IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTRICAL SIGNALS FOR RAILWAYS
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Inglis Conklin, jr., of the City and State of New
York, United States of America, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
ELECTRICAL SIGNALS FOR RAILWAYS."
Sealed the 6th February 1880, and dated the 3rd December 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Inglis Conklin at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 3rd December 1879.
JOSEPH INGLIS CONKLIN, jr., of the City and State of New York, United States
of America. "IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTRICAL SIGNALS FOR RAILWAYS."
This signal is devised for turning into view a signal to indicate danger during
the time that a train is passing along a portion of a railway, and then when the
train has reached the next signalling place a new signal is set to indicate danger,
and the first signal is turned to indicate safety. The signal can also be used at
draw bridges and switches.
Signals have been worked by electricity in somewhat this manner, and my
particular improvement relates to the instrument that gives the signal. I employ
an electro magnet and an arinature with a lever, and a shaft that receives a
quarter rotation in one direction by the armature lever acting against a projecting
pin on the signal shaft. A latch holds the signal when thus turned, and a spring
pusher that is acted upon by the armature when next moved by the electro magnet
unlatches the signal shaft, and allows a spring to turn it back to the normal
position of safety.
There are switch springs or circuit changers that are operated by the partial
revolution of the signal shaft, and these are so connected that a circuit closing
device upon the track operated by the first wheel of the train closes a circuit
between the battery and the electro magnet, and the signal is moved as aforesaid,
and by the turning of the signal shaft and the moving of the switch springs that
circuit is broken, so as not to be influenced by the passage of the other wheels in
the train. At the same time the circuit springs or switches close another circuit
through the electro magnet which circuit reaches to the distant circuit closing
device, so that the second electric pulsation through the belix of the electro magnet
changes the signal, and restores the first circuit connections so as to be ready to
give another signal when another train passes along.
The circuit closing device at the track is a lever pivotted at one end to the fish
plate or joint bar, and at the other end is a circuit closer that acts upon a contact
block that rests upon the flange of the rail or upon a clip that passes across the
bottom of the rail, this prevents the parts becoming displaced, and ensures the
closing of the circuit by the passage of the wheel, the insulated circuit wires being
connected to the respective parts of this circuit closer.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Joseph Inglis Conklin in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 2nd
June 1880.
JOSEPH INGLIS CONKLIN, jr., of the City and State of New York, United States
of America. "IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTRICAL SIGNALS FOR RAILWAYS."
This signal is devised for turning into view a signal to indicate danger during
the time that a train is passing along a portion of a railway, and then when the
train has reached the next signaling place a new signal is set to indicate danger,
and the first signal is turned to indicate safety. The signal can also be used at
draw-bridges and switches.
Signals have been worked by electricity in somewhat this manner, and my
particular improvement relates to the instrument that gives the signal.
I employ an electro-magnet and an armature with a lever, and a shaft that'
receives a quarter rotation in one direction by the armature lever acting against
a projecting pin on the signal shaft. A latch holds the signal when thus turned,
and a spring pusher that is acted upon by the armature, when next moved by the
electro-magnet unlatches the signal shaft, and allows a spring to turn it back to
the normal position of safety.
There are switch springs or circuit changers that are operated by the partial
revolution of the signal shaft, and these are so connected that a circuit closing
device upon the track operated by the first wheel of the train closes a circuit
between the battery and the electro-magnet, and the signal is moved as aforesaid,
and by the turning of the signal shaft and the moving of the switch springs that
circuit is broken, so as not to be influenced by the passage of the other wheels in
the train. At the same time the circuit springs or switches close another circuit
through the electro-maguet, which circuit reaches to the distant circuit closing
device, so that the second electric pulsation through the helix of the electro-magnet
changes the signal, and restores the first circuit connections so as to be ready to
give another signal when another train passes long. The circuit closing device at
the track is a lever pivoted at one end to the fish plate or joint bar, and at the
other end is a circuit closer that acts upon a contact block that rests upon the
flange of the rail or upon a clip that passes across the bottom of the rail, this
prevents the parts becoming displaced and ensures the closing of the circuit by the
passage of the wheel, the insulated circuit wires being connected to the respective
parts of this circuit closer.
In the Drawing,
Fig. 1 is a plan of the instrument partially in section.
'
2 is a sectional elevation.
"
"
3 is a similar view at right angles to Figure 2.
»
4 is a sectional plan at x, x, Fig. 3.
"
5 is a sectional elevation, and
6, a cross section of the track circuit closer.
"
7 is a diagram of the connections at two stations.
The armature a is pivoted at b above the electro-magnet c, and there is a lever
arm d extending downwardly to near the vertical shaft e, the upper end of which
shaft is made with or receives the signal e¹, see dotted lines Fig. 2, such as a wire
hoop with a red fabric attached to it. By the preconcerted code it is understood
that when the face of this signal is vissible one character of sign is indicated, such
as "danger," and when the hoop is edgewise to the approaching train another sign,
such as "safety" is indicated; to give this sign the shafte receives a quarter turn,
first one way and then the other.
There is a horizontal arm i projecting from the shaft e at the end of or in the
path of the lever arm d, and as the armature a is attracted the arm i is pressed by

page_text: the end of d and the shaft e rotated a quarter of a turn, and in so doing the
segment o upon this shaft e is turned around from beneath the plate or flat end of
the lever 1, and that lever falls and holds the signal in its turned position. During
this motion the spring has been strained slightly, both by the pressure of the
arm & and the momentum of the swinging signal. When the electro magnet
therefore is energised by the passage of the electric current this signal is set, but
when the electro magnet is energised again by the passage of a second current the
latch lever is lifted by the armature a acting upon the projection 3 upon the spring
pusher k. This spring pusher is operated by the sliding rod 25 that is moved
by the pin 6 on the shaft e acting against the disk 7 on said rod 25. When the
electro-magnet is first energised the spring pusher k is brought into the position,
shown by full lines in Figure 2, with the projection 3 contiguous to the moving
end of the armature lover, and when this lever flies upward the arm k assumes the,
position shown by dotted lines in said Fig. 2, with the projection 3 beneath the end,
of the armature lever. When the armature a is brought down by the passage of a
second current through the magnet c the armature lever strikes the projection 3,
and the pusher is moved down, depressing one end of the lever and raising the
latch end and liberating the shaft c, so that the spring & revolves it back again to
the normal position of safety, and in so doing the arm 6 turns towards the pusher k,'
and the spring 5 moves the sliding rod 25, which allows the pusher k to spring
back, so that the projection 3 is out of the way of the armature when it is again
attracted to set the signal.
The armature spring 8 draws back the lever d, and the screw 9 limits the
movement of the armature and lever.
As soon as the track circuit closer is once depressed and a current sent through
the electro-magnet, it is necessary to break the circuit to the magnet to prevent
the wheels that subsequently act on the circuit closer changing the signal.
There are two sets of circuit closing springs, S being the upper set and T the
lower set; the central spring tongues 15 and 19 rest in the normal position against
the springs 16 and 20, but when the shaft e is turned to the danger signal the arm?
acting on the two springs 15 and 19 moves them into contact with 18 and 13.
The diagram, Fig. 7, shows the circuit connections. Suppose the train to have
passed the station A and to be moving in the direction of the arrow; as it passed
the station A the signal was changed to danger, and the circuit connections changed
from those shown at the station B. Therefore, in explaining the circuit connections,
it is to be supposed that the instrument at B is in the normal position of safety,
the first wheel of the train passing over the circuit closer wat the track closes the
electric circuit from the battery wire +, and the current passes through the binding
screw 33, magnet helices c, c, springs 15 and 16, and binding screw 17 to the circuit
closer w, and thence to earth. The electro-magnet is energised, the signal is changed
to danger, and the springs 15 and 19 moved into contact with 18 and 13; this
breaks the circuit between 15 and 16, so that the electric magnet cat that station is
not affected by the passage of other wheels over the track circuit closer. There is,
however, a route opened from the circuit closer to the instrument at the rear
station A to change the same from danger back to the normal position of safety, so
that at the station A the current passes from battery wire + by 33, c, 15, 13, 12,
and line wire to the station B, and then through 10, 19, 18, and 17, to the track
circuit closer w. The pulsation of electricity acting at the station A sets the signal
back again at safety, and the circuit is broken between 15 and 13, hence the action
of the wheels on the track circuit closer at station B has no further effect at
station A.
The track circuit closer is made of the lever w that is pivoted at one end to a
bolt 38 passing through one of the fish-bars, and the moving end rests upon a
block 39 of india rubber.
This block 39 rests upon the flange of the rail or upon a flat support 26 that is
formed by a clip that passes across beneath the rail, and this clip extends up to
form a guide to the moving end of the lever w. Within the rubber block 39 there

page_text: is a spring contact block 22 and fixed circuit closing studs 23; the movement of
the lever w by the passing train depressing the said lever w brings the block 22
into contact with the studs 23, and closes the circuit through such studs.
Having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, I declare that I claim as my Invention,
First. In combination with the electro magnet c, signal e', and shaft e, the armature
lever d, arms i, 6, and 7, segment o, and latch lever, substantially as set forth.
Second. The combination of the electro-magnet c, armature a, lever d, latch 1,
pusher k, shaft e, and signal, substantially as set forth.
Third. The combination with the signaling instruments of the circuit closers and
circuit wires, arranged and operating substantially as set forth.
Fourth. The circuit closing lever w pivoted to the rail in combination with the
clip and spring circuit closer resting upon the flange of the rail, substantially as
set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Inglis Conklin, jr., have hereunto set
my hand and seal this Tenth day of Mav AD 1880
JOSEPH J. CONKLIN, Jª. (LS.)
Witnesses,
CHA". H. SMITH, 140, Nassau St., New York.
WILLIAM G. MOTT, 140,,,
33