IMPROVE- MENTS IN AND APPARATUS FOR SIGNALLING ON RAILWAYS
Year: 1875

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Armand Gilbee at the
'
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 24th September 1875.
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A communication from abroad by
Camillo Bondi, of Trieste, in the Empire of Austria.
I, WILLIAM ARMAND GILBEE, of the Firm of L. de Fontainemoreau,
& Co., 4, South Street, Finsbury, in the County of Middlesex, Patent
Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN AND APPARATUS FOR SIGNALLING ON RAILWAYS," to be as follows,
that is to say :-
The Invention communicated to me consists in improvements in and
apparatus for electric signalling on railways, whereby communication is
effected between a moving train and the stations between which it is
moving; also with the signal boxes and with the train before and behind
on the same line of rails. And at each station, signal box, and train in
motion is placed an instrument for indicating by means of hands the
motion and speed of each train.
In carrying out this Invention, at each station, in each signal box,
and in each train in motion, batteries are placed. The positive pole of

page_text: the battery is connected with the left rail, and the negative pole with
the right rail, without however any metallic contact existing between
the loft and the right rails.
When the train has left a station and runs towards the next station,
the electric current from the latter station is formed by the first pair of
the locomotive wheels. If the axle of these wheels be isolated from
the wheels, it will allow of the negative electricity of the left rail being
conducted to the left wheel, but not to the axle, and by means of a wire
the negative electricity is caused to pass over the telegraphic instrument
and signals under the control of the guard. After the negative
electricity has passed over all the signalling apparatus on the train, the
electricity is conducted by means of a wire to the right wheel, and thence
to the right rail, where it joins the positive electricity. In the front
of the locomotive are placed two very elastic springs, which are kept in
contact with the two rails. The negative electricity passes from the left
rail to the left spring which slides on the rail, and by means of a wire
to the said telegraphic apparatus on the train, and thence also by another
wire to the right spring and to the right rail, where the negative and
positive electricity meet.
A similar arrangement is also made on the last carriage or break van,
that is to say, I place on the last pair of wheels two springs, which set
up communication with the station left, or with the train which is
behind on the same line of rails. Near each signal box electricity is
caused by means of wires to pass over signal apparatuses, which aro
placed in the signal box isolating the rails where they come in contact.
As each train is thus in electric communication with each other train in
motion with the station left and with that towards which it runs, also
with each signal box, several trains can run at the same time on the
same line of rails between two stations without risk of collision.