Improvements relating to the Prevention of Railway Train Collisions.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Nov., 1891-Accepted, 5th Dec., 1801
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
12
Improvements relating to the Prevention of Railway Train
Collisions.
I, REGINALD HADDAN of the firm of Herbert & Co. Patent Agents of
18 Buckingham Street Strand W.C. in the County of London Civil Engineer do
hereby declare the nature of this invention a communication to me from abroad by
Eugenio Espian and Pédro Ferrer of Barcelona in the Kingdom of Spain to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
The object of this invention is to bring to rest automatically two trains moving
on the same section of the railway on the same line, or to arrest one such train
proceeding on a line on which another is already at rest so that collision between
such trains is avoided.
The improvements consist in the apparatus hereinafter described and illustrated
in the accompanying drawings in which
Fig. 1 is an electrically controlled apparatus for setting the brakes in action on
the train and
Fig. 2 the means for contact with an electrical conductor along the line.
It is almost essential for the proper working of this system that all trains should
be provided with continuous pressure or vacuum brakes. In Fig. 1. A is the
usual lever or handle by which the brake is set in action by hand in the case of
a continuous pressure brake. B is the pipe leading to the receiver of compressed
air. C is the pipe leading to the brake mechanism along the train.
In the pipe C is placed a cock D similar in construction to A, which carries
besides the hand lever E a toothed wheel F the teeth of which mesh, with those
of the rack G on the sliding bar H which moves in the guides a¹ a and is limited
in its movements by the heads H' H" impinging against these guides. Between
the guide a and the head H" is the spring I tending to throw the bar towards the
left which position corresponds with the position for pressure of the brakes. On
the bar H is the toothed piece K preferably with three teeth or detents. Over the
latter is pivoted the lever J one end of which is drawn up by the spring M so that
the other which is provided with a hook J¹ catches over any one of the teeth
of the part K and prevents the bar H from sliding to the left under the pressure
of the spring I until the said lever J is lifted to release the part K. On the
hooked end of the lever J is the armature N and above the latter the electro
magnet O. At the end of the lever J.is the contact piece Q adapted to rest upon
and give electric contact between the lever J and the fixed terminal Q when the
armature is not attracted by the electromagnet O.
Each locomotive is provided with this apparatus and also with a dynamo electric
machine of any suitable kind or with any source of electric power to be put in
action only when the locomotive (with or without its train) is in motion.
On each locomotive is also a contact brush B' Fig. 2 to be in continual contact
with the insulated conductor C¹ which runs along the whole length of the line, or
of the section on which the apparatus is to come into action. If the circuit is
completed through the earth or rails there need be but one such conductor and
brush but there are preferably two such insulated conductors one on each side of
the track and two brushes B₁ therefor especially for single lines of railway where
trains move in both directions.
The brush B' is held in a spindle A' moving in the box E' and is held pressed
to the conductor C' by means of the spring D'.
The one brush B' is connected by wire R to one end of the coil of the electro
magnet, the other end of the said coil is connected by wire S to the lever J. The

page_text: terminal Q is connected by wire P to one pole of the dynamo, the other pole of
the said dynamo is connected to the other brush B'.
When the train moves the dynamo generates a current which if the circuit is
completed will operate the mechanism and stop the train. Thus if a second train
he standing on the line in the same section, the contact of the brushes B¹ B' through
the apparatus on that train will complete the circuit and the electromagnets o will
attract the armatures N releasing the bars H which bring the brakes into action,
stopping the moving train and preventing the standing train from moving.
When two trains moving in opposite directions arrive on the same section of
line the dynamos acting in series the combined current also acts on the electro-
magnets O. to bring each train to a standstill.
Also if two trains are moving in the same direction on the same section of line
at different speeds the current equal to the difference between the two currents
generated by the two dynamos (revolving also at different speeds) operates the
electro magnets O.
If the two trains were moving in the same direction at the same speed the
currents neutralizing each other would remain without effect, there would
however be no danger of collision so long as the speed of the two trains remained
the same.
To prevent the brake being set too suddenly in action the part K has more than
one tooth, when the first is released by the action of the magnet the circuit is
broken at QQ and the lever J again falls before the second tooth, this action
however again completes the circuit at QQ and the lever J is again raised by
the electromagnet. This action is repeated for each tooth until the bar is fully
released, this construction however retards the release of the bar sufficiently to
prevent the brakes being too suddenly acted upon.
By connecting the bar H to the lever of a steam whistle an audible signal will
be given to the driver to shut off steam and allow the train to come to rest.
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 I
claim is;-
For the purpose of preventing a collision between two trains moving (one or
both) on the same line and section of railway, the apparatus herein described
consisting in the combination with a pressure or vacuum brake of an electrically
releasable apparatus for setting said brakes automatically in action, a dynamo or
other source of electricity on each train and adapted to be set in action on move-
ment of the train and an insulated conductor or conductors with which each train
is in contact to complete the circuit substantially in the manner described.
Dated this 3rd day of November 1891.
HERBERT & Co.,
Agents to Applicant.