Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1909-04-22
HOW THE SIM men
SAFETY DEVICE
OPERATES
Rail Enables Dispatcher
to Ring Bell or Flash Red and
Green Lights Before Eyes Of
the Engineer in His Cal,


There Is every reason to believe
sief al device. which was recently i'm
spocted by Mr.. f.ipioy aad a party Of
officials on the santa Re at Pcrris.
California, VIII rcyolutionl2e railroad
ing in the southwest and decrease the
possibility OF accidents fifty per cent,
said a local railroad man last night
after returning from California, where
he saw the safety device in operation.
The travelling public and railroad
men generally win be- interested in the
following detailed explanation Of the
workings Of the invention which was
installed by permission Of the Santa
Fe on the branch line between Per
ris and fIighgroye.
H. ono room Of their plant Mt Per
IrE which corresponds to the dis
pHtcher's office, is q table upon which
IL a record sheet moving across the
table by ten blocks INTO which the
Tire between Pcrris and IIighgroye is
divided by automatic devices the
complete record Of the train from the
time it leaves Perris, Is kept on this
sheet, so that a dispatcher can tell al
a glance just WHERE any train IN his
di rision is at any given time.
by means of switches rcd and green
lights are flashed 20 the engineer in
his cab while n systom OF bcll signals
Iu3sn attract his attention.
These signals are given By means
o. q third rail, 40 to GO feet in length,
ana placed 10 inches outside OF the
track and ~ Inches above the track
|rab a shoe IS fitted I the engine
SO that in passing over these third
rail no matter at what speed, an elcc-
trical contact Is formed. These third
rnila are in direct connection with
the electrical switches IN the operat-
ing office, and the current Is turned
on or off rs desired. one rail IS plac-
ed half a milo on each Side Of every
station ana two more at a short dis
lance on each side OF the station.
As the train passes over the third
ran half a mile from the station, the
engineer reverscs his red or danger
sillal, or the green light while the
bel also begins TO ring. if the danger
.siEnal is given. and continues to ring
until the engineer shuts II off. The
red light continues until the next Sig
nal is given. This indicates that
there Is danger In the next block and
unless tho engineer slows down within
Loo feet TO a speed Of five or eight
miles per hour an automatic device
shuts off the steam and brings the en-
CINE TO a stop When approaching
the station the third rail located there
again forms n contact and when tho
engine IS standing over any Of these
third rails a telephone In the cab
places the dispatcher in direct com
munication with the engineer to give
any further order that may be neccs-
sary.
by this system some of the follow
ms results are accomplished. The
telegraph operator, the most prolific
cause of accidents Is entirely d~ispens-
ed with each train as 1t passes over
the road automatically makes a record
sheet in the dispatchcr's office. Civ
ing him At all times the exact location
OF every train. by means Of the red
and green lamp in the cub the dis
patcher can signal direct to the en-
gincer TO stop or proceed; the dis
patcher can telephone direct to the
engineer TO stop or proceed; the
electrical switches by means of which
tn dispatcher gives the signals, are
interloCked in such a name that the
dispatcher canno bring two trains to.
gether IN the same block. a train in
the block ahead. a broken rail or an
open switch win automatically give
the danger signal without tho dis
patchcrs aid, an automatic stop abs-
lutely compels the engineer to obey
al danger signals within a certain dis
tancc or his engine is reduced In speed
and then finally stopped, IL the speed
around a curve is too great a mochanl-
cal device viii slow IT down; a record
llE device on the locomotive records
the speed made In every block, and
The exact time and place where each
every signal was piVgu.