Improvements in Means or Apparatus whereby Railway Passengers can Attract the Attention of the Drivers and Guards of Trains.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Aug., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 30th June, 1899-Accepted, 5th Aug,, 1899
Improvements in Means or Apparatus whereby Railway Passengers
can Attract the Attention of the Drivers and Guards of Trains.
I, ALFRED UPTON ALCOCK, of 1338, Swanton Street, Melbourne, Victoria, tem-
porarily residing at Rosetta, Ray Lea Road, Maidenhead, in the County of Berks,
Electrical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention has reference to means or apparatus whereby railway passengers
can attract the attention of the driver or guard, or both, of a train in which they
are travelling, and an object of the invention is to provide apparatus such that
the mere tightening up, in the usual way, of the several carriages of a train
provided with such apparatus will put the apparatus in condition for use through-
out the train. For this purpose each carriage of a train is provided with a closed
electric circuit and with means under the control of an occupant or occupants of
the carriage whereby an alternating, intermittent or pulsatory current can be set
up in the closed circuit, portions of which are so arranged and disposed at the
ends of the carriage that when the several carriages, equipped as
described, are coupled up in the ordinary way, alternating inter-
mittent or pulsatory currents set up in any one of the closed circuits will induce
similar currents in the next adjacent closed circuits which in turn will induce
corresponding currents in the next closed circuit and so on throughout the train
to the engine and guard's van where they are caused, through suitable means, to
produce an audible or other signal.
The inducing portions of each closed circuit at the ends of a carriage
may be in the form of coils provided with iron cores for which the iron buffers
at the ends of the carriage may advantageously be utilized as the faces of these
buffers will be brought into close contact with one another when the carriages
are tightly coupled up in the ordinary way. To facilitate the application of the
coiled portions of the circuit to the buffers, such portions may be placed in iron
rings of channelled section adapted to be readily attached to the buffer heads
or to the buffer cases.
The means for producing an alternating, intermittent or pulsatory current in
each closed circuit can be variously constructed and arranged. According to
one arrangement there is provided for this purpose on the carriage, a normally
open circuit (hereinafter called for distinction the exciting circuit) that is adapted
by suitable means to be closed by a passenger and includes coils wound on iron
cores opposite the poles of which masses of iron, which may be the iron spokes of one
of the travelling wheels of the vehicle, can be successively brought so as to cause
alternating currents to be produced in such exciting circuit when the same is
closed. Such an alternating current generator is of the kind known as an
inductor.
In another arrangement the exciting circuit includes a battery, an automatic
make and break device such for example as is used in electric bells and in Ruhm-
korff's coils, and a circuit closing device to be operated by a passenger on the

page_text: carriage, the arrangement being such that when the circuit is closed by the said
circuit closing device, intermittent currents will be set up therein by the action of
the make and break device,
In each case the exciting circuit may be arranged as a shunt on the closed
circuit; or it may be a distinct circuit, a portion of which may be arranged to 5
form the primary winding of a transformer the secondary winding of which is
formed by a part of the said closed circuit.
Improvements in Means or Apparatus whereby Railway Passengers
can Attract the Attention of the Drivers and Guards of Trains.
I, ALFRED UPTON ALCOCK, of 1338, Swanton Street, Melbourne, Victoria, tem-
porarily residing at Holmewood, Marine Avenue, Southend, in the County of
Essex, 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 ascer-
tained in and by the following statement:
-
This invention has reference to means or apparatus whereby railway passengers
can attract the attention of the driver or guard, or both, of a train in which they
are travelling and an object of the invention is to provide apparatus such that
the mere tightening up, in the usual way, of the several carriages of a train
provided with such apparatus will put the apparatus in condition for use through-
out the train. For this purpose each carriage of a train is provided with a closed
electric circuit and with means under the control of an occupant or occupants of
the carriage whereby an alternating, intermittent or pulsatory current can be set
up in the closed circuit, portions of which are so arranged and disposed at the
ends of the carriage that when the several carriages, equipped as
described, are coupled up in the ordinary way, alternating inter-
mittent or pulsatory currents set up in any one of the closed circuits will induce
similar currents in the next adjacent closed circuits which in turn will induce
corresponding currents in the next closed circuit and so on throughout the train
to the engine and guard's van where they are caused, through suitable means, to
produce an audible or other signal.
Fig. 1 of the accompanying illustrative drawings is a diagram illustrating means
or apparatus for signalling according to this invention. Fig. 2 is a detail view
at right angles to Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail view partly in section.
Figs. 4 and 5 are diagrams illustrating modified arrangements.
On each carriage 1 is a closed electric circuit 2 having at each end of the carriage
inducing portions 2. On the engine or guard's van 1" is a similar closed circuit
that includes an electro-magnetic device 3 adapted when excited by an alternating,
intermittent or pulsating current to operate a circuit maker 4 in such a way as
to alternately close and open an electric circuit 5 including an electric bell 6 or
other suitable signalling device on the engine or guards van. The inducing
portions of each closed circuit 1 at the ends of a carriage may be in the form
of coils as shown, provided with iron cores 7 for which the iron buffers at the
ends of the carriage may advantageously be utilized, as the faces of these buffers
will be brought into close contact with one another when the carriages are tightly

page_text: coupled up in the ordinary way. To facilitate the application of the coiled por-
tions 2 of the circuit to the buffers, such portions may, as shown in Fig. 3, be
placed in iron rings 8 of channelled section adapted to be bolted or otherwise
readily attached to the buffer heads 7" or to the buffer cases.
The means for producing an alternating, intermittent or pulsatory current in
cach closed circuit 2 can be variously constructed and arranged. According to
the arrangement shown in Fig. 1, there is provided for this purpose on each
carriage 1, a normally open circuit 9 (hereinafter called for distinction the exciting
circuit) that is adapted by suitable means such as a spring contact maker 10, to
be closed by a passenger and includes coils 9" wound on magnet core 11 opposite
the poles of which masses 12 of iron, which may be the iron spokes of one of the
travelling wheels of the vehicle, will be successively brought so as to cause
alternating currents to be produced in such exciting circuit when the same is
closed and the iron masses are in motion. Such an alternating current generator
is of the kind known as an inductor.
In another arrangement, shown in Fig. 4, the exciting circuit 9 of each closed
circuit 2 includes a battery 13, an automatic make and break device 14 such for
example as is used in electric bells and in Rhumkorff's coils, and a circuit closing
device 15, to be operated by a passenger on the carriage, the arrangement being
such that when the exciting circuit is closed by the said circuit closing device 15,
intermittent currents will be set up therein by the action of the make and break
device 14.
In each case the exciting circuit 9 may be arranged as a shunt on the closed
circuit 2, as in Figs. 1 and 4, or it may be a distinct circuit, a portion 9" of which
may be arranged to form the primary winding of a transformer the secondary
winding 2 of which is formed by a part of the said closed circuit.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:
1. For enabling railway passengers to attract the attention of drivers or guards
of trains, providing each carriage of a train with a closed electric circuit and with
means under the control of an occupant of the carriage whereby an alternating,
intermittent or pulsatory current can be set up in the closed circuit portions of
which are so arranged and disposed at the ends of the carriage that when the
several carriages, equipped as described, are coupled up, alternating intermittent
or pulsatory currents set up in any one of the closed circuits will induce similar
currents in the next adjacent closed circuit or circuits and so on throughout the
train to the engine or guard's van, or both, where they are caused to produce an
audible or other signal.
2. For enabling railway passengers to attract the attention of drivers or guards,
or both drivers and guards of trains, means or apparatus arranged and operating
substantially as herein before described with reference to Figs. 1 and 2, or modified
according to Fig. 4, or to Fig. 5 of the drawings annexed.
1
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ہت
For the Applicant,
W. LLOYD WISE,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C.,
Chartered Patent Agent.
For the Applicant,
W. LLOYD WISE,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C.,
Chartered Patent Agent.