US839505A - Engineer's alarm. - Google Patents

Description

No, 839,505* PATBNTED DEC. 25, 1906. E. MGGLINTOCK.

ENGINEERS ALARM. APPLIGATION FILED SEPT. 2o, 1905.

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C/RCK//ff 19 mmf/f: 52 53 FVW No. 839,505. PATENTED DBO. 25, 1906. E. MGCLINTOGK.

ENGINEBRS ALARM@ APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 20,1905.

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UNTTED sTETEs PATENT oEErfoE.

EDIVARD MCCLINTOCK, OF MERRIAM PARK, MINNESOTA` ASSIGNOR TO THE MCCLINTOCK MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF ST. PAUL, MINNE- SOTA, A CORPORATION OF MINNESOTA.

ENGINEERS ALARM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 25, 1906.

Application filed September 20, 1906. Serial No. 279.26.

T0 all whom, it 77u07/ concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD MCCLINTOCK, of Merriam Park, Ramsey county, Winnesota, have inventedi'certain newi'and useful Improvements in Engineers Alarms, of,which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to automatic signal and alarm devices used in connection with railway systems to warn the engineer of a train of the proximity of another train within a certain predetermined distance; and the object I have in view is to simplify and improve the mechanism shown and described in Letters Patent of the United States, issued to me September 8, 1903, No. 738,468, and the mechanism described in a certain pending application iiled by me May 16, 1904, Serial No. 208,178.

The invention consists generally in providing circuit-closers or electromagnets of diilerent winding connected in parallel instead of in series, to the end that a lowvoltage generator may be used with sulicient current to ow through the track-circuit and without danger of grounding.

Further, the invention consists in providing a telephone in the track-circuit to enable the engineer of one train to communicate with the engineer of an approaching train.

Further, the invention consists in providing relays having different windings and connected in parallel in the track-circuit and adapted toclose local signal or alarm circuits in a station or at the end of a block.

Further, the invention consists in various constructions and combinations, all as hereina-iter described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, Figure l is a diagrammatic view of a signal and alarm embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view illustrating a local telephonecircuit in the track-circuit for use of the operator at a way-station.

In the drawings I have shown two independent pole-changing circuits, which I will designate as A and B, one connectedwith the main and auxiliary rails on one side of the track and the other with the correspond- I ing rails on the other side. Each'circuit is a duplicate of the other, and their operation is substantially the same, and the circuits correspond to those shown and described in my pending application above referred to,

and a detailed description of the mechanism and its operation will not be necessary in this case except in so far as the mechanism relates to and is affected by the improvements which I have incorporated in the system. A The main-track rails are represented by the numeral 2, and the wheels of a truck by numeral 3.

4; and 5 are auxiliary rails `arranged parallel with the track-rails and insulated from them and from each other. The auxiliary rails are divided into sections or blocks with alternating joints, the rails on one side being in the A circuit and the corresponding rails on the other side in the B circuit. Two independent track-circuits are thus provided, as described in my former patent. Contactshoes 6 and 7 are provided on the auxiliary rails, one for each track-circuit. P if E A pole-changing device is provided for each circuit, and as this has already been described in detail in my pending application Iwill in this case indicate these polechangers by reference-numerals 8aN and 8b to designate the track-circuits to which they belong, reference being had to my pending case for a detailed description of the changers.

The mechanism employed in the two circuits A and B being similar I will describe the A circuit only, indicating the parts with reference-iigures by exponent a and the corresponding parts in the other circuit by the same iigures with the exponent b. An automatic locking device 9a for the polechanger is provided and a key-controlled locking 'device 10a is also provided in the A.

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ignated by reference-letter t. The polechanger in the A circuit is connected by a wire 43a with electromagnets 44a and 45a in parallel as distinguished from the series arrangement of the magnets in my pending application. From these magnets the wire passes to a telegraph-key 46a and from thence to the contact-shoes 6. The magnet a is provided with an armature 47, connected bya Wire 48a with a red light 49a. A wire 50a leads from the light 492t to a wire 51a, that is connected to one pole of a generator 52aL on the shaft 35. The wire 51a is also connected to a bell 53a, and a wire 54"3L leads from the belll back to-the armature 47 a. A wire 55a leads from the other pole of the generator 52a to a contact-point in the path of the armature 47a. The magnet 44a has an armature 58a, connected with the white light 59a by a Wire 60a, and a wire 6lEL leads from the said white light to the wire 51a. A wire 62a leads from the wire 55a toa contactpoint in the path of the armature 58a. A pluralityof differently-wound relays 63a are provided between the auxiliary rail 4 and the contiguousmain-track rail 2. These relays are inv place of the resistance-coil described in my pending application and are connected in parallel, as shown, and may be'located in a stationor at the end of the block and used to control local circuits having visual or audible signals. v(Not shown.) These relays being connected in parallel, the resistance willJ be reducedv to aminimum, and a number of them can be utilized without materially aiiecting the current in the trackcircuit.

The magnets or circuit-closers 44a and 45a are diiierently wound, as described in my former application, and as they are connected in parallel I am able to use a generator of low voltage and avoid danger of grounding the track-circuit. The magnets 45a are wound with alarger wire and have fewer turns than the magnet 44a, and as the current is directly proportional to the electromotive force of the generator and as the attractive power of the magnets is proportional with-a given current to the number of ampere-turns of the winding itl follows with a low-voltage generator, the magnets 44'a having iiner wire and a greater number of turns than the magnet 45a, will be normally energized and the good-order or White-light' signal-circuit normally closed untilsuch time as the short-circuit is Jformed by a metal connection between the rails or by the presence of another generator in the same circuiti on a train approaching Jfrom either direction. At such time the current will be augmented sufficiently to energize the magnet 45a and close the red-light or alarm circuit. At all other times the magnet 45a will not be affected sufficiently by the passage ofA the current to close the-red-light circuit, andas the magnets are connected in parallel the current will not be cut down or weakened by its passage through a circuit which is normally open.

In connection with this system I prefer to provide means which will allow telephonie communication between approaching trains in the same block. This means consists of a pivoted lever 64a, arranged between contact-points 65a and 66a, the latter being connected with the wire 43a and the lever 64a being attached to the Wire 43a near the circuitclosers. The circuit through the lever 64a and the contact-point 66a is normally closed by the weight of the combined telephone receiver and transmitter 67a, which is connected by a wire 68a with the point 65a and with thewire 43a. When the telephone receiver and transmitter are released from the lever, a spring 69@L will raise the said leverinto contact with the point 65a and close the circuit through the receiver and transmitter and allow the engineers of the two trains to talk with one another. As soon as the receiver is hung on the lever again the current will be broken through the point 65a and reestablished through the point 66a andthe lever 64a. With this apparatus the engineer ofa train will through the burning of the white light know that the system is in Working order, and whenever the red light flashes he will be instantly warned of the approach of another train in the same block, and hecan immediately establish telephonie or telegraphic communication with the engineer of that train, and all danger of head or rear end collisions will be avoided.

In Fig. 2 I have illustrated a telephonecircuit for the convenience of thev operator at a way-station. 67a represents the circuit, which is provided with a switch 68, normally open to direct the current through the relays 63a, but adapted to be closed by the operator to cut out the relays and short-circuit the current through the telephone receiver and transmitter 69a, the contact 7 0, the pivoted bracket 71a, which when the receiver isv removed will through the action of the spring 72a engage the contact-point and close the circuit.

With this apparatus the operator at a way-station can communicate withl the engineer of a train passing the station in either direction.

The invention covered by this a plication is distin uished from the one in, erial No. 208,178 y the circuit-closers having dierent windings and the relays in the track-crcuits, both of which do not appear in my former application.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination, with a track-circuit having a pole-changer, of good-order and alarm circuits having signals, said good-order circuit being normally closed and said alar/msz IOO IIO

circuit normally open, a relay in said trackcircuit, and sources of electrical energy for said circuits.

2. The combination, with a track-circuit having a pole-changer, of good-order and alarm circuits having signals, said good-order circuit being normally closed and said alarmcircuit normally open, a plurality of relays having different windings provided in said track-circuit, and sources of electrical energy for said circuits.

3. The combination, with a track-circuit having a pole-changer, of good-order and alarm circuits havinO signals, said good-order circuit being normally losed and said alarmcircuit normally open, a plurality of relays having different windings and connected in parallel with said track-circuit, and sources of electrical energy for said circuits.

4. The combination, with a track-circuit having av pole-changer, of good-order and alarm circuits having signals, circuit-closers for said good-order and alarm circuits having different windings and connected in parallel with said circuits, said good-order circuit being normally closed and said alarm-circuit normally open, and sources of electrical energy for said circuits.

5. A train-alarin comprising a good-orderl circuit having a signal, an alarm-circuit also having a signal, circuit-closers for said goodorder and alarm circuits of different wind-l ings and connected in parallel, said goodorder circuit being normally closed and said alarm-circuit normally open, a pole-changer in circuit with the rails and said closers, a source of electrical energy for said circuits,

a current normally passing through said alarm-circuit being insuflicient to operate said closer and close said alarm-circuit until connected with a similar circuit on a train that is approached within a certain predetermined distance moving in the same or opposite direction, substantially as described.

6. A train-alarm comprising a track-circuit having a train-carried pole-reversing means, of good-order and alarm circuits having signals, said good-order circuit being normally closed and said alarm-circuit normally open, a telephone-circuit in said track-circuit and sources of electrical energy for such circuits.

7. The combination, with a track-circuit having a pole-changer, of good-order and alarm circuits arranged in pairs, circuitclosers having different windings in parallel with said good-order and alarm circuits, said good-order circuit being normally closed and said alarm-circuit normally open, and sources of electrical energy for said circuits.

S. The combination, with a track-circuit ,having a pole-changer, of good-order and alarm circuits arranged in pairs, said goodorder circuit being normally closed and said alarin-circuit normally open, a plurality of relays having different windings connected in parallel with said track-circuits, and sources of electrical energy for said circuits.

9. The combination, with the main trackrails, of conductors, relays having different windings connected in parallel with the rails and said conductors on each side of the track, white-light or good-order circuits normally closed, red-light or alarm circuits normally open and having suitable closers, means in circuit with said rails and said alarm-closers, for closing said alarm-circuits upon the approach of another motor moving in the saine or opposite direction, and sources of electrical energy for said circuits.

10. The combination, with a track-circuit having a train-carried pole-reversing means, of a normally closed good-order circuit, and a normally open alarm-circuit, said circuits having suitable signals, circuit-closers 'for said circuits having dii'lferent windings and connected in parallel therewith, and sources of electrical energy for said circuits.

11. The'combination, with a track-circuit, of normally closed good-order and normally open alarm circuits having signals, circuitclosers for said good-order and alarm circuits having diii'erent windings and connected in parallel with said circuits, and sources of electrical energy for said circuits.

12. The combination, with a track-circuit, of normally closed good-order and normally open alarm circuits having signals, a relay in said track-circuit, circuit-closers for said good-order and alarm circuits having dii'l'erent windings and connected in parallel with said circuits, and sources of electrical energy for said circuits.

13. The combination, with a track-circuit having a train-carried pole-reversing means, of normally closed good-order and normally open alarm circuits having signals, a relay in said track-circuit, and sources of electrical energy Jfor said circuits.

In witness whereof l have hereunto set my hand this 8th day of September, 1905.

EDVARD MCCLINTOOK.

Vitnesses.'

RICHARD PAUL, C. MAONAMARA.

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