Improvements in Apparatus for Automatically Signalling and Applying the Brakes on Railway Trains.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Oct., 1897
Complete Specification Left, 4th July, 1898-Accepted, 20th Aug., 1898
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Automatically Signalling and
Applying the Brakes on Railway Trains.
We, ANTON VON SPONAR-BLINSDORFF, of XV Pelzgasse 8, Vienna, Austria,
Private Official, CARL ADLER, of 23, Tagermeyerstrasse, Voeslau, near Vienna,
Austria, Director, and ANTON MERBS, of VII Andreasgasse 8, Vienna, Austria,
Merchant, all of the Firm of Von Sponar Adler Merbs, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improved safety apparatus for automatically actuating
an audible signal and applying the brakes of railway trains when the danger signal
has been overlooked by the engine driver.
The apparatus generally consists of two separate parts for this purpose, of which
the one part is situated on the engine drivers cab or on any other suitable part
of the train, while the other part is arranged in connection with the semaphores
or disc signals or barrier of the line.
According to the arrangement which we prefer to employ, the part on the
engine consists firstly of a vertical rod, having at its lower end a handle and pro-
vided at its upper end with a cross piece sliding in guides on a standard fixed to
the engine, which cross piece carries a spring catch which is ordinarily engaged
with the lower end of a double ended fever, pivotted to the upper part of the
standard so that when the rod is engaged with the lever, the upper arm of the
latter projects free vertically upward beyond the standard to a certain height
above the top of the locomotive funnel.
The rod is pivotted near its lower end to a weighted horizontal lever arm fixed
on a horizontal shaft carried by the engine, which shaft is connected by levers
and rods with the steam valve or cock of the steam whistle, so that when the
weighted arm in dropping turns the shaft, it will cause the cock to be opened
and the whistle sounded.
The said shaft also carries a lever arm that bears against the stem of a shut off
valve that is interpolated in the fluid pressure supply pipe leading from the engine
to the fluid pressure brakes, so that when the shaft is turned by the falling weighted
arm, the second arm forces open the said valve and causes the fluid pressure brakes
to be applied.
The part of the apparatus in connection with the semaphore or disc signal is
as follows:-
From the semaphore post or disc signal or barrier a horizontal beam extends
across the line to a post on the other side, and from this beam is suspended by
links a stop plate at such a level that the before mentioned upward projecting
lever arm on the top of the engine standard can come in contact therewith."
This plate is connected by a cord on the one side with a weight which tends
to maintain it in the above described position, and by a second cord on the other
side with the semaphore signal gear in such manner that when the semaphore
is moved into the "line clear" position the said plate is drawn by the last named
cord to one side, so that it will not come in contact with the before mentioned

page_text: رو
lever arm of a passing train, but when the semaphore is moved into the "danger"
position the cord releases the plate, so that it is moved back by the weight into
the position in which it will come in contact with the lever arm.
Thus when a train, the driver of which has overlooked the danger signal, passes
the latter, the lever arm in coming in contact with the stop plate, will be deflected,
and will thus become detached from the spring catch of the vertical rod, which
in losing its support will consequently drop, allowing the weighted arm attached
to it to fall, and thus to cause the whistle to be sounded and the brakes to be
applied.
When the lever arm has passed the stop plate, it is caused by a spring to resume
its vertical position, so that on the driver pushing up the vertical rod again its
spring catch will engage with the lever arm, and the parts will be in their original
positions again.
If the train is not worked by fluid pressure brakes, the above described apparatus
would only serve to actuate the audible signal.
By arranging a disengagable catch lever, in connection with the stop plate,
an automatic block system can be provided for the successive trains, namely,
assuming the stop plate to be situated in the "line clear" position, then on the
passing of a train, a lever arm on the engine may be made to actuate the catch
lever that holds the stop plate, so as to release the latter and thus allow it to
move into the position corresponding to the "danger" signal, when it will act
in the manner previously described for stopping the next train until the danger
signal is withdrawn.
The stop plate may be carried by rollers which run on a transverse bearer
extending across the track, so that by means of a strake of wire the stop plate
can be drawn aside.
In this case the arrangement may also be made that the stop plate carries an
electric contact which comes in contact at the stop plate when, drawn aside, with
a second contact and gives an electric signal in the neighbouring signal box or
railway station dc that the line is clear.
It may also occur that the bar leading to the valve of the brake apparatus
requires so much power to move it that the force of the sinking lever is not suf-
ficient. To obviate this a pressure cylinder is provided which receives steam
through a valve, opened by the sinking lever, so that in pushing forward a piston
in the closed cylinder this displaces by means of a lever the bar leading to the
valve of the brake apparatus, so as in opening this to put the brakes in action.
The steam in the cylinder behind the piston as well as any water of conden-
sation is made to escape through a small tube when the valve is closed again.
It will be obvious that the details of the above described apparatus may be
variously modified, while retaining the main feature of the invention, which
consists in a stop worked by the semaphore signal so as to act upon a lever arm
on a passing train which is thereby made to release a weighted lever that causes
the audible signal to be sounded and, if necessary the brakes to be applied.
Dated this 5th day of October 1897.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicants.
Improvements in Apparatus for Automatically Signalling and
Applying the Brakes on Railway Trains.
We, ANTON VON SPONAR-BLINSDORFF, of XV Pelzgasse 8, Vienna, Austria,
Private Official, CARL ADLER, of 23, Tagermeyerstrasse, Voeslau, near Vienna,

page_text: Austria, Director, and ANTON MERBS, of VII Andreasgasse 8,' Vienna, Austria,
Merchant, all of the Firm of Von Sponar Adler Merbs, 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 improved safety apparatus for automatically actuating
an audible signal and applying the brakes of a railway train when the danger signal
has been overlooked by the engine driver.
The apparatus generally consists of two separate parts for this purpose, of which
the one part is situated on the engine driver's cab or on any other suitable part
of the train, while the other part is arranged in connection with the semaphores
or disc signals of the line.
.
We shall describe the arrangement which we prefer to employ with reference
to the accompanying drawings.
Fig. 1 is a side elevation and Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the apparatus.
Fig. 3 is an end view shewing the signal post framing and the locomotive.
Figs. 3 and 3" shew a side view and an end view partly in section of the stop
plate to an enlarged scale.
Figs. 4 and 5 are respectively an elevation and section shewing details of the
rod apparatus to an enlarged scale.
Figs. 6 and 7 are sections at right angles to each other of a modification of the
stop plate to an enlarged scale.
On the cab A, or on the funnel of the locomotive, or on the tender, or on a
carriage of the train, is fixed a standard B carrying guides B, in which a vertical
rod C can slide. The upper end of this rod is provided with one, or, as is shewn
in Figs.
and 5, two spring hooks C, C, which engage with the wedge-shaped
extremity D, of a second rod D pivotted on the bolt z which passes through the
guides B, and is held against a suitable stop in a vertical position by a spring e
so that the rod C is normally held up by the shoulders of the wedge D₁
The rod C is freely connected at its lower end y to an arm E of a horizontal
rocking shaft, another arm f on which is connected to one arm-of a bell crank
lever the other arm having a link G connecting it to the valve lever h of the
steam whistle F. The arm E carries an adjustable weight H, and an opposite
arm E bears directly against the valve J of the train pipe 6 of the brake, so that
when the arm E is turned in the one or the other direction the valve J is opened
or closed and the fluid pressure brake is put in or out of action.
When the rod D is turned in either direction, on its pivot z, the spring hooks C₁
are disengaged from the wedge-shaped catch D, and the rod C descends under
influence of the weight H; at the same time the arm E is turned and the steam
whistle valve is opened by the movement of the levers f and f¹ the connecting
rod G raising the lever h which normally keeps the valve seated.
At the same time the valve J of the train pipe is opened so that the fluid pressure
brakes are applied. When the train is not provided with fluid pressure brakes,
the apparatus may be applied to work the steam whistle alone, in which case the
valve J and arm E¹ are omitted.
For moving the rod D and therefore for actuating the whole apparatus, there
is provided at each semaphore or disc signal an arrangement which is shewn in
Fig. 3 as applied to a semaphore.
On the semaphore post K and an opposite post M, is fixed a transverse beam L
to which is suspended, by two linked rods dd, (Figs. 3* and 3") a plate N which
meets the rod D, and can be drawn aside by a wire O from which position, however,
it is returned to its original position, by the action of the counterweight P.
The upper end of the lever D extends above the top of the locomotive funnel,
and the plate N must be low enough to be struck by the rod D and thus to actuate
the apparatus.
The working of the apparatus is as follows:-
When the danger signal has been overlooked and the train passes the sema-

page_text: phore the rod D strikes against the plate N and is turned aside, thus setting free
the hooks C₁ C, so that the rod C can descend and the whistle is sounded and, if
necessary, the brake is applied.
The wire O is connected with the wire of the semaphore in such a manner that
when the signal arm is at danger the plate N hangs in the path of the rod D,
but when the semaphore arm is in the oblique position shewing "line clear,"
the plate is drawn aside out of the path of the rod D, as indicated by dotted lines
in Fig. 34.
After the locomotive has passed the semaphore the apparatus may be imme-
diately restored to its working position by the engine driver raising the rod C
by the handle S until the spring hooks C₁, pass over the wedge-shaped catch D₁
and retain the rod in its raised position.
.
Instead of hanging the plate N on rods it may be mounted on rollers r, r (as
shewn in Figs. 6 and 7) which run on transverse bearers u attached to the under-
side of the beam L; it can then be drawn by the wires O attached to the hangers v.
In this case the plate N may carry an electric contact which completes a circuit,
when the plate is drawn aside, with an insulated pin or spring p on the bean L,
or the bearer u, and gives a signal in the signal cabin or neighbouring station
when the plate has been drawn into the required position.
It may also happen that the rod leading to the valve of the brake apparatus
requires so much power to move it that the force of the descending weight H is
not sufficient for the purpose.
To provide for this a pressure cylinder V, shewn in Fig. 8, is provided which
receives steam or compressed air through the valve J opened by the descending
arm E; the steam propels a piston in the cylinder V, which piston by means of
the rod and lever w¹ moves the rod r¹ leading to the valve of the brake apparatus
and thus puts the brake in action.
The steam in the cylinder behind the piston as well as any water of condensation
is made to escape through a small tube when the valve is closed again.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:-
.
1. An apparatus for automatically giving audible signals and applying the
brakes on railway trains consisting of a stop mounted over the railway so that it
can be moved aside, and of a vertical rod pivotted to a support on the funnel or
cab of the locomotive or on a carriage, which rod by striking against the said
stop liberates a weighted arm, and this by its descent opens the valves of the
whistle and brake apparatus substantially as described with reference to the accom-
panying drawings.
2) In an apparatus such as is referred to in Claim 1 an auxiliary pressure
cylinder into which fluid under pressure is admitted through a valve actuated by
the descending arm and of which the piston rod opens the valve of the brake
apparatus, substantially as described with reference to Figure 8 of the accompany-
ing drawings.