Improvements in Apparatus for Indicating the Names of Stations upon Railways.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 13th July, 1899-Accepted, 19th Aug., 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Indicating the Names of Stations
upon Railways.
I, EMANUEL METH, of Königshütte, Upper Silesia, in the German Empire,
Merchant, 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 electrically operated apparatus for indicating to
passengers in railway trains the names of stations that the train is about to
reach. A short time before the train arrives at a station the name of that
station is displayed to the occupants of the different compartments and at the
same time attention may be attracted by the ringing of a bell.
The accompanying drawings illustrate the construction and arrangement of the
apparatus or devices employed.
Figure 1 shows the indicator in cross section.
Figure 2 illustrates it in front elevation with the cover removed.
Figure 3 represents a horizontal section through the casing showing the
apparatus in plan.
Figure 4 is a view of the switch board.
Figure 5 is an illustration taken behind the front board or cover of the device.
Figure 6 is a diagrammatic view of the complete apparatus.
The switch board a is arranged within easy reach of the engine driver, guard,
or other official on the train, and is provided with two concentric rows of con-
tacts and two concentric rings. An electric circuit is closed whenever a suitable
part upon the arm b touches one of the contacts. Upon the arm b is arranged
a slide which may be moved so as to join the ring with the outer row of
contacts, or the ring with the inner row of contacts. The outer row of con-
tacts and the ring thus form part of a circuit within which the indicators arè
also enclosed in such a manner that a forward movement is given to the cylinder
bearing the station names as the arm b is moved. The other row of contacts
and the other ring form part of a circuit which also includes the indicators
and by closing which and moving the arm 6 the motion of the indicator rollers
may be reversed. Either circuit may be used by moving the sliding contact upon
the arm b. The movement of the arm 6 gives a step by step motion to the indi-
cating device.
The indicator itself consists mainly of a roller or cylinder d or the like upon
which the names of the stations are displayed in several rows, in the example
illustrated in three rows. It is contained within a casing c formed with three
openings, p, q,r, one for each row of names, each opening having a door or
shutter. At the commencement the door on the extreme left will be open so
that as the roller moves round the names in the left hand row are successively
shown at the opening. When all the names in that row have in turn been
exposed, the shutter of the first opening is closed and the shutter of the second
opening is withdrawn so the names in the second row are now in their turn
displayed one after the other. The third row is similarly displayed after the

page_text: second has been exhausted and so on with any further rows. Only one name
is thus displayed at a time.
The operation of the indicator is as follows, with the different parts in the
positions indicated in the drawings. The arm is moved over the contact e
so that that contact and the ring are connected. A current is thereby sent
through the electro magnet f which attracts its armature g, which is fulcrumed
at g. The outer free end of the armature engages with a vertically movable
pawl k and moves it upwards. This pawl in its turn engages with a ratchet
wheel which thus has angular motion imparted to it every time the armature is
attracted. The ratchet wheel gears with the shaft of the drum d by means of
the wheel m and the pinion the number of whose teeth are so proportioned
that the movement of the ratchet wheel through the space of one tooth is enough
to move the drum sufficiently to bring the name of the next station into view
through one of the openings in the front or cover of the casing c. Similar
mechanism is fixed at the right hand side of the apparatus to move the drum
in the opposite direction. There are as many teeth on each ratchet wheel as
there are stations to be indicated. The ratchet teeth do not extend all the way
round the ratchet wheel 7 a blank or smooth space being left so that after the
last station has been indicated the movement of the pawl does not affect the
wheel. The object of this method of construction will be explained more fully
later on.
The drum illustrated is polygonal and has fifteen faces bearing three rows of
names so that forty five stations may be indicated. The ratchet wheel has forty
five teeth.
P, q, are the three openings provided for the display of the names, one for
each row, and each opening is furnished with a door or shutter, which is operated
from a
cam grooved disc upon the shaft of the ratchet wheel.
The cam
discs I, II, III rotate with the ratchet wheel. Each of them has engaging with
it a pin or bowl which is secured to a lever to each of which is mounted upon a
short shaft 3. The other ends of these short shafts carry arms to the ends
of which are secured rods or bolts 15. These rods or bolts are in contact with
the doors covering the openings p, q,r, and are so disposed that as they move to
the left the doors can open under the influence of springs 17. The return of
the rods or bolts to the right effects the closing of the doors.
The cams or grooves are so formed and arranged that the second door is opened
and the first is closed when the last name in the first row has been disclosed, and
the third door is opened and the second closed when the last name in the second
row has been disclosed.
The apparatus may be employed for indicating on either the outward or the
homeward journey. In the former the outer row of contacts and the ring e5 are
included in the circuit and the electro magnet f is energised so as to rotate the
drum in the direction of the arrow shown in Figure 1. Breslau is assumed to
be the starting station, so that the next to be disclosed will be Brockau. When
Kandrzin has been indicated the first shutter will be closed and the second
shutter will be opened to disclose the name Slaventz which is the first in the
second row.
For the homeward run the inner row of contacts and the ring e
are placed in circuit and the electro magnet f¹ will be energised to rotate the
drum d in the opposite direction and thus present the names in the reverse order.
It may happen that at any station carriages may be added the indicators of
which are not in their proper positions. These may all be made correct by the
attendant in the following manner. Suppose that different apparatus indicate
three different stations the first of which is in row 1, the second in row 2, and
the third in row 3. The arm a is moved to the position shown in Figure 4,
the sliding contact on it, however, being arranged for the first row of contacts
and the ring e. The arm is now moved slowly round until it comes over the
contact ². It is now certain that every apparatus will indicate the terminal
station, as, as before explained, no further motion takes place in any ratchet wheel

page_text: when the last tooth of the wheel has been reached. Therefore when any indicator
has reached the last station before the others it has no further forward movement
imparted to it. The sliding contact on the arm a is now moved to the second
row of contacts and the ring e. Commencing with the contact e³ the arm
is moved backwards until the desired station is reached, say, Brockau, at the con-
tact e. All the indicators are now in their proper working positions. Similar
adjustments may of course be made on the home journey.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. An electrically operated indicator for displaying the names of railway stations,
consisting essentially of a drum or cylinder bearing, the names in two or more
rows and openings in the front of the casing through which the names are visible,
all constructed arranged and operated substantially as herein described and as
illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
2. In an electrically operated indicator of the type described displaying the
names of railway stations, a ratchet wheel which is secured to the name drum
and is provided on its periphery with a number of teeth corresponding
to the number of stations to be indicated and with a smooth or blank portion,
substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore described and as illustrated by
the accompanying drawings.
3. An electrically operated indicator for displaying the names of railway
stations, constructed arranged and operated substantially as herein before described
and as illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
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