Improvements in and connected with Means for Electrically Lighting Railway Carriages.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Feb., 1899-Accepted, 8th July, 1899
COMPLETE DIECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Means for Electrically
Lighting Railway Carriages.
I, EMIL DICK, of 70, Mühlgasse, Baden, Lower Austria, Electrical 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:—
This invention relates to improvements in that system of electrically lighting
railway carriages wherein a dynamo and accumulator batteries are employed, such as
described in my application for Patent No. 8179 of 1898, Complete Specification
accepted 23rd December, 1898.
The object of these improvements is :-
1. Phe construction of the automatic commutator.
2. The construction of the automatic switch.
3. The construction of the automatic regulator.
4. To dispense with the resistance r, described in above application.
5. To render the regulation independent of the number of carriages of the train.
6. To enable charging whilst the light is on.
And in order that my invention may be more fully understood I have caused to
be appended hereunto three sheets of drawings, marked with letters of reference
indicating like parts in the various figures, showing the improvements applied to the
automatic commutator, the switch and the regulator, and the method of working the
same.
Figs. 1 & 2, sheet I, are respectively a front and a side view partly in section at
line x-x Fig. 2 and line y-y Fig. 1 of the automatic commutator F.
Fig. 3 a vertical longitudinal section through the axis of the solenoids of the
switch B.
Figs. 4 & 4 are respectively a vertical and a horizonal section of the resistance
regulator P, the former through its axis and the other at line x-x Fig. 4.
Fig. 5, sheet II, shows the working of the said apparatus when the lamps have been
switched in and the batteries do not require charging.
Fig. 6, Sheet III, shows the working of the aforesaid apparatus when the batteries
require charging whilst the lamps are on.
The construction of the apparatus F, B & P will be described first, then the working
of the system with reference to the diagram on Sheet II, and lastly of that with
reference to diagram on Sheet III.
AUTOMATIC COMMUTATOR F (FIGS. 1 & 2.)
This apparatus, Figs. 1 & 2, consists of an electro-magnet of between the poles of
which a perforated parallel wound armature 1 is adapted to rotate. To the
perforated armature f is coupled the double armed lever f2 to the ends of which
are articulated the draw rods f, f. Each of these rods carries a cross piece to
which are secured respectively two insolated contact pins fº, ƒ & ƒ³, f. The
contact pin and its quick-silver cup d² are not seen in Figs. 1 & 2.
[Price 8d.]

page_text: The two front pins fo & f³ are conductively connected together by means of the
flexible copper band h and the back pins f&f by the band d.
The pins f, f, f, fo dip each into an iron quick-silver receptacle h¹, d¹, h², d²; in
order to guide the said pins and prevent the quick-silver being thrown out, each of the
said receptacles is furnished with an insolated cover.
The connecting rod ft carries through the spring u³ a contact roller w which is
furnished with a platinum mantle and insolated from the frame and when the
apparatus is at rest, bears against both the plates w¹ & w², Fig. 2, connecting the
same conductively.
In this position, the lever f2 is retained by two pairs of springs f10, fll & ₤12, ₤13,
the springs f10, fll belonging to the first pair, abut against the opposite sides of the
support plates f14, which carry the quick-silver cups and guide the draw rod f, and act
in opposite directions upon the flanged nuts f15 f16 screwed upon the latter.
The springs f12, f13, which are only partly visible in the drawing, act upon the
draw rod f in an analogous manner.
By turning the nuts f15 & f16, the lever 2 is so regulated that in its horizontal
position, all the pins ff are lifted out of the quick-silver in their cups.
The construction of the apparatus F will show that two springs alone may retain
the apparatus at rest, say the springs f10, f12, or fll, f¹³, or flo, f11, or f12, f13.
The cups & h² are conductively connected together as well as 2 with d. The
direction in which the armature rotates changes with the direction in which the train
runs and f is either conductively connected with h¹ and f with d¹ or fs with h² and f
with d². When the lever f2 has left its position of rest the circuit is broken between w¹
and w².
The construction of the commutator just described, compared with the one
described in the application herein before referred to No. 8179 of 1898, has so far
attained a reduction of the quick-silver cups, viz. from 6 to 4 as owing to the
employment of the contact devices w, w¹, w², the resistance, the quick-silver
cups, and the double armed lever described in the said application are dispensed
with the formation of sparks in the cups when switching the resistance r in and out
of the exciting circuit IV, is thus obviated and the regulating resistance is also used
when stopping.
;
The new construction differs also from the former in the employment of the regu-
lating springs ƒ 10, ƒ11, ƒ 12, ƒ 13 whereby the apparatus is set at rest and freed from
vibrations.
THE AUTOMATIC SWITCH, FIG. 3.
The construction of this apparatus being minutely described in the application
herein before referred to, a further description is not essential.
The solenoids employed therein may however consist each of only two from each
other insulated coils, for instance the left solenoid may have the two coils 62 & 13
and the right solenoid the coils 61, 63, which will not affect the working of the
apparatus.
When using the apparatus in the system shown in the diagram on sheet III, the
right of the two iron cores c² suspended from the lever b, will also have, besides the
balance weight c³, a contact fork c which when the apparatus is at rest will form
contact between the quick-silver cups c4 and break the same then the iron cores c²
are drawn in.
The contact fork which dips into the cups, c¹, c¹ performs always the function
described in the application hereinbefore referred to.
THE RESISTANCE REGULATOR, FIGS. 4 & 4ª.
This apparatus consists of a solenoid having two coils p¹, p² and a soft iron core p
therein, the height, at which it is retained, is controlled by the action of the coils.
The lower end of the core p reaches into a hollow cylinder which consists of a number
of supperposed flat copper rings p" which are insolated from each other by mica discs,

page_text: placed between the same. The disc p° and the mica discs between, are enclosed in a
cylindrical casing p fixed by two screws p7 to the regulator frame p8. The bottom of
this casing has a concentric hole, in its periphery 4 symmetrical longitudinal slots p15
and a cover p screwed in, by which latter the discs p° are pressed tight against each
other so as to constitute a hollow cylinder. Each of the discs p° has a tongue
projecting through one of the longitudinal slots p15, the said discs relatively to their
tongues being successively displaced from each other 90 degrees, the tongue of each
fourth disc projecting through the same slot pls.
Each of these tongues has an eye to which is soldered the cable connected with the
element of the regulating resistance.
To the upper end of the iron core p is fixed an insolated piston p³, which slides
in a tightly closed tube and serves simply to dampen too vigorous movements of the
core p.
At the lower end of the core p a contact and a guide rod p* are arranged, which
latter passes through the casing p5 and at its lower end is furnished with a
egulating weight po. The iron core p and the guide rod p' are insolated from the
frame p'.
The said contact consists of two segments formed from a carbon disc. The two
segments po, p¹ are held between two rings pls, pl, the former being placed around
the core p and the latter screwed upon the guide pin pt. Two copper springs p¹²
press the carbon segments p10, pll against the wall of the hollow cylinder, whereby a
good contact is obtained between the guide pin 4 and the respective copper
disc po.
The solenoid has two, from each other insulated, coils p¹ & p² which assist each
other in their action upon the core; the coil p² consists of thin wire and the coil p¹
of comparatively stronger wire.
The construction of this regulator compared with that described in the application
hereinbefore referred to, embodies thus some improvements which consist in the
employment of only two from each other insulated coils p¹, p² and in the improved
construction of the contact device, whereby sparks which may occur are not only
dispersed over a long line corresponding with the periphery of the carbon
segments po, p¹¹ but are also blown out by the magnetic field of the core p.
WORKING 022
TE
SHAWN
CH IT WA

page_text: lever is turned in the same direction further a quarter of a revolution, it will again
connect the plate t with and the lamps g¹ will come into function, etc.
When the train stops a weak current from the batteries G1, G2, G³ arranged in
parallel, will circulate in the main circuit II, through the magnet coil f³ of the
automatic commutator F, the right bobbin n² of the relay N and through the inner
coil-63 of the automatic switch B, back to the main circuit I; in the same manner, a
weak current flows through the thin coil p² of the dynamo regulator P and the con-
tacts w², w, w01.
This causes the iron core p of the regulator P to be raised and the resistance R to
be switched into the exciting circuit IV of the dynamo A, whereby the loss of the
excitation is also reduced to a minimum.
The switch E serves to prevent unnecessary consumption of energy in case the
system is not used for days.
•
After having arranged the train, the resistances S₁ & S² are regulated by means of
the contact levers s¹, s² so as to correspond approximately to the number of lamps and
batteries; the position of these levers need not be varied afterwards.
The charging takes place as follows:-
The lever t of the switch T from the position shown, has been turned 90 degrees
and the contact plates t¹, 13, 15, to are connected with each other; the switches E2, E3, E
are open.
As soon as the train and thereby the armature a of the dynamo A is set in motion
there will be a tension at the brushes of the dynamo corresponding to the number of
revolutions and to the intensity of the exciting circuit; the current flows through the
armature coil f¹ of the commutator F which causes the lever f2 to be turned to one or
the other side according to the direction of the train, which determines the direction
of the current.
When turning the lever the contact roller w leaves the plates w₁, w² belonging
thereto, which causes the resistance to be switched into the circuit of the coil p² of
the regulator P; the effect of the coil p² on the iron core p being thereby considerably
weakened the iron core p will descend and switch off all the elements of the regulating
resistance R, so that the exciting coils a¹ are exposed to the full tension of the
battery.
After the commutator F begins to act, the middle coil 62 of the automatic switch B
will receive current; if the train has attained a certain minimum speed, the tension
of the dynamo will slightly exceed that of the batteries and the apparatus B will
switch the dynamo in the circuit of the batteries.
If the speed of the train increases, the intensity of the current delivered to the
batteries will also increase to a maximum degree and this current flowing through the
thick outer coil b' of the apparatus B causes obviously the contact fork c to be retained
in the switching on position all the more.
After leaving the coil
again in the main circuit I.
the dynamo current branches off in 3 currents which join
The first branch is formed by the resistance S2, the second by the resistance S¹ and
the third by the coil p¹. The resistance S³ is short circuited through circuit III, 1¹.
The currents circulating through these branches are according to Kirchoff propor-
tionate to the tension and vice versa proportionate to the resistances.
The regulator P is now adjusted so as to switch the largest part of the regulating
resistance R into the exciting circuit IV, when the current flowing through the coil pl
amounts to i ampères and when the charging current in the main circuits I, II has
reached its maximal tension.
The maximal loss of tension in the 3 branches, amounting to a volt, the currents in
the 3 branches will be determined by their resistances. The strength of current
delivered to the batteries is equal to the sum of the currents in all three branches;
by the aid of the variable resistance S it is possible to vary the strength of the
charging current as may be desired, without affecting the nature of this regulation,
and thus the train may be composed of any desired number of carriages.
When switching the dynamo onto the batteries this combination also serves for

page_text: he resistance S' expressed in “ohm must therefore be equal to the
This system is specially applicable to trains which run only at night; in this case
the batteries are charged simultaneously with the supply of the lamps direct from the
5 dynamo.
Before proceeding with the working of the system itself attention is drawn to the
following points.
In this system 3 main circuits are employed I, I, II, which pass through all
the carriages. Whilst employing in the system shown on Sheet II, each carriage
with an ordinary switch, in the system shown on Sheet III each carriage is furnished

page_text: with a switch U1, U2, U³ through which the batteries are partly connected with the
circuit Iª, and partly with I, the lamps in the meantime being switched on or off.
The switch U consists of a cast iron casing in which are employed the contact
plates u¹, u², u³, us, us. Through the cover of the said casing passes a shaft on
which are secured the insolated contact springs u, us. This shaft and that of the
switch U2, U³, U4 -- is always turned 90 degrees. Springs are employed to ensure the
correct setting of the said shaft and the contact spring. The said shafts turn always
in the direction of a watch-hand and are prevented from turning hack by click
devices. The covers are each formed with a round opening, below which a disc is
secured upon the said shaft having a half white and a half red face.
---
When the cables in the train are connected with each other, the switches
U1, U2, U³, U4, must be in such a position that, the red part and white part of the
discs will be alternately visible in the adjacent carriages to indicate the opposite
position of the contact springs u³.
When light is required the contact springs u, u8 of the switches U¹, U², U³, U+
may be in the position shown in the diagram on Sheet III.
If the lamps require switching on, the switch is turned 90 degrees; if the lamps
require current, a further turn of 90 degrees and so forth takes place, the guard is
thus always reluctantly obliged to set the said switches as required.
Each carriage is thus equally installed, a little difference however is the installa
tion of the carriage which contains 2 batteries, one battery being connected with the
circuit Ia and the other with the circuit Ib and vice versa. The switch U₁ has,
besides the contact plates u¹, u², u³, ut, the plates ul and upon the shaft are
employed 3 from each other insolated contact springs u², us, u³ whereby the switching
of the batteries described is effected.
The functions of the automatic apparatus F, B, P are identical with those already
described, a repetition of the occurrences during the charge, i.e. at day time, appears
therefore unnecessary so that the working of the installation has only to be taken
into consideration when simultaneously lighting the lamps and charging.
When the lamps are on, the contact springs u7 of the switches U1, U2, U³, U+
connect the contact plates u² and us, and when the train stops a contact between the
main circuits I & Ib is also formed through the apparatus B, by inserting the small
resistance s¹, n, by means of the right contact fork c and the quick-silver cups ct; all
the batteries G¹, G3, G4, G, thus operate in feeding the lamps g¹, g², g³, g³, 95, -
when the train stops.
When the train starts the connection of the dynamo with the main circuit is
effected as previously described, with the exception of the apparatus B which breaks
contact at the cups c when connecting the dynamo with the lamps and batteries.
The circuit I may be specified as charge circuit, Ib as light circuit.
The main circuit from the dynamo splits from the cable III² into 3 branches, one
of which currents flows over the coil p¹ of the regulator P and the constant
resistance S³ to the light circuit Ib, the second one over S¹, s¹, n also to Ib whilst the
third one flows over S2 to I^.
The resistance S³, S¹ and the resistance of the coil p₁ are determined after the
previously described method; the regulator thus regulates, due to the branch
currents pl-S3, principally the amount of current flowing to the lamps g¹, g²: I³, I³,
the tension of the dynamo being allowed to reach the maximum charge tension of
the batteries.
The current delivered to the batteries G¹, G³, G5 ready for charging, depends then
on the resistance S2 and on the condition of the charge in the batteries G¹, G³, G³.
As soon as the lamps require extinguishing, the contact springs of the said switches
are turned 90 degrees. In order to obtain light the next night, the contact springs
of the switches are turned 90 degrees.
In this position, the batteries G¹, G³, G5.
are switched onto the light circuit Ib for
the purpose of regulating the lamp tension which has practically remained the same,
whilst the batteries G2, G' are switched onto the charge circuit Iª.
.

page_text: 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, is:―
1st. In the automatic switch (Figs. 1 & 2) described in the Application hereinbefore
referred to, No. 8179 of 1898, the employment of a perforated armature f¹, on the
shaft of which is keyed a lever f³ carrying two rods ft, f one or both of which are
acted upon by two or only one of the adjustable springs f10, 11, 12, 13 in a direction
reverse to that in which the lever moves, so that the latter is retained in a
horizontal position, each of the said rods being furnished with a contact fork f³, f³, ff,
the ends of which through the flexible copper band h, f are pair-wise conductively
connected together and in the horizontal position of their lever f² are held above the
cups h¹, h², d¹, d²; h¹ of which is conductively connected with d and d' with h²
and one of the said rods ft carrying, by means of an insolated spring w³ a contact
roller w, which, when the lever f2 is in a horizontal position connects two contact
plates w¹, w² conductively.
2nd. The automatic switch (Fig. 3), specified in the Application herein before
referred to, so arranged, that the two soft iron cores c² of the solenoids are each acted
upon by 3 coils 61, 62, 63 or one of the iron cores c2 by the two coils 62, 68 and the
other iron core c2 by the coils b¹, 63, in such a manner, that the coils 63 polarize the
iron cores c², the coils 62 effect the switching in or out of the dynamo A, the coils b², 63
prevent the dynamo A being switched in when the polarities are incorrect, whilst
the coil b¹ assists the switching in or out of the dynamo.
3rd. In the switch specified in Claim 2, the employment of the contact fork c and
the two quick-silver cups c, whereby when the fork c through its counter weight c³
has been caused to assume its position of rest, a connection has been established
between the two quick-silver cups ct whilst the same is broken again when the iron
cores c2 have been drawn into solenoids.
4th. In an automatic resistance regulator wherein the switching in and out of the .
resistance is effected through an iron core actuated by a solenoid, forming this
solenoid with two coils p¹, p² the latter p2 being of thin wire, the former p¹ of thicker
wire, the separate resistance elements being connected with conductive rings po,
supperposed, insolated from each other and pressed together and a piston adapted to
slide in the hollow cylinder formed by the said rings and intermediate disc, which
piston is formed of two carbon segments p10, 2" which are pressed from each other
by a spring p¹ and are secured between the flanges p¹³, p14 fixed to the iron core.
5th. The system of electrically lighting railway trains (Sheets II & III) wherein,
when the train has stopped, the coil p² of the regulator P by short circuiting of the
resistance v is exposed to the tension of the batteries G1, G2, G3 switched in parallel,
the iron core being thus raised to switch the resistance R into the exciting circuit IV
of the dynamo A, whilst when the train starts the contact w¹, w, w² is broken through
the commutator F and the resistance v switched in serie with the coil p² which causes
the iron core p to descend and to short shunt the whole regulating resistance R.
6th. The system of electrically lighting railway trains (Sheet II) wherein the
lever t' of the switch Tin its charging position, connects the plates t¹, t³, t³, to together,
so that the contact screw n³ of the relay N, the coil p₁ of the regulator P and
the resistance S2 set by the lever 82, are switched into the main circuit I, whilst the
resistance S3 is short circuited, the strength of the charge current flowing from
the dynamo A is regulated by the shunt circuit which passes through the coil p¹, the
charging current being regulated to the required strength by the variable resistance S2
in accordance with the number of batteries in the train.
7th. The system of electrically lighting railway trains (Sheets II & III) wherein
the armaturen of the relay N, when the charging current has reached its maximum
is attracted in order to switch in parallel the resistance of coil with the resistance v,
so that coil p² is exposed to a greater tension, and the iron core p being lifted will
increase the resistance R in the exciting circuit IV, which causes the charge current
to decrease to zero and the regulator P to act simply as tension regulator.

page_text: =
8th. The system of electrically lighting railway trains (Sheet II) wherein the
lever of the switch T in its light position forms a connection between the contact
plates t¹, t, whilst the connections t³, to, to are interrupted and the coil p¹ with the
resistance S are switched in serie, the resistance of the branch p¹, S3 is determined
in such a manner that when the current in the shunt circuit p¹, Sa ¿ ampères, the
loss of tension in this circuit is equal to the difference between the maximum charge
tension and the normal lamp tension and the current delivered to the lamps by the
dynamo A is dependent on the current flowing over p¹, S³ and further that the vari-
able resistance S¹ may be equal to or exceed the quotient of the above loss of tension
through the total strength of current necessary for the supply of the lamps, minus the
branch current i, so that the batteries G1, G2, G3 --- switched onto the circuits I, II
are not charged, but according to the tension at the terminals of the dynamo, which
may vary within the limits of the maximum charge tension and normal lamp tension,
will deliver a branch current to the lamps g', g², 93, whereby owing to small use of
the batteries the tension at the lamps will be practically kept constant.
9th. The arrangement of the switches U1, U2, Ù³‚ Ù³‚ (Sheet III) wherein
through the contact springs u, u³, u and the contact plates u, u², u³, u, ull, one
part of the batteries in the train is switched into the circuit I, the other part accord-
ing to the position of the contact spring into the circuit Ib so, that although the
lamps g³, 92, 93, 94 - have been switched in, the batteries may be charged by means
of the main circuit I as the dynamo current may reach the maximal normal charge
tension, the other occurrences being the same as set forth in Claim 8.
10th. The working of the contact devices c, c, c4 whereby, when the train has
stopped, the two cables I & Ib, through the insertion of a small resistance 81,.n, are
connected together so that when the lamps g¹, g², g³, g¹. have been switched in, the
batteries switched onto the cable I will assist those switched onto the cable Ib.
Dated this 15th dor of Hebrnorv 1200
d this 15
th day of February 1900
F. BOSSHARDT & Co.,
4, Corporation Street, Manchester. Agents to Applicant.