Improved Electric Signalling Apparatus for Railways.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Mar., 1895-Accepted, 4th May, 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Electric Signalling Apparatus for Railways.
We GUSTAV ADOLPH LYNCKER of 5 Lothstrasse, Lieutenant in the German
Army Retired List, and ANTON SCHROPP of 26 Schwiudstrasse, of no occupation,
both of Munich in the Empiro of Germany, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention and in what manuer the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention consists in an improved apparatus to bo automatically set in action
by railway trains or vehicles passing upon the lines or rails of a railway for
signalling the approach of such train or vehicle after it has left one station or
place and until it arrives at the next station or place, and for signalling at the
same time to the station or place that it has left, that it is upon the right rails
or track.
This automatic signalling by the moving train or vehicle repeats itself at each
signal box, watchman's post or other place, so that the official at any such place
may know that there is a train or vehicle on the track, and also in what direction
the train or vehicle is moving. The passage of another vehicle or train on to the
same track section causes a similar signal of its presence to be given so that any
such official has the opportunity of at once taking such steps as may be necessary
to avoid a collision or otherwise.
This signalling apparatus is operated by or with electric devices and comprises
means for automatic operation of the current establishing or circuit closing device
which latter causes the setting in action of a signal bell. The automatic device
for operating the circuit closer consists of two parts, namely, a lover placed along-
side the rail at cach watchman's post or other place, combined with the lever
of an electric switch or contact device located outside the rail, and an arm on the
locomotive or other vehicle provided with a roller which upon passing over the
aforesaid lever near the rail moves the latter temporarily out of its path thus
moving the contact lever and setting the signal mechanism in action.
In the annexed drawings
Fig. 1 is a diagram illustrating the arrangement of these levers alongside the
rails, which may be called rail levers, there being one for each post, and of the
other devices combined therewith.
Figs. 2 and 3 are elevations showing the construction of the aforesaid levers
and parts connected therewith. Figs. 4 and 5 are plan views thereof.
Fig. 6 illustrates the locomotive with its arm and roller about to depress or rock
the rail lever.
Figs. 7, 8, 9 and 10 are views illustrating parts hereinafter referred to, and
Fige. 2A, 2B, 6A, 6B illustrate modified or alternative constructions.
The above mentioned automatic lever a is attached to the outside of the track
at each watchman's house. It is, pivoted in a separate case b, fastoned to the
rail or the sleeper respectively, and reaches up to about 2 centimètres below
the top of the rail. The lower part of the lever a, which turns on a bolt (Fig. 6),
or trestle (Fig. 24), has two arms, one of which (a) [if moved into the direction
of the running train] presses one end of the double lever e which is to effect the
contact, whereby the other end of this lever e pushes a right angled lever fin an
upward direction, so that an electric button touches a spring g, and thereby

page_text: effects the contact. From these two contacts wires run to the electric battery
and to the respective telegrapliia bells, respectively. This simple lever contact
arrangement is, for protection against the weather, encased in a so-called contact
box h. The automatic lever a bins an angular upper face, but the slopes of this
face are recessed to correspond with the radius of the automatic roller i, which,
as above described, is attached to the locomotive (Figs. 6 and 6). This roller
is fastened on to the locomotive by means of an extension arm, which extends
obliquely downward and backward close behind one of the wheels of the locomotive.
With a width of 8 centimètres and a diameter of 20 centimètres this roller reaches
down to 4 to 5 centimètres below the thickness of the rail flange, whereby, in
passing over the automatic lever a, it pushes it down, and by so doing presses down
also the lever e, and so causes the lever contact arrangement to act, as already
described. A spring k, which is attached to the contact lever, immediately
interrupts the electric current after the passage of the roller i.
Should a locomotive pass the automatic lever a in the opposite direction back-
ward (in which case, the current not being closed, no signal is given), the balance
of that lever is at once restored by a spring e', which operates underneath the
lever a.
By employing the signal bell apparatus now in use (which consists of simple
clocklike works with electric disconnections)-not shown in the, drawing-each of
the two clocks one above the other, gives the signal from the running train, for
instance, the train, running from A to B, causing the larger clock above to give
5 or 6 strokes of a lower tone, whereas the train running from B to A, operates
the lower, smaller clock, which gives a much higher sound.
P
The electric conductor (as shown on the drawing, Sheet Fig. 1) ruus, for the
train from A to B, from the office of the station A, i.e., from the key m, so that
the one wire (positive) runs through the bell and from there through all the
larger bells above (as indicated on sketch) along the entire track, up to the
clock at the end station B; from there to the electric battery C. From this
battery, the other wire (negative) runs back, (as indicated on the drawing) through
all contact arrangements in the respective contact boxes h, to the key m at the
starting station A (Fig. 1).
The conductor from the station B to A is arranged in the same way. From
the koy m the wire y runs to the bell j, from there (as indicated on sketch) through
all the works of the lower signal clocks to the clock and to the battery C, from
which point the other wire runs back to the respective contact arrangements and
finally to the key m!.
·p',
In the contact boxes h (where the contact arrangements for both tracks are
made), the electric contacts and g (Fig. 2) with their respective wires (p and
org and g respectively) are connected with the bell telegraph arrangement
means of the wires r and respectively.
Just as the station official gives, by means of the key m (as hitherto) a signal
of the leaving of a train, the latter, in passing each watchman's house, by pressing
down the lever coutinually announces itself along the track, and again to the office
of the end station.
The connection for signalling back to the starting station is as follows:
-
To the contact lever arrangement (for the train running from A to B) of the
first post E, a second contact (button and spring) is connected, whereby the leaving
train also aunounces itself to the starting station as "being on the right track
through the simple wire connection o and o', together with the galvanic element 1)
and the above mentioned clock n. The same arrangement exists for the trains
running from B to A, wires running from El to the clock j of the station B.
Provision is also to be made by the same signal system, that the trains may
safely pass railway-gates (especially where the gates are much used). For this
purpose a simple clockwork with bellis erected at the respective gates-
Fig. 9-and is connected, by means of wires u and u' through an electric battery g
(which, latter should be placed in the watchman's house) with an automatic lever a

page_text: |attached, comparatively farther back (one or two posts) to the track, or with its
contact lever arrangement (e, f, 9 Fig. 2 and 3) respectively.
The automatic lever set in motion there by the running train effects a double
contact and thus gives a warning signal at the exposed gate. The bell signal there
may last 15 to 20 seconds, indicating, at the same time, to the respective watchiman
tho right moment for closing his gate.
In the same manuer (as shown in Fig. 7) a like automatic lever a is, at crossing
points, attached to the track of the cros-ing line, near the intersection point (before
the crossing commences), and the respective contact lever arrangement (Fig. 2)
is connected, by wires and v', with a bell at the next post of the track to
he protected. As soon as a train enters the crossing, the post E of the line to be
protected, receives the warning sigual, in which case the watchman has to challenge
any train that may approach ou his track. As the crossing trains can have a
different length (as regards number of coaches), the signal should be continued
until the last coach has passed the crossing. For this end the right augled
contact lever, Fig. 2, has a hook w (shown in dotted lines), which, when the
contact lever a operates, catches the spring w' (Fig. 8 detail view) with the result,
tunt the button remains connected with the spring 9 and so causes the signal
to be continued. From the end of the spring to a thin wire runs to the discon-
nection arrangement which is placed in charge of the pointsman of the crossing.
As soon as the last car of the crossing train has passed the track, the abovo
mentioned pointsman, by gently pulling the handle of the disconnection arrange-
ment, disengages the spring to, and, as already mentioned on former pages, the
spring & Fig. 2., effects an immediate interruption of the current.
In case a running train is endangered by some accident or a sudden impediment,
such as, for instance, if a vehicle passing the track should collapse, thereby
barricading the track, a further arrangement for immediately notifying the train,
lins been made by contact keys t, in connection with the wires p. and y q' respec-
tively being arranged in each bell house in such a manner that the watchman
there can immediately, by simply closing them (for one or both tracks) set all
signal bells ringing, which will enable the driver of the locomotive to at once
apply the brakes and stop the train. Fig. 1 shows this device fitted to one bell
house as an example.
A further arrangement for safety signals on railroads, especially for circular
railways and those worked on the block system, is ropresented in Fig. 10. It
consists of the electro magnet 1 which is connected, by the wires 2 and 3, with the
automatic track lover arrangement A', and the element K respectively, and
which, actuated by the passing train as above described, pulls the armature 4,
the arm 4 of which turus the disk 5 around its axis for the same distance (about
2 centimètres), with the result that a springlike, conductive armature 7, suspended
at 6, catches, with its hook-like end 7, a groove in the disk, and therewith causes
a now contact for the wires paud y. The conducting wiro here runs from the
groove which is lined with platinum, to the axis of the disk, and from there, along
the entire line to be protected, through the element D' (which is placed in the
station house) and back through the electric signal bells jj to the armature 7.
Here the current cousequently remains closed and the signals continued until
the train has passed the desired distance, from which moment, as the train passes
the automatic track lever, a like arrangement operates for the further distance to
be traversed. To the contact lever. arrangement there, another button and spring
are connected (similar to the backward conductor described above), from which
the wires p and q (which should be insulated in the ground) run back to the
apparatus of the starting station A, and there, by means of the element R¹, Fig. 10,
operate the second electro magnet 1, whereby the suspended armature 7 is drawn
back, and the connection of the conducting wires pa is immediately interrupted.
The arrangement described of track lever with lever contact arrangement can
be replaced by any other automatic coutactmaker, the electric arrangement being
retained to insure the safest protection of the running train.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what wo
claim is :-
1. An electric arrangement for protection of running trains, between two
stations, consisting of conducting wires p, p1 and 9,9 respectively, for both
directions, which are connected with the batteries C and C of the respective end
stations, also with the track connectors a, e, f, to be arranged at each post, so that
when the train runs, the electric circuit between the stations, for announcing it,
is repeatedly closed in shorter and shorter circles; whereby the passing train
notifies each post along the running direction including the end station.
2. In connection with the arrangement described in Claim 1 local current
circuits (o os'), which are, by means of connectors a, e, f,, closed at the same
time with part of the principal circuit, in order to notify to the starting station
whether the train is on the right track, or to give warning signals at crossings
and the like.
Dated this 5th day of March 1895.
HERBERT HADDAN & Co.,
18, Buckingham Street, Strand, London, W.C.,
Agents to Applicants.