Improvements in Station Indicators for Railway Carriages and in Means for Operating the same.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Nov., 1889-Accepted, 21st Dec., 1889
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Station Indicators for Railway Carriages and in
Means for Operating the same.
We HENRY GUSTAV KRASKY of No. 20 Eleventh Street, Mechanical Engineer,
and JOHN KUEFFER of No. 2517 Mission Street Piano Maker, both in the city and
county of San Francisco State of California United States of America do hereby
declare the nature of our Invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN STATION INDICATORS FOR
RAILWAY CARS AND IN AUTOMATIC MECHANISM FOR OPERATING THE SAME and in
what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
Our invention relates to mechanical devices for exhibiting in railway cars for the
information of the passengers the names of the streets or stations along the route and
in regular succession as they follow one another, and the improvements comprising
our invention consist of certain novel construction and combination of parts as
hereinafter fully described producing an automatic mechanism for operating
indicators in railway cars at regular or given intervals of time in the travel of the
car and following the intervals of space between the streets or stations along the
route, whereby the indicator in the car is operated just before each street or station is
approached and the name thereof is displayed to view.
The parts of our said mechanism consist of a time-cylinder or drum driven at
relatively slow speed from one of the car axles and by suitable gearing caused to
rotate continually with a given number of revolutions between one street or station
and the next such number of revolutions being determined by the distance between
the two stations. In addition to this continuous rotation the drum has uniform
movement longitudinally upon its axle, and is caused to travel along the axle from
end to end.
On the surface of the drum are projecting stops or pins arranged in spiral order
and capable of being set at different points and distances apart on such spiral line.
By the combined movements of the drum these pins are brought against an arm
projecting in their path from a rock shaft having suitable connection with the
indicator apparatus in the car, and as often as a pin moves the rockshaft arm the
indicator is set in motion to display the name of the station; the interval of time
between the display of one name and another being regulated by the adjustment of
the pins as to the distance between one pin and the next in the spiral, as well as by
the speed of the revolving and longitudinally sliding drum.
In connection with these parts is an automatic reversing mechanism by which the
rotation of the drum is reversed as often as it arrives at the end of its longitudinal
movement and is caused to travel back again to the starting point. The diameter and
length of longitudinal movement of the drum are proportioned to the length of route
traveled and the number of stations to be indicated, the whole number of stations,
being indicated and the end of the route being reached by the car at the time
that the drum has completed its longitudinal travel and is in position to be
reversed.
In carrying out our invention wo proceed to construct these parts and mechanism
as hereinafter described and as illustrated in the accompanying drawing that is
referred to by figures and letters :-
Figure 1 of the said drawing represents one end and portion of a street railway
car with the complete indicator and mechanism applied to it: the side of the car
being partly broken away to show the parts inside. Figure 2 is a side elevation on
a larger scule of the indicator-box and parts, and of the automatic mechanism that
is located beneath the car floor, the casing that surrounds and protects the parts
being cut away to show the interior arrangement;

page_text: Figure 3 is a top view of the automatic mechanism shown in figure 2 ;
Figures 45 and 6 represent parts in detail.
Corresponding parts in the several figures of the drawing are indicated by similar
letters of reference.
A denotes the indicator box, which is fixed in the upper part of the car in view of
the passengers, and B, the automatic mechanism fixed beneath the car floor, between
which and the indicator above connection is made by the upright rod or shaft C.
The mechanism B is driven by a continuously-running pulley which in the present
construction is a sprocket wheel D on the car-axle X, and a belt E giving motion to
the intermediate shaft, and the intermediate wheels and belt Ex Ex. The wheel G
is operated by these parts from one of the car axles. E is a shaft moved by
wheel G, and I K are spur pinions actuated from this shaft.
Pinion I is fast on the shaft, but the other one K is a louse pinion receiving
motion from I through the crown wheel L, the two pinions thereforo run in contrary
directions.
M N are two spur wheels of equal size loosely mounted on a shaft P and always in
gear with the pinions I K, whereby one runs in roverse direction to the other. On
the inner adjacent faces of the wheels M N are projecting studs S S* and on the
shaft is a projecting finger R that engages with the studs on one or the other of
said wheels according as the said shaft is shifted longitudinally in one direction or
the other.
W is a drum or short cylinder carrying on its face a number of pins and
having spur gears W2 W3 on the ends to mesh with a long pinion T. The shaft l'
is a part of this long pinion and forms its journal at one end, while a shorter journal
part Px carries the opposite end.
Journal boxes tx tx for the long pinion allow suitable longitudinal movement at
the ends for shifting the pinion into engagement with one or the other of the spur
wheels.
W is a screwthreaded hub working on a stationary screwthreaded shaft Y having
supports at the ends in brackets y* y*, and by virtue of its rotation upon this
fixed shaft Y having longitudinal movement along such shaft from one end to the
other.
V V* are adjustable collars fixed on the long pinion by set screws ² ², near
the ends, and m* n* are fixed stops on the ends of the drum W that set in position
to strike the collars as the drum reaches the end of its longitudinal movement.
These stops have beveled facos, the angle of which has sufficient pitch to move the
long pinion lengthwise in its bearings whon that face of the stop cones around and
presses against the side of the collar nearest to it.
Those parts m* n* V V* constitute the means of shifting the long pinion and
locking it to one or the other of the spur gears M N.
Qis a rock shaft in brackets q q and with an arm Q× near one end that projects in
the path of the pins w¹ on the drum-in position to bo struck and turned up or down
by them as the drum revolves and moves along its screw shaft. On the outer end of
the rock shaft is a toe Q1 that sets upon a too or similar piece U¹ fast on the end of a
rocking lever U of which the fulcrum is fixed at U outside the case, and the opposite
end of the lever is connected to the upright rod C that works the indicator-
the lower end of this rod is connected with the end of the lever U by the pivot
bolt c.
The upper end of the rod is connected to a pawl A¹ through the medium of the
lever A and the end of the pawl engages with the toothed rim of the ratchet
wheel A that is fast on the axle of the indicator cylinder.
The indicator herein illustrated is of that class which has a number of cards or
plates at a bearing the names of the streets or stations on one face and attached by
pintles at one edge to the periphery of a horizontal cylinder, the surrounding
case A having an opening in the front to expose the foremost card.
Every step or movement of the cylinder is equal to one tooth of the ratchet
wheel and is sufficient to release the free or unattached edge of the card a³ from

page_text: the top edge of the opening and allow the card to turn over and hang down in
sight.
"By this mechanism the upright rod c is moved as often as a pin w' on the drum
strikes the arm Q* and turns the rock shaft Q. The pins w³ are so fixed in the drum
that any one or more can be removed to vary the distances between them, and by
properly adjusting the pins the intervals between one movement of the rock shaft
and the next can be altered as circumstances may require. When the drum reaches
the limit of its movement on the screw shaft it is reversed by the stop m* or n*
striking the collar Vor V* and shifting the long pinion into gear with the other spur
wheel.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is―
1. The time cylinder W having stop pins to' and mounted for rotation and
longitudinal progression on a screw shaft Y, the gears W and W long pinion T
and mechanism by which the time cylinder is rotated and is reversed at the end of
its progressive movement, in combination with the rock shaft Q having an arm_Q*
to engage the pins of the time-cylinder, and an arm Q2 adapted to operate a shaft
or rod c as specified.
2. In combination with the cylinder W having rotation and progression as
described and carrying pins w¹, the reversing mechanism, consisting of spur wheels
running continuously in opposite directions, the sliding pinion T the clutchos S S× R
and the stops mx nx and collars V V' for operation as specified.
3. The automatic mechanism for operating station indicators in railway cars,
composed of the continuously running cylinder W having stop pins and
adapted to move along its axis of rotation first in one direction and then in the
opposite direction with reverse rotation, the rockshaft Q having an arm Q* actuated
by the pins of the cylinder the lever U and tous U' Q' connected with the indicator
operating rod as specified.
1
1311
November 1880