A Method of Ensuring Safety at Shunting Stations of Railways, and Apparatus for that Purpose.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Mar., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 29th Nov., 1894-Accepted, 29th Dec., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A Method of Ensuring Safety at Shunting Stations of Railways, and
Apparatus for that Purpose.
I, EDWARD TYER, of Ashwin Street, Dalston, in the County of London,
Electrical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
"
My invention relates to automatic means of preventing the signals at a railway
station from being moved to "safety
shunting operations are going on such as would obstruct the main lines. For this
so as to allow passage of trains while
purpose, I provide for each main line an instrument comprising a signal and relay,
wherein a divided cylindrical armature is mounted so as to turn partly round
between the two diametrically opposite poles of a permanent magnet, and the two
poles of an electromagnet arranged in a line at right angles to the former. So far
this instrument resembles that described in my Specifications No. 1845 of 1873,
No. 1013 of 1874 and No. 2879 of 1881, but I make the cores of the electro-
magnet of steel, the yoke connecting the cores and the pole pieces of soft iron, and
I wind the cores with two coils. These coils are connected to a number of contacts
arranged along the main lines, some of them in the neighbourhood of points and
some of them at distances beyond points, each contact being of the kind which is
operated by the passage of a train. The signal and relay instrument has one of
the coils of its electromagnet connected to certain of the rail contacts which when
they are acted on by passage of a train or vehicle cause the relay armature to move
so as to effect the locking at danger of all signals which, if they were lowered to
safety would admit a train to that part of the line where the contact is made,
and at the same time the instrument shews by a disc or other signal, moved by its
armature that that part of the line is blocked. The other coil of the instrument
is connected to certain of the rail contacts which, when acted on by passage of a
train or vehicle, cause the relay armature to move so as to effect the unlocking of
signals and at the same time to shew by a disc or other signal that the part of the
line where the contact is made is clear.
Dated this 12th day of March 1894.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.
A Method of Ensuring Safety at Shunting Stations of Railways, and
Apparatus for that Purpose.
I, EDWARD TYER, of Ashwin Street, Dalston, in the County of London,
Electrical Engineer, 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:-
―
My invention relates to automatic means of preventing the signals at a railway
station from being moved to "safety" so as to allow passage of trains while
shunting operations are going on, such as would obstruct the main lines. For this
[Price 8d.]

page_text: purpose, I provide for each main line an instrument the construction and operation
of which I shall describe referring to the accompanying drawings.
Fig. 1 is an external view of the instrument. Fig. 2 shews the interior, the
front of the case being removed, Fig. 3 is a diagram shewing the line and local
electrical connections of two of the instruments at one station each instrument
comprising a signal and a relay.
In the signalling part a divided cylindrical armature A is mounted so as to turn
partly round between the two diametrically opposite poles B B₁ of a permanent
magnet, and the two poles C C₁ of an electromagnet arranged in a line at right
angles to the line of B B¹. So far this instrument resembles that described in my
Specifications No. 1845 of 1873, No. 1013 of 1874, and No. 2879 of 1881, but I
make the cores D D of the electromagnet of steel, the back yoke E connecting
the cores and the pole pieces C C¹ of soft iron, and I wind the cores DD with
two coils F each consisting of two wires.
These coils are connected to a number of contacts G (Fig. 3) arranged along
the main lines or sidings, some of them in the neighbourhood of points and some
of them at distances beyond points, each contact being of the kind which is operated
by the passage of a train.
The relay consists of an electromagnet H and spring armature I making the one
or the other of two contacts i i¹ according as it is or is not attracted. One of the
coils of the signal instrument and the coil of the relay are connected to certain of
the rail contacts G which when they are acted on by passage of a train or vehicle
cause the relay armature in one instrument and the cylindrical armature in the
other instrument to move so as to break contact at S and thus effect the locking at
danger" of all signals which, if they were lowered to safety would admit a train
to that part of the line where the contact is made, and at the same time the signal
instrument shews by a disc or other signal, moved by its armature, that that part
of the line is blocked, the disc in this case coming in front of the "clear of " screen
and shewing the signal "In."
66
+
The other coil of the signal instrument and also the coil of the relay are con-
nected to certain of the rail contacts which, when acted on by passage of a train
or vehicle, cause the relay armature to move so as to effect the unlocking of signals
and at the same time to shew by a disc or other signal that the part of the line
where the contact is made is clear, the "in" disc moving aside so as to expose the
"clear of" signal.
The electrical connections for operating in the manner described are shewn in
Fig. 3 where L L' are the line conductors extending from one station to the next,
or to points in the station yard where shunting is taking place. M M' are local
batteries, G G indicate contacts made by passage of a train, SS¹ indicate contacts
connected to the coil of the electromagnet of the electric lock described in the
Specification No. 8331 of 1893 and E E' indicate earth. When a train makes the
contact G as it proceeds in the direction of the arrow the positive terminal of M is
connected to one of the coils of F, thus the cylindrical armature A is moved so as
to throw its screen over to the position presenting the word "In," also the contact
at S being broken, the out door signal lever becomes locked. The current goes
by the conductor g, through the coil of the other relay H¹, and back by the
conductors h h¹ to M. The armature I', being attracted, breaks the contact by
which the line L' was connected by / through the second coil of F to earth E,
and makes contact i by which the positive terminal. of M' is connected by k to
line L.
↑
In a similar manner when the contact G' is made, the positive terminal of M is
connected through m to one coil of F' causing movement of its armature A¹ so as
to shew the signal "In," and to break contact at S' thus locking the out door
signal; the current continues by n to the coil of H and thence by h' back to M.
The armature I being thus attracted, the contact at i¹ is broken, thus breaking
connection of the line L to the second coil of F and making contact i by which
the battery M¹ is connected through ki and I to the line L. When neither of the

page_text: contacts G or G¹ is made by passage of a train, the line L is connected through I i
and through the second coil of F to earth E, also the line L' is connected
through I, and through the second coil of F¹ to earth E', and thus both
armatures A A' are in the position shewn in the drawings, the screens shewing
the "clear of" signals and the contacts being made at S S¹ whereby the signal
levers are unlocked.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The herein described method of ensuring safety at shunting stations of
railways, by providing for the up and down lines respectively a block signalling
instrument combined with a relay, and so connecting the coils of the relays and
double coils of the signalling instruments to the main conducting line, to local
batteries, to contacts for signal lever locks, and to rail contacts to be made by
passage of a train, that in the normal condition, when no contact is made, both
signalling instruments shew "line clear" and can be operated by currents
transmitted by the main conducting line and the signal levers are unlocked, but
when a rail contact is made, one of the signalling instruments is acted on so as to
shew that the train is in the section, to cause locking of the appropriate signal
lever, and to affect the relay of the other instrument so as to transmit currents to
unlock signal levers when required.
2. For operating in the manner set forth in the preceding claim, in combination
with the main conducting line from station to station, two instruments, one for up
and one for down, each consisting of a signalling portion and a relay, local batteries,
contacts for signal lever locks, and rail contacts with conducting connections,
substantially as described.
Dated this 28th day of November 1894.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for Applicant.