Apparatus for Signalling on Railway Trains.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Nov., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 28th May, 1889-Accepted, 29th June, 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Apparatus for Signalling on Railway Trains.
I, DANIEL MACNEE, of No. 2 Westminster Chambers, Victoria Street, in the
County of Middlesex, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention relates to apparatus whereby passengers on a railway train can signal
to the engine drivers or guards or whereby the engine drivers and guards can
signal to each other, this apparatus being especially adapted to trains which are
provided with a communicating air pipe for working the brakes either by compressed
or rarefied air.
I provide on the engine or in the guard's van a voltaic battery, which may be an
accumulator charged by a dynamo-electric machine worked by a small engine on the
locomotive or from a running axle, and I connect throughout the train suitable
conductors with contact apparatus in each passenger compartment so arranged that a
passenger desiring to signal, draws a pull whereby he makes contact and at the same
time exhibits a signal outside the compartment. The circuit being thus closed, an
electromagnet on the engine or in the guard's van or in each of those places having
its coil in the circuit, is excited and attracts its armature in opposition to a spring,
thus withdrawing a pawl or detent which holds a stop cock in a closed condition.
On the release of this detent, the stop cock is turned partly round by a spring and
opens a communication from the brake pipe to a whistle or reed, which thereupon is
sounded giving an audible signal to the driver or guard or to both. The driver and
guard can make contacts for signalling to each other in like manner. The contact
pull is so arranged that the passenger who has drawn it cannot push it back,
and the external signal connected to it therefore remains visible until the guard
or other official by means of a key releases the pull and restores it to its normal
condition.
In cases where there is no communicating air pipe throughout the train, the
apparatus is applied to open a steam whistle cock on the engine, thus enabling guards
and passengers to signal to the driver.
Dated this 16th day of November 1888.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Apparatus for Signalling on Railway Trains.
I, DANIEL MACNEE, of No. 2 Westminster Chambers, Victoria Street, in the
County of Middlesex, 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 :-
My Invention relates to apparatus whereby passengers on a Railway Train can
signal to the Engine Drivers or Guards or whereby the Engine Drivers and Guards
can signal to each other, this apparatus being especially adapted to trains which are
provided with a communicating air pipe for working the brakes either by compressed
or rarefied air.
I provide on the Engine or in the Guard's Van a voltaic battery, which may be an
accumulator charged by a dynamo-electric machine worked by a small engine on the
locomotive or from a running axle and I connect throughout the train suitable
insulated conductors with contact apparatus in each passenger compartment so
arranged that a passenger desiring to signal, draws a pull whereby he makes contact
TD

page_text: and at the same time exhibits a signal outside the compartment. The circuit being
thus closed, an electromagnet on the Engine or in the Guard's Van, or in each of
those places, having its coil in the circuit thus closed is excited and attracts its
armature in opposition to a spring, thus withdrawing a pawl or detent which holds a
stop cock in a closed condition. On the release of this detent the stop cock is turned
partly round by a spring and opens a communication from the brake pipe to a whistle
or reed, which thereupon is sounded giving an audible signal to the Driver or Guard
or to both. The Driver and Guard can make contacts for signalling to each
other in likė manner. The contact pull is so arranged that the Passenger who
has drawn it cannot alter the external signal connected to it which therefore
remains visible until the Guard or other official restores it to its normal condition.
In cases where there is no communicating air pipe throughout the train, the
apparatus is applied to open a steam whistle cock on the Engine thus enabling Guards
and passengers to signal to the Driver.
The accompanying drawings represent details of signalling apparatus for operating
as above described.
Figs. 1 and 1 are sections of the pull in a compartment, Fig. 1 shewing it in its
normal condition, and Fig. 1 shewing it when it has been pulled out to give a signal,
Fig. 2 is a vertical section and Fig. 2ª a front elevation of the signalling whistle and
the apparatus for working it. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of the coupling for
connecting the conducting wires from carriage to carriage along the Train. Although
for the sake of clearness I shew in the figures these wires as separate, they are most
conveniently made as two, the + and the wire well insulated and twisted together
so that a single coupling serves to connect at the same time + to + and to.
Referring first to Figs. 1 and 1", A is part of the cariage wall, in which in a convenient
position in each compartment is fixed a socket B.
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b
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Within the socket B a sleeve C is fitted free to turn, and within it a spindle D,
terminating inside the carriage in a knob or pull E, whilst outside the carriages a
disc F is attached to the sleeve C. A pin 6 screwed through the socket B projects
through a circumferential slot of the sleeve C into a helical slot in the spindle D. A
stud d projects from the spindle D and part of the sleeve is cut away as indicated
by the dotted line cc Fig. 1ª, allowing the stud d to turn freely in the one
direction without turning the sleeve C, but presenting an edge c¹ along which the
stud d can travel when the spindle D is drawn back by the pull E. The + and
wire branches from the conductors that extend along the train are connected
respectively to two metal springs G and G, which, as shewn in Fig. 1, usually bear
against a sleeve d¹ of insulating material on the spindle D, but which, when the
spindle D is drawn out, rub on the metal at the part d' of the spindle, momentarily
closing the circuit; after this momentary contact when the part d' has passed the
springs GG they remain, as shewn in Fig. 1' away from the metal of the spindle
which in the part is reduced in diameter. In the act of pulling the spindle D,
the helical slot in it as it travels along the stationery pin 6 causes the spindle to turn
about one quarter round, and the stud d being then against the edge c' of the sleeve C
causes the sleeve also to turn about one quarter round, turning with it the disc F
from a horizontal to a vertical attitude. The disc F having thus been turned to a
vertical attitude, indicates that the pull has been acted on, and having once been
so turned, it cannot again be turned to the horizontal attitude by any to and fro
movement of the spindle D, because the stud d having once acted on the edge c
to turn the sleeve, afterwards moves freely in the space c c¹ cut away from the
sleeve. But the Guard or other Official outside the Carriage after having seen
the signal exhibited by the disc F can turn it back to its horizontal attitude, the
transverse slot through which 6 passes permitting this to be done. Referring now
to Figs. 2 and 2, H is an electromagnet the coil of which is in the circuit of the
train conductors and the battery, its armature having attached to it a sliding
rod held up by a spring so as to engage in a notch in the edge of a wheel K
containing a volute spring k. This wheel is fixed on the plug L of a stop cock in
a pipe leading to a whistle M, either from the break pipe charged with compressed

page_text: air, or when there is no such pipe, from the Boiler. By means of a handle k' the
Driver or Guard turns the wheel K to the position shewn in Figs. 2. and 2" thus
straining the volute spring k, and closing the stop cock L. The wheel is held in
this position by the end of the rod h' being engaged in the notch at its edge. When
however, owing to the electric circuit being closed by operating the pull at any part
of the train, the electromagnet H is excited, it attracts its armature h thus with-
drawing from the notch, whereupon the wheel K is caused by its spring k to
make a partial turn opening the cock L and thus causing the whistle M to sound.
The coupling for the conductors, shewn by Fig. 3 is so arranged that in case of its
accidental separation, the electric circuit is closed and a signal is given by the
whistle. The coupling consists of two tubes the one fitted to slide within the other,
these tubes being attached to end bosses q and r of insulating material through
which the main + and wires pass. From the tube Q projects internally a stud g'
into a slot of the tube R, this ensuring that the one tube can slide into the
other only in the one relative position when the stud q' can travel along the
slot of R.
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The + and wires at the one end 2 are connected respectively to insulated
springs and N¹ and at the other end they are connected to insulated springs P
and P. Between the springs N and N¹ is a wedge shaped piece S of insulating
material. When the two parts of the coupling are connected as shewn in Fig.
the piece Swedging apart the springs P and P₁ causes them to make contact
respectively with N N¹ and consequently the + lead is rendered continuous
Should the coupling
through N and P and the lead through N¹ and P¹.
be accidentally separated, the springs N and N¹ come together and also, the
springs P and P1, and then the circuit is closed either through N and N' or through P
and P this closing having the effect of operating the signal.
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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. Apparatus for signalling on Railway Trains, consisting of a battery or other
source of electricity having its poles connected to insulated wires coupled throughout
the train, branches from these wires to contact pulls within the carriages whereby
Passengers can close the battery circuit, an electromagnet in the circuit with its
armature arranged as a detent to a spring wheel on a stop cock governing the
passage for compressed air or steam to a whistle, arranged and operating substantially
as described.
2. For operating with the apparatus referred to in the preceding claim, the contact
pull in combination with its indicating disc, substantially as described with reference
to Figs. 1 and 1ª.
3. For operating with the apparatus above referred to, the combination of electro
magnet and armature with the spring wheel, stop cock and whistle substantially as
described with reference to Figs. 2 and 2*.
Dated thin 08th day of Mar 1889
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.