IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTRIC AND AUTOMATIC SIGNALLING APPARATUS FOR USE IN THE BLOCK SYSTEM, AND FOR PROTECTING LEVEL CROSSINGS ON RAILWAY AND TRAMWAY LINES."
Year: 1881

page_text: "
LETTERS PATENT to Ernest de Pass, of the Office for British and Foreign
Patents, 68, Fleet Street, in the City of London, Patent Agent, for an
Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTRIC AND AUTOMATIC SIGNALLING
APPARATUS FOR USE IN THE BLOCK SYSTEM, AND FOR PROTECTING LEVEL
CROSSINGS ON RAILWAY AND TRAMWAY LINES." A communication from
abroad by Hippolyte Leblanc and Eugène Victor Achille Loiseau, both of.
17, Boulevard Saint-Martin, Paris, France.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Ernest de Pass at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 8th March 1881.
56
ERNEST DE PASS, of the Office for British and Foreign Patents, 68, Fleet Street,
in the City of London, Patent Agent. IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTRIC AND
AUTOMATIC SIGNALLING APPARATUS FOR USE IN THE BLOCK SYSTEM, AND FOR
PROTECTING LEVEL CROSSINGS ON RAILWAY AND TRAMWAY LINES." A commu-
nication from abroad by. Hippolyte Leblanc and Eugène Victor Achille Loiseau,
both of 17, Boulevard Saint-Martin, Paris, France.
This Invention consists in the combination of various apparatus, which together
serve as a novel means for electric and automatic signalling for operating the signal
discs on railways, and especially those discs on Leblanc's system.
The said apparatus is capable of two different applications, first, to the block.
system, and second, to protecting level crossings (Leblanc's system).
In applying this Invention to signalling discs, one wing or arm of such disc is.
fixed upon the extremity of two bars connected together by a horizontal bar, said
bars having their centres of oscillation on two transverse bars which rest upon
supports forming part of a frame fixed above the signal disc. One of the first
mentioned bars is extended beyond its centre of oscillation for the attachment
thereto of a connecting rod, which is fixed upon the other wing or arm of the disc
in such manner that any movement imparted to the first wing or arm will be.
transmitted in an opposite direction to the second.
A contact bar fixed upon the horizontal bar comes into contact with one or
DC71

page_text: the other of two pairs of electro magnets when the current is passing through
either of these pairs.
Two catch bars, free to oscillate, serve for keeping the contact bar in position
when the current in the electro magnets, with which it has been in contact, ceases.
Two hook shaped pieces appertaining to the catch bars respectively bear upon two
soft iron bars the ends of which are mounted upon a centre of oscillation, and they
rest upon small supports.
An electric bell placed within the apparatus makes considerable noise during the
whole time that it remains open, that is to say, at " stop."
When this signal is opened by a pedal, hereinafter described, it renders visible a
large red board upon which any information may be inscribed.
According to this Invention also a current distributing apparatus constructed
as follows is used:-Upon a support is placed an electro magnet capable of
attracting an oscillating contact bar; at the upper part of this bar there is a pawl
which is in gear with the teeth of a ratchet wheel keyed upon an axle mounted in
two supports. Upon the said axle are mounted two discs provided with two
ratchet wheels made of gutta percha, ebonite, or other insulating material, and in
contact with two springs in such manner that when one of these springs bears
upon one of the teeth of one of the ratchet wheels, the other spring will bear upon
the disc corresponding thereto. The last mentioned springs are attached to two
supports with which the wires are connected, which communicate with the electro
magnets of the signal disc above described.
A spring bears against the axis of the pawl of the current distributor in such a
manner that when the current in the electro magnet of the distributor ceases, the
contact bar thereof is brought back to its first position, and the pawl causes the
ratchet wheel mounted on the same axis with the discs above described to rotate
one tooth, and consequently also the insulated ratchet wheels mounted on the same
axis.
By this movement the spring, which had been bearing on one of the teeth of the
one ratchet wheel of insulating material, bears against the disc corresponding
thereto, and the other spring which had been bearing against the second disc now
bears against one of the teeth of the second insulated ratchet wheel, and the
current therefore passes into the contrary electro-magnet.
This current distributor is placed in the interior of the signal apparatus, and is
especially of great importance in level crossing protectors for railways having a
single line. In such cases one protector apparatus is placed for each level crossing,
and there are two pedals and a single transmitting wire, and the pedal which causes
the opening for the up-train will cause the closing for the down train, and
vice versa.
When the pedals hereinafter described are to be placed at a very great distance
from the signal disc, a relay operated by the line battery is used, and a local
battery is provided to operate the disc.
The two apparatus above described are placed in communication by a wire with
a pedal which is actuated by a single wheel of the engine of a train, and of which
the following is a description:-
Between two small supports forming part of a bed plate a pedal is placed, its
centre of oscillation being an axle passing through supports. One end of the pedal
extends about two centimetres beyond the rail and terminates in a curved part,
and its other end is provided with a weight and bears upon a bellows fixed on
suitable supports so as to allow air to pass. This bellows is provided with lugs
carrying rollers, under which pass springs which raise the bellows immediately the
pedal leaves it.
A rod serves as a guide to prevent the pedal from moving to and fro.
When the pedal is in its position of rest it bears against a contact piece fixed at
one end to a support, and this contact piece when the pedal is depressed at the side
of the rail, and raised at the side at which are the bellows, touches a terminal in
such manner as to send the electric current into the signalling apparatus.

page_text: Now supposing that a train passes the place where the pedal is mounted, then
the first wheel of the train will depress the part of the pedal near the rail and will
cause the opposite part to be suddenly raised, the springs under the lugs on the
bellows will suddenly expand and the bellows will become filled with air. By
reason of the difference in weight of the two parts of the pedal, the one end being
weighted as aforesaid, the pedal tends to rise in the direction of the rail, but it will
do so to an imperceptible degree only, as it is supported by the bellows, which at
that time is inflated by air which escapes but slowly. It can by these means never
receive two shocks or concussions, as it can not pass the level of the rail before the
whole train passes whatever the length of the train may be.
A recording device forming part of this Invention consists of a dial provided
with an index needle or hand fixed on the arbor of a ratchet wheel, having as many
teeth as there are, say, kilometres or miles between the two stations, if a pedal is
to be placed at each kilometre or at each mile; each time a pedal is touched it will
actuate an electro magnet which will cause the hand on the dial to advance one
tooth, and this device thus indicates the distance travelled by the train, the
attention of the employées at the station being attracted by means of an electric
bell, which will be heard each time the hand advances. In applying this Invention
to the block system I proceed as follows:-Suppose there are three stations A, B,
and C; the stations A and C represent the termini of the line, and the station B
the intermediate station.
One signalling apparatus is placed in the station A, one in the station C, and two
in the station B, all outside, that is to say, upon the platform, so that they may be
seen and heard by all the officials and even by the public.
When station A desires to dispatch a train to station B, the official entrusted
with this duty will give warning to the station B, by bearing with his hand during
a few seconds upon the stud of an electric bell arrangement provided at the station
for this purpose. At this moment the apparatus in station B will open, and
indicate to the officials by means of its large red board and electric bell that a
train has been sent off to it by station A. On the other hand this latter station
will be perfectly blocked upon producing its signal, provided that by a contact
arranged in the apparatus a bell be rung in return to apprise it thereof. This
double signal at the departure and arrival stations will remain, and will be
destroyed by the train at a predetermined point only.
All the stations will proceed in like manner, and the train will therefore travel
between two signals, which will thus obviate all error or confusion, and consequently
all accidents:
Independently of the signal disc and its return bell, the stations will be enabled
to know, by means of the recording device hereinabove mentioned, at what distance
between the two stations the train is.
For the level crossings of single-line railways the Invention is applied by placing
a single signal apparatus at the crossing, and two pedals at, say, about 1500 metres.
As soon as one of these pedals is touched by a train the apparatus opens and
warns the public by exhibiting a suitable signal that it is forbidden to cross the
line, and also by means of its bell ringing loudly during the whole of the time the
apparatus is open. This double signal will at once cease when the second pedal is
touched by the train.
For the level crossings of double line railways two signalling apparatus are
placed, having each two pedals, one for opening and the other for closing. That
for closing is placed at a few metres distance only from the level crossing.
The signal disc may be illuminated at night by a lamp or a gas burner.
The apparatus above described may be used together or separately, for producing
the signals required on a railway or tramway line, and their construction may be
varied in details without departing from the nature of the Invention.
$

page_text: Figure 1 represents in elevation the apparatus to which is fixed one wing or arm
of the signal disc, not shewn in the Drawings.
Figure 2 is a plan thereof.
One of the wings or arms of the disc is fixed at the extremity of two bars A, A',
connected together by a horizontal bar B, said bars having their centres of
oscillation a, a, on two transverse bars a, a, which rest upon four supports b, b, b, b,
forming part of a frame C fixed to the top of the signal disc. The bar A is
extended beyond its centre of oscillation a for the attachınent thereto of a con-
necting rod c (Fig. 1), which is fixed on the other wing or arm of the disc, so
that any movement imparted to the first wing or arm will be transmitted in an
opposite direction to the second.
A bar D fixed upon the horizontal bar B is brought into contact with one or the
other of two pairs of electro magnets E, E, E¹, E', when the current is passing
through either of these pairs.
Two catch bars F, F', free to move around a point of oscillation d, serve to keep
the contact bar D in position when the current in the electro magnets with which
.it has been in contact ceases; ff, are two hookshaped pieces belonging respectively
to the bars F, F', they bear upon two soft iron bars G, G, the ends of which
are mounted upon a centre of oscillation g, and they rest upon two small
,supports h, h¹.
An electric bell placed within the apparatus makes considerable noise during the
whole time that it remains open, that is to say, at "stop."
When this signal is opened by a pedal, hereinafter described, it renders a large
.red board visible, on which any information may be inscribed in large letters.
Figures 3 and 4 shew in elevation and in plan a small apparatus termed "current
distributor."
H is a support upon which is placed an electro magnet I, I, capable of attracting
a contact bar K oscillating around a point k.

page_text: At the upper part of the bar K there is a pawl L, the end of which is in
gear with the teeth of a ratchet wheel t keyed upon an axle t¹ mounted in two
supports M.
Upon this axle are mounted two discs N, N¹, provided with two ratchet
wheels m, m², made of gutta percha, ebonite, or other insulating material, and in
contact with two springs n, n³, in such a manner that when the spring n bears
upon one of the teeth of the wheel m, the spring n¹ will bear upon the
disc N¹.
The springs n and n¹ are attached to two supports o, o¹, to which the wires
communicating with the electro magnets E, E, E¹, E', of the signal disc above
described under No. 1 are connected.
A spring p bears against the axis of the pawl L in such a manner that when the
current in the electro magnet I, I, ceases, the contact bar K is brought back to its
first position, and the pawl L causes the ratchet wheel to move one tooth, and
consequently also the insulated ratchet wheels m, m', mounted on the same axis.
By this movement the spring n which had been bearing on one of the teeth of
the ratchet wheel m bears against the disc N, and the other spring n¹ which had
been bearing against the disc N¹ now bears against one of the teeth of the ratchet
wheel m', and the current therefore passes into the contrary electro magnet.
This curren distributor is placed in the interior of the signal apparatus, and is
of great importance, especially in level crossing protectors for single line railways.
In such cases only one protector apparatus is placed for each level crossing, and
there are only two pedals and a single transmitting wire. By means of these two
pedals the trains going up and down will open and close the protector, or in other
words the pedal which causes the opening for the up train will cause the closing
for the down train, and vice-versa.
If the pedals hereinafter described are placed at a very great distance from the
signal disc a relay operated by the line battery is used, and a local battery is
provided to operate the disc.
The two apparatus above described are placed in communication by a wire with
a pedal which is actuated by a single wheel of the engine of a train, and of which
the following is a description:-
Figure 5 shews in elevation the pedal before the passing of a train.
Figure 6 is a plan, and
Figure 7 indicates the position of the pedal when the first wheel of the train
has touched it.
Between the two small supports q forming part of a bed plate o a pedal P is
placed whose centre of oscillation is the axle r which passes through the supports q.
The end 8 extends about two centimeters above the rail, and terminates in a curved
part indicated in Figure 5, and the end 8' provided with a weight s" bears upon a
bellows Q fixed on supports q', q¹, so as to allow air to pass. This bellows is
provided with lugs tt, tt, carrying rollers u, u, under which pass springs u', u',
which raise it immediately the pedal leaves it. x is a rod which serves as a
guide to prevent the pedal from moving to and fro.
When the pedal is in the position shewn in Figure 5 it bears against a contact
piece y fixed at one end to a support y¹, and this contact piece when the pedal
is depressed at the side of the rail and raised at the side of the bellows touches a
terminal y in such manner as to send the electric current into the signalling
apparatus.
Now supposing that a train passes the place where the pedal is mounted, then
the first wheel of the train will depress the part r, s, and will cause the opposite
part r, s, to suddenly rise, the springs u, u¹, will suddenly expand, and the bellows
will become filled with air, and the apparatus will assume the position indicated in
Figure 7.
By reason of the difference in weight between the part r, s, and the part r, 8¹,
the pedal tends to rise on the side of the rail, but it only does so to an imperceptible
degree, as it is supported on the sider, s¹, by the bellows, which at this time is inflated

page_text: with air which escapes but very slowly. By these means it can never receive two
shocks or concussions, as it cannot pass the level of the rail by reason of the
. slowness with which it rises before the whole train passes, whatever the length of
the same.
Figure 8 represents a recording device which consists of a dial R provided with
an index pointer or hand S fixed on the arbor of a ratchet wheel T having as
many teeth as there are kilometres or miles between the two stations. If a pedal
be placed at each kilometer or at each mile, each time such pedal is touched it will
actuate an electro magnet U which will cause the hand S to advance one tooth,
and to indicate the distance travelled by the train, the attention of the officials at
the station being attracted by means of an electric bell which is heard each time
the hand advances.
For the purpose of description suppose A, B, and C to be three stations.
The stations A and C represent the termini of the line, and the station B an
intermediate station.
One signalling apparatus is placed at the station A, one at the station C,
and two at the station B, all outside, that is to say, upon the departure platform,
so that they may be seen and heard by all the officials and even by the public.
When station A desires to dispatch a train to station B, the official entrusted with
this duty must give warning to station B by bearing with his hand for a few
seconds upon the stud of an electric bell arrangement provided at the station for
this purpose. At this moment the apparatus in station B will open and indicate
to the officials by means of its large red board and its electric bell that a
train has been sent off to it from station A. On the other hand, this latter
station will be perfectly blocked upon producing its signal, provided that by a
contact arranged in the apparatus a bell be rung in return to apprise it thereof.
This double signal at the departure and arrival stations will remain and will only
be destroyed by the train at a predetermined point.
All the stations will proceed in like manner, and the train will therefore travel
between two signals, which will thus obviate all error or confusion, and consequently
all accident.
Independently of the signal disc and its return bell the stations will be enabled to
know by means of the recording device hereinabove mentioned at what distance
the train is between the two stations.
3rd. APPLICATION TO LEVEL CROSSINGS.
For the level crossings of single line railways a single signal apparatus is placed
at the crossing, and two pedals at, say, about 1500 metres. As soon as one of
these pedals is touched by a train travelling in either direction the apparatus will
open and warn the public that it is forbidden to cross the line, and that by means
of its large red board, upon which will be written in large letters "Forbidden to
Cross the Line," and also by means of its bell ringing loudly during the whole
time it is open.
This double signal will at once cease when the second pedal is
touched by the train.
For the level crossings of double line railways two signalling apparatus are
placed, having each two pedals, one for opening, and the other for closing. That
for closing is placed only at a few metres distance from the level crossing.
The signal disc may be illuminated at night by a lamp, or by a gas burner, or
by other means.
The apparatus above described may be used together or separately for producing
the signals required on a railway or tramway line, and their construction may be
varied in details without departing from the nature of the Invention.

page_text: Having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same may be carried into effect, I declare that I claim,-
First. The improved construction of electric and automatic signalling apparatus
for use on railway and tramway lines, the said apparatus operating by means of a
pedal combined, with apparatus for electrical communication for actuating a signal
disc and leaving the same uncovered for a time longer than required for avoiding
all danger, substantially in the manner herein described and illustrated in the
Drawings.
Second. The application to signal discs of an intermediary apparatus constructed
and combined in such manner that only one pedal and one wire are required for
changing the direction of the current, in the manner above described and illustrated
in Figs. 3 and 4 of the annexed Drawings.
Third. The new construction of pedals, as herein described and illustrated in
Figures 5, 5, 6, and 7 of the annexed Drawings.
Fourth. The combination of the improved pedal with the current distributing
apparatus, and the apparatus carrying the wings or arms of the signal dises,
arranged and operating in the manner herein described and for the purpose set
forth.
Fifth. The combination of the pedal with a recording device, as above described,
and as shewn in Figure 8 of the annexed Drawings.
Sixth. The combination of the pedal with the recording device and the apparatus
operating the wings or arms of the signal disc for application to the block system,
as described and shewn, by way of example, in the annexed Drawings.
Seventh. The application of this construction to signal discs of level crossings,
as bereinabove indicated and for the purpose set forth.
Eighth. The special arrangements of apparatus herein described and illustrated
in the annexed Drawings, and the use of such apparatus either in combination
with each other or separately.
In witness whereof, I, the said Ernest de Pass, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Thirty first day of August, in the year 1881.