Improvements in Apparatus for Closing an Electric Circuit by the Passage of a Locomotive or Train Over a Line of Railway, and Recording Apparatus connected therewith.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Nov., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 2nd Aug., 1893-Accepted, 21st Oct., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Closing an Electric Circuit by the
Passage of a Locomotive or Train Over a Line of Railway, and
Recording Apparatus connected therewith.
-
We FRANCIS WILLIAM WEBB of Crewe in the County of Chester, Mechanical
Engineer, and ARTHUR MOORE THOMPSON, of Crewe in the County of Chester,
Mechanical Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
For signalling on railways and for other purposes in connection with the block
working on railways it is at times required that the passage of a train or engine
over the line of rails shall close an electric circuit so that some indicating
apparatus may be actuated, and this has usually been done by means of treadles
and electrical contacts, or by contacts brought together by the depression of the
rail caused by the passage of an engine or train. Our invention relates to an
improved arrangement of rail contact actuated by the deflection of the rails.
Referring to the accompanying drawing, which is not intended to show the
actual detail of our apparatus, but merely as a diagram to. aid our explanation.
Figure 1 shows a cross section through a line of railway, A and B are the rails,
C is a lever turning on a centre at D, this centre being secured to the adjoining
sleeper, E is an adjusting screw bearing on the under side of rail A, F is a small
cylinder carried by the lever C and containing a block of india-rubber G,
Hand J are two metal contacts inserted in the rubber and kept in their normal
position sufficiently apart to avoid electrical contact, K is a block of vulcanite or
other non-conductor of electricity, L is a metal cap bearing on the end portion of
rail B.
Figure 2 shows a plan, the several parts being indicated by the same letters
as employed in Figure 1.
Figure 3 is an enlarged view of the small cylinder F, the several parts being
indicated by the same letters as used in Figure 1 and showing the electrical
circuit, M is a battery, N is a bell, indicator, recording instrument, or any form of
electrical appliance such as could be actuated on a circuit such as we describe, O is
a lead attached to the plunger H, P is a lead attached to the lever C, or in
practice would be the earth return, C being connected to earth likewise. On the
passage of a vehicle over the rails a slight depression of the rail would result, the
end E of the bar, Figure 1, would be depressed, causing the bottom contact J at
the end F to be raised, at the same moment rail B would be similarly depressed,
causing the top contact H to be lowered, the two contacts coming together and
thus closing the circuit, and actuating the recording or other instrument N.
Instead of a block of india-rubber G the contact points can work through stuffing
boxes or other suitable contrivance for keeping contact points dry and clean.
Our improvement also refers to a recording apparatus, by means of which the time
of the passage of an engine or train may be recorded in a signal cabin. The
recording apparatus may be driven by ordinary clockwork, or if it is desired to
ensure the synchronous working of a number of such apparatuses an electric
current may be used for the purpose, either in conjunction with the clockwork
mechanism or otherwise. The passage of an engine or train may be indicated by
the recorder on a pencil or ink-marked sheet of paper, or by other suitable
contrivance, and it may be communicated to the recording apparatus by electrical,
mechanical, or other suitable means.
Dated this 11th dox of November 1892
F. W. WEBB.
A. MOORE THOMPSON.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Closing an Electric Circuit by the
Passage of a Locomotive or Train Over a Line of Railway, and
Recording Apparatus connected therewith.
We,
FRANCIS WILLIAM WEBB of Crewe in the County of Chester, Mechanical
Engineer, and ARTHUR MOORE THOMPSON of Crewe in the County of Chester,
Mechanical 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:-
For signalling on railways and for other purposes in connection with the block
working on railways it is at times required that the passage of a train or engine
over the line of rails shall close an electric circuit so that some indicating
apparatus may be actuated, and this has usually been done by means of treadles
and electrical contacts, or by contacts brought together by the depression of the
rail caused by the passage of an engine or train. Our invention relates to an
improved arrangement of rail contact actuated by the deflection of the rails.
Our improvement also refers to a recording apparatus, by means of which the
time of the passage of an engine or train may be recorded in a signal cabin. The
recording apparatus may be driven by ordinary clockwork, or if it is desired to
ensure the synchronous working of a number of such apparatuses an electric current
may be used for the purpose, either in conjunction with the clockwork mechanism
or otherwise. The passage of an engine or train may be indicated by the recorder
on a pencil or ink marked sheet of paper, or by other suitable contrivance, and
it may be communicated to the recording apparatus by electrical, mechanical or
other suitable means.
In order that our invention may be more clearly understood, we now proceed to
describe it in detail by the aid of the accompanying drawings.
Fig. 1 Sheet 1, is a section across a line of railway taken through the contact
box of our improved apparatus.
Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same.
a is a lever in contact with the bottom flange of the rail b turning on a centre
at c and connected at its other end d with another lever e, the one end of which is
placed in contact with the bottom flange of the rail f. The other end of the
lever e is turned up at g, the turned up portion entering a metal switch box h
through a suitable opening. On the turned up end g of the lever e is fixed a
piece of flexible brass j, which in the normal position of the levers presses against
two cheeks of insulated material, but when the rails b and fare depressed this brass
piece; is raised and forms a metal bridge between the two metal pieces k and l.
Thus by the depression of the rails and consequent movement of the levers a path
is opened for an electric current, which may be employed for a variety of purposes.
If preferred a mercury contact Fig. 5, could be substituted for the metal contact
described. The box h which protects the contact piece from dirt and upon which
the lever a is centred is fixed in a position midway between two sleepers, the box
itself being carried from the sleepers in any convenient way.
In connection with this rail contact we employ in the signal cabin a recording
apparatus which may be driven by clockwork or by means of an electro magnet
controlled from the cabin clock. By means of this recording apparatus the exact
time may be registered when an engine or train passes a signalman's box.
Fig. 3, Sheet 2, shows an elevation of the recording apparatus. Fig. 4, Sheet 2,
a plan of the same.
m, n, Fig. 4, are two barrels, the barrel m being moved at stated intervals of
time by the action of the pawl o on a ratchet wheel p, which ratchet wheel P is
geared to the barrel m through a suitable train work of wheel gearing. The
necessary movement of the pawl o, and consequent movement of the ratchet wheel

page_text: and gearing, is obtained by means of an electro magnet p, p' which is energised by
a current from a suitable battery passing through a switch in connection with the
cabin clock, this switch making and breaking contact at suitable intervals of time.
Wound on the barrels m and n is a coil of paper suitably spaced off to indicate
the day of the week, the hour of the day, and if necessary divided into minutes.
Bearing on the face of the paper on the drum n is an arm q, with an ink marking
point r. The movement of this arm is effected by means of an electro magnet s, s,
Fig. 3, and this magnet is energised when the electric circuit actuated by the rail
contact Fig. 1, and Fig. 2, is closed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed or carried out, what we
claim is :-
1st. An improved apparatus for closing an electric circuit actuated by the
depression of the rails of a line of railway, substantially as described and
illustrated by the drawings.
2nd. The combination of apparatus for closing an electric circuit, with a
recording apparatus to register the time of the passage of a train, substantially as
described and illustrated by the drawings.
Dated this 1st day of Anouck 1902
F. W. WEBB.
A. MOORE THOMPSON.