Improvements in Apparatus for Signalling to and Communicating with the Passengers of a Railway Train from the Locomotive.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Sept., 1895-Accepted, 2nd Nov., 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Signalling to and Communicating
with the Passengers of a Railway Train from the Locomotive.
I, THOMAS RICHARD SHILLITO. of 89 Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Engineer
and Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention, a communication
to me from abroad by Max Zvee Levy, of Kansas City, Jackson County,
Missouri, U.S.A., Merchant, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to
be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
The apparatus of this invention is shewn in the accompanying drawing,
Fig. 1 being a side elevation of a train provided therewith.
Fig. 2 a diagrammatic view of the apparatus.
Fig. 3 a vertical longitudinal sectional view of a casing located beneath the floor
of the cab of the locomotive and containing a battery and switch mechanism.
Fig. 4 an inverted plan view of the removable platform and the contact plate
thereof carried by the switch mechanism and shewing the casing in section.
Fig. 5 a vertical section of a portion of the front end of a railway carriage,
a box, and the signalling apparatus carried therein, and the apparatus for con-
trolling the door of the box.
Fig. 6 a vertical sectional view of the conduit for the electric conductor.
Fig. 7 a longitudinal sectional view of a portion of the cab floor and the casing
beneath it, and shewing a modified form of switch mechanisin, and
Fig. 8 is a vertical sectional view shewing a still further modification for making
and breaking the circuit.
1 is the engine, 2 the tender and 3 the passenger or freight carriages of a train.
4 a pair of pipes or conduits secured to the underside of the carriages and tender,
and extending through and insulated from said conduits are electric conductors or
wires 5, 6. These conduits, of course, may be located upon or in any other
suitable part of the carriage, or, if found desirable, they may be entirely dispensed
with, and wires insulated in the ordinary manner used in lieu thereof. 7 is a box
or casing, which is secured to the under side of the floor of the engine cab and the
upper side of this box or casing is open, and surrounds an opening on the floor of
the cab. An electric battery 8 is located within said casing, and the front end of
the conductor 6 leads to the negative pole thereof. 9 is a platform, which fits
within the opening in the floor of the cab, and this platform is supported by
vertically arranged springs 10, which are supported, in turn, by brackets 11,
secured to the casing in any suitable manner. To prevent the springs 10, which
exert an upward pressure, from forcing the platform above the level of the floor of
the cab, the corresponding margins of said platform, and opening in which it fits,
are stepped, as shewn at 9º. Secured to the under side and center of this platform,
is a metallic plate 12, to which is connected the front end of conductor 5.
Arranged a slight distance from, and vertically beneath the metallic plate 12, is a
similar plate 13, which is supported by and insulated from the brackets 11, and
this plate 13, is connected through the medium of the wire 5 with a positive pole
of the battery. Secured to the rear side of the casing 7, and also to the opposite
ends of the pipes or conduits 4 of each carriage is a, casting provided with a
spherical head 14, and each of these spherical heads is detachably clasped by a
flexible tube 15, and certain of these flexible tubes carry spring clasps 16, provided
or formed with recesses 17, whieh engage or clasp the correspondingly shaped
heads of the links 18, carried by the adjacent ends of the flexible tubes, 15 of the
next or adjacent carriage, and at the rear end of the last carriage a metallic

page_text: Strip 19 connects the conductors or wires 5 and 6. This strip 19 is, of course,
detachable, so as to allow for a greater or less number of carriages in the train.
By this construction, it will be apparent that should the train part for any reason,
the spring clasp 16 will yield and allow the correspondingly shaped heads 18,
engaging the recesses 17, to be withdrawn, thus breaking the circuit without
injuring or destroying the electric conductors 5 and 6 because when the separated
portions of the train are again brought together the heads 18 can be resecured in
position, and the electric conductors will then be in operative position, and ready
for action.
From the construction just described, it will be apparent that by depressing the
platform 9 sufficiently to cause contact between the plates 12 and 13, the electric
circuit will be completed, and in order that the completion of this circuit may be
utilised to communicate with the passengers and employés on the train, the
following construction is provided. A box 20 is secured vertically in any con-
spicuous position at the end of each carriage and the guards van, preferably above
the door, and normally closing the upper and open end of said box, and adapted to
open upward by reason of the pressure of springs 21, bearing against its under
side, is the hinged door 22; said springs being secured to the box in any suitable
or preferred manner. The door, near its lower and front margin, is provided with
a depending metallic loop 23, which is engaged when the door is closed by the bolt
or arm 24 of an armature lever 25; said armature being held yieldingly away
from the poles of the electro magnet 26, by the spring 27, which is secured at its
opposite end to the box, as shewn, and this spring, when the circuit is broken, is
prevented from moving the armature lever beyond the influence of the magnet by
the standard to stop 28. Secured in the box, is an electro magnet 29, and held
yieldingly away from the poles of said magnet by the spring 30, is the armature 31,
which is limited in its outward movement by the metallic standards 32 and 33. The
wire or conductor 6, extending rearward from the battery, is electrically connected
to the magnet 26, and from said magnet leads to the metallic post 32, thence, when
the circuit is completed, the current passes through the armature 31 and the post 33,
to the electro magnet 29, and from said magnet the wire extends rearwardly, as
clearly shewn in Figs. 2 and 5. Carried by the armature 31, is a bell clapper 34,
which is adapted, by contact with the bell 35, to sound the alarm simultaneously
with the opening of the trap doors. The door of each box has printed upon its
under side, in bold characters so as to be readily observed any suitable notification
or alarm signal and these words, when the doors are elevated to their vertical
position, as shewn in dotted lines Fig. 5, are presented toward the passengers.
From the foregoing, it will be apparent that immediately the platform 9 is
depressed, and contact made between the plates 12 and 13, the circuit will be
completed to energize the electro magnets 26 and 29 respectively, the attraction of
the armatures 25 will withdraw the bolts 24 from the loops 23, and allow the
springs 21 to force the doors 22 to the position shewn in dotted lines, Fig. 5, and
the energization of the magnets 29, attracting their armatures 31, breaks the
circuit, and causes the clapper to come in contact with the bell and sound the
alarm. Immediately the armatures 31 are attracted by the electro magnets 29,
circuit is broken, because the armatures form a part of the conductor 6, and
immediately this takes place the springs 30 retract the armatures, and pull the
clapper from the bell until said armatures again contact with the posts 32 and 33.
Immediately this takes place, the circuit is again completed, the armatures
attracted and the bell sounded. It will be observed, from this operation, that as
long as the platform 9 is depressed, the alternate making and breaking of the
circuit by the vibration of the armature 31 will cause a continuous alarm, so that
the attention of the passengers will be attracted immediately to the front end of
the carriage, when they will see the notification.
In order to prevent the accidental completion of the circuit, which would cause
endless annoyance and trouble to the passengers by sounding the alarm and opening
the doors 22, I provide devices the preferred one of which I will now proceed to

page_text: describe. A metallic frame comprises the approximately U shaped portion 36 ;
the transversely extending portion 37, which connects the front ends of the arms
of the shaped portion, and projects laterally beyond said arms; the longi-
tudinally extending and parallel bolts 38, at the opposite ends of the portion 37 ;
the longitudinal arm 39, projecting forwardly from the middle of the transverse
portion 37; and the longitudinally extending arm 40, projecting rearwardly from
the middle of the bridge of the U shaped portion 36. This frame is arranged
against the under side of the platform 9, and the bolts 38 extend through the
guide loops 41, depending from the under side of said platform. A pair of
bolts 42 are pivotally connected to the under side of the platform 9, and, extending
transversely thereof, have their slotted inner ends pivotally mounted on the pin or
bolt 44, carried at the rear end of the arm 40, and these pivotal bolts, outward at
their pivotal point 43, are bent rearwardly at right angles, as shewn at 45, and have
their free ends engaging and resting upon the clips or catches 46, secured to the
bottom of the cab, and adjacent to the rear margin of the platform 9. When
these plates are engaged with the clips or catches 46, the forward ends of the
bolts 38 of the frame, engage the loops or catches 47, depending from the inner
side of the floor of the cab adjacent to the front margin of said platform. The
forward end of the arm 39 of said frame is pivotally mounted upon a bolt or
pin 48, which passes through longitudinal slot 49 of a lever 50, projecting upwardly
through a slot in the floor of the cab, and adapted to operate in a vertical plane.
This lever is pivotally mounted at its lower end at 51, upon a bracket 52, carried
by the casing 7. From this construction, it will be apparent that when the bolts 38
and 42 engage and rest upon the catches 47, and the clips or catches 46, respectively,
the engineer or fireman may step or stand upon the platform 9, without any
possibility of completing the circuit and alarming the passengers, but by operating
the lever 50 in the direction indicated by the arrow, Fig. 3, the frame is moved
bodily to the position shewn in dotted lines, Fig. 4, and withdraws its bolts 38
from engagement with the catches 47. The movement of the frame also, and
simultaneously, causes the pivotal operation of the bolts 42, to the position shewn
in dotted lines in the same figure, so that they shall be disengaged from the clips
or catches 46, and so that the springs 10, alone, shall support the frame 9, in
its elevated position. By now stepping on and depressing the platform 9, it will
be apparent that the plate 12 will contact with the plate 13 and complete the
circuit, which causes the elevation of the doors 22, and the sounding of the alarm
to attract the attention of the passengers and guard to the elevated doors.
Referring to the modification shewn in Fig. 7, 53 is a pivoted switch plate, which
is electrically connected at all times through the wire 5*, with the positive pole of
the battery, and this switch plate is adapted to be thrown into or out of contact
with that portion of the conductor 5 which leads directly to the lower contact
plate 13.
When the switch is not in contact with said portion of the wire, the
platform 9, which in this instance is supported entirely by the springs 10, may be
depressed at pleasure without completing the circuit, so that the engineer and
fireman are free at all times to move about in the cab without any possibility of
falsely alarming the passengers by the completion of the circuit. This is the
normal position of the switch. When the engineer and fireman desire to be
prepared to notify or signal to the passengers, they move the switch 53 to the
position shewn in Fig. 7, so that by the depression of the platform the circuit will
be completed and the passengers notified.
In Fig. 8, I shew a still further modification. In this instance I dispense
entirely with the movable platform 9, and substitute therefor a bell crank
lever 54, which is pivotally mounted at 55, upon a bracket depending from the
bottom of the cab, and the lower arm of this lever pivotally carries the upper
contact 12. It will be apparent that by operating the lever in the direction of the
arrow Fig. 8, the upper plate 12 will be moved downwardly and contact with
the plate 13, so as to complete the circuit and notify the passengers and guard
in the way desired.

page_text: Referring to Fig. 8, it will be apparent that the proper manipulation of the
lever 54, alone is necessary to complete the circuit, there being no preliminary
operation to be gone through previous to the throw of the lever.
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 apparatus for the purpose referred to, the combination with a vertically
movable platform in the engine cab, catches depending from the floor of the cab,
and a sliding frame carried by and normally supporting the movable platform in its
raised position by engaging the said catches, of spring pressed doore, and bell,
located in the various carriages, electro magnets adjacent to said doors and bells,
electrical conductors, and means to operate the sliding frame and disengaging the
same from said catches, allow said platform to move downward, and thereby cause
the completion of an electrical circuit to energize the electro magnets to allow the
doors to operate, and to sound the alarm, substantially as set forth.
2. In apparatus for the purpose referred to, the combination of an electrical
circuit, a plate, a vertically movable platform located in the floor of the engine
cab, and carrying a second plate above the first mentioned plate, said plates being
located in the electrical circuit, with springs supporting said platform so that said
plates shall be out of contact, clips or catches depending from, and carried by the
floor of the cab adjacent to the margin of the opening in which the movable
platform fits, a slidable frame carried at the lower side of said platform, and having
holt portions suitably guided, engaging the catches depending from the floor of the
cab at one end of the opening, angle bolts pivotally carried at the under side of the
movable platform and engaging the clips or catches at the opposite end of said
opening, and pivotally connected at their opposite ends to the rear end of the
slidable frame, and means to move said frame bodily rearward so as to unlock the
platform, substantially as set forth.
3. In apparatus for the purpose referred to, the combination of an electrical
circuit a plate, a vertically movable platform located in the floor of the engine cab,
and carrying a second plate above the first mentioned plate, said plates being
located in the electrical circuit, with springs supporting said platform so that said
plates shall be out of contact, clips or catches depending from and carried by the
Hoor of the cab adjacent to the margin of the opening in which the movable
platform fits, a suitable frame carried at the lower side of said platform, and having
bolt portions, suitably guided, engaging the catches depending from the floor of the
cab at one end of the opening, angle bolts pivotally carried at the under side of the
movable platform and engaging the clips or catches at the opposite end of said
opening, and pivotally connected at their opposite ends to the rear end of the
slidable frame, a bracket, a lever projecting vertically through an opening in the
floor of the cab and carried by said bracket, and an arm projecting from the front
end of the slidable frame and pivotally connected to said lever above its fulcrum
point, substantially as set forth.
Dated this 28th day of September 1895.
THOMAS R. SHILLITO,
89 Chancery Lane, London, W.C.