Improved Means for Lighting or Extinguishing Simultaneously the Lamps of a Railway Train or the Lights of Single Carriages.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 12th May, 1897-Accepted, 12th May, 1898
Improved Means for Lighting or Extinguishing Simultaneously the
Lamps of a Railway Train or the Lights of Single Carriages.
I, IGNATZ HARTIG, of Isarthorplatz 1D, Munich, in the Empire of Germany,
Technician, 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 this invention is to be able to light from one point simultaneously
all the lamps of the carriages of a railway train either when stationary or during
motion, that is to say without being obliged to go on the roof of the carriages.
Thus will not only many accidents and inconveniences be avoided but also much
time be saved. This arrangement allows also of extinguishing the lamps of one
single carriage, which for instance is not used, and to light them again, when
necessary, independently from the others, and it provides also that when the
carriages are pushed together to form a train, the separate parts of the lighting
conduct are engaged automatically with one another to form a continuous whole.
The lighting of the lamps reposes on the principle, that beside the usual burner
a very little flame burns in each lamp on a special small tube, this pilot flame
being lighted by hand when the carriages are stationary. The gas of the main
burner is lighted from these small flames, as soon as the taps of these main
burners are opened all together by the device common to all the carriages, for
which it is only necessary to pull a lever or to turn a wheel at one place preferably
on the engine.
In the annexed drawing Fig. 1 shows a plan view of the carriage. Fig. 2 is
a longitudinal elevation. Fig. 3 is a side view from the left and Fig. 4 a side
view from the right side of Fig. 1.
The pin of the tap on the burner of each lamp is surrounded by a small chain a,
which is fixed on the under end on a back pulling spring 6 and passing over the
pin of the tap in the lamp is fixed at the other end on the shaft c.
Each carriage
has such a shaft. It is also provided with a back pulling spring d.
e is the gas
tube. It will be seen that when the shaft c is turned in the direction of the arrow,
the chain a of each lamp of one carriage is drawn and opens the cock by turning
the pin so that the main burner is lighted by the pilot flame. When the shaft c
is then again freed it is pulled back into its stationary position by the spring d
and also the chain a by the spring b so that the lamp is extinguished.
Along each carriage runs a shaft f which is provided at each end with a herein-
after described coupling. The shaft fixed on the engine is however provided with
a coupling only on the end directed towards the carriages, and on the other end
it is provided with a lever or hand wheel g, by means of which it can be turned.
As all the shafts f as described hereinafter are coupled together to form one
whole when the carriages are pushed together the revolution of the first shaft
is transferred to all the others. Each shaft f is provided with a draw chain h
or the like and by means of these chains the revolution of all the shafts f is
transferred to the shafts c so that these are turned in the above described direction.

page_text: Any stopping device arranged next to the lever or wheel g on the engine keeps the
shafting in the given position, so that during this time the burners of the lamps
remain open.
In order to exclude or to include again the lamps of a single carriage from the
system without interrupting the whole system, that is to say, all the coupled
shafts f, a lever i and spring hook k as shown in Figs. 5 and 6 on a larger scale
are arranged on each carriage in the draw chain between the shaft and the
shaft c.
The chain h is divided and part 10 is fixed immediately to a lug 2 on
the upper part of this lever; but the under part h20 of the chain is attached to a
bar sliding in a lug 7 and carrying the collar h¹ and the hook k. The spring
operated hook k engages in a slot in the lever i. The chain is therefore detach-
able at this place. When the shaft f (Fig. 3) is turned the part 120 of the
chain h pulls down the lever i by means of the hook until the collar h¹ meets
the lug. During this movement the shaft c opens, as before described, the burner
of the lamp. When however, the spring hook k is pressed against the rod k
which supports it, it frees the lever i and the latter can rise up, while the hook k
falls out of the slot in the lever. The springs d and b then at once pull the
free shaft c back, and the lamps of this one carriage are extinguished. In order
to light them again the lever i is pressed down until it is engaged again by the
hook, k, the rod k of which when standing in the lowest position rests with its
collar h¹ on its guide . This guide limits also the pull downwards, so that no
excessive strain is effected and nothing can break.
The coupling of each of the shafts f, shown in Figs. 7 and 8 is constructed in
the following manner at each end; Each tail piece f¹ of the shaft slides into the
shaft and is therein spring supported in a similar manner to the buffers of a
carriage, in order that the shafts can shorten or lengthen according to the distance
of the carriages. This construction will be readily understood without illustration.
Each tail piece f¹ carries a pocket formed of two side plates m and m² forming
a flaring mouth. Each side plate has a vertical slot n' n¹. To cach pair of tail
pieces f there is one detachable plate n one end of which enters the one pocket
and the other end of which enters the other pocket. On the sides of this plate
are springs oo the ends of which project laterally to form hooks o' o engaging
in the slots n¹n¹. Pivoted at p at about the middle of the plate n above the
springs o is a fork p the two limbs of which lie closely on the springs oo one on
each side of the plate n. The fork carries a handle p² and its perpendicular
position is normally assured by springs 233. In this position all four spring
hooks o engage the four slots nor are in such position as to so engage the slots
when the cars are pushed together. If the handle 22 is pushed to the right or
to the left the springs o to the left or to the right as the case may be are pushed
by the fork so as to detach their hooks o¹ from the pocket on the left or on the
right respectively, and the shafts ff can then be separated. By returning the
handle to its perpendicular position the springs oo are again freed from the fork
and are ready to engage the pocket when the cars are again pushed together.
It will be understood that the plate n is intended to remain attached to the one
or other pocket so as to be in position ready for use; but if desired it can be
removed from both pockets if or when necessary, for it is equally detachable from
either pocket.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I, declare that what
I claim is:-
1. A device for lighting simultaneously all the lamps of a railway train as well
as for extinguishing and lighting again the lamps of any one single carriage of
the train consisting of the shafts f to be coupled together and turned by means of
hand wheel or lever, and of the shafts c connected therewith by means of a
chain h as well as of the chains a on the shafts for transferring the turning move-
ment to the cocks of the lamps.

page_text: 2. In the device as in Claim 1, a lever i, on which above the draw chain h is
fixed and beneath is suspended by means of a spring operated hook in order to
allow of independent movement of the shaft c.
3. In the device as in Claim 1 the pocket m m¹ with slots on the ends of the
shafts with a plate n with spring operated cheeks o to be pressed together by
means of the turnable fork p the projections of these cheeks o falling into the
slots of the pieces mm² and coupling the shafts f.
Dated this 12th day of May 1897.
HERBERT HADDAN & Co.,
Agents to Applicant, 18, Buckingham Street, Strand, W.C., London.