Improvements in or relating to the Lighting and Extinguishing of a Series of Gas Lamps, suitable for Railway Carriages.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 29th May, 1893-Accepted, 29th July, 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to the Lighting and Extinguishing of
a Series of Gas Lamps, suitable for Railway Carriages.
I, IGNATZ HARTIG, of Erhardtstrasse No. 3 Munich in the Empire of Germany,
Brazier, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement:-
The purpose of the present invention is to provide means by which a series of
gas lamps, such as the lamps of a railway train, may be lighted when desired, and
also extinguished, all by one movement for the one or other purpose, and without
the necessity of entering any carriage or compartment or of mounting upon the
roof of any carriage, the same being moreover equally applicable for action whether
the train is in movement or at a standstill.
This invention depends principally upon the employment of an unstretchable
chain passing along the roofs of the carriages of the train and connected at
intervals to lever mechanism so that by pulling on this chain the various mechanisms
are operated and cause the gas to be turned on in each lamp and small continuously
burning pilot flames to be brought into position to light the main flames and to
afterwards resume their place. The chain maintained against the action of a
counter spring, when released, will be drawn back by the said spring and will
extinguish the main flames of the lamps by cutting off the gas supply thereto.
In the annexed drawing-
Fig. I is a plan view of the mechanism attached to one of the lamps. Fig. 2 is
a vertical cross section thereof. These figures show the lamp ready for lighting.
Fig. 3 is a plan view and Fig. 4 a cross section showing the same parts with
main flames lighted.
Figs. 5 and 6 are elevations of the mechanism connected with the pilot flame and
gas supply cocks on a larger scale.
In each lamp is the main gas burner a supplied through pipe a' from the gas
cock to which the pipe 6 leads from the gas supply main c. On the spigot of the
cock is the pulley around the grooved periphery of which a chain & passes.
The one end of this chain k is connected to a spring p supported by a pillar or
otherwise fixed immoveably in position; the other end of the chain passes to a
lever n' (Fig. 1) to the end of which it is connected. On the side of the pulley i
is a fixed projecting finger l, and in the path of this finger is a tongue m upon the
pilot burner d.
The pilot burner d rocks upon the spigot end of a gas supply
pipe e so that this connection forms a gas cock g for control of the supply of gas
to the pilot frame. The pilot burner d carries a weight d' which tends always to
keep the said burner in a vertical position as shown in full lines in Fig. 5 or to
return it to this position after it has been tilted as shown in dotted lines in this
figure. The tongue m is supported by the spring m' which suffers the tongue to
give way to the return of the finger l.
It will be obvious that if any pull is given to the chain k in the direction of the
arrows in Fig. 5 the pulley i will be revolved. The first result of this movement
is to open the gas cock and supply gas to the main burner a. The finger in its
movement meets the tongue m and lifts the latter thus tilting the pilot burner b
into a horizontal position as shown in dotted lines (Fig. 5) whereby also the gas
supply to this burner, previously at a minimum, is gradually increased as the
ourner d is directed downwards within the chimney o above the burner a. The

page_text: gas issuing from the main burner a is thus lighted and will continue to burn so long
as the supply continues, that is to say, so long as the pull is continued on the
chain k. The finger having attained the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 5
moves out of the path of the tongue m which thus is enabled to return to its
previous position together with the pilot burner d.
When the pull on the chain k is released the spring p returns the chain to its
first place, the pulley i revolves backward and the cock h is closed thus extinguishing
the main burner a. The spring m permits the tongue m to give way for return
passage of the finger as previously mentioned.
As in the coupling up of carriages to form a train sometimes the one end, some-
times the other will come first, it is important to be able to operate this mechanism
equally by a pull from either end of the carriage so that when all are coupled
together the pull may be in one direction only. For this purpose the following
device may be used: The lever n' before referred to, to which the chain k is
attached at one end, is pivoted at the other end at 7 to a suitable base or frame
such as g. In this frame is pivoted centrally at r. a lever n which has a
perpendicular arm n³ to the end of which the chains which passes along the roofs
of all the carriages is attached. The lever n lies within a triangular yoke n the
apex of which is connected to the lever n', and the lever n' engages with one end
in one of the angles at the base of this yoke and with the other end in the other
angle at the base of the yoke. Thus whichever way the lever arm n³ is drawn
laterally from its mean position, a corresponding arin of the lever n draws outward
the yoken (see Fig. 3) and with it the lever n and chain k.
For the coupling up of these mechanisms there are provided suitable lengths of
chains and at each end of each carriage a spring t. Nevertheless only the end of
the chains which is over the end of the last carriage is attached to the spring
found there, the other springs being left idle. The chains suitably connected leads
from the last carriage to the other end of the train to the locomotive or to the
guards brake van or otherwise where it may be attached to a lever with a retaining
ratchet or any other device by which it may be pulled and held from returning to
its previous position until released.
I do not confine myself to the exact mechanism here shown, but may use for
instance a longitudinally moving pilot burner in place of a rocking burner, or other
contrivances for transmitting the movement of the chains to the chain k, but ;
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is;
In mechanism for simultaneously lighting and extinguishing a series of gas
lamps;
1. The combination with a chains of a mechanism for transferring the pull of
said chain in either direction to a chain k adapted to open a gas cock for supply of
gas to the main burner of a lamp and to move a pilot burner temporarily into the
chimney of said lamp for lighting the same.
2. The combination with the main burner of a gas cock thereto, a pulley wheel
on the plug of said gas cock, a chain with counter spring or equivalent passing over
said pulley wheel, a rotary mounted pilot burner and a finger on said pulley wheel
adapted to revolve said burner substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
3. The combination with a chain k adapted to turn on a gas cock and move a
pilot burner for the purpose described, of a lever n', a yoke n connected thereto a
balance lever n adapted to draw said yoke when rocked in either direction an
arm n³ to said lever n and a chain s substantially as described.
4. In a train or railroad carriages the combination with each gas lamp of a pilot
burner, a chain adapted to control the main gas cock and the said pilot burner,
a chains connected to operate all the chains k, a spring t adapted to tension the

page_text: chain and mechanism for pulling and holding the chains against tension of the
spring substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
Dated this 29th day of May 1893.
R. HADDAN,
Herbert Haddan & Co.,
18, Buckingham Street, Strand, London, Agent for Applicant.