US729065A - Railway-signal. - Google Patents

Description

UNITED STATES Patented May 2e, 1903. Y

PATENT OEEICE.

MARQUIS D. HANLON, OE WILKINSBURe,4 PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR To THE UNION SWITCH AND SIGNAL COMPANY, OE SwISSvALE, PENNSYL-V vANIA, A CORPORATION OE PENNSYLVANIA.

RAILWAY-SIG NAL;

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 729,065, dated May 26, 1903.

Application led February 5, 1903. Serial No. 142,016. (No model.)

To all whom it' may concern.-

Be it known that I, MARQUIS D. HANLON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Will kinsburg, in the county of Allegheny and 5 State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway- Signals, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to railway-signals, and io particularly to'that class of railway-signals the signal device of which is adapted to give three indications.

I will'describe a railway-signal embodying my invention and then point out the novel features thereof in a claim.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure lis a diagrammatic View of a portion of a railroad-track, Showing a railway-signal embodying my invention applied to one of the insu- 2o lated divisions of the railroad-track and also showing the necessary connections and apparatus employed in the system by which the mechanism of the railway-signal is controlled in its operation of the signal device. Fig. 2 z 5 is a view, partly in elevation and partly in vertical section, of a mechanism embodying my invention which is employed for moving the signal device to dierent positions of indication. Figs. 8 and 4 are detail views, in 3c vertical section, showing diierent positions of the operating mechanism of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is drawn to a scale different from that of Fig. 1, and Figs. 3 and 4 are drawn to a scale diderent from that of Figs. l and 2. Similar characters of reference designate corresponding parts in all of the gures.

A designates a post or other suitable support, and B a signal device supported thereby. The signal device B is here shown as being 4o of the semaphore type and as comprising a blade b and a spectacle-casting b', to which the blade is secured and which also serves as a counterweight for the blade b. The spectacle-casting b may be formed to carry as many lenses b2 as desired in order that the signal device may be employed to give indications at night in connection with a lamp. The casting b' is iixed upon a shaft suitably journaled ou the post, which shaft carries an arm b5, to which one end of an up-and- 5o down rod b is connected. The lower end of the rod b is connected to a lever 197, which is fulcrumed intermediate its ends. The lever 297 is adapted to be rocked or moved on its fulcrum by the operating mechanism or apparatus comprised in the-railway-signal. As here shown, such mechanism is of the duid-pressure type, and two such mechanisms D D are preferably employed.

Each Huid -pressure mechanism is here 6o shown as comprising a cylinder d and a piston d', which is movable within the cylinder d.

As shown in the drawings and as a preferable arrangement, the mechamisms D D are superimposed, the two mechanisms being suitably secured in a framework which is adapted for attachment to some stationary support. If desired also, an inclosing case may be provided for the mechanisms D D'. Fluid- `pressure is supplied to the mechanisms from v7o any suitable source, and the supply of fluidpressure to each mechanism is under the control of au electrically-operated Valve device E. The valve device may conveniently be substantially of the form and arrangement illustrated and described in United States Patent No. 357,109, issued February l, 1887,

to George Westinghouse, J r. for electrical interlocking mechanism for switches and signals, to which patent reference may be had 8o for details of construction and operation.

It is only necessary to here state that each electrioallyoperated valve device has the functions of opening the supply of fluid-pressure when the magnet'comprised therein is 85 energized and ofshutting oft or closing the Supply of duid-pressure when the magnet comprised therein is de'e'uergized and to open an exhaust port or passage to the atmosphere.

The pistons comprised in the mechanisms D D preferably have different lengths of stroke, andthe piston in the upper mechanism is adapted to act directly onto the head of the piston in the mechanism beneath and through the stem of the last-mentioned piston Zto communicate its motion to the lever When the signal device `is in the clear position of indication, which is that shown in Fig. 1, the positions of the pistons of the several mechanisms are as shown in Fig. 4. When the signal device is in this position of indication, Huid-pressure is acting upon the pistons to hold them against any movement of the signal device acting under the inlinence of its counterweight. If desired, in the clear position of indication the fluid-pressure may only be supplied to the mechanism D', and supplied to the mechanism D at a time when it is required that the signal device give another indication. It the fluidpressure is cnt off from the fluid-pressure mechanisms, the counterweight b Will tend to move the rod b6 downwardly and to move vthe piston in the cylinder to the positions shown in Fig. 2. With the piston in this position the signal device will display a danger indication, this being the indication when the signal device is in the horizontal position. If now the magnet in the valve device E, controlling the supply of fluidpressure to the mechanism D, be energized, duid-pressure will operate the piston thereof to move it to the other end of the cylinder, (see Fig. 3,) and this movement of the piston is transmitted by the piston of the mechanism D to the lever 57. With the pistons in the position shown in Fig. 3 the signal device will occupy a caution position of indication, the blade for this indication occupying a position midway between its danger position of indication and its clear position of indication. If now the magnet of the valve device E, applied to the mechanism D, be enltery through the magnet.

ergized to admit Huid-pressure to its mechanism, the Huid-pressure will move the piston to the lower end of the cylinder, (see Fig. 4,) which movement of the piston will operate to move the signal device to the clear position of indication, which is shown in Fig. l.

It will be understood that to move the signal device from the danger position of indication to the caution position of indication fluid-pressure is admitted to the upper cylinder d', and to move the signal device to the clear position of rindication either` from the danger position or from the caution position Huid-pressure is admitted to the cylinder d2.

The signal device may be moved from the clear position to either the caution or danger positions by cutting olf the supply of iiuidpressure from one or both cylinders.

In Fig. l I have diagrammatically illustrated a railway signal system which includes 'a railway-signal made in accordance with my invention. The system illustrated is what is known as lthe polarized system-that is, a system which includes for each block or insulated section of track a magnet having a neutral and a polarized armature and a polechanger, the function of which is to change the direction of current from the track-bat- The pole-changer of one block, as is well known, is operated from thev railwaysignal of the succeeding block. The line of railway-track is shown divided (by suitable insulations) into two blocks or sections Xand Y. The block Y is provided at its entrance end with a relaymagnet R, having a neutral armature fr and a polarized armature fr". The other or exit end of the block is provided with a battery S, electrically connected to the rails of the block through a pole-changer P, which is mechanically connected with the signal device B of the railway-signal 2, which controls the entrance of trains into the block Z. With no train or pair of wheels in the block Y and the signal device B of railway-signal 2 in the clear position of indication the neutral armature r will be against cont-act 3 and the polarized armature will be against a contact 4. The armatures r and fr and the contact-points 3 and 4 are included in separate local circuits, which circuits include the valve devices E, and when both armatures are against their front contacts both magnets in the valve devicesE will be energized and fluid-pressure will enter the cylinders d to operate the pistons therein. When both armatures are away from their contacts, due to the short-circuiting of the battery S--as, for example, by a train or a pair of wheels-both local circuits will be opened and the Huid-pressure cut olf from both the cylinders, and with the huid-pressure cut o the signal device will assume a danger position of indication through the inliuence of its counterweight. As the train passes into the next block the same operation above described takes place; but the movement of the signal device B of railway-signal 2 will operate the pole-changer 'in such manner as to have the current pass through the relay R in a direction to allow it to pick up its neutral armature fr, but not to affect its polarized armature r'. With the armature 'r against the contact 3 the circuit through the valve device E of the mechanism will be closed and the valve device actuated to admit fluid-pressure to the cylinder d and have the piston move the signal device of railway-signal l to caution position. The movement of signal device B of railway-signal 2 to the caution position of indication will cause a further movement of the pole changer P, which in turn will direct the current through the relay R in such direction as to have it move its polarized armature fr' against the contact 4 to close the circuit through the magnet of valve device F2 and have it admit fluid-pressure to the cylinder d2, the piston of which will move the signal device B of signal 1 to the clear position of indication.

It is obvious that other forms of connection between the fluid-pressure mechanisms and the up-and-down rod h6 may be employed instead of the lever 197.

What I claim as my invention is In a railway-signal, the combination of a signal device, a plurality of fluid-pressure mechanisms for moving the signal device to IOC IIO

dication, and an electrically-operated valve device for controlling the supply of fluid-pressure to each of the duid-pressure mechanisms.

In testimony whereof I have signed my x5 name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

MARQUIS D. HANLON.

Witnesses:

GEO. E. CRUsE, W. L. MCDANIEL.

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