US1136751A - Electric train signaling and controlling system. - Google Patents

Description

A. J. ALLARD.

ELECTRLC TRAIN SIGNALING AND CONTROLLING SYSTEM.

APPLICATIQN FILED JULY 30,1913.

1,136,751 Patented Apr. 20, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET ll qjaimf THE NORRIS PETERS 00., PHOTG-LITHQ. WASHINGTON, D1

A. J. ALLARD.

ELECTRlC TRAIN SIGNALING AND CONTROLLING SYSTEM. APPLICATION FILED JULY 30, 1913.

1,136,751. Patented Apr.20,1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

iiliiliiiilii! W NESSES N J k/%&I,NVEIVTOR t W d/ I Al/ormy IHE NORRIS FE'IEQS DOQPHOTO-LITHOH WASHING1M. p c.

. A. J. ALLARD.

ELECTRIC TRAIN SIGNAL 1,136,751, APPLICATION flllilllll)! ING AND CONTROLLING SYSTEM.

FILED JULY 30,1913.

' Patented Apr. 20, 1915.

3 SHBETS SHEET 8.

III

Mlllllllll ill jn alazifii'umii 8 11m II THE NORRIS PETERS CO.

.F'HOTG-LITHD.. WASHINGTON. D. c.

srn

ANDREW J. ALLAH-D, OF RICHMOND, VIRGINIA.

Application filed J'u1y 30, 1913.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ANDREW J. ALLARD, a resident of Richmond, in the county of Henrico and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Train Signaling and Controlling Systems; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in electric train signaling and controlling systems and more particularly to such as are intended to display signals in the cabs of locomotives or in the motormans vestibule of an electric car, and to cause, automatically the stopping of the train if the signal be ignored,-one object of my invention being to provide means for use on a single track road, for controlling the operation of the signaling and controlling devices under various conditions, with the use of normally closed track circuits.

A further object is to provide means whereby the circuit controlling mechanism will be set to energize the contact rails upon failure or rupture of any of the track or line circuits.

A further object is to so arrange contact rails that a head-on signal may be displayed when a train enters one block and again when said train approaches the other end of the same block.

lVith these and other objects in view, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts as hereinafter set forth and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings; Figure 1 is a diagrammatical view illustrating the circuits and devices at two block junctions, said view showing one complete block and parts of two other blocks; Fig. 2 is a similar diagrammatical view, showing only portions of the circuits and devices; Fig. 3 is a diagrainmatical view illustrating the cab circuits and devices; Fig. 4 is an enlarged view partly in section and partly in eleva-- tion showing one of the circuit controlling instruments located at the unction of blocks ofrailway, and Fig. 5 is a plan view, partly in section, of said instrument.

1,-2, represent the ra1ls of a railway track.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 29, 1915.

Serial No. 782.118.

The rail 1 is continuous, while the rail 2, is divided, at the junctures of the blocks, into insulated sections 4, 5 5 Comparatively near, and at respective sides of the juncture of each of two blocks, contact rails 6 are centrally located between the rails of the track and each is connected by a circuit including a resistance 8 and a battery 9, with a shorter contact rail 10. Located some distance from each long rail 6, is a short, centrally located contact rail 11 which is electrically connected with said long rail by means of a suitable conductor 12. Contact rails 13 and 14 are located at respective sides of the center of the track near one end of each central contact rail. The various contact rails are intended for cooperation with contact shoes on a locomotive for the purpose of completing circuits through cer tain signaling and controlling appliances on the locomotives, and the truck frame of the latter also serves to electrically connect the track rails, all as hereinafter more fully explained.

Near the intersection of the blocks of railway, contact shifting instruments 18 are located. Each of these instruments comprises a drum 19 of insulating material, and the journals 20 of said drum are mounted in brackets 21 secured upon a suitable base 22. To one end of the drum, a notched ring 23 is secured, the notches in said ring forming shoulders 24. A yoke 25 is secured to the platform and extends over the notched ring 23. This yoke is made with elongated slots 26, in the upper portions of which, the upper ends of curved arms 27 of weighted dogs 2829 are pivotally supported, the teeth of said dogs being adapted to engage the respective shoulders 24 of the notched ring and lock the drum in the position to which it may be moved. A disk 30 is secured to one end of the drum 19 and to this disk, at diametrically opposite sides of its center pins 31 are secured. With these pins, the upper portions of slotted links 32 are connected and these links are pivotally connected at their lower ends to a pendulous rod 33 depending through an opening in the base 22 and provided at its lower end with a weight 34. The weight 34 will operate to retain the drum in and return it to its normal position. For the purpose of rocking the drum 19, electromagnets 3536 are provided. The armatures 37 are carried by pivoted levers 8839, and the free innerends of these levers are connected, by means of links 40, with the pins 31 on the disk 30. The weighted dogs 28-29 are so pivotally supported that the teeth of said dogs will press toward the notched ring 23 so that when the drum is turned in one direction or the other, one of these dogs will drop under one of the shoulders 24 of said ring and thus lock the drum in the position to which it has been shifted. The dogs 2829 will be actuated to release the drum, by means of electro-magnets 41-42.

The drum 19 of the instrument 18 is provided with a plurality of contact plates to cotiperate with contact fingers as will now be described. Although the drum is cylindrical in form, reference will be made to the top, bottom and sides of said drum in order to describe the location of the contact-plates,reference being had to the drum when the same is in its normal position. On the top face of the drum, contact plates 43, 44, 45, 46 and 47 are located; (the plates 45 and 47 being each made in two separated sections) and on the bottom face, contact plates 48, 49, 50 and 51 are secured the latter being made in two separated parts electrically connected with the parts of the contact plate 47. Contact fingers 52-53 and 54-55 coiiperate with the contact plate 43; fingers 5657 and 58-59 are arranged to be engaged by contact plate 48; fingers 60, 61 and 62-63 are disposed to cooperate with contact plate 44; fingers 64-65 and 6667 are so located as to be engaged by contact plate sections 45; fingers 68-69 and 70-71 are arranged to be connected by contact plate 50; fingers 72-73 and 7475 cooperate with contact plate 46; fingers 7677 and 7879 coiiperate with contact plate 49, fingers 80 and 82 coiiperate with contact plate sections 47, and fingers 81-81 and 83-83 cooperate with the sections of contact plate 51.

In Fig. 1 of the drawing, I have shown a block B, and parts of two other blocks A. and C; and two overlapping block terminals D, and E. The circuits and devices at all the block terminals, and for both ends of the siding, are the same and hence a detail description of the circuits and devices and their operation at each block terminal will be superfluous. The cooperation of the circuits and devices at one or another block terminal with those of adjacent block terminals will, however be hereinafter eX- plained. The contact fingers 52 and 54 are electrically connected by a conductor 84 and the latter is connected by a conductor 85 with one terminal of a battery 86, the other terminal of this battery being connected, by means of a conductor 87 with the mill.

contact rails eachset consisting of contact rails 6, 10, 11, 13, 14 are shown, one'set for trains running in one direction and the other set for trains running in the opposite direction, and for convenience, these contact rails may be termed east-bound and west-bound contact rails,the east-bound trains running from right to left and the west-bound trains running from left to right. The contact finger 81 of one circuitcontrolling instrument (at E for instance) is connected by a line conductor 90 with acontact finger 83 of the instrument 18 at the other end of the block (as at the block terminal D Fig. 1). The contact finger 77 (at E) is connected by a line conductor 91, with a contact finger 79 (at D). At each block junction, the rail 1 is connected with the rail section 4 by a conductor 15 including a battery 16, and the rail section 5 is connected with the rail 1 by a conductor 17 including a battery 17. A conductor is also connected with rail section 4, and the other end of this conductor is connected with one terminal of an electro-magnet 96, the other terminal of this magnet being connected by a conductor 97 with the track rail 1. It will thus be seen that the magnet 96 is in a closed circuit with battery 16 and operates normally to actuate the weighted lever of a circuit closer 98 and hold said circuit closer open.

WVhen an east-bound train, running from right to left, bridges the rail 1 and rail section 4, it will serve, by thus electrically connecting said rail and rail section, to shortcircuit the battery 16 and thus deenergizing the magnet 96 and permitting the circuit closer 98 to close the circuit in which it is included. This last-mentioned circuit may be traced from battery 86 by conductor 87 to conductor 87 to circuit closer 98 then by a' conductor 99 to one coil of the magnet 35, then by conductor 100 to contact finger 67, then by contact plate 45 to finger 66 (said contact plate electrically connecting the fingers 66 and 67 and also fingers 64 and 65 when the drum 19 is in normal position), then by a conductor 101 to the other coil of magnet 35, and then by a conductor 102 to battery 86. The current in this circuit will energizemagnet 35 and cause the same to actuate lever 38 to turn the drum 19 from left to right, in which position it will be come locked.v Included in parallel with the magnets 35 are the magnets 103 of a circuit closer 104. The armature lever 105 ofthis circuit closer is provided with a weighted end 106, and near its other end, said lever is provided with a contact point 107 (see Fig;

sulated contact screw 109 is provided. to

limit movement of thearmature lever toward the magnets 103. When the circuit of the magnets 35 is closed and the drum 19 (at E) turned as above described, thecircuit closer 104 will open another circuit which will be afterward closed for the purpose of releasing the instrument at the end of the block to the right of E, assuming the train to be running from right to left and just entering the block B. For convenience in tracing the circuit controlled by the circuit closer 104, it may be well to assume temporarily that the east-bound train is just passing the block terminal D instead of E, and that the drum of the instrument at E had been shifted as above described. When the train bridges the rails 1-5 at D, circuits such as above described will be established to shift the instrument 18 at D to the right. The instrument 18 at E had been previously shifted to the right when the train passed.

that block terminal. The magnets 103 of circuit closer 104 at D will'actuate their armature to open the circuit in which said circuit closer is included, and, under the conditions above assumed, this circuit may be traced as follows: from battery 86 at D to conductor 102 then by conductor 194 and 115*, through a (normally open) circuit closer 115; then by conductor 115 to a conductor 114, through circuit closer 104 at D; then by conductor 113 to contact finger 74 of instrument 18 at D, to contact plate 46, to finger 75; by conductor 112 to line conductor 91 to contact finger 77 of instrument 18 at E, to contact 49, to finger 76, by conductor 92 to a magnet 93 at left of E, by conductor 110 to conductor 87, to track rail 1 at E, to conductor 87 at D, and back to battery 86 at D. When the circuit just traced is closed at 104 and 115 at D, the magnet 93 at left of E will be energized and the following circuit will be established (by closing the circuit closer 94) to actuate unlocking magnet 42 at E for releasing the drum 19 at D and permitting it to return to normal position. This circuit of the unlocking magnet 42 may be traced as follows: from battery 86 at E, by conductor 85 to conductor 116; then through coil of releasing magnet 42; then by conductor 117 to circuit closer 94 (at E), then by conductor 110 (at left of E) to conductor 87 and by the latter to the battery 86.

It should be borne in mind that when the locomotive of the train bridges the rails 15 at D, the instrument 18 at D will be shifted, but it is desirable that the instrument at E shall not be released and permitted to return to normal until every car of the train has passed the block terminal D and ceased to bridge the rails 1-5. This is especially important in the case of a very long train, so as to avoid possibility of a rear end collision between two trains running in the same direction. Thus it will be observed that with the instruments 18 at both block terminals D and E shifted from left to right, the magnets 103 at D will remain in a closed circuit as long as any part of a train running from right to left is bridging the rails 15 at D, and that therefore the circuit closers 104 at D and 94 at E will be kept open and the unlocking magnet 42 at E deenergized. The importance of maintaining the instrument at E set in its shifted position is due to the fact that such shifting of said instrument establishes certain partial circuits to cooperate with cab circuits to give a rearend signal to a following train (as hereinafter explained), and if the instrument at E were returned to normal (thus destroying the circuits for the rear-end signals) as soon as a preceding train reaches the block terminal D, the following train would be permitted to enter the block at E before the first train has completely passed the block terminal D. This might entail danger in case the first train were a very long one.

When the last car of the first train has passed the block terminal D and ceases to bridge the rails 15, the circuit of magnet 103 at D will be opened and the weighted armature 105 will cause the closing of circuit closer 104, thus closing the circuit of magnet 93 at E and the closing of the circuit closer 94 and the circuit of the releasing magnet 42 at E. The instrument at E will now return to normal and a second train may enter the block B at E.

Under the conditions above described, the circuit of the unlocking magnet will be closed when the instrument at E is shifted to the right upon the arrival of a following train at E While any part of the preceding train has not passed the rail section at D and hence the instrument would tend to immediately return to normal. To prevent such condition, the circuit closer 115 is provided, and this circuit closer is controlled by a magnet 115 connected in circuit with a battery 115 between rails 15 in advance of the insulated rail section 5. It will be observed that portions of a train will bridge rails 1 and 2 and 1 and 5 at the same time and that the circuit of battery 115 will be closed through the trucks of the cars as long as they bridge the rails 12, and also that the magnet 115 will be energized during this time,to retain closed the circuit closer 115. Now, when the last car of the train has passed the circuit closer 115, the circuit of magnet 115 will be opened, and consequently the circuit which includes the circuit closers 115 and 104 will be open at 115 so that when the instrument 18 at E is shifted to the right by the arrival of a following train running from right to left, the circuit of the unlocking magnet 42 will be open and the instrument 18 will remain shifted until it shall be subsequently released by the operation of'the circuits and devices when this train passes the block junction D, as above described.

Returning now to the assumption that an east-bound train is at E and just about to enter the block B. The east-bound train arriving at E having caused the shifting of the drum 19 at E, the following conditions will be established: The caution contact rails 61011 and intermediate connections, at the right of block intersection E, will be included in a battery circuit which will be completed through signaling and controlling devices on the locomotive of a following east-bound train should such train arrive at the block intersection E while the instrument remains set as above described before the first train reaches the block intersection D. The circuit to which reference has just been made, is established by the shifting of the drum 19 at E to the right as follows: from battery 86 at E by conductors, 85 and 84 to contact finger 54; then by contact plate 43 to linger 55; then by conductor 119 to conductor 120; then by the latter to battery 9, to conductor 7, to contact rail 10 at the right of block junction E and by resistance 8 to contact rail 6, then through signaling devices on the train; then by rail 1 to conductor 87 and then to battery 86. This will operate certain signaling instrumentalities to give a caution signal or to stop the train, as will now be explained. The locomotive carries a contact shoe 121 in position to engage the contact rails 61011. The shoe 121 is connected by conductors 122 and 123 with one terminal of a solenoid 124, the other terminal of the latter being connected by a conductor 125 with a conductor 126. The conductor 126 is connected with one terminal of a battery 127, and the other terminal of the latter is connected by a conductor 128 with the truck frame 129. The core of the solenoid 124 is connected with an arm 130 of a pivoted block or caution signal blade 131. An east-bound train having passed block intersection E and another east-bound train having reached the contact rail 11 at the right of E, the circuits of the batteries 86 and 127 will be closed through the solenoid 124 and the signal blade 131 will be raised to caution to indicate to the engineer that there is another train in his vicinity, in the block ahead. As the east-bound train No. 2 proceeds and its shoe 121 engages the long contact rail 6, the signal blade 131 will be again raised (assuming east-bound train No. 1 to be still in the block ahead), and indicate to the engineer that he should slow down. Should he disregard such caution signal and neglect to bring the speed of his train to a speed of say less than five miles an hour, the

brakes of his train will be applied when he reaches the contact rail 10 and passes over said rail at a speed exceeding the predetermined of say five miles per hour. The means whereby these results are accomplished will now'be described.

A brake-controlling valve is indicated in Fig. '3 at 132 and with the stem 133 of this valve, a weighted lever 134 is connected. A lever 135 is pivoted to a fixed support and also to the stem 133 of the valve. The lever 135 is provided with a trip arm 136 to be engaged by a weighted trip'lever 137 which is under the control of an electro-magnet 138. One terminal of the magnet 138 is connected, by a conductor 139 with a conductor 140 and the latter is connected with the conductor 125. The other terminal of the magnet 138 is connected by a conductor 141 with a contact point 142. A weighted contact lever 143 is pivotally supported in proximity to the contact point 142 and this contact lever is connected'by a conductor 144 with the conductor 128. The contact lever 143 is maintained normally out of engagement with the contact point 142 as shown in Fig. 3, by means of a'weighted latch lever 145 which is under the control of an electro magnet 146. One terminal of the magnet 146 is connected, by a conductor 147 with the conductor 123 and the other terminal ofsaid magnet is connected by a conductor 148 with a speedometer indicated diagrammatically at 149. The movable arm of the speedometer cooperates with fixed contact points, with one of which the conductor 126 is connected.- Assuming now, that the train passes over the contact rail 10, at a speed greater than, say five miles an hour, the movable arm of the speedolneter will engage the contact point with which the conductor 126 is connected and thus close the circuit in which the magnet 146 is included. VVhen the contact shoe 121 engages the rail 10, the resistance in the circuit will be changed by the cutting out of the resistance 8 and including'battery 9 in the circuit. The solenoid 124 and magnet 146 will now be included in parallel and the current in the circuit being now increased by excluding the resistance 8 and including the battery 9, sufficient current will be supplied to energize both the solenoid 124 (retaining the signal blade 137 in raised position) and the magnet 146; The result will be that the magnet 146 will actuate the latch lever 145 to release the contact lever 143 and permit the latter to drop into engagement bound train reaches the rail section 4, it will be observed that a partial circuit will be closed including battery 86 and contact rail 13 to the right at E, for the purpose of caus ing the operation of a signal blade in the cab of a. following east-bound train to denote that the first east-bound train is in the block ahead, and thus a rear end collision with the first train by the second train will be avoided. Thus, when the drum 19 at E is shifted to the right, the following partial circuit will be established to put current on the contact rail 13 at the right of E: from battery 86, by conductors 85 and 84 to a conductor 150; then to finger 62; then by contact plate 44 to finger 63; then by conductor 151 to contact rail 13. The other terminal of battery 86 is connected through conductor 87 with the track rail 1. When the second or No. 2 east-bound train reaches the contact rail 13 at the right at E, a contact shoe 152 on the locomotive will engage said rail 13 and complete (in the cab) the partial circuit above described through a conductor 153, magnets 154, conductors 155, 156, 140, 125 and 126 to battery 127 and from said battery to the truck frame 129 and from the latter to the track rail 1. When the magnet 154 is thus energized, it will actuate its armature 157 and move a tooth 158 on the same, out of the path of a trip arm projecting from a signal blade 159 which, on the drawing is marked Rear. lVhen the signal blade 159 is thus permitted to rise, the engineer on east-bound train No. 2 will be notified that he is in rear of east-bound train No. 1 which is still in the block ahead. Train No. 2 will remain at E until the cab signal 131 returns to normal or safety positions, and this will occur when the switch drum 19 at E is tripped and per mitted to return to normal (thus opening the switch controlling circuits), when the first train has passed the block junction indicated at D, as previously explained. The circuit of conductor 156 may contain an audible signal indicated at 156*.

WVhen the drum 19 of instrument switch 18 at E was shifted to the right by the arrival of an east-bound train, certain partial circuits were established to operate a head-on signal in the cab of a westbound train arriving at D and thus protect the east-bound train from a head-on collision with the westbound train in the block B. The partial circuits last above mentioned may be traced as follows: from battery 86 at E to line 85, to line 84, to contact finger 54, contact plate 43, finger 55, conductor 119, conductor 120, contact finger 81 a contact plate 51, finger 81, line conductor 90, finger 83 of instrument switch at D, contact plates 51 and 47, and finger 82 and then by conductor 160 to contact rail 14 at the left at D. The remainder of this partial completed through circuits and devices on the 7 locomotives as follows: A shoe 161 on the locomotive is arranged to engage the said contact rail 14. From this shoe the circuit can be traced by way of a conductor 162 to a magnet 163, from said magnet, by con ductor 155 to conductor 156, then by conductor 140 to conductor 125, to conductor 126, to battery 127, and then by conductor 128 to truck frame 129 and the track rail 1. The completing of this circuit will energize magnet 163 and cause the same to actuate its armature 164 and remove a tooth 165 thereon, out of the path of a trip arm 166 on a signal blade 167 marked Head,- thus releasing said signal blade and permitting it to rise and indicate that a train is in the block ahead running in the opposite direction,viz. eastward in the present instance. The first east-bound train to which reference has been hereinbefore made, will now be protected against a head-on collision as well as a rear end collision.

The head-on rail 14 at one end of each block is connected by a conductor 14 with a head-on rail 14 adjacent to but electrically separated from the rear-end contact rail 13 at the other end of the same block, so that when a head-on contact rail at one end of a block is energized, another head-on contact rail will be also energized at the other end of the same block. By means of such arrangement, when two trains, running in opposite directions, approach respective ends of the same block sections each would get headon signals. Should the engineer of one of the trains ignore such signal and proceed through block, such train would get another head-0n? signal at the exit of the block. Movement to the right of the drum 19 of switch instrument 18 at E, as before de- 110 scribed, also operates to put current on the caution contact rails 610-11 at the left at D so that the cab signaling and controlling means (controlled by the current supplied to these rails,) in the locomotive of 115 the train running from left to right arriving at D will be rendered operative. The circuit whereby these results are accomplished is in parallel with the circuit above described for putting current on the head-on 120 signal rail 14 at the left at D, the branch to include the contact rails 610-11 starting at 83 at D. In order that this circuit may be more readily understood, the full circuit may be traced as follows: from battery 86 125 at E, by conductors 85-84 to finger 54, to plate 43, to finger 55, to conductor 119, to conductor 120, to finger 81 to contact plate 51, to finger 81,then by line conductor 90 to contact finger 83 at D, to contact plate 51 180 to finger 83, then by conductor 120 at D to resistance 8 and battery 9 and contact rails 6 and-1O (in parallel at left at D), to contact shoe 121 from one of said contact rails and through cab circuits connected with shoe 121 to track rail 1, then (if no train is in block B) by conductor 87 (at E) to battery 86 at E.

Under the armature lever of each circuit closer 98 at, each block junction, a high resistance magnet 169 is located. One terminal of the coil of each of these magnets is connected by a conductor 170 with a conductor 160, which latter is, as before explained connected with a head-on contact rail 14. The otherterminal of the coil of each magnet 169 is connected by a conductor 171 with conductor 87. The high resistance magnets 169 provide means for preventing the closing of circuit closers 98 which control the operation of the instrument 18, at a block junction where two trains, running in opposite directions, may approach simultaneously. When a train running from right to left has passed block junction E and has entered the block B, the instrument 18 at E will have been shifted and the head-on contact rail 14 at the left of D will be energized, all as hercinbefore explained. Current having been put on the head-on contact rail 14 at left of D, the high resistance mag nets 169 at D will also be energized because said high resistance magnets are included in a circuit in parallel with the partial circuit of head-on contact rail. Should a train traveling from left to right in block A, similar conditions as above described will be established to put current on the head-on contact rail at the right of E and energize the other high resistance magnet 169 at the right of D. hen the two trains, running in opposite directions, approach the block junction D both batteries 16 and 17 will be short circuited and hence, the magnets 96 at both sides of D will be denergized, and thus tend to permit the closing of circuit closers 98. Such closing of these circuit closers under the conditions above stated, will be prevented, however by the energized magnets 169. As the circuit closers 98 at D are thus prevented from closing, the circuits and devices which control the operation of the instrument D will be maintained inactive, and hence the drum of said instrument will remain at normal. By reason of this fact, the instrument at E will remain shifted to the right and the instrument at the left hand'end of block A will remain shifted to the left, thus all the signal controlling circuits which were set when the respective trains passed the block junctions at the ends of the blocks A and B farthest removed from the block junction D remain set. Both trains are now blocked at D, and

in order to enable one of'them to proceed, the other must take a siding. g

A siding 172 is illustrated diagrammatically in Fig. 1, but the circuits and devices for the same are not shown, the same be-' 111g described and illustrated in detail in ap-' nets 17 5 at another block junction, said circuit being traced as follows: from a battery 177, by a conductor 178 to one terminal of the coil of high resistance magnet 173, from the other terminal of this coil to one terminal of the coil of low resistance magnet 174, from the other terminal of this coil, by con ductor 179 to conductor 90, to conductor 180 at the next block junction, to one terminal of high resistance magnets 175 and from the other terminal of the coils of said magnets, by a line conductor 181 to the battery 177. For convenience, the magnets 17 3174 may be referred to as located at block junction D and the magnets 175 at the block junction E. Armature levers 182183 are provided for the magnets and constitute parts of circuit closers 184185. The arma tures 182183 are connected by a conduc tor 186 with conductor 110 and circuit closer 185 is connected by a conductor 187, with the conductor 99, at the left of D. The circuit closer 184 is connected by a conductor 188 with the conductor 187. At the block junction E, the magnets 175 control a circuit closer 189. The armature lever of this circuit closer is connected by a conductor 190 with the conductor 110 at right of block junction E and the other contact of the circuit closer 189 is connected by a conductor 191 with the conductor 99 at right of E.

The purpose of the arrangement of the line conductors 90 and 181 in a normally closed circuit with circuit-controlling magnets as above described, is to provide means whereby the instruments at the block junctions will be caused to be operated in a man ner to energize the contact rails and thus protect trains, in the event of damage, breakage or short circuiting of the line conduc- 189 would promptly close the circuits in which they are included, with the result that the instruments 18 at both block junctions D and E would be shifted, the former to the left and the latter to the right, because said circuit closers are included in circuits which bridge the normally open circuits of the instruments controlling magnets 35-36, so that the closing of the circuit closers 185 and 189 will have the same effect as the closing of the circuit closers 98 when the magnets 96 which control the latter are short-circuited by a train as hereinbefore explained. hen the instruments at D and E are shifted as above mentioned, trains will be blocked at both ends of block B and the latter will be practically cut out. The engineers of the trains may be instructed by the despatcher to disregard the signals at D and E and proceed cautiously through block B until the damage has been repaired.

, Assume that a cross exists between conductors 90 and 181. Under such conditions, the magnets 175 would be short-circuited and the circuit closer 189 would, therefore, be permitted to close. This will cause the shifting of instrument 18 at E to the right and establish circuits as before explained to signal a train running from right to left. The high resistance magnet 175 having been short-circuited, suiiicient current will now be supplied to energize high resistance magnet 173 to an extent suflicient to close the circuit closer 184 and thus establish a circuit which will cause the shifting of instrument 18 at D to the left, and thus protect trains running from left to right. It is evident that if the line conductor 91 should break, the instruments at the block junctions could not be unlocked, and hence trains would be protected until the damage has been repaired. It is also apparent that if circuits of batteries 16 or 17 should become ruptured, or should said batteries become short-circuited or fail from any cause, the instrument 18 at the block junction would be operated and trains would be protected.

Provision is made to stop two trains running in opposite directions, which might attempt to enter respective ends of a block simultaneously. For example, should trains running in opposite directions, reach block junctions D and E simultaneously, the in strument 18 at D will be shifted to the left and the instrument 18 at E will be shifted to the right. This will operate to put current on contact rails 21 1 which are centrally between the track rails and approximately centrally between the two contact rails 10 at each block junction, so that when the contact shoes 121 of both trains reach said contact rails 21 1, cab circuits will be completed which will operate the brakes to stop the trains. The circuits which accomplish these results may be traced as follows: from battery 86 at D to conductor 85, to conductor 8%, to conductor 150, to a conductor 215, through magnet 216, to conductor 217, to contact finger of instrument 18 at D, to contact plate 50, to finger 71, to conductor 218, to conductor 90, to conductor 219, to contact finger 69 of instrument 18 at E, to contact plate 50, to finger 68, to conductor 217 at left of E, through magnet 216, to conductor 110, to conductor 87, to track rail 1, to conductor 87, to battery 86 at D. This will energize magnets 216 at right of D and at left of E, and operate circuit closers 220 to close two partial local circuits to the contact rails 21%. Each of these partial circuits may be traced at each block junction, as follows: from battery 86 to conductor 85, to conductor 84, to conductor 150, to conductor 215, to conductor 221, through circuit closer 220, to conductor 222, through battery 223, to contact rail 21. 1, to shoe 121, then through cab circuits including the magnets which control the block signal 131 and the brake controlling devices, then to rail 1, to conductor 89, to conductor 87 to battery 86. Thus, the two trains at D and E will be stopped. Under these conditions, one of the trains must take the siding. In order to manually operate the circuit closers, cams, such as 225, may be employed and adapted to be operated by means of a suitable key.

Having fully described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an electrical block system, the combination with track rails, contact rails, circuit shifting means at the junction of two blocks, and signaling means on the rolling equipment, of electro-magnetic devices for operating the circuit shifting means, electric circuits including said electro-magnetic devices, normally open circuit closers in said circuits, electro-magnets for said circuit closers, normally closed electric circuits including the track rails and the magnets of said circuit closers, said normally closed circuits including batteries disposed between the track rails and adapted to be short-circuited by a rolling equipment, partial circuits including said shifting means and contact rails, and partial circuits including the signaling means on the rolling equipment to cooperate with the contact rails, high resistance magnets operatively associated with said circuit closers, electric circuits including said high resistance magnets and arranged in parallel with certain of said firstmentioned partial circuits, and electro-magnetically controlled locking and releasing means for the circuit shifting means, and circuits and devices controlled by said circuit closers for controlling said locking and releasing means.

lid

2. In an electrical block system, the combination with track rails, contact rails, circuit shifting means at each block junction, and signaling means on the rolling equipment, of electro-magnetically operated devices for operating the circuit shifting means, electric circuits including said electromagnetic devices for controlling the latter, means controlled by the rolling equipment for controlling the circuits of said electro-magnetic devices, line conductors, high and low resistance magnets included in a closed circuit With said line conductors at one block juncture, high resistance magnets included in said closed circuit at another block juncture, circuit closers controlled by the high and low resistance magnets at one block junction, a circuit closer controlled by the high resistance magnets at the other block junction, circuits including said circuit closers and arranged in parallel to said first mentioned circuits which control the said electro-magnetic devices, partial circuits including the circuit shifting means and contact rails, and partial circuits including signaling means on the rolling equipment for cooperation With said contact rails.

In testimony whereof, I have signed this 7 specification in the presence of tWo subscribing Witnesses.

ANDREWV J. ALLARD. Witnesses:

WM. P. REDD,

PERCY SMITH.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

Images