Improvements in Automatically: Indicating whether the Stop Cocks of Air Brakes of the Westinghouse Type: are Open or Shut when the. Brake is. Coupled Together for use
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of. Application,. 19th Dec., .1896:
Complete Specification Left; 20th Sept:, 1897-Accepted,.18th Dec.. 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
"Improvements in Automatically: Indicating whether the Stop
Cocks of Air Brakes of the Westinghouse Type: are Open or
Shut when the. Brake is. Coupled Together for use."
We, EDWARD CLENNETT, of 11, Johnson St., West Hartlepool, in the County of'
Durham, Railway Clerk, and ERNEST SCOTT;.of the Close Works;. Newcastle-on-Tyne,
Electrical Engineer,, do hereby, declare the nature of this Invention to be as
follows:-
This invention is applied to air brakes of the Westinghouse type, the several
lengths of which are attached to the several vehicles or coaches which make up the
train.
In order to make each such length or section self-contained so that the air
under pressure within is not allowed to escape when the said vehicles are uncoupled
and the sections of the air pipe disconnected, stop cocks are provided to shut off the
connection from section to section and so close in each section at both ends. The
opening of these stop cocks by hand is included in and is essentially accessory.to.the
operation of connectingrup the sections. of the air brake, and if any one of these stop
cocks is allowed to remain.closed so much of the brake is shut off from the air pump
and rendered uncontrolable and useless.
The object and result of. this invention is that as soon as the brake is coupled up
for use. the position of these stop cocks is automatically indicated by means of an
electrically controlled alarum which rings continuously until every cock in the system
is opened, and is therefore silent.only when the brake is in working order throughout
its length.
In carrying out this invention an electrical cell or battery or other means for
generating and energising an electrical current with bell, gong, or indicator is fixed
in any convenient place on the engine; from which the necessary insulated wires and.
their connections are carried to the couplings, brake hose or buffers; so that on applying.
the requisite contact for completing the circuit an electric- current is set up by
means of which a continuous alarum is set off; such as the ringing of a bell or.gong,.
or by some other means adapted to serve the same purpose; it being understood that
we avail ourselves of any suitable means for or way of transmitting the electrical current
along the train, as for instance by passing it through the coupling chains and draw
bars or through the buffers furnished for the purpose. with contact plates,, or the:
insulated wires may have their own specially provided coupling connections; or where.
the train is lighted by electricity, this-source: may be used, it being. only essential
that the means for transmitting the requisite current from engine to van and carriage.
to carriage thronghout the entire train is designed.and adapted to be controlled in
the manner hereinafter described.
The stop cocks are constructed for the purposes of my invention each with. a
contact plate or arm extending radially from: the plug:of the. cock. so, that by its
position it' is brought into contact' with the insulated wiressor their.connections-when
the cock is closed and 'is removed therefrom. only when the cock, is open. By,this.
means the cocks when close complete the circuit and the following action takes place..
When the engine comes against the trainiandi is being coupled. thereto the alarum.

page_text: commences to sound and does not cease until the person coupling the engine to the
train opens the air brake stop cocks which intercepts the electric current and stops
the alarum. As each carriage is taken on to the train this operation and result is
repeated, so that no part of the air brake can be shut off from the air pump by
neglect to open the stop cocks without due notice of the fact being given and persisted
in; the opening of all the said stop cocks being the only way to silence the
alarum.
Each vehicle is furnished with a commutator which for convenience is fixed on the
ends of the vehicle in a position in which the uncoupled or free end of the air brake
hose pipe can be utilised for operating the commutator by turning the hose end over
into a hook or clasp in a position in which it presses against and operates the
commutator.
Having made provision for transmitting an electric current along a train to set up
an alarum in the manner hereinbefore described, it will of course be obvious that such
a system can be utilised by the ordinary means such as touching a button for
communicating from the guard to the engine driver, or from the carriages to either
guard or engine driver or both.
G. J. CLARKSON
Chartered Patent Agent.
Stockton-on-Tees. Agent for the Applicant.
"Improvements in Automatically Indicating whether the Stop
Cocks of Air Brakes of the Westinghouse Type are Open or
Shut when the Brake is Coupled Together for use."
We EDWARD CLENNETT, of 11, Johnson Street, West Hartlepool, in the County
of Durham, Railway Clerk, and ERNEST SCOTT, of the Close Works, Newcastle-on-Tyne,
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:-
This invention is applied to air brakes of the Westinghouse type, the severa
lengths of which are attached to the several vehicles or coaches which make up the
train. In order to make each such length or section self-contained so that the air under
pressure within is not allowed to escape when the said vehicles are uncoupled and
the sections of the air pipe disconnected, stop cocks are provided to shut off the
connection from section to section and so close in each section at both ends.
opening of these stop cocks by hand is included in and is essentially accessory to
the operation of connecting up the sections of the air brake, and if any one of these
stop cocks is allowed to remain closed so much of the brake is shut off from the air
pump and rendered uncontrolable and useless.
The
The object and result of this invention is that as soon as the brake is coupled up
for use the position of these stop cocks is automatically indicated by means of an
electrically controlled alarum which rings continuously until every cock in the system
is opened, and is therefore silent only when the brake is in working order throughout
its length.
In carrying out this invention an electrical cell or battery or other means for
generating and energising an electrical current with bell, gong or indicator is fixed
in any convenient place near the engine, from which the necessary insulated wires
and their connections are carried to the couplings, brake hose or buffers, so that on
applying the requisite contact for completing the circuit an electric current is set up

page_text: by means of which a continuous alarum is set off, such as the ringing of a bell or
gong, or by some other means adapted to serve the same purpose; it being understood
that we avail ourselves of any suitable means for or way of transmitting the electric
current along the train, as for instance by passing it through the coupling chains,
and draw bars or through the buffers furnished for the purpose with contact plates"
or the insulated wires may have their own specially provided coupling connections'
or where the train is lighted by electricity, this source may be used, it being only
essential that the means for transmitting the requisite current from engine to van
and earringe to carriage throughout the entire train, is designed and adapted to be
controlled in the manner hereinafter described with reference to the accompanying
drawings it being understood that the apparatus employed for transmitting the
current can be variously arranged. That shown in the drawings as an example is
intended to be conveniently applicable to the existing arrangements and construction
of parts in connection with the air brakes and appliances for coupling the carriages
together.
In the drawings Fig. 1 is a front elevation of part of a train showing the tender
and adjoining conch coupled together both in respect of the draw hars and brake
pipes. Figs. 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 are drawn to a larger scale to illustrate in detail, the
parts essential to my invention. Figs 2 and 3 are corresponding views of the brake
cock and switch the sectional part in Fig. 2 being taken on line xx of Fig. 3 which
is an end elevation of the electrical apparatus or switch in contact with the air cock;
Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are also corresponding views of the hook and switch arrangement
for turning off the current at the end of the train or vehicle on which is the last or
uncoupled length of brake hose pipe the stop cock of which must remain closed.
The stop cocks a are constructed for the purposes of our invention each with an
extension or arm b extending radially from the plug of the cock so that by its
position it is brought into contact with and pats on the switch c, when the cock is
closed as shown by its position in full lines in Fig. 2, and is removed therefrom only
when the cock is open as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2. By this means any cock
if closed completes or puts on an electric circuit from the cell or battery d to the bell
which is placed in some convenient position preferably on the tender as being away
from the heat of the engine and not too far from the driver.
Our invention is not restricted to any precise means for transmitting an electric
current from the cell or battery to the bell except in the essential feature that such
current is put on or off by the position of the stop cocks. But we will explain a
practical and convenient way of doing this. e is a wire from the cell or battery d to
the switch c if the cock a near the switch c is closed the current is short circuited
from this switch by the wire el hack to the bell which is thereby kept constantly
ringing. If the cock is open the wire is continued along the hose pipe to the
metallic clasp or grip f¹ thereof so that when the hose pipes are coupled the current
is transmitted from one to the other by the contact of the said clasps or grips and so
on to another switch c¹ controlled by the stop cock a¹. If this cock is closed the
electric current is short circuited from this switch through the hose pipe connection
and draw bar and coupling chains back to the bell. If the cock a¹ is open the current
extends to the other end of the coach where the same means for short circuiting if
the cock is closed or transmitting the current to the next coach if the cock is open is
provided and so on throughout the train so that when the engine comes against the
train and is being coupled thereto the alarum commences to sound and does not cease
until the person coupling the engine to the train opens the air brake atop cocks and
stops the alarum. As each carriage is taken onto the train this operation and result
is repeated so that no part of the air brake can be shut off from the air pump by
neglect to open the stop cocks without due notice of the fact being given and
persisted in; the opening of all the said stop cocks being the only way to silence the
alarum.
As shown in Figs. 4, 5 and 6 each vehicle is furnished with a turning off switch
which for convenience is placed on the ends of each vehicle in a position in which the
uncoupled or free end of the air brake hose pipe can be utilized for operating the switch

page_text: by turning the hose pipe endrover into ashookcor clasp h h in a position in which: it:
presses against the: pusher rod: ji and shuts off the current.. Referring; to>
Figs. 4; 5 and 6 it will be seen that Eig: 4 is a part sectional view showing the
position of the turning off switch. g relatively to the draw bar k: and the electrical!
connection therewith controlled by the switch g.which is shown more particularly in
Fig. 5 which is an end view of Fig. 4 looking to the right: Fig. 6 being a
corresponding end view looking to the left; l'is an assistant cell or battery placed in
the rear end of the train to bring the current up to a sufficient strength, say of about.
9-volts for a train of an ordinary length:
Having made provision for transmitting an electric current along a train to set up:
an alarum in the manner herein before described, it' will of course be obvious that such
aisystem can be utilized: by: the ordinary means such as touching a button for
communicating from the guard: to the engine driver; or from the carriages to either
guard or engine driver or both!
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said invention,
and in what manner. the same. is. to. be- performed, we. declare. that. what. we.
claim is :-
For use in railway trains in combination with air brake apparatus of the
Westinghouse type an automatic brake alarum .consisting off a system of elèctric
appliances the current of which is only shut off when the stop cocks are open, all'
arranged and operating together substantially as and! för the purpose herein before.
described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Datcu.UITES YOU
G. J. CLARKSON.
Chartered Patent Agent Stockton-on-Tees-and Hull..
Agent. for. the. Applicant..