle emit ted an infnitesimal squeak, the electrician shouted 'All aboard'' and away shot the train. In few moments another train was put into condition, and, making better rate of speed than the other, it soon overlook the first train, and collision occurred Several cars were wrecked, end a number of the toy passengers lost heads and arnls.
 The electrician explained that this was done to show how easily such accidents could occur, and how they could be prevented by the system of signal boxes which he proposed to put into operation. This system is called the Railroad Safety Lock and Signal Sys- tenn" It proposes to place at designated distances along the line of the road iron box es containing 8 magnet and an armature. Every other one of these act in accord, thus forming a complete overlapping block sys- tenn, and insuring @ stoppage between the locomotive and the point of danger. These iron boxes will probably be placed one mile apart The locomotive in passing over the rail in front of one of these boxes breaks the electric current and locks the box for follow ing trains, while the box two miles in front is also locked for trains coming toward it, and trains at that distance in either direction are brought to stand. In order to illus trate this two more trains were started ono going in an opposite direction to the one al- ready upon the track. Both of these trains came to @ sudden halt within two blocks of the first train. The breaking of the electric current in one of the iron boxes by the first train had the effect of locking 8 projection of the boxes in the side of the track for two blocks away in each direction. An examina tion of the checked engines showed that they had attachment of rigid iron upon the journal of the rear axle, and this had come lr contact with the projections before men tioned These two projections coming ir contact had applied the air brakes, closed the throttle valve and blown ths whistle, and the trains had come to 8 stand without the ai6 of human agency. When the boxes arc locked the signals are automatically changed from those of safety to those of danger, ant the engineer is thus warned of danger befor' ! the appliances on his engine notify him of it ! ''How is the circuit made complete again :? \ was asked.
 This was illustrated by starting up the frs ! train, and when the last car had passed ove l the rail in front of the box a sharp, clicking l sound was heard The gentlemen witnessing the experiment were asked to try the locked ! projections in the tracks which had stopped I the other trains. This was done, and the ! were found to be unlocked. The circuit hal { been closed by an attachment to the req ! truck of the last car which came in contac ! with projection on the side of the track The train following could come on only at ' x,el1x Ha ck0 a1 ! two blocks behind the first train, and tn ! train coming in the opposite direction mus | take to siding, or go back. When the en ! gineer desires to break the lock that has beer I put upon his engine he touches a spring il ! the floor of the cab with his foot, and tn brakes are released instantly and tn l throttle-valve freed from restraint. The ac | tion of the electrical current upon the boxe ! as described above is the same for the entir ! length of the road, every second one in iron ! and behind the train being locked. Tn \ check placed upon an engine by the applica ! tion of the danger warnings is not sudden ! but it is regulated as to be gradual and t' ! effect the stoppage of the train within tn ! block it has just entered when the signal i ! given.
 l When asked whrt the effect would be if tn boxes were tempered with, the electrician re piled that they would be made of wrough ! iron and securely locked, go that they coul. | not be entered except by employees of tn road who had keyes, and that they wer
 water tight. The appliances are arranged that the weight of the engine on the rail i required to operate tho machinery of tn boxes, thus insuring safeguard against thei being tempered with by irresponsible persons The electric current is also placed throug l drawbridges, and when these are up the cur ! rent is broken and the boxes locked two mile | beyond in either direction. When switche ! are misplaced or left open the current Is als ] broken When landslides expected cal I riers are erected and the electric curren ! connected with them, that landslid 1 throwing them down would destroy the cui ! rent and give the necessary warning. As guard against falling rocks in tunnels an fro
 screen will be placed next to the roof of tn tunnel and weight of rock upon this heav
 enough to break through would destroy tn
 electric current and give the same warnin ! as in the cases noted above.
 The system, it is estimated, will require
 pair of dynamo-electric engines to furnis
 electricity for every one hundred miles of th
 road operated under it, and its whole operi
 tion being automatic, is designed to do ava I entirely with human aid