Improvements in Apparatus for Signalling and Stopping Trains on Railways.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Oct., 1891-Accepted, 21st Nov., 1891
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Signalling and Stopping Trains
on Railways.
We JOHN LA BURT, Carpenter, of 421 East 86th Street, New York City in
the County and State of New York and WILLIAM HERMAN AGRICOLA, Real
Estate Agent, of 1505 Broadway Brooklyn in the County of Kings and State
of New York, United States of America 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:-
Our invention relates to improvements in electric block signal systems for rail-
ways and the object of our invention is to produce a simple system which will
euable a moving locomotive or car to automatically operate the signals so as to set
them in a position to indicate danger and afterwards automatically change them to
indicate safety, and also to produce an apparatus which, in case the engine driver
does not see the danger signal, and runs over the signal, will automatically shut off
the steam so as to stop the train, and render an accident impossible.
To this end, the invention consists in a system and apparatus which will be
hereinafter described and claimed.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this
Specification, in which similar figures and letters of reference indicate corresponding
parts in all the views.
Figure 1 is a broken side elevation, partly in section, showing the general arrange-
ment of the entire apparatus, and showing also the electric connections;
Figure 2 is a broken cross section, showing the signal-operating apparatus, and
showing the locomotive in a position to close the circuit and shut off the steam;
Figure 3 is an enlarged detail sectional view of the apparatus for controlling the
steam of the locomotive; and
Figure 4 is an inverted detail view of the magnet which operates the steam
valve, on the line 4-4 in Figure 3.
The railway is provided with the usual signal posts 10, which are arranged at one
side of the track in the usual manner, and on these are the usual swinging sema-
phores 11, having crank arms 12 which connect by means of vertical rods 13,
extending parallel with the posts, with cranks 14 located at the bottom of the posts
and in a suitable casing as described below, and each crank 14 forms one arm of a
double crank 15, the opposite arm 16 of which connects by a horizontal rod 17,
which is arranged transversely to the railroad track, with the lower end of a bent
lever 18, which lever is pivoted beneath the track at a point near its center, as
shown at 19, and has its free end arranged beneath the rounded contact block 20,
which is pivoted at one end in a slotted plate 21, adjacent to one of the track
rails 22, and which projects above the bed of the track so as to contact with an
inwardly-projecting portion 20" of one of the locomotive wheels.
The contact block 20 is normally held upward by a spring 23, and has on its
under side a depending portion 24, which is adapted to contact with a spring 25,
which spring is insulated from the plate 21, and connects by a wire a' with a
battery A, the said battery also connecting by a wire a, with the plate 21, as best
shown in Figure 1, and consequently when the contact block is depressed so as to
strike the spring 23, the battery circuit will be closed.
On the upper side of the curved lever 18, and near the center thereof, is a
spring 26, which when the free end of the lever is depressed, strikes against a
contact plate 27, which is arranged on the track bed near one of the rails 22, and
opposite the contact block 20, and the spring 26 connects by a wire a³ with the
3

page_text: plate 21, the wire serving to close the circuit through the electric apparatus in the
locomotive, as hereinafter described.
Near the lower end of the curved lever 18 is a latch 28, which is pivoted near
its upper end, as shown at 29, and the lower end 30 of which is formed into a hook
which is adapted to engage the lower end of the lever 18, as in Figure 2, and the
upper end 31 of the latch extends inward above the hook portion 30, and into the
path of a hammer 32, which is secured to a vibrating armature 33 arranged opposite
an electro-magnet 34. This magnet is included in the battery circuit, and the circuit
through the magnet is closed by the passing of a train at the signal beyond that at
which the magnet is located.
The apparatus for operating the semaphore is contained chiefly in a suitable
casing 35, which is sunk beneath the track. Each signal post carries an ordinary
electric light 36, which is arranged to operate at night instead of the semaphore,
and which is connected by wires 6 and 6 with a suitable source of electricity in the
ordinary way. One of the wires, b', is provided with a switch 38, which is adapted
to contact with a button 37 arranged in the circuit, and which has a depending
arm 39, which extends into the path of the upper arm 16 on the double crank 15,
and the weight of this arm 39 will normally hold the switch so as to break the
circuit, and the light will not shine, but when the contact block 20 is depressed,
the lever 18 will operate the rod 17 and crank arm 16, so as to push on the switch
arm 39, and close the circuit through the lamp, and after a train has passed to a safe
distance the circuit will be again broken as hereinafter described.
The locomotive 40 is provided with a casing 41, which is preferably located on
the engine cab, but which may be carried at any convenient point, and in this
casing is a battery C, which connects by wires c, and c¹ with brushes 42, which are
carried beneath the locomotive and near the front end thereof, the said brushes
being adapted to make a co-instantaneous contact with the block 20 and plate 27,
thus closing the circuit, when the current will pass from the plate to the block
through the spring 26 and wire a², as shown in Figure 2.
Included in the battery circuit of the locomotive is an electro-magnet 43, having
a suitable armature 44, the free end 45 of which is forked, as shown in Figure 4,
and the armature, when the magnet is energized, moves against a spring 46, as best
shown in Figure 4. The forked end of the armature embraces one end of a lever 47,
which is centrally pivoted, as shown at 48 in Figure 3, and the free end of the lever
projects between two abutments 49 on the piston rod 50, which rod projects into a
small steam chest on the lower portion of a steam cylinder 52, and connects with a
slide valve 51 in said steam chest, which slide valve is provided with a diagonal
port 53, adapted to connect with a steam pipe 54 opening from the boiler and with
a port in the cylinder 52.
The cylinder is provided with an exhaust 55, located at one end, and with a
reciprocating piston 56 having a spring-pressed piston rod 57, which projects out-
ward through the end of the cylinder 52, and is pivoted to the tilting lever 58,
which lever is centrally pivoted on a suitable support and is adapted to contact
with the cut-off lever 59, so that when moved it will operate the lever and shut off
the steam by means of the connecting rod 60, which operates the ordinary shut-off
valve. The lever 58 is also arranged to engage the lever 61, by means of which
the air brakes are operated, and it will thus be seen that when the lever 58 is
moved it will shut off the steam from the locomotive, and will also apply the
brakes. I have not shown this mechanism in detail, but simply enough to show its
operation, for this lever connection may be made in a great many ways.
The piston rod 50 is bent downward at its free end 50", so as to extend into the
path of a button 63 on the end of a spring-pressed sliding rod 62, which rod is
connected with a lever 64, by means of which the engineer may push back the
piston 50, and close the entrance to the cylinder 52.
The apparatus for shutting off the steam is intended to operate only in cases
when the driver through negligence or incapacity has run over the signal, and in
this case the circuit will be closed through the magnet 43, by means of the contact

page_text: made with the block 20 and the plate 27, and when this is done the armature 44 is
moved so as to tilt the lever 47, and this moves the piston rod 50 and the slide
valve 51, so as to admit steam to the cylinder 52, and the steam will push back the
piston 56 and operate the lever 58, so as to shut off the steam and apply the brakes
in the manner described.
The operation of the semaphore-working mechanism is as follows:
When a wheel of the locomotive strikes the contact block 20, it depresses the
block, which, operating on the free end of the lever 18, depresses the free end of
the lever and raises the opposite end, and the latch 28 will drop by gravity so as to
hold the lever in this position. The spring 26 on the lever will also be brought
into contact with the plate 27. When the lever is tilted as described, it pushes
horizontally on the rod 17, thus tilting the double crank 15, and the movement of
the crank pulls downward on the rod 13, which operating on the semaphore crank
arm 12, lifts the semaphore 11 into a horizontal position, as shown in Figure 2.
It will be seen that the latch 28 serves to hold the semaphore in this position.
The semaphore will thus warn an engine driver in the rear that there is a train in
advance of bim, and when the forward train passes on to another block, the advance
contact block 20 is operated in the manner described, thus setting the signal with
which it is mechanically connected, and closing the circuit through the magnet 34
in the rear of it by bringing the depending portion 24 into contact with the spring 25,
and the magnet 34 being energized, causes the armature 33 to vibrate and deliver
rapid blows of the hammer 31 on the latch 28, thus lifting the hook 30 of the latch
from the lever 18, and the semaphore 11 will then drop by gravity.
If it is dark so that the semaphore cannot be scen, the movement of the rod 17
will serve to operate the switch 38 so as to close the circuit through the electric
light, and when the light is seen it will indicate danger, and when it is not seen the
engine driver in the rear will know that everything is all right.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is,
1. In an electric block system, the combination, with a signal post and swinging
semaphore thereon, of a vertically-movable contact block arranged adjacent to the
rails of a track, a swinging lever arranged in the path of the contact block, con-
nections between the swinging lever and the semaphore, whereby the latter will be
operated by the swinging lever, a bent latch adapted to engage the swinging lever
and hold it in locked position, said latch having a bent arm as shown, a magnet
having a vibrating armature carrying a hammer to strike the latch arm, and means
for closing an electric circuit through the magnet by the depression of a contact
block in advance of it, substantially as described.
2. In an electric block signal system, the combination with the signal post and
swinging semaphore thercon, of a movable contact block arranged adjacent to a
track rail, a swinging lever hung in the path of the contact block, a rod and crank
connection between the swinging lever and the semaphore arm, a gravity locking
latch to engage the lever and hold it in depressed position, an electric magnet to
release the latch, and means for closing the circuit through the magnet by the
depression of a contact block in advance of it, substantially as described.
3. In an electric block signal system, the combination with a swinging lever
adapted to be operated by a passing train, and the rods and cranks connecting the
lever with the semaphore arm, of an electric light mounted on the signal post, and
a switch arranged in the light circuit, said switch having a weighted arm extending
into the path of one of the cranks and adapted to normally hold the switch open,
substantially as described.
4. An electric block signal system, comprising connected contacts arranged upon
a track, a steam cylinder and piston carried by the locomotive and adapted to
operate the shut-off and brake levers, electrically-operated mechanism for con-
trolling the cylinder valve, contact brushes carried by the locomotive to strike the

page_text: track contacts, electrically-operated means for breaking the connection between the
track contacts from a train in advance of them, and electrical connections, sub-
stantially as described.
5. In an electric block signal system, the combination, with the locomotive, of
contact brushes suspended thereon and forming the terminals of an electric circuit,
connected contacts arranged upon the track in the path of the brushes, means for
making and breaking the connection between the track contacts by the movements
of a train in advance of them, and a lever mechanism controlling the locomotive
steam supply, and set by a magnet included in the contact brush circuit, substantially
as described.
6. The combination, with the shut-off and brake levers of the locomotive, of a
steam cylinder and piston connected therewith, a valve controlling the cylinder
ports, a sliding piston rod for operating the valve, a tilting lever to move the piston
rod, a magnet and armature to operate the tilting lever, an electric battery con-
nected with the magnet and with terminals carried by the locomotive near the
track, and connected contacts on the track to contact with the terminals on the
locomotive and close the circuit, substantially as described.
Dated this 20th day of October 1891.
JOHN LA BURT.
WILLIAM HERMAN AGRICOLA.
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.