Improvements in and connected with Stopping-place and like Signals and Indicators for use on Railway Engines.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Feb., 1898-Accepted, 7th May, 1898.
[Communicated from abroad by HARRY DE WALLACE, of No. 646 Wabasha Street, in
the City of St. Paul, County of Ramsay, State of Minnesota, U.S.A., Court
Stenographer.]
Improvements in and connected with Stopping-place and like Signals
and Indicators for use on Railway Engines.
I, SAMUEL SIDNEY BROMHEAD, of 171, Queen Victoria Street, in the City and
County of London, Patent Agent, 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:-
This invention relates to locomotive engineers' alarms or signals, adapted to
serve as a reminder of different orders received by the engineer when leaving a
given point, and to be executed prior to his arrival at the destination:
The object of the invention is to provide a simple and accurate device which
may be set by the engineer before starting out on his trip or at any point along
the line, and which will automatically act to sound a bell or other signal to attract
the engineer's attention to the dial or scale, or to notify him of his arrival at a
certain point upon the line where an order is to be executed.
A further and particular object is to provide a device that is mechanically
durable and reliable and not dependent upon electricity in any way; a device that
will stand considerable abuse; one that will require the least possible attention
on the part of the engineer; the operation of which will be in exact accordance
with the speed and movements of the engine whether forward or back; that will
operate to set off the signals at the proper point regardless of the number of times
the engine has to back, as in switching; one that may be employed without modi-
fication on any railroad or branch regardless of the varied distances between the
stations; and to provide a device of this class wherein the signals will operate
until they are shut off by the engineer, thereby compelling his attention.
A further object of the device is to provide an alarm which is adjustable to any
size of wheel from which the power for driving the alarm is derived, and further
to provide a device of this class, which, if unheeded, will act to set the air-brakes
and stop the train.
The invention consists generally in a train alarm or indicator to be operated
by the movement of the locomotive or car carrying the same, and comprising in
combination a dial or scale, a hand, and a mechanical signal device adapted to
automatically operate at a predetermined moment and dependent for its operation
upon the relative positions of such hand and dial or scale.
The invention further consists in the combination, with a dial or scale, of a
hand arranged to move in directions, in time and in speed, corresponding with and
less than that of the locomotive, and dogs adapted to be projected into the path of
said hand, and an alarm or signal device adapted to be actuated by the release of a
dog or trigger, whereby the arrival of the engine at a point on the road correspond-
ing with that previously indicated by the dog of the dial or scale, is announced;

page_text: and further the invention consists in the combination with the foregoing, of an
air-valve connected with the air-brake system and a mechanism whereby after a
given time has elapsed after the sounding of the alarm, the air-valve will be
opened to permit the escape of the air and set the brakes.
The invention further consists in the combination with a dial or scale which
is graduated to indicate miles and having other marks indicating or including
groups of graduations upon the dial or scale, of a suitable signal and signal operat-
ing mechanism, and a schedule bearing the names of the stations in order of their
distances from the starting point, and also having marks corresponding with the
marks upon the dial or scale and indicating the groups in which corresponding
distances or points will be found upon the dial or scale.
The invention further consists in particular constructions and combinations of
parts all as hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claims.
The invention will be more readily understood by reference to the accompanying
drawings, forming part of this specification, and in which:
Fig. 1 is a view of the face or front of the machine with a portion of the bell
broken away to more clearly show the swiveled triggers.
Fig. 2 is a sectional view substantially on the line -- of Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is a sectional detail taken from Fig. 2 showing the action of the trigger
which results in the connection of the bell-ringing mechanism to the constantly.
rotating shaft.
Fig. 4 is a section of the machine substantially on the line yy of Fig. 2.
Fig. 5 is a detail taken from Fig. 4 and showing the worm disengaged from the
hand-wheel.
Fig. 6 is a detail view showing the air-brake valve and the means for opening
the same after a definite distance has been run without attention on the part of
the engineer.
Fig. 7 illustrates the connection of the driving shafts of the device to the truck-
wheel of the locomotive.
Fig. 8 is an enlarged detail taken from Fig. 7.
A few of the important features of my device are as follows;
The means for adjusting the hand driving mechanism to any sized driving
wheel or truck-wheel upon a locomotive or car; the means for setting brakes
automatically if the alarm is not heeded and stopped; the means for setting the
hand without regard to the remaining parts of the mechanism; the construction
and arrangement of the triggers whereby they are rendered more reliable and
durable, and the means for controlling the direction of movement of the hand in
running backward and forward.
In the drawings, 2 indicates a constantly running shaft having a beveled gear 3,
at its inner or lower end, driven by a beveled gear 4 on the shaft 5, which shaft
is positively connected to the shaft 6 shown in Figs. and 8, and is driven by a
preferably elastic belt 7 extending over pulleys upon said shaft and the truck
axle. The shaft 2 of the alarm rotates in the long bearing 10 which is secured
to the back-plate 11; and, has its upper part finished to serve as a shaft or
bearing for the hub or sleeve 12 of the hand-wheel 13, which wheel is driven 4
by a reduction gear from the shaft 5. 14 is the hand secured to the outer end
of the sleeve 12. 15 is a suitably supported face-plate or front, and the space
between the plates 11 and 15 is preferably enclosed by end and side walls 16 to keep
dust from the gears. The plate 15 bears the large dial or scale 17 upon which the
hand 14 revolves. The hand is provided with a pointer 18, and on its under side
has a roller 19 to save friction upon the dial or scale. The small dial or scale 20
is provided with a notched or serrated edge 21, each notch 22 therein indicating
a mile. The small dial or scale is fastened securely to the upper end of the
stationary shaft or bearing 10. The shaft 2 extends up through the bearing 10
and the dial or scale 20 and on its outer end carries the bell 23 which may rotate
constantly with the shaft 2. The bell-ringing hammers 24 are normally stopped
and held against rotation and it is only when one of the triggers is released by the

page_text: action of the hand that the hammers 24 are operated, being then connected with:
the shaft 2. The rotating hammers 24 are supported upon a stud 25 upon the
stationary ring 26 supported by narrow legs 27 extending from the face of the
dial or scale 20, and in such position that they will not interfere with the swinging
of the triggers. The rotating hammers are provided with a pinion 28 meshing
with a large gear wheel 29 within the bell and loosely journalled upon the shaft 2..
This gear-wheel is adapted to be connected to the said shaft 2 by the clutch 30
which is longitudinally movable upon the shaft so that it may be disengaged from.
the gear 29. The clutch rotates with the shaft, being held by a pin 31 extending :
through a slot in the shaft and by means of which also the clutch may be drawn
out, the pin being connected with a draw-pin 32, having a button 33 on its head
and normally pressed in by a spring 34. To hold the clutch out of engagement
I provide a bell-crank dog 35 within the shaft 2 and having an end 36 to snap in
under the clutch when it is drawn out. The other arm of the bell-crank extends
through the side of the shaft 2 into position to be engaged by the hub or boss 37,.
upon the disc 38, which is longitudinally movable on the shaft 2, but is normally-
held back by a spring or springs 39. The triggers, when they are set, are dis-
engaged or released by the moving hand 14 when it reaches them, and the disc 38
is adapted to be operated, that is, moved longitudinally on the shaft by any one.
of the triggers; being common to all of them. Hence, when the trigger flies back
the clutch will be freed, and the trigger will engage the gear-wheel and the
hammers will be rotated to ring the bell loudly. Each trigger comprises a
plate 40, having a perpendicular end 41 provided with a slot for the trigger rod 42.
The plate 40 is at its inner end secured to the dial 20 by a screw or pivot 43, so.
that the trigger is capable of a limited adjustment upon the edge of the dial or
scale. At the outer end of the trigger arm is a T-head 44 provided with an
upwardly turned button 45, by means of which the trigger may be easily drawn
out. The opposite arm of the T is provided with a V-shaped portion 46 to fit in
the V-notches 22 in the edge of the dial or scale. When the trigger is drawn out
it is thus secured in position until the arrival of the hand which has a cam or.
incline 47 which engages the lower end of the T-head of the trigger and forces.
the same out of engagement with the edge of the dial or scale. At this time the
trigger will be shot back by a spring 48 arranged between the end 41 of the
swivel plate and a pin or shoulder 50 upon the trigger rod 42. 51 is a small lever.
pivoted in ears on the plate 40 and intermediately pivoted to the end of the rod 42.
This lever will be thrown back with the trigger and its free end will strike and
force out the common plate or disc 38. To save friction and wear I preferably
provide a small friction roller 53 in the free end of the lever 51. The relative
positions of the trigger when set and when released are indicated in the positions
of the two triggers shown in Fig. 2. In Fig. 3 I have shown all of the parts in
the positions which they assume at the instant a trigger is released to throw up the
dise 38 and bring the bell-ringing mechanism into action.
In addition to operating the bell-hammers, the gear-wheel 29 has a further
function, namely, that of operating the mechanism for releasing the air and
setting the air-brakes. The essential elements of this mechanism comprise a
shaft 55 driven by a suitable gear connection 561, with the gear-wheel 29, a worm 57
upon said shaft 55, and a lever 56, the movement of which is controlled by said
worm and by means of which in turn the air-valve 57 is opened and closed. The
lever 56 is drawn forward by a spring 58. Any means may be provided to restore
the lever. The lever is provided with a pawl 59 to engage the thread of the worm
and which is permitted to move forward by the rotation of the worm. The pawl 59
yields to pass the threads of the worm when the lever is restored. The air-
valve 57 in the air-brake pipe 60 may be of any desired form and preferably has
an arm 61 to be engaged by an arm 62 of the lever 56, said lever being preferably
in the form of a bell-crank. When the valve is opened the air escapes through
the pipe and the brakes of the locomotive and train will be automatically set. The.
arrangement of the valve-arm the lever 56 and the worm 57 is such that the valve
:

page_text: remains partially or wholly closed so long as the lever is in engagement with the
worm, and is opened wide at the instant the lever is freed from the worm.
The object of this device is to give the engineer time in which to notice the in-
dications to which his attention is called by the ringing of the bell, and restore
the clutch 30 to stop the ringing of the bell, but if such attention is not given.to
the device for any reason, then at the end of a given time or after the train has run a
given distance, to set the brakes and automatically stop the train within a safe
limit. It is necessary that the driving parts of the alarm or indicator shall be
adjustable to driving wheels of various sizes in order that the device may be con-
structed and installed upon any locomotive at a low cost. The truck wheels and
driving wheels of locomotives and cars vary in size and will therefore make a
different number of revolutions in running a given distance, while the hand of the
alarm must necessarily, accurately measure and indicate each mile traveled. To
compensate for the difference in the diameters of different driving wheels, such as
the truck wheels of the locomotives or trailing wheels which may be used, I pro-
vide an adjustable reduction gear between the hand-wheel and the main shaft 5.
This part of the mechanism is best illustrated in Figs. 2, 4 and 5. 63 represents
a friction disc having its face parallel with the shaft 5 and engaging a friction.
pulley 64 on the shaft 5. This friction pulley has a rubber ring for its face.
which engages the disc 63. 65,-65 are extra rubber rings placed on the shaft 5
for convenience to be used when the one on the pulley becomes worn. The pulley 64
is secured to the shaft 5 by a key 66 and is slidable thereon and across the face
of the friction disc 63. It may be thus moved by means of the sliding yoke 67
arranged on the bar 68 and operated by means of the threaded shaft 69 which
extends through the end of the casing or body of the device and is provided with
a square end 70 to receive a suitable key used by the engineer. The friction disc 63
is on the shaft 71 which is slidable in bearings 72 and is pressed towards the
friction pulley 64 by a spring 73, the pressure of which may be adjusted by a
screw 74. The shaft 71 carries a worm 75 to mesh with the gear wheel 76 upon
a shaft 77 which is parallel with the shaft 5. The shaft 77 is in turn provided.
with a worm 78 which meshes with the hand-wheel or gear 13. In this way,
while the shaft 2 and the bell mechanism rotates with considerable speed, the speed
of the hand in traveling over the dial or scale is reduced to very slow movement
which is absolutely positive. In order to permit the adjustment of the hand irre-
spective of the operating mechanism, I arrange to disengage the worm 78 from the
hand-wheel. I accomplish this by swiveling one end of the shaft 77 in the bear-
ing 79 and arranging the other bearing 80 upon a shifting bar 81 pivoted at 82.
83 is a limiting strap for the bar 8.1. The worm is normally held in engagement
with the hand-wheel by a spring 84 and is disengaged therefrom by the partial
rotation of the thumb or key shaft 85 having a thumb-wheel 86 upon the upper
part of the face of the device. (See Figs. 1 and 2.) To ensure the set" of the
worm in the teeth of the hand-wheel 13, I use V-shaped threads and teeth upon
the worm and wheel, respectively. This ensures the accurate setting or centering
of the hand at zero or other point of starting. It is sometimes necessary to run a
locomotive or train back over the line for a considerable distance, during which
time the engineer may receive or have several orders to stop or to meet other
trains. In order that the hand may have the same direction of movement at such
times as at other times, and thus prevent the confusion of the engineer, it is neces-
sary to shift the friction pulley 64 to the opposite side of the friction disc 63, and
unless the exact position of the friction pulley with respect to the center of the
friction disc is maintained, the hand will not record the distances accurately. I
therefore provide a small indicator 87, on the face of the machine, placing zero at
the middle thereof and providing a pointer 88 operating through a slot 89 in the
face-plate and connected in any suitable manner to the sliding yoke 67 of the.
friction pulley, as shown in Fig. 4. Before turning the shaft 69 to move the yoke
the engineer will note the exact position of the pointer upon the scale 87 and will
65

page_text: then use his key and move the same to the corresponding point on the opposite
side of the scale.
The two dials of the machine together bear graduations or marks for a two-
hundred mile run, the figures being set upon a small dial or scale to indicate posi-
tions upon other dials. The graduations upon the dials are preferably divided into
groups as well as being marked with figures indicating miles. The face of the
machine or device is provided with a card-holder 90 to receive a card 91 which
bears the names of the stations or stops in order, the stations being arranged in
reverse order on opposite sides or faces of the card, and the card being turned over
when the return run is begun. The number of miles that each station is distant
from the starting point is printed in a column opposite the station named and in
a second column are the letters indicating in which group upon the dials the
particular mile-graduations will be found."
Believing that the operation of my device will be fully understood from the fore-
going, further explanation thereof is regarded as necessary.
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
claim is:-
1. The combination, with the locomotive engine and the running gear thereof,
of a mechanical signal, its actuating mechanism, and the automatic means governed
by the travel of the engine for releasing the signal operating mechanism at any
predetermined point on the road, substantially as described.
2. The combination, in a train alarm or indicator, to be operated by the move-
ment of a locomotive or car carrying the same, of a dial or scale, with a hand, and
a mechanical signal device adapted to automatically operate at a predetermined
moment, and dependent for its operation upon the relative positions of said hand
or dial or scale.
3. The combination, in a train alarm or indicator, of a dial or scale, said dial
or scale graduated to indicate miles and having other marks including groups of
graduations, a suitable signal or like mechanism, and a schedule bearing the names
of the stations in order of their distance from the starting point, and also having
marks opposite the station names corresponding to the marks upon the dial or scale
and indicating the group in which the corresponding distances will be found upon
the dial or scale, substantially as described.
4. In a train alarm or indicator, the combination, with a suitable dial scale, and
a hand, of a suitable signal device, means for relatively driving the hand and the
dial, and an adjustable reduction gear interposed between said means and the hand
or dial, substantially as described.
5. In a train alarm, the combination, with the signal to operate automatically
at a given instant, of the air-brake valve and means for operating the same auto-
matically, after the lapse of a given time from the operation of said signal,
substantially as described.
6. The combination, in a train alarm or indicator, of a continuously rotating
shaft, a part to be engaged therewith at a predetermined instant, and adapted to
operate a signal and set the air-brake, substantially as described.
Dated this 8th day of February. 1898.