The San Francisco call., 1906-12-28
AUTOMAT|CS STOP
TRAINS IN PERIL
Railroad in Scotland Uses
Self : Operating Devices
Which Prevent Disasters
SYSTEM Is SUCCESS

= i - J. DAl Id DOOSGOhO
Consul j. l. Griffith of Liverpool calls
attention to an exceedingly timely, and
from all accounts successful, system of
arresting trains automatically. 1t is
said to be of great value in cases of
danger. While no description except
one with drawings and photographs
ever does justice to machinery. the fol-
lowing report of Mr.. Griffith may serve
to cause interested parties to send for
full description, or, better still, to cause
the machinery to be examined by a
competent engineer. The Consul writes:
For about two years system of au-
tomato train control has been in use
on a portion of the lines of the North
Staffordshire Railway Company. The
officials of the company were SO pleased
with the efficiency of the system that
they determined recently to test it in
a larger way by placing il in service at
one of their most important junction
points, where the traffic is unusually
heavy. Representatives of several of
the leading railways in England were
present at this test and expressed great
satisfaction with the result Whenever
it is prudent, on account of a danger
Gus curve, such as caused the recent
disaster as Salisbury, or for any other
reason to permanently reduce the speed
of trains, it is claimed that this can
be automatically accomplished SO that
the safety of passengers will not be
5eopardiZed by careless or reckless en-
gineers. The following description of
the invention was published in the Liv-
erpool Post and Mercury:
The system, of which Thomas E.
Raymond Phillips of Liverpool is the
inventor, is remarkable for its inge-
nuity and simplicity. It's most COM
mending merit is its reliability.
SIGNALS WARN ENGINEER
For long time system of signal
ing has been almost universally in use
which repeats in the signal cabin the
condition of the signals which are con-
trolled from that cabin. So MANY
signals are not visible from the cabins
from which they are operated that the
value of this safeguard is quite OBJ
vious- The Raymond Phillips invention
carries this principle a further stage,
and achieves an even more notable and
important precaution by repeating the
state of the signals not only in the
signal box but also in the cab of the
locomotive, and SO insures that the
driver shall at all times have a clear
view of the condition of the signals
governing the road over which his
engine is to run. This is accomplished
by means of pneumatically operated
cab of the locomotive Opposite each
line signal set Of 'trippers' in dupIi-
cate is placed In the four-foot way
The trfppers are mechanically and cleo
treaty connected with the ordinary
signaling apparatus. and stand erect
or lie nat according as the signals show
danger or line clear Beneath the
locomotive there are two striking lev
ers moving either way, which project
such a distance as to meet the trippers
when they are erect and to pass over
them altogether when they are lowered
hen danger is signaled, therefore
the striking lever is thrown back by
the outstanding trippers, with the in
slant effect that the semaphores in the
cab of the engine faithfully reproduce
the signal, and the levers, after strik-
ing the tr1ppers, remain securely locked
until released by the driver But that
Is not all. Should the driver for any
reason disregard the signal his train is
automatically pulled up quite inde-
pendently OF his own operations. and
simultaneously a warning note is
sounded by horn on the locomotive
SO that he is warned of his position bv
both visual and audible signals. eat the
same moment the signalman is warned
OF the irregularity by means of a sne-
cial repeater fitted in the signal hoy
and an alarm bell is set going and con-
tlnues ringing until he Acknowledges 1t
by pressing plunger in the repeater
IN actual operation all this is very
much simpler than perhaps appears
from the description. So easily and
with such prompt response does every
part Of the apparatus work that the
probability of any portion of it being
thrown out OF gear is, to say the least
Of ii, exceedingly remote.
BELL TELLS OF DANGER
But in the event of such a cont;n-
gency occurring, either from accidental
breakage or deliberate tampering. the
mlshap can scarcely be attended with
any element of danger. Complete pro-
vision is made for contretemps of that
sort The Immediate effect of the fail
ure of any part of the apparatus to
fulfill its appointed task would be that
both the driver and the signal man
would be warned and the line upon
which the accident occurred would be
blocked If the tripper mechanism for
instance, were to be put out of action.
the signalman would be given instant
warning-a disk would fall on the re-
peater In front of him, disclosing the
words Out Of Order and at the same
time an alarm bell would ring. More
over, IL any hreakage should take
place. its rectiflcation would be a mat
ter of very little time and very little
trouble, as all parts of the system are
interchangeable. Breakages, indeed.
would be very rare, judged by the
working of the system up to the pres
ent- For nearly two years the Phillips
Syndicate has had a locomotive fitted
up with its apparatus, and, although
IL has been In constant use, there has
been no occasion to replace striking
lever, and every part of the mechanism
is still in first-class order"
DEFECT OF THE REFIRTrC
Goldwin Smith, in recent article