Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 7th July, 1887
Complete Left, 7th Apr., 1888
Complete Accepted, 11th May, 1888
I ILLIUS AUGUSTUS TIMMIS of No. 2 Great George Street, Westminster London S.W.
in the County of Middlesex Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows :—
The objects of my Invention are to provide a simple and economical means for so
diminishing or breaking the electric circuit between the Battery (which actuates the
signal magnet used in the system I employ to actuate signal arms) and the signal
magnet that the armature of the magnet is released and the signal arm can or may go
to the position of "danger" automatically by the action of a passing Train thereby
enabling the train to protect its rear.
The circuit can be broken by means of a lever actuated by a Treadle or by the
deflection of a rail but I do not find these arrangements to be reliable.
With the before mentioned objects in view I carry a wire from the Battery to the
signal Lever and arrange the main "Lowering" and reduced "holding" circuits in
the usual way. The circuit is then carried on to the signal magnet and from thence
to the rail close or near to the signal post and from the rail to the other pole of the
Battery-the rail acting as a return conductor.
This circuit I call the magnet circuit and the resistance it offers to an Electric
current (whether the main "Lowering" current, or the reduced "holding" current is
running) is regulated as required. To any convenient part of the positive lead of this
circuit I join a wire and carry it and join it to one of two metal strips or mercury
cups which make contact when the armature of the magnet is attracted to its bobbin
and from the other strip or mercury cup (these and other contacts I make of any
convenient and known form) I take anotlier wire lead and join it to the other rail--
opposite or nearly opposite, to the place where the wire before named is joined to the
Rail which acts as a return conductor. If the space from Rail to Rail where the two
wires are joined to the two rails is bridged over and the magnet armature is down on
to its Bobbin a complete electric circuit is made which does not pass through the
signal magnet. This I call the Rail circuit. It is completed first by the magnet
armature being attracted to its bobbin and next by a passing Train the wheels & axles
of which bridge the circuit from Rail to Rail.

page_text: The resistance of the Rail circuit in dry or wet weather is greater to the passage of.
an electric current, when the two rails are not bridged across, than is the resistance
offered by the magnet circuit consequently when no train is passing the signal magnet
holds the signal arm "line clear."
But when a Train passes and the Rails are bridged across the resistance of the Rail
circuit is less than that of the magnet circuit and the magnet ceases to act and the
signal arm goes automatically to danger.
When this occurs the two contact pieces which are joined or made by the signal
magnet armature as before explained are again separated and the Rail circuit broken
but the magnet circuit remains intact till the armature of the signal magnet rises to
its farthest position from its bobbin when it temporarily displaces a contact piece from
between two metal strips or out of two mercury cups and thus breaks the magnet
circuit and not only does the signal arm go to Danger but the signal lever is released
and flies back and acts as a repeater and then the contact piece remakes the junction
between the above named strips or cups and the magnet circuit is ready to be
completed by the action of the signal lever.
I may if necessary insulate the Rails or the sleepers or both.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Electrical Apparatus for Working Railway Signals.
I ILLIUS AUGUSTUS TIMMIS of No. 2 Great George Street, Westminster London S. W.,
in the County of Middlesex Civil 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 :—
The objects of my Invention are to provide a simple and economical means for so
diminishing or breaking the electric circuit between the Battery (which actuates the
signal magnet used in the system I employ to actuate signal arms) and the signal
magnet that the armature of the magnet is released and the signal arm can or may go
to the position of "Danger" automatically by the action of a passing Train thereby
enabling the train to protect its rear.
The circuit can be broken by means of a lever actuated by a Treadle or by the
deflection of a rail but I do not find these arrangements to be reliable.
With the before mentioned objects in view I carry a wire from the Battery to the
signal lever and arrange the main "Lowering" and reduced "holding "circuits in the
usual way as described in my previous patent No. 5718, 12 Dec. 1883. The circuit
is then carried on to the signal magnet and from thence to the rail close or near to
the signal post and from the rail to the other pole of the Battery the rail acting as a
return conductor or I may use a separate wire conductor.
This circuit I call the magnet circuit and the resistance it offers to an Electric
current (whether the main "Lowering" current, or the reduced "holding" current
is running) is regulated as required.
To any convenient part of the positive lead of this circuit I join a wire and carry it
and join it to one of two metal strips or mercury cups which make contact when the
armature of the magnet is attracted to its bobbin and from the other strip or mercury
cup (these and other contacts I make of any convenient and known form) I take
another wire lead and join it to the other rail opposite or nearly opposite to the place
where the wire before named is joined to the rail which acts as a return conductor. If
the space from rail to rail where the two wires are joined to the two rails is bridged
over and the magnet armature is down on to its bobbin a complete electric circuit is
made which does not pass through the signal magnet. This I call the rail circuit. It
is completed first by the magnet armature being attracted to its bobbin and next by a
passing Train the wheels and axles of which bridge the circuit from rail to rail.
The resistance of the rail circuit in dry or wet weather is greater to the passage of
an electric current, when the two rails are not bridged across, than is the resistance
offered by the magnet circuit consequently when no train is passing the signal magnet
holds the signal arm "Line clear."
But when a train passes and the rails are bridged across the resistance of the rail
circuit is less than that of the magnet circuit and the magnet ceases to act and the
signal arm goes automatically to danger.

page_text: When this occurs the two contact pieces which are joined or made by the signal
magnet armature as before explained are again separated and the rail circuit broken
but the inagnet circuit remains intact till the armature of the signal magnet rises to.
its farthest position from its bobbin when it temporarily displaces a contact piece from
between two metal strips or out of two mercury cups and thus breaks the magnet
circuit and not only does the signal arm go to danger but the signal lever is released
and flies back and acts as a repeater and then the contact pieco remakes the junction
between the above named strips or cups and the maguet circuit is ready to be
completed by the action of the signal lever.
I may if necessary insulate the rails or the sleepers or both.
The following is a description of the Drawings herewith. M is the magnet which
actuates the signal arm A. a is the magnet armature which is attached to the bobbin M
when the signalman pulls the lever over to the dotted line position 2 and completes
the magnet circuit
xxx.
B represents the "lowering" Battery and 6 the "holding" Battery which work the
"lowering"
and "holding"¹¹¹¹¹ currents respectively both which
flow along the magnet circuit.
יי
↑
CC represent the contacts in the magnet circuit (they may be any other form of
contacts) d, d represent the contacts in the rail circuit through which the
"holding current runs when the rails R R are bridged by a passing train, because
the resistance of the "rail" circuit is less than the resistance in the "magnet" circuit
and when this takes place the magnet M ceases to act and the armature a flies up to
the position shown in the drawing and piece p is forced up momentarily and raises the
bar and also breaks the contacts c in the mercury cups and also thus breaks the
magnet circuit so that the signal arm and spectacles go to danger and the signal lever
flies back to the position 1 shown in drawing as the small lever magnet m¹ is released.
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 :-
An arrangement of "Magnet" and "rail" circuits with contacts, and Lever (and
Battery or Batteries with lowering and holding circuits as described in my previous
patent) substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore described.
ה י --T
LAAA
I. A. TIMMIS,
2, Great George Street, Westminster, S.W.