Improvements in the Electric Lighting of Railway Trains
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 4th May, 1889
Complete Specification Left, 13th Dec, 1889-Accepted, 8th Feb., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Electric Lighting of Railway Trains,
1 ILLIUS AUGUSTUS TIMMIS of No. 2 Great George Street, Westminster London S. W.
Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The objects of my Invention are to lessen the weight of the apparatus, to economise
the electric current and lessen the expense and to increase the light.
With these objects in view I place a dynamo in the guard's van or other suitable
vehicle and drive it by means of a special engine which is supplied by steam either
from a special boiler or from the locomotive-I prefer to use a special boiler-and
from the dy namo I take main positive and negative leads which I fit through each
vehicle. And from these leads I fit up separate lighting leads in each vehicle that
has to be lighted I join the through leads from vehicle to vehicle together with any
other leads I use as described hereinafter by means of couplers as described in my
previous patents, 1168688 334687 1463287 13585
Thus I light the electric lamps directly from the dynamo which enables me to use a
high voltage and economise the current and for this purpose I do not require any
batteries in any of the vehicles I place the lamps in each vehicle by preference in
parallel arc But, as carriages have to be slipped or put into sidings and it is necessary
that they should be supplied with light under these circumstances or when any
accidental separation takes place as is sometimes the case, I place a small electric
lamp of low voltage in each compartment and a sufficient number in each saloon or
passage of each vehicle in parallel are in a special or auxiliary circuit and join the
circuit of each vehicle to a small secondary battery placed in any suitable position in
the vehicle. There is a local switch to open or close each of these auxiliary circuits and
when closed the lamps are lit I fit another or relay switch in each of these auxiliary
circuits which I actuate as follows -In each of the main lighting circuits in each
vehicle 1 place a relay which actuates the relay switch and breaks the auxiliary circuits
when the dynamo is running. Thus when the dynamo is lighting the lamps in the
main circuits the auxiliary circuits are broken but when any vehicles are separated
from the train containing the dynamo the auxiliary circuits are closed and the sinall
lamps are lit.
When the dynamo is required to charge the small batteries it is arranged as
follows I place a third lead through each vehicle which I join to the dynamo and in it
I fit a special resistance which reduces the voltage of the current to the proper potential.
One pole of each battery I join to this lead and the other pole I join to the general
negative main lead
If I use a communication circuit I fit it as described in my previous patents
mentioned above
In case the train is running in the day time through a country where there are
tunnels and where the light may be wanted for an occasional short period I may use
one of the following methods.
(1) I may have all the local switches open and light the lamps in the main circuits
by running the dynamo or
(2) 1 may keep the auxiliary circuits closed and put another or controlling circuit
through the train with which I may control the lights in the auxiliary circuits by the
use of magnets or relays as described in my patents mentioned above.
(3) I may use a special switch as described in my patent 13589 -in order to make
junction between the extra controlling lead which is connected to either the batteries
or the auxiliary circuits and the auxiliary lead which is connected in the contrary
G
וז.

page_text: way. The other pole of the batteries is connected to the main negative. On the
separation of a pair of couplers this junction is made automatically.
In case I use an extra lead for the purpose of controlling the auxiliary lighting
circuits in conjunction with a special switch I do not require the relay as described
above to put in the main lighting circuits
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Electric Lighting of Railway Trains.
I ILLIUS AUGUSTUS TIMMIS of No 2 Great George Street Westminster London S.W
Civil Engineer, 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
-
The objects of my Invention are to lessen the weight of the apparatus to economise
the electric current and lessen the expense and to increase the light.
With these objects in view I place a dynamo in the guards van or other suitable
vehicle say on the locomotive and drive it by means of a special engine which is
supplied by steam either from a special boiler or from the locomotive and from the
dynamo I take main positive and negative leads which I fit through each vehicle and
from these leads I fit up separate lighting leads in each vehicle that has to be lighted.
I join the through leads from vehicle to vehicle together with any other leads I use as
described hereinafter by means of couplers as described in my previous patents
11686 334687 1463287 and 13580
Thus I light the electric lamps directly from the dynamo which enables me to use a
high voltage and economise the current and for this purpose I do not require any
batteries in any of the vehicles.
I place the lamps in each vehicle by preference in parallel arc but they may be in
series or partly in series and partly in parallel
But as carriages have to be detached from the dynamo as for example when slipped
or put into sidings and it is necessary that they should be supplied with light under
these circumstances or when any accidental separation takes place as is sometimes
the case or when the dynamo is not running 1 place a small electric lamp of low
voltage in each compartment and a sufficient number in each saloon or passage of
each vehicle in parallel arc or as stated above, in a special or auxiliary circuit and
Join the circuit of each vehicle to a small secondary battery placed in any suitable
position in the vehicle.
There is a local switch to open or close each of these auxiliary circuits and when
closed the lamps are lit.
In some cases I hit another or relay switch in each of these auxiliary circuits which
I actuate as follows:-In each of the main lighting circuits in each vehicle I place a
relay which actuates the relay switch and breaks the auxiliary circuits when the
dynamo is running. Thus when the dynamo is lighting the lamps in the main
circuits the auxiliary circuits are broken but when the vehicles are separated from the
train containing the dynamo or the dynano is stopped the auxiliary circuits are closed
and the small lamps are lit.
When the dynamo is required to charge the small batteries it is arranged as
follows place a third lead through each vehicle which I join to the dynamo and in
it I fit when necessary a special resistance which reduces the voltage of the current to
the proper potential. One pole of each battery I join to this lead and the other pole
I join to the general negative main lead The batteries may be placed in parallel or
in series or partly in series and partly in parallel.
If I use a communication circuit I fit it as described in my provious patents
mentioned above.

page_text: In case the train is running in the day time through a country where there are
tunnels and where light may be wanted for an occasional short period I may use one
of the following methods.
(1) I may have all the local switches open and light the lamps in the main circuit
by running the dynamo or
(2) I may keep the auxiliary circuits closed and put another or controlling circuit
through the train with which may control the lights in the auxiliary circuits by the
use of magnets or relays as described in my patents mentioned above.
(3) I may use a special switch as described in my patent 13589 in order to make
Junction between the extra controlling lead which is connected to either the batteries
or the auxiliary circuits and the auxiliary lead which is connected in the contrary way.
The other pole of the batteries 's connected to the main switch
On the separation of a pair of couplers this junction is made automatically.
In case I use an extra lead for the purpose of controlling the auxiliary lighting
circuits in conjunction with a special switch I do not require the relay as described
above to put in the main lighting circuits
And in order to make my invention more easily understood I will now proceed to
describe the same with reference to the accompanying Drawings.
I place a dynamo D' in the guard's van or other suitable vehicle for instance on
the locomotive and drive it in any convenient manner as for example by means of a
special engine which is supplied with steam either from a special boiler or from the
locomotive. Figs 1 and 2 show the dynamo diagramatically but it is not necessary
to show the engine or the special boiler or the locomotive. From the dynamo I take
main positive and negative leads which I fit through each vehicle The lead 19
Joined from the dynamo to the general - led A and the + lead from the dynamo 18
bifurcated and joined both to the main through lighting + lead B and also to the
battery charging + lead E.
-
From the through leads A and B I fit main lighting circuits Is and L¹ in each
vehicle with the necessary lamps mm. The lamps are shown in series of pairs
and all the pairs in parallel but the lamps may be placed in any convenient way
I carry the leads A. B. C D and E through the train from vehicle to vehicle by
preference by means of special couplers such as are described in my previous patents
11686, 334687, 1463289 and 13589. And thus I light the main lamps m, m directly
from the dynamo which enables me to use a high voltage current and to get more
light and to insure economy and as I require no batteries for lighting the main
lamps m, m I effect a great economy in the weight of the plant.
J
In order to light vehicles which may be detached from the train or otherwise have
ceased to be in electrical connection with the dynamo or at a time when the dynamo
is not generating electricity as for example in the day time when it may be advisable
not to work the dynamo and lights are required say for instance in going through a
tunnel I place small lainps n, n requiring a comparatively small amount of electricity
and preferably of low voltage in each compartment in a special or auxiliary circuit
one lead being figured 1, and the other lead being the lead already spoken of and I
place in this circuit as shown in Fig. 2 in each vehicle a small secondary battery b, b
placed in any suitable position in each vehicle The return lead from both the lighting
circuits is shown at L' L' but separate leads may be used. Local switches s, are
placed in each vehicle in both the main and the auxiliary circuits in order to give to
persons properly authorised complete control over both circuits in that particular
vehicle. The auxiliary circuits may also be all simultaneously closed and opened by
means of a single switch S preferably placed in the guards van in the manner which I
have illustrated in figs. 1 and 2. In hg 1 the general controlling switch S is shown
in the guard's van, when this switch is closed the auxiliary circuits in all the vehicles
will be closed provided the local switches s. are closed and the auxiliary lamps will
be lit as the current goes from batteries b leads h¹ lead E-switch S, lead D, then
lead & lamp n. then lead L', negative lead A & to the batteries. In fig. 2 the
general controlling switch S is also shown in the guard's van and the auxiliary
circuits are closed and opened by means of relays R¹ R¹ placed in the vehicles. In

page_text: this case when the switch S is open the current from the batteries goes through the
auxiliary circuits lighting the auxiliary lamps, but when the switch S is closed a
portion of the current from the batteries flows through the switch S and through the
Telays RR thus actuating the relays and the switches S' S' and opening the
auxiliary circuits 1, 1 and putting out the auxiliary lamps In Fig. 2 I have also
illustrated another means of controlling the auxiliary circuits by means of the main
current from the dynamo, in which case I put relays R' R' in the main dynamo
circuit in each vehicle, or in a shunt from it In this arrangement as soon as the
current from the dynamo becomes strong enough it actuates the relays R' R' and
switches SS and thus opens the auxiliary circuits. As soon as the dynamo 18
stopped the armatures are released and the auxiliary circuits are closed. The springs
shown diagramatically in Fig 1 at X X are in the couplers & Join the leads D & E
automatically on the separation of a pair of couplers.
These systems may be worked separately or in conjunction.
Where a communication system is used between the guard and passengers 1 put
in a communication circuit C together with hell P and pull or push knob K in any
position or positions required and when the knob K is actuated it establishes a circuit
and the bell P is rung. A special battery Y may be used or part of the battery b
may be so connected as to do the work of the special battery
The couplers are preferably made as described in above named patents granted
to me but whatever form of coupler is used, it should be such that when any
vehicle is taken apart or becomes detached from the train the circuits D) and E
or any circuits that may be required to be joined automatically shall be joined by
the act of uncoupling I charge the small batteries which supply the lamps n, n
direct from the dynamo by means of the lead H¹ and the special resistance rif
necessary. The batteries being connected as shewn in the drawings, the batteries
may be charged partly in series and partly in parallel or wholly in either way--
they are shewn in the drawings in parallel. There are also resistances where
required in the auxiliary lighting circuits as at t, t and also, but not shown, in the
main lighting circuits if required There are switches h, h in each of the dynamo
circuits
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 18:
In lighting trains with electricity the use in each vehicle of an auxiliary circui+
lamps and battery together with a main circuit and lamps fed direct from a dynamo
substantially as and for the purposes herein before described
In lighting trains with electricity in the manner claimed in the first claim con-
trolling the auxiliary circuits by means of the relays R1 and R' and the switch S
substantially as and for the purposes herein before described.
Dated this Thirteenth day of December 1889.