USRE10232E - Railroad-car telegraph - Google Patents

Description

J. R. PINNEY,

Assignor to T. B. KERR, Trustee.

RAILROAD GAR TBLEGRAPH.

YReissued ov. 7, 1882.

BEST AVAILABLE COPY UNITED STATES tLoenen R.'

PATENT OFFICE.

TRUSTEE, OF ALLEGHENY, PENNSYLVANIA.

RAILROAD-CAR TELEGRAPH.

BPEGIFICATION forming part of Beisaued Letters Patent No. 10,232, dated November 7, 1882.

Original No. 23l,552, dated August 24, i880.

To all whoin it may concern Beit known thatI, JnsEPH R. FINNEY, of Pittsburg,in theconnty of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Railroad-Oar Telegrapbs and I do hereby declare the following to be a l'ull, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings,

. forming part ot' this specification, in which'- Figure 1 is a representation of a'railway-carriage on the track and of telegraph-poles snpporting a telegraph-wire, together with a traveling-train wire'and its connections with the main wire and with the telegraph apparatus. Fig. 2 is a representation ot' the insulated bracket which supports themain wire' on the poles and the traveling carrier, showing the connection of the telegraph-wire with both..

4wires and apparatus withan open circuit.

In the several'figures like parts are marked with the same letters. Y

My invention relates to the construction of devices whereby telegrapbic communication n|ay.be constantly maintained' between railway-trains, whether moving or stationary,and anyof the telegraph-stations along the line of the railroad; and it consistsfin the combination of a traveling carrier capable of travers ing the main telcgraph-wire without breaking the electrical contact, a branch wire electrically connecting tbe instruments in the railroad car with thep main wire through the traveling carrier, and device interposed between the telegraph-instruments and the main-line wire for taking up the slack of the branch wire, so as to enable the electrical connection to be preserved notwithstanding the varying distance between the car and the main' wire; also, in a spring-support for theK main telegraph- Application for reissue led August 23, 1882.

wire, adapted to yield to any sudden or unnsual strain on the Wire, as in starting the train, and to permit the passage ot' the carrier of the branch wire without break in the electrical connection; also, in the construction of a trav- .eli'ng carrier for the branch wire, adapted to yield to obstructions and retain its place on the wire and preserve the electrical connection between the branch 'and main wires. i So far as I have been able-to learn. telegraphic communication to and from moving trains of cars on a railwayghas never been practically accomplished. The chief practical didiculties 'arise from the great irregularity of .distance between the railroad-trains and' the lille of telegraph-wires, and the fact that inthe ordinary methodof operating telegraph-lines, 'where telegraphic communication has to be maintained between the termini and intermediate stations, the main wire is not continuous, but is necessarily cut olf at each intermediate station, the electric current being carried by an inleading' or branch wire to the local instruments, and thence by another branch wire back to the main lineragain, the electrical con# nection between these two branch wires being, the instrument at the local station, by which the current on the main line is alternately broken and restored, the connection,when the instrument is not in use, being kept up by a circuit-closer. As,tl1erei`orc, the main line, and consequentlythe electrccurrent, is intercepted at each way-station, it is obviously impossible to connecta traveling instrument with the main line by theordinary methods of operation.

To overcome this diiiculty, andin order to'secure a contnuouselectrical connection between a rapidly-moving instrument and the main. telegrapb wire, Lemploy a continuous or electrically unbroken main wire, and to each railwaytrain carrying a telegraph-instrument I'lead a single branch wire, which serves both as an inleading and outleading electrical connection with the main telegraph-wire; and in order to preserve the electrical continuity of this main wire and the electrical connection ofthe railway-carriage with each telegraph-station alon g the line of railroad, I propose to introduce the same arrangement at each telegraph ndice along the line of the railroad, having asingle inleading or branch wireoonn'ecting directly with the main wire, without' break in the circuit on either side of the connection. This of course involves a different mode of operating the entire telegraph-line; but as the telegraphinstruments which I use are or may be the same as those previously employed, the changes which are requisite involve merely a ditferent connection ofthe wires at the stations with the main line, the instruments, and the ground. This method 1 will brieiy explain as applied either to a closed circuit, which is almost universally used in the United States, or to an open circuit, which is generally employed in Europe. i

As used with aclosed circuit, as represented in Fig. 8, the instruments are operated in sending a message by connecting the main wire L and ground G through the branch wire W, and instrument wires n and o by the key K. The electrical communication thus formed being direct, without interposed resistance, all the current passing from the terminal battery is deliected through the Vbranch wire W to the ground, and when the key is released and con tact broken the'current passes along the main wire, and thus the circuit is alternately made and brokenfin sending telegraphic signals. In receiving messages by a closed circuit, the contact at the key being broken, as in Fig. 9, there is no connection between the mainline L and the ground G throngli the key K, but only a leak of the current from the main wire L to the ground through the relay-instrument R and 'sounder or registering-instrument, which leak is restrained by the interposed resistance of the relay, or other additional resistance if the relay is not enough, so as to be suflicient only to operate the relay-instrument, while permitting the main current to pass on to operate other instruments at other way stations. Thus the line is operated at each intermediate station (and also on any train of-cars which thus form moving telegraph-stations) by means of one inleading wire from the main wire, the

Apeculiarity consisting in themaking and breaking of a direct electrical connection between the main wire and -the ground at each way telegraph oiice, whether stationary or moving.

As used with' a closed circuit, the batterypower relied upon is that at lthe terminal stai tions, the local battery being used to operate the sounder or registering-instrument.

In using my improvement with an open circutthe local battery of each station supplies the current for the main line when a message issent therefrom. There being no current on the main wire until set in operation from the battery at thesending-station,all other stations receive their currentl from the sending-ndice through the main wire. In sendinga message the currentilows from the local battery B at the vsending-station, through the wire o and through the key K, (the contact being closed, as in Fig. 11,by depression of the lkey,) to the mainline L, the relay R being operated by a leak from the side wire, n, to the ground at G. In `receiving', on the other hand, the current Fig. 1.) The wires are connected with these instruments, as shown in Figs. 8 to 11, as already described, the ground-wire being attached to one of the axles of the truck or oth-y erwise having electrical connection with the ground, which in this case is the rail w.

The purpose of my invention being to obtain a moving electrical connection with the mainline wire L, the first point to be obtained is to hang the main wire to the telegraph-poles in such a manner as that the traveling carrier of the branch wire may pass uninterruptedly along the main wire L without interruption to its free passage or break in its electrical connection therewith. y

The telegraphpoles p may be of ordinary construction, but shouldbe placed as nearly as possible at uniform distance from the railroad-track and furnished with cross-pieces a, to which are attached the ordinary insulators for the main wires other than the railway-wire. vAt the endot' thesecross-pieces a, or directly attached to the pole, is a bracket, @which is insulated from its support at the pole p in any convenient manner. These brackets should be made of spring-steel, and will tend to relieve the strain ot' the traveling carrier, as when the train is started. At the end of the bracket is an externally-smooth loop, d, which will receive the wire,but afford as little resist ance as possible to the passage of the traveling carrier. Such a device is shown in Fig. 2.

The traveling carrier C (represented in Figs. 2 to 6) consists of a metallic plate, e, having journaled to ittwopairs of sheaves,ff. i These sheaves have semicircular grooves in their pe ri pheres, thediameter ofthe grooves being such as to allow of the'free passage of the main telegraph-wireL through the groove. The upper one, f, ot' each of these pairs of sheaves has a tixed bearing, while the lower one has its journal iu a slot, g, in the plate e, and a sliding iourna'l-block, h, which is pressed upward in its slot g by a spring, i, which may be either a leafspain ,asin the drawings, or a spiral spring s'et in tvl slot. By this arrangement the carrier C tra s easily along the wire L, the sheaves parting slightly whenever they pass over a splice in the wire or .the loops d, which snpport it on the telegraph-poles p. The sheaves f, with their journals and plate e, being metallic, there is at all times an electrical contact between the main wire L and the train-wire W, which is attached to the traveling carrier() by means ol a metallic socket, l, which is pivoted to the center of the plate e, so as to turn freely,

TOO

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and so that the strain of the train wire W may come in line with the main wire L, The trainwire W is secured to the sockctl by a clampscrew, m, and, being a Wire, is tiexiblc enough to swing and bend, so as to bring the dratt or' the car, when starting orin case ot' acceleration ofspecd or of its sudden stoppage, gradually and easily upon the traveler, and thereby prevent the jarring of the traveler and its possi ble dislodgment from the conductor thereby. 'lhe sliding carrier C may be madeA with a single paix-of sheaves; but two pairs willbefouud preferable, as being less likely to get out of place on the wireand preventing any strain on the main wire Lwhen starting the train. Both ofthe sheaves in each pair may alsoV be furnished with springs, so as not only to allow the sheaves to separate sufficiently on passing. obstructions, but also to give a springing yield to the carrier. Thebracketcextends laterally from the side ofthe wircand does not interfere with the passage of sheaves ot' the carrier. (See Fig. 3.) The train-wire W, thus kept in constant electrical connection with the mainline wire L, enters the telegraphcar,'and is there connected with a key, K, and thence a wire, o, passes to thegronnd by beingattached to one otl the axles 0f the truck, while a side \vire, n, from the train-wire W, above its junction with the key K, connects with the relay. instrument R, and thence also to' the ground, as before described, the arrangement of the wires connecting the train-wire W with the key K, the relay lt,aud the ground being adapted to an open or closed circuit, as before de scribed, as either may be used. A battery is also connected with the iustrumentin the telegraph-car tor operating the sounder or registering-instrument, which also serves, where an open current is used, as the source of the electric current for the whole line when telegraphic signals are communicated from the train.` A1- though a`closed circuit is almost, universally used iu the United States, yet I prefer an open circuit, as more etlicient and economical' where my system of a single inleading wire is employed. A g' As it is frequently' impossible or very incouvenient tobave allthe telegraph-poles at uni form distance from the railroad-track, and as the distance between the cars and the telegraplrpoles is necessarilychanged whenevera train runs on asidingorotherwisechanges its track, l have devised a plan for laccommodating the train-wire to such changes, which I will brietly describe. A

In Fig. 7, t represents a hollow spool, the axle or shaft ot which is metallic, and which is set on insulated standards. Inside this drum is a coiled spring, .u. The train-wire W is wound around the spool t, sulilcient wire beingso disposed to allow for any variation. ot' distance between the main telegraph'wi're and the car. The inner end of this wire Wis connected with the metallic axle of the spool .t. From one extremity ot' this axle a wire, o, c :tmtiectswithvt'he key K of the instrument in ringe and contact, to' allow for variationsot? distance between the main conductor and the carriage, substantially as and for the purposes described. 4

7. The combination otta traveling carriage,

an electrical conductor placed along the line.. ofthe track, a traveling contact mounted, undetachably, in the direction of the pull ofthe carriage, on such conductor, and flexible branch conductor extending between and counevted to 'said carriage and contact, substanr tially as described. t

the oar. The coiled spring inside ot' the drum keeps the train-wire always tant, but allows of its extension by nnwinding it-from the drum when the car is removed fartherfrom the telegraph-line. A

The operations of receivingand sending telegraphic signals from a telegraphcur on a railroad-train, whether moving or stationary, is precisely similar to the like operation at any stationary telegraph-ottico by my system, the train telegraph-car `heilig simply a moving instead ot' a stationary telegraph-ottico.

The space needed for the telegraph apparatns is so small that it may all be placed in a corner of a baggage-car or in a small compartment or any ofthe passenger or sleepin gears.

I do not herein claim the arrangement and construction of the instruments and wires forni- Iin g the open and closed circuits, as shown in Figs. 8, 9, 10, and ll ofthe drawings.

Having thus described my improvement, what I claim as my invention, and desire to secn're by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination ot' a traveling carriage, an overhead electrical conductor, a traveling contact mounted on and capable ot' traveling. along such conductor, and a branch conductor extending from said traveling contact to thc carriage.substantiallyas and for the purposes described.

2. The device for establishing electrical communication between a traveling railway-carriage and a main telegraphmire, consstingot' the combination of a branch wire connected at one extremity with telegraphnstruments in the carriage, and the other extremity connected with au independentdevice capable of traveling along the main wire, and an interposed device for taking up the slack of the branch wire.

3. The spring arm or bracket c for supporting the main telegraph-wire on the poles, so constructed, substantially as described, as to yield to any sudden or extraordinary strain, and to permit the traveling carrierof the train wire to pass along the lnain wire without obstruction to itselectrical'connection therewith.

4. The traveling carrier C, consisting of one or more pairs of grooved metallic sheaves connected by a frame, and capable of relative spring motion to and from each other for the purpose ot' yielding to obstructions, substan-A tially as and for the purpose described.

5. The combination of a traveling carriage, au electrical conductor placed along the line ot the track, a traveling contact mounted nndetachably, in the direction of the pull of the carriage, ou such conductor, and a branch conductor extendingjrom the carriage to and pivotally connected wi i such contact, substantially as and for the purposes described.

6. The combination of a traveling carriage, an electrical conductor placed along the line ot' the track, a traveling contact mounted undetachably, in the direction of-the p'ull of, the carriage, on such conductor, and an extensi ble branch conductor connected to both car- 8. The combination of ain-electric conductor having insulated lateral L sustaining-brackets, l with a traveling contact mounted. on aud cnpablo of traveling along such conductor, subl stantially as and for the purposes described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto s'et e my hand.

' JOSEPH R. FINKBY.

L Witnesses:

KYB. KEER, W. B. ConwrN.

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