Improvements in Railway Signalling Apparatus.
Year: 1892

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Railway Signalling Apparatus.
I, EDUARD ALBERT WINTERHALDER of Kappel, Schwarzwald, in the Grand-
Duchy of Baden and German Empire, 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 an electric signalling apparatus for railways, and is intended
for use on single track roads for the purpose of receiving and sending signals and
for signalling and protecting trains.
I will describe my invention with reference to the accompanying drawings in
which
Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section;
Figure 2 a vertical cross section of the upper part of Figure 1;
Figure 3 a vertical cross section of a modification of the apparatus drawn to a
larger scale, and
Figure 4 a diagram shewing the arrangement and connections for a complete
linc.
The apparatus consists, as shewn by Figures 1 and 2, of an oblong rectangular
casing supported upon a column or post, and provided in each of its sides facing the
direction of the line, with a window or opening. The necessary signals are given
by means of transparent coloured discs, as for example, red and green glasses, be
and c. These discs are capable of being raised so as to cover the window
opening, and are illuminated by means of a suitable lamp so as to be visible at
night.
They are arranged in pairs on each side of the apparatus and are lifted in turn
by symmetrically arranged electrically operated mechanism consisting of an electro-
magnet M, and its armature or keeper K, on an L-shaped lever g, pivoted at .
The upper end of the lever is shaped to act as a click to engage with and rotate the
ratchet wheel A. one tooth for each energisation of the electro-magnet. A pawl g
is arranged upon the opposite side to prevent any possible backward motion of the
ratchet wheel. There are two of these sets of electrically operated mechanisms, as
shewn by Figure 2; one for each window or opening. A battery or other suitable
source of current is included in the same circuit with the electro-magnets, so that
upon the closing of this circuit, the magnet is energised and its keeper is attracted.
When the circuit is opened spiral springs L L' restore the lever and the keeper
to its normal position.
•
On the axis of each ratchet wheel there is fixed a chain wheel B on which the
endless chain S gears. This chain passes over the two rollers h' and " and
vertically parallel with those sides of the casing in which the windows are formed.
On it, at opposite points, it is furnished with a catch p p' by means of which the
transparent discs bb' or c c¹ may be lifted in front of the windows O O The
details of the arrangements for lifting and lowering the coloured transparent discs
are shewn on a larger scale by Figure 3. The disc c is before the window, and in
order to replace it by the other disc, the latter is simply lifted behind it whereby it
is displaced and falls into the lower part of the casing. In order to effect this, each
disc is mounted in a ring which has on its opposite sides the projections to which
slide in grooves formed by the lateral strips to which occupy only about the
central portion of the casing so as to allow the projections w to pass over the tops
of the strips at the highest point, and under them at the lowest. The upper parts
of the strips are thinned and curved inwards to prevent the return of the projections
after they have once passed the tops. At the upper end of the casing there is a

page_text: curved spring which is put into tension by contact with the glass near the top of
its travel. When it is desired to replace the disc c by b, the electric circuit is
repeatedly closed. The disc c is thereby lifted until its projections are free from
the restraint of the guide strips w¹ whereupon the spring ŕ tilts the upper end of the
disc as shewn by the dotted lines, and it immediately passes into the groove fl
formed by the space between the strip wand the side of the casing and to the
bottom of the apparatus where it is pushed into its former position by the spring'.
The groove in which the projections w slide in their upward course, is completed by
the strips, which extend from the bottom of the casing to a point higher than the
tops of the strips w¹.
The circuits of the electro-magnets are independent of each other and they are so
arranged that signals given from the station A Figure 4, are visible only from the
direction of the station B, and those given from B are visible only from the
direction of A.
In the intermediate apparatus on the line, the signals are pulled down by the
lever R, R, Figure 1. The tread of this lever is arranged to come below the flanges
of the locomotive and rolling stock wheels. The end R' is pivoted to the vertical
connecting rod m, the upper end of which has fixed upon it the elastic springs e e¹,
to which the horizontal arms g" are connected, and inclined surfaces which bear
against the points u and u respectively. When the outer end of the lever R is
depressed by the passage of the wheels of a passing train, the connecting rod m is
forced upwards once for each flange. At each upward motion, the action of the
inclined planes and the points compel the springs e e¹ to close together and thus
give a lateral motion to the arms g". The arms are restored, on the reversal of the
motion, by the springs l. The arins g" carry clicks which engage with two ratchet
wheels C, fixed upon the axes of the chain wheels, but these wheels C have only a
limited number of teeth, preferably about five. Thus, no matter what the number
of wheels may be in the passing train, the ratchet wheel C can move only through
a distance corresponding to the number of teeth. As the withdrawal of the signal
is necessary in the case of both of the discs, the opposite diameters of each of the
wheels C is provided with the fixed number of teeth, five for example. The number
of teeth is such that the motio" of the chain will lift the lower disc sufficiently
to displace the upper one, without coming into the front of the opening. Consequently,
after the action of the lever R, both discs are down.
The modification of the apparatus represented by Figure 3 is intended for use in
terminal stations only, or in stations at the ends of a section. In this case the
removal of the signal discs from the opening, may be effected electrically, and the
keeper of the electro-magnet may be connected with the hammer of a gong so as to
give an audible signal. In other respects the apparatus may be identical with that
already described, but signals having to be shewn in one direction only, it is single
and not duplicated.
If it be desired to despatch a train from the terminal station A, the line
wire N¹ is joined in by the switch E, and the key T is operated until the red disc
is fully visible. Simultaneously, all the red discs in all the intermediate stations
facing A become visible. If the line is clear from the station B, the signalman
there, joins in the line N by the switch E, and operates the key T' signalling "line
clear and bringing up the green discs in place of the red ones. After the despatch
of the train from A, the red disc serves to protect it, since no train must be
despatched so long as the red signal at A remains visible.
وو
When the train passes each intermediate apparatus upon the line, as already
described, the signals are withdrawn by the action of the lever R R¹ both signals
disappearing simultaneously. After the arrival of the train at station B, (the, line
wire N³ having been cut in at each end by the switches K K¹) the operation of the
key T, lowers the green discs at the end stations. Thereupon the removal of the
red discs is effected in the same way from station A, so that all the apparatus are
brought into the normal or out of action positions.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the saine is to be performed, I declare that what 1
claim is-
1. Apparatus for block signalling on single line railways, constructed arranged
and operated substantially as hereinbefore described and as illustrated by the
accompanying drawings.
2. In apparatus for block signalling on single line railways, two symmetrically
arranged electrically operated mechanisms driving two endless chains intermittently
for the purpose of exhibiting coloured discs, in combination with a mechanical device
operated by the wheels of a passing train to remove the discs out of sight, constructed
and arranged substantially as hereinbefore described and as illustrated by the
accompanying drawings.
3. In apparatus for block signalling on single line railways, an electrically
operated mechanism at the terminal or end stations, driving an endless chain for the
purpose of raising a coloured disc at that station and at each of the other stations,
in combination with a key and circuits, for substituting one disc for another, and an
audible signal; constructed and arranged substantially as herein before described
and as illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 24th day of October A D. 1892.
WILLIAM E. HEYS,
Agent for the Applicant.