Improvements in or relating to Electric Signalling Apparatus for Railways.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Feb., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 6th Nov., 1889-Accepted, 7th Dec., 1889
PROVISIONAL 'ECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Electric Signalling Apparatus for
Railways.
A communication from abroad by EUGÈNE JACQUES JEROME DE BAILLEHACHE, of
54, Bd. Péreire, Paris, in the Republic of France, Electrician.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON F.C.S., M.I.M.E., of the Agency for Foreign
Patent Solicitors, 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, and 6, Bank Street, Manchester, both in
the County of Lancaster, and 823, High Holborn in the County of Middlesex, Civil
Engineer, do hereby declaro the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
:-
This invention has for its object a simple and practical signalling appliance or
apparatus, whereby a railway train is caused by means of electricity to signal its
approach to a station more or less distant as it passes a given point on the road, and
even, if desired, to indicate its speed and the number of carriages of which it is
composed.
This invention consists essentially in the use of a fixed elastic insulated metallic
plate or har above the railway sleeper, and placed at a short distance outside and a
little above the rail, so that it will be struck by the tyre of the wheels of the train.
This insulated plate being in communication with a line wire and the rail communi-
cating with the return line through the earth, the tyre of each wheel travelling on the
rail closes the circuit and produces the desired signals.
The fact of this plate being slightly depressed during the passage of the train may
be made use of for the purpose of closing the circuit and making more certain the
object to be obtained.
The invention further relates to fixing and insulating the plate or bar aforesaid and
to an appliance for establishing electrical contact which can be applied with advantage
to this kind of apparatus.
At the side of the railway rail and slightly above its surface is placed a metallic
plate insulated from the ground and elastically fixed on its supports as will he
described hereafter. This plate is connected by means of one or more conductors
with a line wire in connection with the signalling apparatus, at a station or at any
other point at which the electric generator or battery is placed which supplies the
current that returns through the earth. To make sure of the return of the current,
the rail aforesaid is preferably in communication with an earthplate or its equivalent.
When a train passes over the rail, the tyre of each wheel running over it will strike
the metallic plate (which is slightly bent down at the ends, so as to avoid all sudden
shock) and will close the circuit by making an electrical connection between the rail
and the plate.
In order to ensure the insulation of the plate and to enable it to be depressed a
certain distance under the action of the tyre of the wheels of a train, two long girders
or beams are placed one over the other upon two or more consecutive sleepers,
covered with an insulating coating and preferably separated by a piece of gutta percha
or other insulating material. On the top one are placed several thick gutta percha
plates, upon which rests the metallic plate aforesaid, which is fixed by means of pins
or bolts passing through sockets of hard wood to insulate them from the said plate.
The width of the metallic plate is variable and depends on the length of contact which
is required; spaces may be cut out of the edge or several plates may be employed in
succession in order to increase the number of contacts. On the aforesaid plate a strip
of copper might also be placed, which can be insulated from the said plate, and the
conducting wire attached to it, or several strips of copper may be rivetted or soldered
across the plate and at a suitable distance apart rising above the latter, so as to be
successively struck by the tyre of the wheel.

page_text: The plate might be placed between the rails and be depressed by the flange of the
wheels in this case the closing of the circuit would be made more certain by the
action of the contact maker, which will be hereafter explained.
In order to make use of the depression of the flexible plate for the purpose of
closing the eirenit, if it is found that the current does not flow through the tyre of the
wheels of the train, a bolt or pin of conducting metal is arranged on the said plate.
When the bolt is depressed, it comes in contact with an opposing contact piece,
communicating with the earth.
This second contact piece may consist simply of a pin similar to the first mentioned
pin and fixed vertically opposite the latter on a support communicating with the earth
and supported by the lower beam or block aforesaid it my also have two metallic
strips held between plates or washers of gutta perelin, and placed so that the pin when
depressed will exert a friction on them and so render contact certain. Any equivalent
arrangement may be employed with the same object.
In any case the two contact pieces are enclosed in a sheath or tube of gutta pereha
to protect them from moisture and dust.
The following special appliance for establishing contact, called "floating contact
may he used with great advantage.
It consists of a cup containing mercury, in which floats an iron ball, and if necessary
other small glass or metal balls; the pin enters the top of this cup, from which it is
insulated by a washer of hard wood through which it passes.
A flexible sheath of
gutta percha surrounds the whole as above mentioned. When the plate is depressed,
the pin aforesaid strikes the iron ball and closes the circuit, the merenry being in
electrical connection with the earth plate by means of a conducting wire. The shock
imparted by the pin causes all the floating balls to vibrate violently and their action
h the effect of keeping the contact surfaces always clean, thus making the action of'
the apparatus more certain.
Owing to the electric enrrents which are thus caused to How through the line wire
when the circuit is closed during the passage of a train, various kinds of signals may
be produced, and it is easily seen that not only can the position of the train be
determined at a distance, but by observing the duration of the signals and the time
occupied by the train in moving between two apparatus fixed at given points or
between the apparatus and the station, the speed of the train and the number of
carriages can be determined.
In cases where it is desirable for the electrical circuit to remain closed, and to
interrupt it only during the passage of a train over the apparatus, the motallic plate
can not be employed alone, and the contact pin fixed to the said plate is so arranged
that it will always remain in electrical contact with the opposing contact piece from
which it is only separated when the metallic plate is depressed by the passage of a
train.
My correspondent is aware that several arrangements of the kind described have
already been suggested, but the novel features of the invention will be set forth in the
claims, accompanying the completo specification. Ile has himself shown and described
a kind of counter-rail for effecting the same object in his English Patent datod
May 1st. 1885 No. 5404.
"
A

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Electric Signalling Apparatus for
Railways.
A communication from abroad by EUGÈNE JACQUES Jérōme de BAILLEHACHE, of
54, Bd. Péreire, Paris, in the Republic of France, Electrician.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON F.C.S., M.I.M.E., of the Agency for Foreign
Patent Solicitors, 6, Lord Street, Liverpool and 6 Bank Street, Manchester, both in
the County of Lancaster, and 323, High Holborn in the County of Middlesex, Civil
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 has for its object a simple and practical signalling appliance or
apparatus, whereby a railway train is caused, by means of electricity, to signal its
approach to a station more or less distant as it passes a given point on the road, and
even, if desired, to indicate its speed and the number of carriages of which it is
composed.
This invention consists essentially in the use of a fixed clastic insulated metallic
plate or bar above the railway sleeper, and placed at a short distance outside, and a
little above the rail, so that it will be struck by the tyre of the wheels of the train.
This insulated plate heing in communication with a line wire and the rail communi-
cating with the return line through the earth, the tyre of each wheel travelling on the
rail closes the circuit and produces the desired signals.
The fact of this plate being slightly depressed during the passage of the train may
be made use of for the purpose of closing the circuit and making more certain the
object to be obtained.
The invention further relates to fixing and insulating the plate or bar aforesaid and
to an appliance for establishing electrical contact which can be applied with advantage
to this kind of apparatus.
The invention will be easily understood by aid of the accompanying drawings, on
which the same letters of reference designate the same parts of the apparatus.
Figure 1 is a plan view of the apparatus placed on the rail.
Figure 2 is a longitudinal section.
Figure 3 is a transverse section.
Figure 4 is a transverse section, showing the same apparatus, but furnished with a
special contact system with iron balls floating on mercury.
As will be seen from Figures 1 to 3, at the side of the railway rail A, and slightly
above its surface, is placed a metallic plate B insulated from the ground and elastically
fixed on its supports, as will be described hereafter. This plate is connected by means
of one or more conductors with a line wire D in connection with the signalling
apparatus, at a station, or at any other point at which the electric generator or battery
is placed which supplies the current that returns through the earth. To make sure of
the return of the current, the rail A aforesaid is preferably in communication with an
earthplate E or its equivalent.
When a train passes over the rail A, the tyre of each wheel running over it will
strike the metallic plate B (which is slightly bent down at the ends so as to avoid all
sudden shock) and will close the circuit by making an electrical connection between
the rail A and the plate B.
In order to ensure the insulation of the plate B and to enable it to be depressed a
certain distance under the action of the tyres of the wheels of a train, two long
girders or beams G and H are placed one over the other upon two or more consecutive
sleepers F, covered with an insulating coating and preferably separated by a piece of
gutta percha or other insulating material. On the top one H are placed several thick
gutta plates I, upon which rests the metallic plate B aforesaid, which is fixed by

page_text: means of pins or bolts passing through sockets of hard wood to insulate them from
the said plate.
The width of the metallic plate B is variable, and depends on the length of contact
which is required; spaces may be cut out of the edge, or several plates may be
employed in succession in order to increase the number of contacts.
On the aforesaid plate, a strip of copper might also be placed, which can be
insulated from the said plate, and the conducting wire attached to it, or several strips
of copper may be rivetted or soldered across the plate and at a suitable distance
apart, rising above the latter, so as to be successively struck by the tyre of the
wheel.
The means which are preferably employed to ensure a good electrical contact
between the tyres of the wheels of the train and the plate B consist simply in
throwing up the edge a of this plate, as is clearly seen on Figure 4 of the annexed
drawings; in this manner the part a of the plate B, which forms the contact, always
remains in a good condition, and not covered by dust or other matter likely to
interfere with the good action of the apparatus.
The plate B may be placed between the rails and be depressed by the flange of the
wheels; in this case, the closing of the circuit would be made more certain by the
action of the contact maker, which will be hereafter explained.
In order to make use of the depression of the flexible plate B for the purpose of
closing the circuit, if it is found that the current does not flow through the tyre of the
wheels of the train, a bolt or pin of conducting metal-(K Figure 4)—is arranged on
the said plate. When the bolt is depressed, it comes in contact with an opposing
contact piece, communicating with the earth.
This second contact piece may consist simply of a pin similar to the first mentioned
pin K and fixed vertically opposite the latter on a support communicating with the
earth and supported by the lower leam or block aforesaid it may also have two
metallic strips hell between plates or washers of gutta percha, and placed so that the
pin, when depressed, will exert a fiction on them and so ren ler contact curtain.
Any equivalent arrangement may be employed with the same object.
In any case, the two contact pieces are enclosed in a sheath or tule of gutta percha
to protect them from moisture and dust.
The following special appliance for establishing contact, called “floating contael *
and shown in Figure 4, may be used with great advantage.
It consists of a cup L containing mercury, in which floats an iron ball M and, if
necessary, other small glass or metal balls; the pin K enters the top of this cup, from
which it is insulated by a washer of hard wood through which it passes. A flexible
sheath of gutia percha N surrounds the whole, as above mentioned.
When the plate is depressed, the pin K aforesaid strikes the iron ball M and closes
the circuit, the mercury being in electrical connection with the earth plate E by
means of a conducting wire (). The shock imparted by the pin causes all the floating
balls to vibrate violently and their action has the effect of keeping the contact surfaces
always clean, thus making the action of the apparatus more certain.
Owing to the electric currents which are thus eansed to flow through the line
wire D when the circuit is closed during the passage of a train, various kinds of
signals may be produced, and it is easily seen that not only can the position of the
train be determined at a distance, but by observing the duration of the signals and
the time occupied by the train in moving between two apparatus fixed at given points
or between the apparatus and the station, the speed of the train and the number of
carriages can be determined.
In cases where it is desirable for the electrical circuit to remain closed, and to
interrupt it only during the passage of a train over the apparatus, the metallic plute B
can not be employed alone, and the contact pin K. fixed to the said plate B is so
arranged that it will always remain in electrical contact with the opposing contact
piece from which it is only separated when the metallic plate B is depressed by the
passage of a train.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. In a system of electric train signalling for railways, the combination with a rail
such as A in communication with the earth, of a metallic insulated horizontal plate or
strip B in electrical communication with the line wire and elastically fixed to the
sleepers of the railroad so as to be struck during the passage of a train by the tyres of
the wheels which electrically connect the plate B aforesaid with the rail A, whereby
the circuit is closed, substantially as set forth.
2. In a system of electric train signalling for railways, the combination of the
flexible metallic plate B, the sides of which are bent downwards so as to avoid any
sudden shock when struck by the wheels during the passage of a train, and the
heams H and G coated with insulating material and separated from each other and
from the metallic plate aforesaid by gutta percha strips secured in place by bolts or
screws insulated from the plate B by means of washers of hard wood or other suitable
substance, substantially as set forth.
3. In a system of electric train signalling for railways, the combination with a
metallic plate B fixed elastically on the sleepers of the railroad, of a bolt or pin K of
conducting material attached to the said plate B, an opposing contact pin arranged in
the path of the pin K and a sheath or tube N surrounding the contact pin K aforesaid,
substantially as described.
L
4. In a system of electric train signalling for railways, a device for closing or
interrupting the electric circuit during the passage of a train, consisting of a cup
containing mercury in which float one or more metallic balls M, and into which
penetrates a conducting pin K insulated from the cup L aforesaid and attached to the
underside of the flexible metallic plate B, against which the wheels of the carriagos
strike, substantially as described.
Dated this 5th day of November 1889.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.