New or Improved Apparatus for Preventing Engine Drivers Passing Signals at Danger.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd May, 1898
Complete Specification Left, 23rd Feb., 1399-Accepted, 13th May, 1899
PROVISIONAL DITCIFICATION.
New or Improved Apparatus for Preventing Engine Drivers Passing
Signals at Danger.
T, CHARLES ADAMS, of 267, Rue des Palais, Laeken, Brussels, in the Kingdom
of Belgium, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:
My invention relates to apparatus to be worked in connection with the signals,
the steam whistle and the automatic brakes.
Whereas should the signal be at the danger position, and the driver from
fog or any other obstruction not be able to see the signal at danger, his attention
is immediately called by the action of the apparatus on the automatic brake and
the steam whistle, and the same can be applied to the lever or throttle valve.
For this purpose I construct the said apparatus as follows:-
I place a bar either between the two rails or by the side of the rails, having a
suitable length of say 20 feet, one end being fixed to the sleepers and having a
hinge near the other end, place a slotted plate or plates or other means, the
same being attached to the sleepers, but allowing an upward and downward move-
ment so that the said end of the bar can be raised or lowered by the action of
the signal.
In connection with the said bar I place a horizontal bar or rocking shaft, one
end having a raised arm containing a roller used for raising the one end of the bar
thereby forming an inclined plane.
At the other end of the said rocking shaft I place a second arm to be attached to
the wire working the signal so that when the signal is at danger, or, allright
position, the one end of the bar is raised or lowered according to the position
of the signal.
In a suitable position under the engine I place a crank, or elbow lever, one end
having a roller so arranged as to be actuated by the bar placed on the sleepers
when in its raised position. The other arm is so connected as to actuate the auto-
matic brake and the steam whistle or if desired also the throttle valve of lever
should the driver pass his signal at danger.
1
AL 1000
HERBERT HADDAN & Co.,
Agents to Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
New or Improved Apparatus for Preventing Engine Drivers Passing
Signals at Danger.
I, CHARLES ADAMS, of 267, Rue des Palais, Laeken, Brussels, in the Kingdom
of Belgium, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
TU 077

page_text: what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and as-
certained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to apparatus to be worked in connection with the signals
on railway tracks and the like and the steam whistle, and the automatic brakes
of the moving trains.
By this apparatus should the signal be at the danger position, and the driver
not being able to see the same on account of fog or any other obstruction his
attention is immediately called by the action of the apparatus on the automatic
brake and the steam whistle. The apparatus can also be arranged to act on
the lever or throttle valve of the locomotive.
The annexed drawing illustrates a method of effecting this invention and in
which Fig. 1 is a side view of a railway track and locomotive provided with the
improved apparatus. Fig. 2 is a section on the line a-y of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 shows
as an example the mechanism for operating the steam whistle. Fig. 4 shows
also as an example lever gearing for operating the driving valve of the engine.
The device consists of a piece of rail or other suitable metal bar d of suitable
length say 20 feet and having towards one end a plate or the like c by means of
which it is pivoted and seated in a chair b fixed to a sleeper or other block a.
This piece or bar may be fixed either centrally between the rails of a track or
towards one side of the same. The bar is provided towards its other end with a
slotted plate or plates for other means travelling upon a bolt or pin e which
device guides the bar in its upward or downward movement such movement being
operated by the action or movement of the signal. The ends of the pivoted bar
are suitably curved downwards as can be seen in Fig. 1.
In connection with the said bar I arrange a horizontal bar or rocking shaft
having at one end, and suitably attached to it an upright arm g provided at its
upper end with a roller which serves to raise the one end of the pivoted bar
thereby giving it an inclination as seen in Fig. 1. The upright arm g is seated
at its lower end on a shaft h turning in suitable bearings and which is prolonged
laterally and connected by its arm ¹ with the manipulating rod or wire for the
signal.
At the other end of the said arm I place a second arm g¹ pivoted at h² on
a suitable support and carrying a counter weight. The upper end of this arm
can be attached to a wire for working the signal (instead of using shaft h) in
such a manner that when the signal is at the danger or way clear position the one
end of the pivoted rail bar is raised or lowered according to the position or
movement of the signal.
According to this arrangement, that is owing to the combination of levers,
rollers, and counter weight the latter balancing the whole device, the verticality
of the levers necessary for the maintainance of the bar in the elevated position
will be easily maintained in spite of the required pressure being exerted upon
such bar by a roller hereinafter described.
This counter weight will allow of the bar being easily lowered when the wire
for working the signal is acted upon.
I provide in a suitable position on or under the engine a crank or elbow
lever carrying at one end a roller and arranged so as to be actuated by the
pivoted rail bar when the same is in the raised position. The other arm of
the elbow lever is so arranged so as to operate the automatic brake and the steam
whistle, and further if required the throttle valve or lever should the driver
of the engine pass his signal standing at danger. For this purpose the elbow
lever has its one arm attached to a connecting arm m the other end of which is
connected by a short lever arm to an axle n carried in suitable bearings on the
bed plate of the locomotive and operating for instance a tap o inserted in the
brake tube 7. The articulated lever is provided with an antagonistic spring w
tending to maintain the roller k in its normal or lowest position.
In bringing the signal into the danger or stopping position the rocking shaft
is moved so as to cause its upright army to lift the pivoted rail bar thereby

page_text: giving it a raised position in the form of an inclined plane, coming in the path
of the rollerk of the approaching engine. Should the engine be allowed to
travel as far as the apparatus, the roller and its crank mounting the inclined
plane is displaced and the whistle on the engine sounded as shown by Fig. 3.
In its displacement this roller has operated by its connecting rod m and the
axle n so as to gradually open the valve o and the brakes are put into action and
the train is stopped. After having passed over the inclined plane d, the lever /
with its roller is brought back into position by means of the spring w the valve
of the brakes can only be closed by hand, which operation requires the inter-
vention of the engine driver.
As an example I have described the arrangement as operating on the brakes
of the train, it is however evident that a similar arrangement could also be used
to operate either solely or simultaneously on the driving valve of the engine. It
would be sufficient for this purpose to modify the position of the roller k and
of the lever on the engine or to transfer the movements of the lever to the
lever operating the valve of the engine by means of a suitable mechanical gear.
A gear of this kind suitable for the direct operation of the lever operating the
valve of the engine, consists of levers receiving directly or indirectly the move-
ments of the roller lever and connected by means of a rod t with a push lever u
turning on an axle placed under the fulcrum of the lever of the valve. By
means of this disposition, when the roller k is displaced by the inclined plane d
the levers forces the push lever u to turn round its axle u¹ and pushes the
engine controlling lever into the position for closing the valve.
In Fig. 3 I show also as an example a method of operating the steam whistle,
the roller being here arranged at the rear of the engine.
In this example the roller is suspended at the extremity of its lever which
works by a cord 1 in a two armed lever 2-3 of which the arm 3 is connected by
a cord 4 to the whistle or like alarm apparatus. When the roller k rises on the
bard the lever pulls the cord 1 which lowers the lever 2 onto the rod putting
into action the whistle 5.
The latter acts until the driver pulling a cord 6 disengages a detent 7 which
retained the lever 2 in its lowered position after the cord 1 pulled down its
extremity.
These details may be varied at pleasure the only indispensible feature being a
connection of transmission of any suitable kind between the lever / carrying the
roller k and the ordinary lever 2 of the whistle.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is-
1. In a new or improved apparatus for preventing engine drivers passing
signals at danger the combination of a pivoted rail or bar near the rails suitable
levers connected by friction rollers with the working of said bar and a counter-
weight balancing the levers and the bar so that when said bar is raised the
levers are held in a vertical position by the counterweight so as to allow
any required pressure to be brought upon the bar without effecting
the vertical position of the levers whilst in the action of lowering the bar
for the passage of the train it offers the least resistance owing to the frictional
rollers and the counterweight.
2. In a new or improved apparatus for preventing engine drivers passing signals
at danger the combination of a pivoted rail or bar d suitably arranged near the
rails and curved at its extremities with a roller k carried by a pivoted crank
lever arranged on the engine and operating either directly or by means of a
suitable lever gearing either the steam whistle automatic brakes or lever throttle
valve of the locomotive in such a manner as to stop the locomotive when the said
roller & travels upon the pivoted rail d such rail being raised so as to present an
inclined surface in the path of the roller k.

page_text: 3. In the apparatus described in Claim 1 the construction of a rail g pivoted
at c adapted to be raised or lowered so as to present an inclined surface in the
path of the roller by means of a rocking shaft having an upright arm g provided
with a roller and actuated by means of lever gearing or by a wire at the moment
of setting the signal at danger said rail g being guided in its movement by means
of a slotted plate f moving upon a pin or bolt e.
Dated this 23rd day of February 1899.
HERBERT HADDAN & Co.,
Agents to Applicant.
18, Buckingham Street, Strand, W.C., London.