An Improved Railway Signalling System.
Year: 1897

page_text: An Improved Railway Signalling System.
I, NESTOR HENQUIN, of Schenectady, State of New York, U.S.A., Inventor, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to provide an apparatus whereby the time of
departure of a train and the speed at which it is moving can be signalled between
two stations and the information be recorded on a strip of paper forming part of
a machine or indicator at the various stations.
By this invention, two parallel cables extend along the track; one cable being
arranged adjacent to the rails, and the other one being supported upon posts at
intervals.
At suitable distances apart, spring-pressed levers are pivoted to or adjacent to
a post in such manner as to be capable of being readily depressed by a depending
bar on the locomotive as it passes. The depression of the lever raises a rod ex-
tending up the post, which makes electrical contact between the two cables, thus
operating the signals at the next or preceeding station or stations.
The signalling devices comprises an electro-magnet which is connected with the
cables. When the current flows the magnet attracts an armature on a lever,
pivoted midway it length, and carrying at it opposite end a roller and also a
roller nearer the pivot; the latter running in contact with a third roller, pivoted
on the framework of the apparatus. A wheel, mounted upon a shaft, carries a
roll of paper or like ribbon which passes between the rollers aforementioned and
over the one at the extremity of the armature lever, and thence around a roller
combined with a spring having a tendency to wind the paper onto the roller
when freed. The roller is released by a pawl normally engaging notches in a
wheel geared to the roller, but removed out of engagement, each time the current
is made, by a lever or levers connected to the armature lever.
When the armature is attracted to the magnet the roller on the other end of
the armature lever raises the ribbon into contact with a time printing device which
imprints upon it the time at which the current is made by the engine; the
ribbon being then drawn along by the spring-roller until the pawl engages the
r.ext notch.
The time printing device consists of two rollers; the one having dies repre-
senting the hours, and the other numbers representing minutes, on their peri-
meters. These rollers are rotated by ratchet or other mechanism combined with
a timepiece. An inking roller runs in contact with the type or dies.
An electric bell may be included in the circuit to call attention to the apparatus
when operated.
In some cases a lever, adapted to be operated by the driver, is fitted to the
locomotive adjacent to the cab, so as to enable him to give two signals in quick
succession, thereby intimating that the train is running in two sections, or it
may intimate any other previously agreed upon arrangement.
Dated this 24th day of February 1897.
PERCY R. J. WILLIS,
Agent for Applicant.

page_text: I, NESTOR HENQUIN, of Schenectady, New York State, U.S.A., Inventor, 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:
This invention relates to Railway signal systems; and the object thereof is to
provide an apparatus which is designed to signal from a starting station to a
station or stations along the line, or between two stations, the time of departure
of a train and the speed at which it is moving, this information being recorded
on a suitable strip of paper or other material by means of an apparatus located
at the station or stations, said apparatus being operated by the engine of the
train by means of electrical devices which are arranged at suitable intervals
along the track and which are placed in circuit by means of suitable conductors
with the operating apparatus, whereby the time of starting of a train and the
speed thereof are recorded on a suitable strip of paper or other material, and
whereby the speed of a train may be controlled over five or ten miles and the
distance to the point of destination accurately indicated.
The invention is fully disclosed in the following specification, of which the
accompanying drawings form a part, in which:
-
Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of a portion of a railway track and my im-
proved signalling apparatus, and shewing also the method of operating the same;
Fig. 2 a side view of a locomotive mounted on the track, and shewing that part
of the operating devices which are connected therewith; Fig. 3 a side view of the
recording mechanism by which the time and speed of the train are given; Fig. 4
an end view of the time and distance recording device, and Fig. 5 an end view
of details of the construction employed for feeding the strip of paper or similar
material.
Reference being made to Figs. 1 and 2, I have shewn at 5 the rails of a rail-
way track, and in Fig. 2 an engine 6, which is mounted thereon, and at a starting
station or at any station along the line I provide a recording device for the pur-
pose herein specified, which consists of a suitably supported reel 7, on which is
wound a strip of paper or similar material 8, and below or adjacent to the reel 7
is mounted a lever 9, which is pivotally supported on the shaft or pivot pin 10
upon which is mounted a roller 11, and directly over the roller 11 is mounted
another roller 12 and the strip 8 is passed between the rollers 11 and 12 and
over a bearing roller 13 which is mounted at one end of the lever 9 and at a
suitable distance from the roller 13, and in line with the rollers 12 and 13 is
mounted a gear wheel 14.
The gear wheel 14 is mounted on a shaft 15, to which is secured one end of a
spiral spring 16, the opposite end of which is secured to said gear wheel, said
spiral spring being shewn in dotted lines in Fig. 3, and below the gear wheel 14
is a corresponding gear wheel 17, and the gear wheel 17 is mounted on the shaft 18,
on which is also mounted a wheel 19, which is provided with three notches or
recesses 20, which are formed in the perimeter thereof and at equal distances
apart, and directly over the wheel 19 is a corresponding wheel 21, which is
mounted on a shaft 22, which is adapted to bear upon the wheel 19, and the
strip 8 is passed between wheels 19 and 21, and in the operation of the apparatus
the spring 16 revolves the wheels 14 and 19 in the direction of the arrows 23,
and in this operation the tape or strip 8 is pulled from the reel 7 by the wheels 19
and 21, as will be readily understood.

page_text: The end of the lever 9 opposite the roller 13 is provided with an armature 24,
and below said armature is an electro magnet 25, and pivotally connected with
the lever 9, between the armature 24 and the roller 11, is a lever '26, which is
fulcrumed at 27 and which is connected with a crank lever 28, to one end of
which is secured a dog 29, which is adapted to operate in connection with the
notches or recesses 20 in the wheel 19 on the shaft 18.
Connected with the electro-magnet 25 are two conducting wires 30 and 31,
Figs. 1 & 2 one of which extends along the track and is supported above the
same by poles or posts 32, and the other is carried along the track adjacent to
one of the rails thereof, and the poles or posts 32 are arranged along the track
at regular intervals, and adjacent thereto, at intervals varying from five to fifteen
or twenty miles, are levers 33, with one end of which is connected a spring sup-
ported rod 34, to the lower end of which is connected one end of a lever 35, the
other end of which is connected with a lever 37, one end of which is provided with
a conducting wire 38, which connects with the conductor 31, and the opposite
end of the lever 37 is adapted to make contact with a wire 39, which is connected
with the conductor 30. This construction is best shewn in Fig. 2, and in practice
the forward end of the engine or cow-catcher thereof is provided with a roller 40,
which is adapted to depress the free end of the lever 33 as the engine passes
thereover, and connected to the engine adjacent to the cab is a lever 41, which
operates a rod 42, which is connected with a lever 43 the lower end of which
carries a roller 44, and the lever 41 is adapted to be operated by the engineer so as
to depress the roller 44 in such manner that it will also operate the lever 33.
In Fig. 1 the connection of the lever 33 with the rod 36 is slightly different from
that shewn in Fig. 2, but the operation will be substantially the same, and in
Fig. 1 the post and poles are omitted.
The time and speed recording devices are shewn at 45 in Fig. 3 and also in
Fig. 4 and these devices consist of two metallic wheels 46 and 47, the wheel 46
being provided on its perimeter with twelve figures or characters representing
the hours of the day and at the outer side thereof with a ratchet wheel 48, and
the wheel 47 is provided with sixty figures, which correspond with the minutes
in each hour, and being also provided on its outer side with a ratchet wheel 49.
The wheels 46 and 47, with their respective ratchet wheels 48 and 49, are mounted
on a shaft 50, and this mechanism is substantially the same as that of an electric
clock, and the details of construction thereof further than above set out are not
given for the reason that they form no part of this invention, but it will be under-
stood that the wheels 46 and 47 constantly revolve, and adjacent to the perimeter
of these wheels is an inking roller 51, which may be of any desired construction
and which is adapted to ink the characters or figures on the wheel 46 and also
the figures on the wheel 47.
A battery 52 (Fig. 1) is placed in the circuit formed by the conductors 30
and 31, and the roller 40, which is connected with the engine, is always in position
to operate the lever 33, when the roller 44 is under the control of the engineer
and is intended to be operated at certain times or under certain conditions, and
as the engine starts from the station the lever 33 is depressed by the roller 40,
and this operation forces one end of the lever 37 into connection with the wire 39
and the circuit is completed. The armature 24 on the lever 9 is drawn down-
wardly, the roller 13 on said lever is forced upwardly so as to bring the tape or
strip 8 into contact with the wheels 46 and 47, and at the same time the dog 29
is released from the wheel 19, and the spring 16 revolves the wheels 14 and 17,
and this operation revolves the wheels 19 and 21 and draws the tape or strip 8
from the reel 7. By this operation the time of the starting of the engine is
printed upon the tape or strip 8, and this operation is repeated each time the
engine reaches one of the levers 33, as will be readily understood, and the
speed and the location of the engine can thus be accurately determined at any
time.

page_text: When trains are run in sections, or one train started a few minutes after the
other, the engineer of the second train operates the lever 41 so as to depress the
roller 44 and this operation as will be understood, results in making two separate
records on the tape or strip 8, the time being recorded twice in quick succession,
the object of this arrangement being to indicate that another train is following
the first, and it will be apparent that the speed and location of the second train
can also be accurately determined at any time or as it progresses along the line.
I also provide an electric alarm or beil 53 which forms a part of the apparatus
herein before described and which is shewn in Fig. 3, said alarm or device or bell
being of any preferred form and construction and being designed to operate
each time that the engine passes one of the points at which the levers 33 are
located. This alarm or bell is provided with two conductors 54 and 55 in
the usual manner, one of which is connected with one end of a lever 57 and the
other with a binding post or other suitable support located at 58, and when the
lever 26 is depressed, as herein before described, an arm 59, formed thereon, would
depress the free end of the lever 57 and thus close the circuit in which the
alarm device or bell 53 is located and in which is also located a battery 60, and
said alarm will be operated, as will be readily understood, and by means of
this device the speed at which the train is moving may be determined, the
distance between the point at which the levers 23 are located being known.
My improved signal system is simple in construction and operation and per-
fectly adapted to accomplish the result for which it is intended and it is evident
that changes in and modifications of the construction herein described may be
made without departing from the spirit of my invention or sacrificing its
advantages.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
(1) In a railway sigual system, the combination with a time and speed record-
ing apparatus, which is adapted to be operated by an electro-magnet, of two wires
extending along the track and connected with said magnet, in one of which is
placed a battery, said track being provided at regular intervals with circuit
closing and breaking devices which are adapted to be operated by the engine,
said engine being provided with a device which is always in position to operate
said circuit closing and breaking devices, and with another device which is under
control of the engineer by which said devices may be operated, substantially as
described.
(2) A railway signal system consisting of a combination of a railway track,
an engine mounted thereon a reporting apparatus having a suitably supported
reel, a strip of paper mounted thereon, a lever secured below said reel and ad-
jacent thereto, a roller, a pin adjacent to said roller, a second roller over said
latter roller, adapted to have the strip passed therebetween, a roller mounted at
one end of said lever, a gear wheel in line with said adjacent roller, a shaft
carrying said gear wheel, as spiral spring mounted thereon, a second gear wheel
meshing with said first, a second shaft bearing said latter wheel, a wheel
mounted on said second shaft being provided therein with notches or recesses, a
corresponding wheel over the same, a shaft bearing said latter wheel, an arma-
ture secured to the lower end of said lever, an electromagnet mounted below said
armature, a second lever pivotally secured adjacent to said armature, a crank
lever engaging the same, a dog mounted thereon at one end thereof and adapted
to operate in connection with said notches or recesses, conducting wires in con-
nection with said electro-magnet one conductor extending along said track on
suitable supports, the other said conductor being secured adjacent to one of the
rails, other levers mounted on the track at a predetermined distance apart, a
spring supported rod in connection with the same, a rod in connection with the
same extending upwardly therefrom, conducting means on the end thereof and

page_text: means on the forward part of said engine for engaging the same all of said parts
being combined substantially as and for the purposes described.
Dated this 24th day of November 1897.
P. R. J. WILLIS,
Agent for Applicant.