Improvements in Apparatus for Automatically Applying the Brakes to Prevent Railway Vehicles from Passing a Stop-signal.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Mar,, 1899-Accepted, 2nd June, 1899
Improvements in Apparatus for Automatically Applying the Brakes
to Prevent Railway Vehicles from Passing a Stop-signal.
I, JOERGEN CARL PHILIP PETERSEN, of G, Store Kannikesiraede, Copenhagen,
in the Kingdom of Denmark, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be parti-
cularly described and-ascertained in and by the following statement:-
Various apparatus and arrangements have from time to time been proposed
for preventing a train from passing a stop-signal which apparatus and arrange-
ments were intended either to warn the driver, or to automatically stop the train,
for instance by striking against an obstacle placed on the track, and connected
with a signal or establishing a communication between the atmosphere, and the
air in the vacuum-brake. A great drawback in connection with these arrangements
is, however, that the driver's attention is weakened thereby, in that such apparatus
and arrangements, when the stop-signal is hoisted, always act whether the driver
has observed the hoisted signal, or not. Whenever these apparatus and arrange-
ments are employed, and the driver's attention and responsibility are not to be
lessened, it is necessary that the driver, when he observes a hoisted signal to stop
the train before the obstacle is reached, that is to say, at a considerable distance
before it reaches the place where the stop-signal is situated. If, however, it
should happen that the train passes the obstacle in the track it will not prove
that the driver has been guilty of inattention as the parts striking against the
obstacle, are either disconnected, or broken, whether he has applied the brake or
not and the driver cannot therefore he held responsible.
The purpose of the present invention is to obviate the disadvantages appertain-
ing to apparatus and arrangements hitherto proposed; the parts destined to be
disconnected, or broken when meeting the obstruction on the track may consist
of a seal or hermetically closed brittle tube inserted in the vacuum pipe and so
connected with the brake operating mechanism as to be automatically put beyond
the range of the obstacle, whenever the driver applies the brakes.
The accompanying drawing shews diagrammatically an arrangement according
to this invention in which a brittle tube is presumed to be employed in connee-
tion with a vacuum-brake.
Figure 1 shews the arrangement in side-elevation.
Figure 2 is a plan of the track and the obstacle therein.
Normally the stop 7 on the axle a is not elevated but when the stop-signal is
hoisted the stop is elevated by means of the chain wheel m, and the wire rope n
in connection with the signal. If the driver does not perceive the stop-signal,
the closed and brittle pipe strikes against the stop and breaks, whereby con-
nection is established between the atmosphere, and the brakes and the train is
brought to a stand still and the valve e must be closed before the train can pro-
ceed. The breaking of the pipe shews that the driver has not observed the
signal.
If on the other hand the driver has observed the stop-signal and moves the

page_text: handle of the brake valve
in order to apply the brakes, the movement of the
said handle will, by means of the crank hand the connecting rod f, be trans-
mitted to the pipe b and lift this pipe so much as to prevent it from striking
against the obstacle and being broken. The flexible rubber-tube c allows of this
movement of the pipe 6. In order that the driver may know that the stoppage
of the train is not due to accidental leakage in the pipe connection belonging to
the vacuum-brake an air-whistle p may be placed on the pipe d.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim. is:-
In railway brake apparatus wherein the brake is adapted to be applied by the
breaking or disruption of a sealed tube, effected by contact with an adjustable
obstacle on the track, an arrangement whereby, by the operation of the brake
controlling mechanism, the said scaled tube can be withdrawn out of the range
of the obstacle on the track substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore
described.
Dated this 8th dor of Vorh 1900
JOHNSONS & WILCOX,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.