Improvements in and relating to Indicators in Railway Carriages for Showing the Names of Stations and Times of Arrival and Departure.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Aug., 1893-Accepted, 16th Sept.; 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Indicators in Railway Carriages
for Showing the Names of Stations and Times of Arrival and
Departure.
I, FRANZ GRAMP of Karlstrasse 56, Munich in the Empire of Germany Railway
Superintendent 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 purpose of this invention is to provide improved indicating devices to be
fixed in railway carriages whereby the occupants may be from time to time informed
of the name of the station at which the train will next stop and of the time of
arrival at and departure from that station.
The device hereinafter described may be operated from the locomotive either by
air suction or pressure or by steam pressure according to its construction or
automatic devices may be arranged near each station so as to render the operation
of the indicators independent of the engine driver or other railway servant on the
train.
In the annexed drawings
Fig. 1 is a front view of the indicator which is intended to be fixed in each
carriage or compartment.
Fig. 2 is an interior view thereof.
Fig. 3 a side view with side panel removed.
Figs. 4 and 5 shows parts in different position.
Fig. 6 illustrates the automatic mechanism before referred to.
The indicator is enclosed in a casing of which the front is hinged preferably
below and of which one or both side panels bare removable to obtain access to the
interior. In the front is a small window through which the name of the station or
other indication may be shown, the remainder of the front may be provided with an
inscription explaining the object or utility of the indicator.
g
Near the back of the case is the cylinder c containing a piston with rod d to the
head of which a dog e is pivoted to move in upward direction only. The head is
guided in a suitable guide f. In the removable frame i are mounted two rollers
which may be faced with glass paper or otherwise roughened to ensure their grip
tensioned
on the strip on which the indications are placed; the roller r on arms q
by spring p tightens the strip on the rollers. On the wheel or roller g at the base
are pins with which the dog e engages when the said dog rises under influence of
air exhaust from cylinder c due to pipe connection m leading to the vacuum brake
pump or equivalent device on the locomotive. Each time this dog e is lifted the
rollers g and strip are revolved for a certain space whereupon the dog e falls and
glides over the next pin. The spring n with its nose o prevents racing of the
rollers g and also backward movement on return of the dog e. Limits may be
placed in the cylinder c or otherwise to ensure correct stroke for the dog e and no
more.
เ
The strip bears the names of the stations in appropriate order and if the train
moves over the line in the contrary direction a strip with the names of the station
in the inverse order must be put on. For fast trains the names of the intermediate
stations at which the train does not stop may be omitted.
To indicate starting and arrival times a similar mechanism may be placed
alongside the first in each casing with strips bearing the indications desired.
If air pressure is adopted in place of exhaust a slight alteration may easily be
made to adapt the pressure for operating the piston and dog e without departing
from the general construction of the indicator.

page_text: Where the change of indicator is intended to be automatically effected-I arrange
near each station an operating block as hereinafter described and on the carriage
a lever construction adapted to be operated thereby. On the bracket a two
levers d d' are mounted each of which when moved will produce the same effect but
by contrary direction of movement. The lever is connected by link e to single
lever and thus to slide bar g; the lever d is connected by link e¹ to two armed
lever and thus to slide bar 9. The slide bars g gl have each a longitudinal slot in
which the cross pin of the piston rod ¹ of the piston in the cylinder h engages.
This system is midway between the sides of the carriage and the pipe i leads to the
cylinders c in the indicating boxes. Each lever d has a hinged end piece k k¹
movable in one direction but rigid in the other direction. The one piece k is
contrarily movable to the other k². The block / consisting of two upright standards
carrying the finger m pivoted at n and provided with spring o is placed in the track
of the levers d d' and correspondingly moves one or other of the levers d d¹
according to the direction of travel that is to say according to which end of the
carriage is leading, the other lever d or d¹ is left idle, but either lever draws back
the piston in cylinder and produces an air exhaust which operates the indicators.
For "circle" trains which always proceed in one direction only one lever system
may be employed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In an indicator adapted to show station names and arrival and departure:
times, the provision in a casing of one or more sets of mechanism comprising two
rollers g, strip, cylinder c with piston and dog e adapted to be operated by air
exhaust or pressure or by steam pressure substantially as set forth.
2. The combination with an indicator substantially as set forth of a lever system
or two contrarily acting lever systems d e¹ƒ¹ g¹ or'd' e f g and a series of station
blocks adapted to operate said lever systems to produce in a cylinder a pressure
or vacuum adapted to operate said indicators substantially as illustrated and
described.
R. HADDAN,
Herbert Haddan & Co.,
18, Buckingham Street, Strand, London, Agent for Applicant.