APPARATUS FOR ELECTRICAL ILLUMINATION OF RAILWAY TRAINS
Year: 1885

page_text: I, ROBERT HENRY WOODLEY, of No 4 Agnes Street, Burdett Road in the County
of Middlesex, Electrical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention
for "APPARATUS FOR ELECTRICAL ILLUMINATION OF RAILWAY TRAINS" to be as
follows:-
My invention relates to the arrangement of a dynamo electric machine, and an
accumulator or several accumulators with electrical conductors and incandescent
lamps on a railway train, in such a manner that the dynamo machine may be used
to charge the accumulator or accumulators, with or without working the lamps,
and that the accumulator or accumulators may alone work the lamps, the dynamo
machine being automatically cut out of circuit when the potential of the dynamo
current is reduced below that of the accumulator. For this purpose, I provide a
dynamo machine which may be on the locomotive or tender worked by a small
engine, or may be in a van or vehicle of the train worked from a running axle.
I provide also either one set of accumulator cells in a van or vehicle of the train,
or several sets, it may be a set in each vehicle. I connect these and the incan-
descent lamps in the several compartments of the train by these insulated conducting
wires coupled from carriage to carriage, these three wires being arranged as follows:
One wire from each electrode of the dynamo machine leads to each pole of each
accumulator but in the course of one of these wires there is an automatic cut-out
which, when the potential of the dynamo current falls below that of the accumu-
lator, cuts the dynamo machine out of circuit by breaking its connection with this
wire. The third wire is connected to one of the conductors of each of the lamps,
the other conductor of each lamp being connected to that of the two wires men-
tioned above which has not the cut-out. I provide a switch which can be moved
by hand so that the third wire can be entirely cut out of circuit, or can be connected
to that one of the two other wires which is not connected to the lamps and which
has the automatic cut-out. In the former of these positions, the dynamo machine
can charge the accumulators until it is automatically cut out, and the lamps are
not in action. In the other position the dynamo machine while it is in circuit can
charge the accumulators and also work the lamps, and, when it is cut out of circuit,.
the accumulators work the lamps. For coupling the three wires from carriage to
carriage, I provide on each end of each carriage a block of insulating material

page_text: presenting three projecting rods, one electrically connected to each of the three
wires. I provide also two insulating blocks each containing three spring tubes,
those of the one block being electrically connected to those of the other by flexible
connections. In coupling up, I slide one of the tubular blocks on the rods pro-
jecting from each carriage thus connecting the three lines of wire, and, in order
that the connections cannot be inverted, I make one of the three rods and tubes in
each case of a different size or shape from the other two or placed in a different
position relatively to the block so that the tubular block can fit only in one way
on the rods. On each of the blocks first mentioned I provide a spring blade which,
when the coupling is complete is held away by the block from the rods, but when
the coupling is separated this spring makes contact with two of the rods, thus
completing circuit when the train is separated through the two wires that are not
both connected through the lamps.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
I, ROBERT HENRY. WOODLEY of N° 4 Agnes Street Burdett Road in the County'
of Middlesex, Electrical Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my invention.
for "APPARATUS FOR ELECTRICAL ILLUMINATION OF RAILWAY TRAINS," and in
what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
. My invention relates to the arrangement of a dynamo-electric machine and an
accumulator or several accumulators with electrical conductors and incandescent
lamps on a railway train, in such a manner that the dynamo machine may be used
to charge the accumulator or accumulators with or without working the lamps, and
that the accumulator or accumulators may alone work the lamps, the dynamo
machine being automatically cut out of circuit when the potential of the dynamo
current is reduced below that of the accumulator. For this purpose, I arrange the
apparatus as shewn in the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 being a diagram of the
electrical connections, Fig. 2 a longitudinal section and Fig. 3 a plan of the con-
nections from carriage to carriage of the train. I provide a dynamo-machine D.
which may be on the locomotive or tender worked by a small engine, or may be in
a van or vehicle of the train worked from a running axle. I provide also either
one set of accumulator cells A in a van or vehicle of the train, or several sets, it
may be a set in each vehicle. I connect these and the incandescent lamps (of which
one is indicated at L) in the several compartments of the train by three insulated
conducting wires Wi W and W³ coupled from carriage to carriage, these three
wires being arranged as follows. The wires W1 W2 from the electrodes of the
dynamo-machine lead to the poles of each accumulator, but in the course of one of
these wires such as W¹ there is an automatic cut out C, which, when the potential
of the dynamo current falls below that of the accumulator, cuts the dynamo
machine out of circuit by breaking connection of this wire. The third wire W³ is
connected to one of the conductors of each of the lamps L, the other conductor of
each lamp being connected to that of the two wires mentioned above, which has
not the cut out, that is, in the case shown in Fig. 1, to the wire W². I provide a
switch S which can be moved by hand so that the third wire W³ can be entirely
cut out of circuit or can be connected to that one of the two other wires which is
not connected to the lamps and which has the automatic cut out, in the case shewn,
to W. In the former of these positions of the switch S the dynamo machine D
can charge the accumulators A until it is automatically cut out, and the lamps aro
not in action. In the other position of S the dynamo machine while it is in
circuit can charge the accumulator and also work the lamps, and when it is cut out
of circuit by the action of C the accumulators work the lamps. For coupling the
three wires W, W, W³, from carriage to carriage, I provide on each end of each
carriage a block B₁ presenting three projecting rods R¹ R³ R³ one electrically con-
nected to each of the three wires W W W respectively. I provide also two
blocks one of which is shewn at B2 each containing three spring tubes T¹ T' T³,
those of the one block B being electrically connected to those of the other B2 by
flexible connections. In coupling up, I slide one of the tubular blocks B' on the

page_text: rods projecting from the block B¹ on each carriage thus connecting the three lines
of wire W W Ws; and, in order that the connections cannot be inverted, I make
the three rods and tubes in each case of different sizes or shapes or placed in
different positions relatively to the block so that the tubular block can fit only in
´one way on the rods. On each of the blocks B' I provide a spring blade E, which,
when the coupling is complete, is held away by the block B2 from the rods, but
when the coupling is separated as shewn in Figs. 2 and 3 this spring E makes
contact with two of the rods R¹ and R³, thus completing circuit, when the train is
separated, through the two wires that are not both connected through the lamps.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1. For electrical illumination of railway trains, in combination with electric
lamps, a dynamo machine, accumulators, three conducting wires and an automatic
cut out, arranged and operating substantially as herein described.
2. For connecting the three conducting wires from carriage to carriage of a
train, the use of blocks B¹ having projecting rods and blocks B2 having spring
tubes to receive these rods, substantially as described.
_ 3., For connecting two of the wires when the blocks are separated, the use of a
spring blade E, substantially as described..