IMPROVED MEANS OF GENERATING OR INDUCING ELECTRIC CURRENTS FOR ACTUATING RELAYS, BLOCK SIGNALLING AND INTERLOCKING APPARATUS ON RAILWAYS OR TRAMWAYS
Year: 1885

page_text: .
for Actuating Relays, Block Signalling, and Interlocking
Apparatus on Railways and Tramways.
I JAMES RADCLIFFE of East Retford in the County of Nottingham Telegraph
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVED MEANS OF
GENERATING OR INDUCING ELECTRIC CURRENTS FOR ACTUATING RELAYS, BLOCK
SIGNALLING AND INTERLOCKING APPARATUS ON RAILWAYS OR TRAMWAYS to be
as follows:-
I use one or more permanent or electro magnets, the pole pieces of which I
surround with coils of insulated wire, fixed underneath or in close proximity to
the rails of the permanent way, so that the deflection or vibration of the said rails
by passing engines or vehicles may directly, or by means of armatures attached to
levers connected to the rails, generate or induce currents of electricity in the said
coils of insulated wire, which may be used for actuating Relays, Block Signalling
Instruments or interlocking apparatus, and for placing Semaphore or other Signals
at danger or otherwise.
Improved Means of Generating or Inducing Electric Currents
for Actuating Relays, Block Signalling, and Interlocking
Apparatus on Railways or Tramways.
I, JAMES RADCLIFFE of East Retford in the County of Nottingham, Telegraph
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:-
.
I use one or more permanent or electro magnets M (Figs. 1. 2. 3. 4) the pole
pieces P of which I surround with coils of insulated wire W, fixed underneath or

page_text: in close proximity to the running rails R of the permanent way so that the
deflection or vibration of the said rails by passing engines or vehicles may, directly
as shewn in figures 1. 2 and 3, or by means of armatures A attached to levers L
(Fig. 4) resting underneath or connected to the running rail, generate or induce
currents of electricity in the coils W, which currents may be used for actuating
Relays, Block Signalling Instruments or interlocking apparatus and for placing
Semaphore or other Signals at "danger" or otherwise, the coils W being connected
in closed circuit with such apparatus.
I sometimes use electro magnets, in which case M is constructed of soft iron and
surrounded with coils of insulated wire, connected in closed circuit with a battery,
dynamo-electric machine, or other source of electric energy.
I may also attach the coils W to the running rail R and let them vibrate in
unison with the latter, above or in proximity to the poles of the magnet M, or
I may attach the coils W to the armature A (Fig. 4), instead of to the magnet M
so that they may vibrate or move in unison with the lever L and so generate or
induce currents of electricity in the said coils.
There are various methods of fixing the apparatus described above, but the one
which I prefer is that shewn in figures 1, 2 and 3 where S is an iron shoe into
which the magnet M is firmly bolted, the upper projection of S being bolted at b
to an auxiliary rail R¹ which is bent round and bolted to the running rail R, as is
shewn in reduced scale in figure 3.
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. Generating or inducing currents of electricity by means of the vibration or
deflection of the running rails of Railways or Tramways.
2. In attaining the above result the employment of a permanent or electro
magnet, the coils surrounding the pole pieces or armatures of which are connected
in closed circuit with the Relay or other receiving apparatus in such a manner that
the currents induced in the said coils may actuate the said Relay or other
apparatus.
3. Actuating Relays, Block Signalling, interlocking and other electrical apparatus
by means of induced currents produced by the deflection or vibration of the rails
of Railways or Tramways.