Improvements in the Arrangements for Lighting and, or, Braking Railway Vehicles Electrically.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Jan., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 29th Apr., 1889-Accepted, 15th June, 1889
Improvements in the Arrangements for Lighting and, or, Braking
Railway Vehicles Electrically.
I ILLUIS AUGUSTUS TIMMIS of No. 2 Great George Street, Westminster, London
S.W. Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
:-
The objects of my Invention are
(1) To economise the electric current.
(2) To make the lighting automatic on the breaking away of a vehicle.
(3) To make the breaking automatic on the breaking away of a vehicle.
(4) To keep both lighting and braking under the control of the Guard or authorised
official.
With these objects in view I place a battery of accumulators in the Guard's Van
(or a separate vehicle) of a Train and connect this Battery with every vehicle
through the Train by means of leads (called the main leads) and couplers.
In every vehicle is a lighting circuit with the lamps in the circuit in parallel arc-
these lighting circuits (or leads) are connected with the main leads.
1
Then in each vehicle I place an auxiliary battery and from the battery I take leads
(called the auxiliary leads) one connected to the main lead and hence to the
lighting lead and the other joins the auxiliary + lead and is taken to the couplers at
either end of the vehicle and when the Train is coupled and complete the auxiliary
Battery circuits are not complete but the lighting is effected from the main battery
throughout the Train and is of course under the control of the Guard or other
official to turn the lights in or out as he pleases by means of a suitable switch and
the auxiliary batteries have no electric connection with the main or the lighting
circuits but if a pair of couplers between any vehicle are separated a spring contact
in the couplers couples the main and auxiliary + contact pieces in the couplers and
then the auxiliary leads become connected electrically with the main and consequently
with the lighting leads and circuits and any vehicles that are detached from a Train
light up automatically by means of the auxiliary batteries and at the same time the
auxiliary leads in the other part of the Train are also electrically connected with the
main and hence with the lighting circuits.
I carry the leads or wires through from one vehicle to another by means of special
couplers.
The contact pieces are placed vertically one over the other so that all couplers are
interchangeable and the couplers on any two ends of any two vehicles will always
join together.
But in addition to the contact pieces which represent the different leads say
main +, auxiliary +, and main -, which run through the train I put in each
coupler a spring contact piece which acts thus.
If a pair of couplers are separated this spring contact piece makes a junction
between the main + and auxiliary + and by this means the lighting circuit is
connected to the auxiliary batteries and thus if a pair of couplers are separated the
Lighting circuit remains closed if closed and closes automatically if not already
closed.
By another arrangement I put a compound switch (or more than one switch) in
the Guards Van or special vehicle which enables the Guard to make or break
connection between the Dynamo and the main + lead and also the auxiliary + lead
and also the battery in the Guard's van. By this means the Battery in the Guard's
van may be worked and charged by itself or the whole of the Batteries in the Train
may be used together to light the lamps in their respective vehicles and. be used
Price 81

page_text: and charged under the control of the Guard and at the same time automaticity is
ecured in lighting on the separation of a pair of couplers.
In case I fit an electric brake without the electric light I use a large Battery in
the Guard's van to work the brake under the control of the Guard with an adjustable
resistance switch and local batteries in each vehicle with an auxiliary + lead through
the train and special couplers as described above for the purpose of putting on the
brake automatically in the event of the separation of a pair of couplers.
The end coupler of a Train and any coupler that is not required to make junction
between any two contact pieces is put on a Dummy rest or stand-this enables me
to deal with vehicles that are shunted or slipped.
In case I fit both the electric light and electric brake to a Train I use either of
the arrangements for electric lighting described above in conjunction with the Brake
arrangements above described and in this case I use special switches in the Guard's
van and main + and leads, auxiliary lighting and + auxiliary braking leads
and also if required a + communication circuit lead.
The arrangements I claim as new are the special couplers and special arrangements
for controlling the lighting and or braking current.
Dated this Third day of January 1889.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Arrangements for Lighting and, or, Braking
Railway Vehicles Electrically.
1 ILLUIS AUGUSTUS TIMMIS of No. 2 Great George Street Westminster, London
S.W. 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 :-
The objects of my Invention are
:-
(1) To economise the electric current.
(2) To make the lighting automatic on the breaking away of a vehicle.
(3) To make the braking automatic on the breaking away of a vehicle.
(4) To keep both lighting and braking under the control of the Guard or authorised
Official.
With these objects in view I place a battery of accumulators in the Guard's Van
(or a separate vehicle) of a train and connect this battery with every vehicle through
the train by means of leads (called the main leads) and couplers.
In every vehicle is a lighting circuit with the lamps in the circuit in parallel arc-
these lighting circuits (or leads) are connected with the main leads.
-
-
Then in each vehicle I place an auxiliary battery and from the battery I take leads
(called the auxiliary leads) one connected to the main lead and hence to the
lighting lead and the other joins the auxiliary + lead and is taken to the couplers
at either end of the vehicle and when the train is coupled and complete the auxiliary
battery circuits are not complete but the lighting is effected from the main battery
throughout the train and is of course under the control of the Guard or other official
to turn the lights in or out as he pleases by means of a suitable switch and the
auxiliary batteries have no electric connection with the main or the lighting circuits
but if a pair of couplers between any vehicle are separated a spring contact in the
couplers couples the main and auxiliary + contact pieces in the couplers and then
the auxiliary leads become connected electrically with the main and consequently with
the lighting leads and circuits and any vehicles that are detached from a train light
up automatically by means of the auxiliary batteries and at the same time the
auxiliary leads in the other part of the train are also electrically connected with the
main and hence with the lighting circuits.
I carry the leads or wires through from one vehicle to another by means of special
couplers.

page_text: The contact pieces are placed vertically one over the other so that all couplers
are interchangeable and the couplers on any two ends of any two vehicles will always
join together.
But in addition to the contact pieces which represent the different leads say
main auxiliary and main which run through the train I put in each coupler
-
a spring contact piece which acts thus.
If a pair of couplers are separated this spring contact piece makes a junction
between the main + and auxiliary and by this means the lighting circuit is
connected to the auxiliary batteries and thus if a pair of couplers are separated the
lighting circuit remains closed if closed and closes automatically if not already closed.
By another arrangement I put a compound switch (or more than one switch)
in the Guard's van or special vehicle which enables the Guard to make or break
connection between the dynamo and the main + lead and also the auxiliary + lead
and also the battery in the Guard's Van. By this means the battery in the Guard's
Van may be worked and charged by itself or the whole of the batteries in the train
may be used together to light the lamps in their respective vehicles and be used
and charged under the control of the Guard and at the same time automaticity is
secured in lighting on the separation of a pair of couplers.
In case I fit an electric brake without the electric light I use a large battery in
the Guard's van to work the brake under the control of the Guard with an adjust-
able resistance switch and local batteries in each vehicle with an auxiliary + lead
through the train and special couplers as described above for the purpose of putting
on the brake automatically in the event of the separation of a pair of couplers.
The end coupler of a train and any coupler that is not required to make junction
between any two contact pieces is put on a dummy rest or stand-this enables ine to
deal with vehicles that are shunted or slipped.
In case I fit both the electric light and electric brake to a train I use either of the
arrangements for electric lighting described above in conjunction with the brake
arrangements above described and in this case I use special switches in the guard's
van and main + and
leads, auxiliary lighting and + auxiliary braking leads
and also if required a + communication circuit lead.
-
The arrangements I claim as new are the special couplers and special arrange-
ments for controlling the lighting and or braking current.
Having now described the nature and object of my Invention I annex a set of
drawings which with the following description will make it more readily understood.
Fig. 1 is a diagrammatical illustration of the lighting by the second system
described above in which the lamps are lit by all the batteries and of the braking
which is effected by the battery in the Guard's van only.
leads
(is a carriage, V is a guard's van, D is a dynamo driven from the axle (if con-
venient I place the dynamo on the Engine or tender or special vehicle and drive it
with a special engine using steam from the locomotive or special boiler see fig. 3).
The charging arrangements are described in my patents 116868 334687 and 1463297
In the leads from the dynamo, which are connected to the main + and
through the train I fix an automatic "cut out" R which only switches the current
from the dynamo in when its E.M.F. is greater than the E.M.F. of the batteries.
B is a carriage battery. B¹ is the battery in the Guard's van (there may be more
than one and if only one by preference it is of larger size than the carriage batteries).
The five leads through the train are shown thus: N- is the general negative lead
and is connected to the dynamo, to the batteries, to the lighting circuits CC (the
lamps, are in parallel arc) and also to the communication pushes p and also to
the brake circuits b, the brake discs d, d in each vehicle are in series on each side
(though they may be all worked in parallel this depends on the winding, s, sare
local switches in the lighting, braking and dynamo circuits for breaking or completing
the circuits. C+ is the communication positive lead and is connected with the.
push p (it may be a pull") and with the bell (or signal) e in the van. The other
wire from the bell is connected to a sinall battery in the van as shown.
When the
push p is actuated it completes the circuit to the bell e. M+ is the main positive

page_text: lead and is connected to the batteries B and B and also through the automatic
relay R' to the dynamo.
There is a special switch S₁ in the van which enables the Guard to close the
connection between the M+ lead and the A L+ or auxiliary lighting lead which is
connected only to the lighting circuits CC. If this switch is open no current can
get to the lamps but if it is closed by the guard the current from all the batteries
flows from the M+ lead into the A L+ lead and into the lighting circuits through
the contacts in the van but if the dynamo is working its higher potential actuates
the relay breaks the contacts and the current then goes through the regulating
resistance which regulates the current to the lamps.
If the lighting in all the vehicles is effected from the battery in the van then the
positive lighting circuit leads are connected to the main + lead (and not to the
A L+) and the positive battery leads are connected to the A L+ lead (and not to
the M+).
A B is the auxiliary braking lead which is connected to the braking leads b, b.
It is also connected through a special switch fig. 4 with the battery B₁ which enables
the Guard to send the current from the battery B¹ into this lead A B+ and so to all
the brake dises d, d. This switch cuts out or switches in any number of cells it may
be made in many other ways. But when a pair of couplers separate the contact
pieces M+, A L+ and A B+ are connected and so the circuits are automatically
closed to the brakes as junction is made to all the batteries.
XX represent the coupler junctions between the vehicles. Spring contacts in
dotted lines (explained hereinafter) are shown. When a pair of couplers are
separated these spring contacts make connection between M+ A L+ and A B+ and
hence the batteries in all the vehicles actuate the brakes and light the lamps. By
placing the end coupler of a vehicle or train on a dummy stand not shown in the
drawings and breaking the contacts the lighting and braking circuits are again
separated.
Below V fig. 1
There are many
Below C fig. 1 are shown three wheels with discs d. on two of them. The discs are
prevented turning round by the rods, which are connected with a suitable bearing
fastened and running on the centre axle.
Fig. 2 shows the discs d, d rods, and brake leads b, b in plan.
another arrangement of rods r, is shown with only two axles.
ways of effecting this the object. I have in view being to keep the brake gearing
free from the underframe and body and so leave the bearing springs freedom of
working. Any brake discs can be used that are available but I prefer to use those
described in patent No. 108528.
Fig. 4 represents the brake regulating switch. is the handle. p is a pointer
fixed to the handle which shows on the quadrant & how many cells of the battery B¹
fig. 1 are in the circuit. This switch is shown at Z diagrammatically in fig. 1.
When the handle his moved from contact v to position shown in dotted line y
(diagram fig. 1) the current from the dynamo is broken to battery B₁ and four cells
are switched on to the lead A B+ and all the brakes. The numbers on the terminals
fig. 4 correspond with the numbers in diagram Z.
Figs. 5, 6 and 7 represent respectively an end elevation and longitudinal and plan
sections of a coupler. C C is the case of any suitable hard, inoxidisable, non
magnetisable material. N-C+M+ A L+ and A B+ are the contact pieces for the
leads see fig. 1. These swivel on pin y, which is insulated and they are also insulated
one from the other. A springs see fig. 7 presies each contact piece when free not
coupled up against pin p¹. N and C+ press against p² where it is insulated but the
other three contact pieces press against where it is not insulated see figs. 5 and 6
so that if a pair of couplers are separated contact is established between the main x
auxiliary lighting + and auxiliary braking + leads as described above. b, baro
binding pieces to hold the couplers together in conjunction with the projection e
fig. 7. There may be spring catches or other means to hold the couplers together
but they must be made so that they will come apart readily without damage and yet
hold together firmly in regular work.

page_text: Instead of the connection between the three contact pieces being effected as
described above by the pin p¹ there may be spring contact pieces to press against
any two or more of the contact pieces on separation of a pair of couplers. The
contact pieces in the couplers may be of any convenient shape other than shown in
figs. 5, and 7 and there may be right and left hand pieces or male and female
pieces in each coupler or part may be made one way and part another-And there
may be springs in any convenient position to ensure contact but each coupler in
any pair must be alike to ensure perfect interchanging and fitting of any two
couplers and hence the contact pieces of the various leads must be placed vertically
i.e. one over the other.
The leads shown in fig. 1 are soldered to the contact pieces in the couplers. Holes
are shown for this purpose in fig. 6.
l
If the braking system is not used the A B+ lead and contact piece leads b, discs d
and rods are not required. If the lighting system is not used the A L+ lead and
contact piece and circuit c and lamp are not required. If the communication system
is not used the C+ lead and contact piece, the push p fig. 1 and belle are not
required.
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 :-
First A set of through leads in conjunction with lighting circuits and lamps
and batteries in every vehicle in conjunction with switches and dynamo and relays
and special couplers with automatic arrangement for closing the lighting circuits on
separation of a pair of couplers and with or without a communication circuit
substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore described.
Secondly A set of through leads in conjunction with braking circuits and discs
and batteries in every vehicle in conjunction with switches and dynamo and relays
and special couplers with automatic arrangements for closing the braking circuits on
separation of a pair of couplers and with or without a communication circuit
substantially as and for the purposes herein before described.
Thirdly The combination of claims Nos. 1 and 2 substantially as and for the
purposes hereintefore described.
•
Fourthly A regulating switch to actuate the brake substantially as and for the
purposes herein before described.
Fifthly Couplers with contact pieces or contact arrangements placed vertically
or practically so and with automatic spring connections for the purpose of short
circuiting any two or more circuits on separation substantially as and for the purposes
hereinbefore described.
ليوم
11000
I. A. TIMMIS.