Evening journal., 1908-03-25
INVENTS DEVICE
TO STOP TRAINS
TcontInuea Boom FIrst Pass.l

adjacent to one side Of the train and EN-
bodying an operating lever or handle
adapted 10 be raised and lowered, and a
signal embodying an arm adapted 10 be
set in the path Of movement OF said lever
or handle to turn the same and operate
the angle cock when said lever or handle
is in its operative position"
Spring Lever Device.
Described in a general way, Mr. Gains
idea is this: Fastened to the breast beam
Of the locomotive. and between the breast
beam and the cylinder head, is to be
placed an angle cock valve, regulating
the flow Of air to the air brakes. Each 90
comotive to-day is equipped with such a
valve. but It is located on another part OF
the big machine Mr.. Cain proposes to
add to the angle cock valve a lever, in
conjunction with a spring. The valve is
closed so long as the lever is held In po-
sition by ratchet connected with the
spring. When the ratchet is released. at
the same time 1t releases the lever con-
trolling the valve and the force Of the
spring drives the lever around an arc Of
sixty degrees, opening tho valve and ap-
plying the air to the brakes and bringing
the locomotive to a standstill. A train, Mr..
Cain contends. could be stopped within
six hundred feet II It were running at the
rate Of sixty miles an hour at the time the
valve is opened.
Mr. Gains invention involves the cree
tion of posts fitted with small or dummy
signal blades Of steel along the tracks
wherever signal lights are placed Should
the signal arm on a semaphore post or
tower display a red light, the dummy arm
Of steel on the post just along the tracks
also would fall into position through
means Of an electrical connection with
the main semaphore. When the red" is
not displayed the dummy blade Is lowered
out OF position automatically.
Contact Opens the Valve.
This small blade fastened to the post
along the tracks is Of a height calculated
to strike the spring lever protruding from
the side OF a locomotive passing the red
light. This contact releases the ratchet
controlling the spring lever of the Cain
air valve at the cylinder head Of the To-
connective. and the lever flies around opens
the valve and the brakes are applied. At
the same time the lever causes a whistle
to sound in the locomotive to warn the en-
gineer and fireman there. The patent valve
arrangement as designed by Mr.. Cain will
enable the air brakes TO be clapped on
suddenly or to be applied gradually, ac-
cording to the manner In which the valve
is adjusted. Mr.. Cain even has gone so far
as to allow for the post holding the steel
blade alongside the rail TO revolve part
way, in order to relieve the shock OF con-
tact and after the contact the post is
forced back into position by a spiral
spring
The lever connecting with the air valve
81 so constructed that it can be hinged
back out Of the way whenever it is de-
sired, thus removing any possibility OF the
brakes being applied through careless con-
tact with the lever while the locomotive is
doing yard or shifting duty.
Mr. Cain has been in consultation with
General Manager Atterbury and the fore
most officials OF the Pennsylvania rail.
roads engineering department about his
Invention, which the railroad men look
upon with favor. and he also has been
comforting with the Interstate commerce
Commissioners about II. The Interstate
Commerce Commission experts are now
experimenting At Schenectady, New York,
with Mr.. Gains device. Thirty-nine diff.
ferent appliances whose general intent is
TO safeguard against collisions due tC
running past danger signals have beer
submitted by inventors TO the Inter State
Commerce Commission since September
last, and the Commissioners have rejected
all but twelve. Mr.. Gains being one OF
the twelve now being experimental with
Mr.. Cain also has perfected an inven-
ton 10 warn the engineer and hremer
when they run past a signal In the fog
1t is another form OF contact device. with
a whistle TO sound warning.