Improvements for Signalling the Passage of the Last Vehicle of a Railway Train.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Feb., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 1st Dec., 1893-Accepted, 27th Jan., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements for Signalling the Passage of the Last Vehicle of a
Railway Train.
WILLIAM EDWARD LANGDON Electrical Engineer, Midland Railway Derby,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :-
:-
In automatic block signalling. The employment of parts or projections in
connection with the lever or part employed to form connection with the contact
maker for completing or interrupting the electrical circuit in connection with the
holder, bracket, or socket of the tail-lamp of railway trains so that the act of
placing the tail-lamp in its position on the last vehicle shall force the said lever, or
part, into, or otherwise oblige it to be placed in the position necessary to effect the
purpose for which it is provided.
The object of this invention is the provision of a means for insuring the bringing
into use, on the last vehicle of a railway train, the means employe: in automatic
block signalling for completing or interrupting the electrical circuit employed
therefor.
To this end I provide projections or parts in connection with the lever operating
the contact-lever or maker such as shall intercept or prevent the tail lamp of the
train being placed in its proper position till the said lever has been forced into,
or otherwise arranged in, the position required to enable it to carry out its
duty.
In illustration hereof. On the tail lamp of the train being placed in position on
the last vehicle of the train the lever forming or operating the contact-maker or
breaker is thereby forced, or required to be placed in, the position necessary to
bring it into use. On removing the lamp from its position, the said lever is, under
the influence of a spring or other suitable means, thrown out of the said position
and into that which again prevents the lamp being replaced without restoring the
lever to its position for work.
Dated this 2nd day of February 1893.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements for Signalling the Passage of the Last Vehicle of a
Railway Train.
'
I, WILLIAM EDWARD LANGDON, Electrical Engineer, Midland Railway,
Derby, 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 refers to automatic block signalling on railways and consists in so
connecting the contact maker for completing (or interrupting) the electrical signal
circuit with the tail lamp or lamps of the railway train or with its holder, bracket
or socket that the act of placing the said lamp in its position on or in its holder,
bracket or socket on the last vehicle or the act of making provision for the
reception of the lamp shall bring the contact maker in position for, at the proper
moment, completing (or interrupting) the circuit and the act of removing the lamp
therefrom shall bring the contact maker out of such position. The modes and
Price Rd 1

page_text: means of connection may be greatly varied. According to one mode I provide a
rod or other part in connection with the contact lever or contact maker such rod
serving to intercept or prevent the tail lamp of the train from being placed in its
proper position until by the depression of the rod by means of the lamp the said
fever has been brought into its position for making contact, and I provide a spring
or equivalent part for bringing the contact maker out of its position for contact
and for bringing the rod back when the lamp is removed.
In the accompanying drawings I illustrate a means for carrying this mode into
effect, Figure 1 being an end view of the tail end of a railway vehicle and Figure 2
a side view.
-
AA are rods one for each tail lamp. These rods are jointed to the levers B on a
weighshaft C under the carriage frame. On the weighshaft is also fixed a lever E
which when turned into the position shewn in full lines is in a position to make contact
with the contact maker H arranged between the rails and thereby operate the signal
circuit and when turned out of that position as shewn in dotted lines to be free of the
contact maker H. D is a coiled spring which turns the weighshaft C to the latter
position and puts the rods A into the raised dotted position. To bring them into
the lowered or contact position the rods A have to be depressed against the force
of the spring D. This is effected by pushing one of them down by means of one
of the tail lamps or by any other means. S S are springs which have to be pushed
to one side and which when the lamp or lamps is or are quite depressed snap over
the top edge of the lamp and hold it in place against the force of the spring D.
To remove a lamp the spring S has to be pushed back. A button or other stop
may be used for the same purpose. When the lamp or lamps is or are removed the
spring D raises the rods A again. The upper ends of the rods A may enter the
sockets or lamp holders or otherwise may engage with the lamp itself.
Now in illustration of the action of the several parts in relation to the contact
maker H let it be assumed that a train is standing preparatory to its departure.
On the tail lamps being placed in their position on the last vehicle the lever E as
previously explained will assume the vertical position indicated by the full lines,
and in that position it is qualified to operate the contact maker H when the train
passes over it. This contact maker may be of any description. I will assume it to
"be a pair of metal bars laid for a given distance parallel with the railway metals,
insulated from each other, and from the earth, and interposed in the electrical
circuit operating such indicator, lock, or other apparatus in connection with the
signal lever, levers, signal or signals, or block signal instrument as may be desired
for indicating that the train has passed a certain place. These two bars being
insulated from one another as well as from the earth, the circuit remains broken till
completed by the space between them being electrically bridged over. It is the
duty of the lever E to pass between these longitudinal bars H and so complete the
circuit during the time the train is passing over them and so bring into operation
the apparatus placed in the circuit.
Or on the other hand should it.. be desired to employ the lever E for breaking
the said circuit then by insulating the contact portion of the lever E and arranging
the longitudinal bars H so that in their normal position they form contact with
each other it is clear that on the insulated portion of the lever E passing between
them they will be pressed asunder and the continuity of the circuit will be
broken.
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. In automatic block signalling connecting the contact maker for completing (or
interrupting) the electrical signal circuit in such manner with the tail lamp of the
railway train or with its holder, bracket or socket that the act of placing the
lamp in position in or on the same or the act of making provision for its reception
brings the contact maker in position for at the proper moment or place completing

page_text: (or interrupting) the circuit and sending the signal to the effect that the train has
passed such place, and the act of removing the lamp brings the contact maker out
of position for contact.
2. The mode of bringing the contact lever on the last vehicle of a train into.
position for action consisting in providing rods or other parts which are so
connected with said lever that by placing the tail lamp into its proper position in
or on its holder, bracket or socket, the said rods shall be depressed and the lever be.
brought into position for completing or interrupting a circuit, for signalling, a
spring or its equivalent being provided for raising the rods when the lamp is-
removed.
3. The construction of apparatus described with reference to the drawings.
Dated this 1st day of December 1802
JENSEN & SON,
77, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Patent Agents.