Improvements in Electric Railway-signals.
Year: 1894

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by FRANK BEATTIE, of Leete Island, County of
New Haven, State of Connecticut, United States of America, Post-master.].
Improvements in Electric Railway-signals.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine Lake & Co. Patent Agents,
45 Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, 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 electric railway signals and is represented in the
accompanying drawings in which
Figure 1, represents a view in rear elevation showing the application of my
improved device to the cab of a locomotive engine.
Figure 2, a broken plan view showing a section of railway provided with such a
permanent tripping device as may be employed in connection with my signal.
Figure 3, a detached broken view, partly in vertical section, showing the
operating-rod, the housing, the chambered plunger and the pivotal trip of my
device.
Figure 4, a broken view of the device in vertical section showing the button
of the rod in position in the locking-notch in the upper end of the pivotal trip.
Figure 5, a detached view in horizontal section, showing the plunger and the
operating button.
Figure 6, a detached view in inside elevation of the pivotal trip.
My invention relates to that class of electric railway signals designed to depend
from the cab of a locomotive engine, and to be set in operation by means of a
tripping device permanently attached to a railway track adjacent to the rails
thereof, and containing a tripping head, and normally retired, but lifted into position
for operation when it is designed to set off the signal in the cab, and so warn the
engineer.
The object of my present invention is to produce a simple, compact and convenient
device, composed of few parts, and not liable to derangement, and operated on the
principle of sounding the bell until the engineer himself stops it from ringing by
resetting the device.
With these ends in view, my invention consists in an electric railway signal
having certain details of construction and combinations of parts as will be herein-
after described and pointed out in the claims.
In carrying out my invention, as herein shown, I locate an electric bell A, of any
suitable construction, in the cab B of a locomotive engine, one wire a leading to
the hell from a battery C, and the other wire a' leading to the bell from a circuit-
closer D, which is connected with the other pole of the battery by means of a
wire a². The particular construction of the circuit-closer may be varied as desired.
As herein shown, it resembles an ordinary push-button, the push D' whereof instead
of being made solid, is tubular for the passage through it of a vertically arranged,
reciprocal and rotable operating-rod E, the upper end of which is furnished with a
handle E¹, located at a convenient height from the floor B¹ of the cab for ready
operation by the engineer. The said operating-rod extends down through the
floor B' of the cab, through the circuit-closer D, and the tubular push D', thereof,
and takes a bearing at its lower end in the upper end of a housing F, which is
firmly secured, as herein shown, to the lower ends of two corresponding
hangers GG, adapted at their upper ends to be attached to the floor of the cab so
as to depend therefrom. The said housing, which has a bell-shaped enlargement F',

page_text: at its lower end; is provided at opposite points within it with two vertical
guides F2 F2, which take into two corresponding vertical grooves H H, formed in
the opposite edges of a substantially rectangular, horizontally arranged plunger H',
held upon the extreme lower end of the rod E, by means of an operating or coupling
button I, rigidly secured to it by a screw. When the rod is rotated, said
button is projected beyond the outer face of the plunger, as shown by full lines in
Figs. 4 and 5 of the drawings, or retired as shown by broken lines in Fig. 5, into a
horizontal chamber H2, formed therein. When the said button I is projected as
described, it takes into a vertical locking-notch J, formed in an arm J, projecting
centrally upward from a pivotal trip J2, hung on a horizontal pivot J³, journalled
at its opposite ends in the lower end of the housing, into which the upper end of
the trip extends, while its lower end extends below the same. The locking-notch J,
before mentioned, opens at its lower end into a transverse clearance groove J', also
formed in the said arm J', and co-acting with the notch J, as will be set forth.
later on.
The said trip is provided with a horizontal righting-face J with which
the lower face of the plunger engages, whereby the trip is righted or restored into
its normal or set position, from the inclined position into which it is thrown when
operated, the bell-shaped enlargement at the lower end of the housing providing
room for the swinging movement of the upper end of the trip. The lower end of
the trip is furnished with an anti-friction roll Je, which engages, for setting off the
signal, with a tripping device permanently applied to the track. As herein shown,
the said device consists of a tripping-block K, having an operating-arm K1, rigidly
connected with it, and mounted upon a rock-shaft L, journalled at its ends in two
bearings L'L', secured to adjacent ties L2 L2, upon which the track-rails L³ L³
are laid. An operating rod or lever L, connected with the arm K', is provided
for lifting the block K into its operating position, or depressing it into its normal
or retired position, in which it is located below the path of the pivotal trip before
described. The rod or lever L' may lead to a tower or switch, and will have
suitable operating connections, which do not need description. A heavy spiral
spring E², interposed between the handle E¹ of the operating-rod E, and the
floor B of the cab, exerts a constant effort to lift the rod, whereby the operating
button I, fixed to its lower end, is maintained in the locking notch J of the trip,
which is thus held in its normally vertical position of readiness to be operated.
Furthermore, when the operating button is entered into the locking notch of the
trip, the same acts through the medium of the button and plunger, to prevent the
elevation of the rod by the spring E², so as to cause the collar M, adjustably
mounted upon the rod, to engage with the push D', and lift the same into position
for closing the circuit through the bell A.
Having now described the construction of my improved device, I will proceed to
set forth the mode of its operation. The tripping-block K, having been raised
into its elevated position through the medium of its operating-arm K', and the
operating-rod or lever L, is engaged, as shown in Fig. 1, by the anti-friction
roll J located in the lower end of the pivotal trip J2, as the engine passes over that
portion of the track in which the tripping device is permanently located. When
the friction-roll strikes the block, the lower end of the trip will be temporarily
arrested, and the trip swung on its pivot J³ into the position indicated by broken
lines in Fig. 3, in which position its lower end is sufficiently elevated to pass over
the block. The deflection of the trip from the vertical, causes the engagement of
one of the side walls of its locking-notch J with the projecting end of the button I,
whereby the button, and hence the operating-rod is rotated, the button being
entirely retired within the chamber H2 in the plunger H'. The plunger having
thus been uncoupled from the trip, the rod is immediately lifted by the spring E
whereby the collar M mounted upon it, is impinged against the push D', with the
effect of lifting the same, and bringing the contact-springs, which are not shown
but which form terminals of the wires a¹ a² into contact, thus closing the circuit
through the battery C, and the bell A, which is sounded. The bell will then ring
until the engineer or the fireman grasps the handle E', and depresses the rod

page_text: gainst the force of the spring E³. The first effect of depressing the rod as
escribed, will be to move the collar M down away from the push D', which will
nove back to its normal position, and thus allow the contact springs mentioned to
eparate, and break the electric circuit. The downward movement of the rod also
engages the lower edge of the plunger H with the now inclined righting face J³ of
he pivotal trip. Then as the rod moves further downward, it operates, through the
medium of the plunger to restore the pivotal trip to its normal or vertical position,
while the trip. when it reaches that position, limits the downward movement of the
rod. The rod is then rotated by its handle, whereby the button is swung out into
the clearance groove J* in the trip, and brought into line with the open lower end
of the locking notch J. Downward pressure upon the handle is then relieved to
permit the spring E³ to act to lift the rod, and hence enter the button into the
locking notch J again, whereby the rod will be maintained in its depressed position
and coupled to the trip, and whereby also the trip will be maintained in its vertical
or normal position. I wish to particularly call attention to the fact that the
bell does not stop ringing until the engineer manipulates the operating rod of
the device.
My improved device is reliable and effective in operation, and being composed of
comparatively few parts, is not liable to derangement.
It is apparent that in carrying out my invention I may resort to some changes
from the construction herein shown and described. For instance, I may
considerably alter the construction of the housing, and may employ other means
than those shown for depending it from the cab. would therefore have it under-
stood that I do not limit myself to the exact construction herein shown, but hold
myself at liberty to make such changes and alterations as fairly fall within the
spirit and scope of my invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondent I declare that what I claim is :-
1. In an electric railway signal, the combination with a bell located in an electric
circuit, of a reciprocal and rotable operating-rod controlling the making and
breaking of the said circuit, a plunger, a button secured to the lower end of the
rod, and connecting the plunger thereto, and a pivotal trip adapted at its lower end
to be operated upon by a tripping device applied to the railway, and constructed
at its upper end to be coupled with the rod through the medium of the said button,
substantially as described.
2. In an electric railway signal, the combination with a bell located in an electric
circuit, of a reciprocal and rotable operating-rod adapted to make and break said
circuit, a spring exerting its force to lift the rod and close the circuit, a
chambered plunger, a button fixed to the lower end of the rod, connecting the
plunger therewith and entering the chamber of the plunger when the rod is
rotated, a pivotal trip adapted at its lower end to engage a tripping device
permanently applied to the railway, and constructed at its upper end with a bearing
face which co-operates with the lower edge of the plunger to restore it to its
vertical position, and with a vertical locking-notch and a clearance groove for the
reception of the said button, substantially as described.
3. In an electric railway-signal, the combination with a bell located in an electric
circuit, of a reciprocal and rotable operating-rod adapted to make and break the
said circuit, a spring exerting its force to lift the rod and close the circuit, a
chambered plunger located at the lower end of the rod, an operating-button
secured to the lower end of the rod, connecting the plunger therewith, and entering
the chamber of the plunger when the rod is rotated, a housing containing a plunger
and guiding the saine in its vertical movement with the rod, and a trip pivoted in
the said housing, adapted at its lower end to engage a tripping device permanently
5 applied to the railway, and constructed at its upper end with a righting face which

page_text: co-operates with the plunger and with a locking-notch and a clearance groove to
receive the said button, substantially as described.
Dated this 4th day of June 1894.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.