Year: 1895

page_text: I WILLIAM HENRY WALSH of No. 25 Jay Street, Albany, in the County of
Albany and State of New York, United States of America, Clerk, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:
My invention relates to improvements in. railway signalling apparatus, in which
provision is made for giving notice, to the engineers of two trains approaching a
railway crossing, of the position of their respective trains, in time to stop one of the
trains while the other advances over the crossing A further object is to provide
means whereby a train on the crossing circuit cah's
can signal to the engineer on the..
following train on the same track, so as to prevent a rear end collision, should the
first mentioned train stop upon the crossing circuit.
A further object is to provide against collision at a shunt track branching from
a main track.
: f
:
In applying my invention' to crossing 'tracks, the rails of each track are divided
into insulated sections. A pair of electric conductors extend along each insulated
section, and have an electric connection with one of the adjacent track sections, but
not with the track section along which they extend. The electric conductors are
likewise connected with the track sections of the crossing rails.
The locomotives which travel on the tracks are each provided with a pair of
brushes, or circuit closers, which bear upon the conductors before mentioned, and
are in electric communication through a .battery carried by the locomotive and a
bell or other suitable signal.also carried by the locomotive.
..
In operation, suppose two trains to be approaching a crossing, whichever of these
trains reaches the insulated section of the crossing first, will immediately give
notice to the other, while it is yet on the section, next adjacent to the crossing,
to the effect that the first is about to cross the tracks, and that the train then the
furthest from the crossing must stop, and, await the crossing of the more advanced
train. In like manner, two trains on separate insulated sections of the same
track, can communicate through the conductors which extend along the adjacent
sections.
Where a shunt track rail, made up of insulated sections, crosses à main truck rail
composed of insulated sections, it is insulated from the main track rail at the point
of junction, and one of the rails of the shunt track is connected by an electric
conductor with the conductor along the main track, and the opposite rail is
connected electrically with the other conductor along the main track.
When a train pactes along the main track towards the shunt track, if there is a
train, or portion of a train, on the shunt track crossing, a signal is operated thro'
the completion of the circuit by the carriages or locomotives on the line.
Similarly, a communication can be established by closing the switch, and com-
Pleting connection between the shunt and main tracks, thereby giving notice to an
approaching train.
Dated this 19th day of February 1895.
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: :
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
S
Improvements in Railway, Signalling Apparatus.
....
I WILLIAM HENRY WALSH of No. 25 Jay Street, Albany in the County of
Albany and State of New York, United States of America, Clerk, 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
My invention relates to improvements in railway signalling apparatus, in which
provision. is made for giving notice to the engineers of two trains: approaching a
railway crossing, of the position of their respective trains, in time to stop one of the
trains while the other advances over the crossing..
A further object is to provide means whereby a train on the crossing circuit can
signal to the engineer on the following train on the same track, so as to prevent a
rear-end collision, should the first mentioned train stop upon the crossing, circuit.
A further object is to provide against collision at a shunt track branching from
one of the main tracks.
In the accompanying drawings,
!
Fig. 1 represents a plan view of a double track railway crossing, the locomotives
being represented conventionally in position approaching the crossing, one on each
of the four tracks; and…„,
Fig. 2 represents a plan.view, of a portion of the double-track railway at a point
where a shunt track branches therefrom,
7.
One set of double tracks is represented by, A, A, and the other by B, B¹." "The
locomotives on the tracks, A, A, B, B are denoted respectively by C, C, C³,
and C, and each is supposed to be fravelling in a direction towards the track
crossings.
The rails of each track are divided into insulated sections as follows:- -The
rails a of the track A are insulated upon opposite sides of the crossing from the
rails a' at the right, and from the rails a at the left; the rails of the track A
..are insulated from the rails at on the left, and from the rails on the right. In
like manner, the rails b, of the track B are insulated upon opposite sides of the
crossing from the rails 6 on one side, and from the rails on the opposite side of
the crossing: and the rails be of the track B' are insulated from the rails 6ª on one
side, and from the rails 65 on the opposite side of the crossing.
19
A pair of electric conductors extend along each insulated track section, and have
an electric connection with one of the adjacent track sections, but not with the
track section along which they extend; for instance, the electric conductors D, D¹,
extending along the track section a a, have electric connection with the rails a on
the track A, along which the train runs in one direction, and the conductors D'D',
extending along the section as a of the track A', along which the train runs in the
opposite direction, have electric connections with the rails a at the right, but not
with the rails at the left. The conductors d d', extending along the insulated
.section 6b of the track B, have electric connections with the rails 6, along which
the train runs in one direction, and the conductors.dd of the track B', extending
along the section 66, have connections with the rails 6, but not with the
rails 61.
The conductors D D¹ are further connected with the rails of the tracks 'B B
by electric conductors E E', and with the rails 63 of the track B¹ by electric
conductors ee. The conductors D2 D3 are connected with the rails 6 of the
track B by conductors EE, and with the rails 68 by conductors e² e³.
The conductors d d of the track B are connected with the rails a by electric
conductors F F¹, and with the rails a³ of the track A¹ by conductors ƒƒ¹, and the

page_text: conductors ď ď of the track :B! are connected with the rails a by électric
conductors F, F³, and with the rails:a, by fand
1
The locomotives are each provided with a pair of brushes, represented by G, G¹;
which are in electric communication through a battery H, carried. by the
locomotive, and the bell or other well-known or suitable signal, also carried by
the locomotive.
!!
7.
18
In operation, suppose a train to be approaching the crossing on the track A; and
a train to be approaching the crossing on the track B; whichever of these trains
reaches the insulated section of the crossing first; will immediately give notice to
the other, while it is yet on the insulated section next adjacent to the crossing,
to the effect that it is about to cross the tracks, and that the train then the furthest
from the crossing must stop and await the crossing of the more advanced train.
This notice will be given. through the following circuit, and each engineer will be
uotified of the fact that the other has received the signal, by the sounding of his
own; for instance, the locomotive C2, having advanced towards the crossing onto
the rails bb, the locomotive, C, when coming onto the rails a', will connect, through
its brushes GG, the conductors extending along the insulated section a, and hence
the rails which are electrically connected with said conductors. The rails a are
connected by electric conductors with the conductors d d', extending along
the insulated section bb, which conductors are electrically connected by bruslics GG!
of the locomotive C³, and the circuit being now complete through the batteries and
signal on each locomotive C and C2, the information will be complete. In the same
manner, the engineer of the locomotive Cl. will be .notified at the same time of the
approach of the locomotive C2 nearer to the crossing, soithat the way will be clear
for the locomotive C. and its train to pass on over the crossing, while the
locomotives C C and their trains further from the crossings, await the clear track.
In the same manner, if the locomotives C2 or C³ were on the insulated rail sections.
adjacent to the crossing when the locomotives, either the one or both, CC, had
approached the crossing onto the insulated sections at the crossings, they would
receive information to that effect, and they would be stopped, to await the advance
over the crossing of the train or trains, which, by their approach to the crossing,
had gained the right of way.
;
A shunt track K is shown as branching from the main track A. The rails of
the shunt track -K are also insulated at a distance from the track A sufficient .to-
carry a train on the shunt track out of the way of a train on the main track. The
insulated section of the shunt track K adjacent to the main track is denoted by k. :
Where the shunt track rail crosses the main track rail, it is insulated from the
main track rail, in the present instance by insulating the main track rail from
adjacent portions of the rail at short distances upon opposite sides of the shunt.
track rail, and connecting the main track rail upon opposite sides of said insulations
by an electric connection k¹.
One of the rails of the shunt track K is connected by an electric conductor k*
with the conductor D'along the inain track, and the opposite rail is connected by
a conductor with the other conductor D' along the main track.
I have shown conventionally a portion of a locomotive L on the main track, and
provided with brushes, signals, and battery, as hereinabove explained. I have also
shown a portion of a car truck L', bridging the rails of the shunt track section k,
and a portion of a car truck L³, bridging the rails of a section of the main track,.
on the opposite side of the point where the shunt track meets the main track from
that on which the locomotive L is represented.
Suppose a train be passing along the track A towards the shunt track. If
there is a train, or a portion of a train, on the shunt track section k, the bell of the
signal will be sounded by the completion of the shunt track section k, the truck L',
the connections k³ ³, the conductors D D', the brushes & d', and the wires leading
from said brushes, through the battery H, and signal therefrom.
Again, if the train in advance of the locomotive L has not passed off the section
beyond the shunt track, the engineer will be warned of the fact by the sounding of

page_text: the bell I, the circuit being completed through the rails of the section bridged-by
the car truck L³ through said ear truck, the conductors DD, the brushes dad,
and the wires leading therefrom through the battery Hand bell.
Again, if the switch be closed and the main track opened, the tengineer will be
warned of that fact by the electric circuit complete through the rails of the section 5
on which the locomotive stands, the rails of the shunt section know in contact with
the rails or the section on which the locomotive stands, through the truck, of the
locomotive bridging said rails, through the connections. 2, the conductors DD!,
the brushes dd, and the wires. leading therefrom; through the battery and bell.
If the way be clear, no signal will be sounded, because of the break in the 10
several circuits, referred to
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, declare that what I
claim is—.
I. Electrical signalling apparatus, comprising crossing insulated track sections, l
electric conductors extending along said insulated crossing track sections; and
connected with adjacent insulated track sections, but not with the track sections
along which they extend, electric conductors between the electric conductors of
one track section and the rails of a crossing track section, and circuit closers,
including batteries and signals, carried by trains. passing along the tracks, 2
substantially as set forth.
-
2. In combination, a main track; a shunt track section branching therefrom, the
main track at the point where the shunt track branches therefrom being insulated
from adjacent-portions of the main track, and the shunt track having its portion
adjacent to the main track insulated from an adjacent portion, the shunt track being 2
at the same time insulated from the main track at the point where it crosses it,
conductors extending along the insulated main track section, and electrically
connected with an adjacent section and connections between the rails of the insulated
shunt track section and said conductors, substantially as set forth.
3. In combination, a main track, separated into consecutive insulated sections, a 3
shunt track branching from one of said sections, and insulated from said-section at
'the point where one of its rails crosses it, the said shunt track having its section
adjacent to the main track insulated from an adjacent section, conductors extending
along the main track, and electrically connected with the rails of an adjacent
section, connections between the rails of the shunt track-aud said conductore, and a
a carriage adapted to move along the track, and provided with brushes in position
to engage the said conductors, and in circuit with a battery and signal, substantially
(as set forth.
Dated this 14th day of October 1895.