IMPROVED MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR LIGHTING RAILWAY AND OTHER SIGNAL LANTERNS BY ELECTRICITY
Year: 1885

page_text: I, JAMES EDWARD HENRY GORDON of 28 Collingham Place Kensington in the
County of Middlesex Electrical Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my
invention for "IMPROVED MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR LIGHTING RAILWAY AND
OTHER SIGNAL LANTERNS BY ELECTRICITY" and in what manner the same is to
be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
:
My Invention consists of improved means or apparatus for lighting the lamps of
railway signals by incandescent electric lamps.
In order to guard against the light in such a signal lantern being extinguished
for an appreciable time means must be provided for instantly indicating the
extinction of a lamp and for immediately relighting the lantern by means of a
spare lamp.
For this purpose I arrange that in each lantern there shall be two lamps which
lamps are preferably on different circuits supplied from different dynamo's or groups
of dynamos or other sources of electricity.
A switch is provided in the cabin from which the signal to be lighted is controlled
such that either lamp can be lighted as desired or both can be extinguished (as in
the daytime) but that both cannot be lighted at once.
In the event of the lamp which is burning going out-either for instance by the
breaking of its filament or by the stoppage of its supply of electricity or otherwise
the switch handle can be instantly put over so as to light the other lamp while if
the first lamp is broken a new one can be substituted for it at leisure.
In order that the signalman may know if any lamp has gone out I arrange that
in such an event a bell rings in the cabin and an indicator shews which lantern is
in fault. This bell goes on ringing until the switch is put over and the spare lamp
lighted.
At the same time a bell rings in the engine room and an indicator shows at
which cabin the accident has occurred.-This bell goes on ringing until the lamp-
man arrives at the cabin with a spare lamp. A further arrangement is provided
such that when the lamp is switched out on purpose the bells do not ring.
D

page_text: The annexed diagram and drawings show the method of carrying out the
invention.
The diagram gives the general scheme of connections and shows the various
pieces of apparatus in outline and the drawings show the apparatus in detail.
It will be seen that the apparatus consists partly of new apparatus and partly of 5
old apparatus used in new combinations with the new apparatus.
old apparatus used in new combinations with the new apparatus.
EXPLANATION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a general diagram of connections.
XX represent portions of the two conductors of one electric main and Y Y two
conductors of a second electric main, but both lamps might be connected to one set
of mains if two are not available.
The branch connections from these mains with the electric lamps and the other
parts of the apparatus are clearly shewn by the diagram.
A represents a signal lantern with two lamps a in it.
B represents the part of the apparatus which is in the signal cabin and
.C represents that part which is in the engine room.
The thick lines represent electric light wires, the fine lines, bell wires.
b which is also shewn 'in 'Figure 2 consists of two 'small solenoids m, m¹ (see
Figure 2) in series with the two lamps a respectively.
When either lamp is burning the solenoid connected to it sucks into it one of the
iron cores n, n¹, (Figure 2).
The bell current has to pass from one of the studs, 001 Figure 2 to the other
and this it cannot do if either of the solenoids has a lamp current passing through
it. The cores are acted on by a spring as shown or otherwise which tends to
withdraw them from the coils. The contact over one core being always closed the
extinction of the lamp connected with the other solenoid allows the second core to
rise and completes the circuit of a small battery through the bell e and through an
indicator d.
"
The indicator is of the usual type which is used with domestic electric bells to
shew from what place or room the call has come.
In the cabin there are as many switches and pairs of solenoids as there are
signal lanterns controlled from it and there are the same number of discs in the
indicator.
The solenoid apparatus may be made of the dimensions shown in Figure 2 and
may have each solenoid wound with 8 layers of wire 022 inch diameter. With
such solenoids I find that with a 120 volt Swan lamp and 25 candles .having an
efficiency of about 210 candles per horse power worked by an alternating current
the solenoid absorbs about 3/4 of a volt reducing the electro motive force at the
lamp to 119 volts not enough to sensibly reduce the light.
The dimensions and quantity and gauge of wire are given to shew one useful
form of the apparatus and not as being the only useful ones that can be
employed.
When alternating currents are used I preferably use cores of thin sheet iron rolled
with a sheet of paper so that a cross section at right angles to the axis would show
a spiral line. These cores are not claimed as new.
The switches are numbered correspondingly with the discs and on for instance
the bell ringing and N° 6 disc coming up it shows that N° 6 lantern is out, and
N° 6 switch must be put over to relight it-on the switch being put over and the
spare lamp lighted the second core is drawn down and the bell stops.
C Figure 1 and Figure 3 shows the switch.
•
It consists of a case of wood or other insulating material in which are two pair
of brass blocks a bab Figure 3. These blocks respectively interrupt the circuits
of the two lamps. e is a metal bar pivotted at the centre g. If it is pushed to the
right it makes contact between the pieces a and b and lights one lamp, while if

page_text: pushed to the left it lights the other. When it is in the centre both are extin-
guished. The pivot g works easily so that when not pushed either way the weight
of the handle h keeps the bar central.
An insulating piece f is let into the bare and at the top'are another pair of
contact pieces by which the arc c is put into contact with either d or d¹ according
to the position of the bar e. These interrupt the bell circuit their use will be
explained below. The various blocks are so placed that the lamp circuit is closed
just before the bell circuit.
4
On tracing the connections in Figure 1 it will be seen that when the switch is on
and either lamp burning the bell circuit is interrupted at the contact above the
corresponding solenoid.
In case of the lamp going out the core of the solenoid rises and completes the
circuit and the bell rings and the indicator shows which pair of solenoids has closed
the circuit i.e. in which lantern a lamp is out. On the switch being put over and
the spare lamp lighted the other core is drawn down the bell circuit is interrupted
and the bell stops. The indicator however remains on for the information of the
lamp man until reset by him.
In case the lamp is purposely extinguished by the switch both cores rise and
make contact but the bell circuit is then interrupted by the blocks in the upper
part of the switch and so the bell does not ring.
In order to convey information to the engine room that a new lamp is wanted
the apparatus shewn in Figure 4 is used or some modification of it. This apparatus
is not in itself new as it is in use for other purposes. It is placed in the cabin and
the magnet a a is in series or in parallel circuit with the bell.
When the bell rings the magnet aa attracts its armature b and allows the
lever c to fall and make contact with the stud d and it will remain in contact till
raised by pushing the stud e, or the magnet may be dispensed with and the contact
lever c dropped by the action of the hammer of the bell in the signal cabin. This
rings the bell in the engine room and brings up an indicator showing from which
cabin the call has come. In order that the signalman may see that the call has
gone to the engine room the indicator fis placed in series or in parallel circuit with
the engine room bell..
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
1. The use in railway signal lanterns of two incandescent electric lamps controlled
by a switch such that either can be lighted at will or both extinguished but that
both cannot be lighted at once..
2. The use in connection with the lighting of railway signals by a lantern
containing a pair of incandescent electric lamps of a four way switch formed
substantially as described and illustrated in Figure 3.
3. The use in connection with the lighting of railway signals by a lantern
containing a pair of incandescent electric lamps of switch mechanism by which
either one or other but not both of the lamps can be lighted together with electric
signal apparatus in the signalman's cabin to give notice of the extinction of the
lighted lamp either with or without further mechanism for also giving notice in the
engine room or other central office of the extinction of the lamp substantially as
described.
•
4. The use in connection with the lighting of railway signals by a lantern
containing a pair of incandescent electric lamps of the arrangement of two solenoids
and contact pieces substantially as described and illustrated in Figure 2.
5. The combination of apparatus substantially as herein before described and
illustrated in the drawings for lighting the signal lanterns of railway signals by
incandescent electric lamps and for giving warning in the signalinan's cabin should
a lamp fail,

page_text: 6. The combination of apparatus substantially as herein before described and
illustrated in the drawings for lighting the signal lanterns of railway signals by
incandescent electric lamps and for giving warning in the signalman's cabin should
a lamp fail and also in addition in the engine room or other central office.
Dated thi 17th 100K