GB191322266A - Improvements in and relating to the Method of Controlling and Regulating Trains or other Rolling Stock on Railways. - Google Patents

Abstract

22,266. Barbour, T., and Suffern, W. S. Oct. 3. Combined electrical and mechanical systems, automatic; track apparatus actuating signals on and other than on trains. - Relates to mechanical systems of signalling between trains, with train-actuated electrical resetting-means, and consists in an improved construction and arrangement of parts for single and double line working. In ordinary double-line working, a pair of contact-levers a, a' connected by a rod a<4> are placed at the entrance to a section. The lever a is normally kept raised by a counterweight a<5>, but is depressed by an entering train to raise the contact a', and is held depressed by a catch a<7> entering a notch a<6>, where it is held by a spring-pressed rod a<8> working in a cylinder a<9>. The rod is pulled back by an electro-magnet a<11> in the cylinder end, when the train, after entering the section in advance and actuating the contacts, passes on to a contact A<2>, when a dynamo or battery on the train energizes the magnet a<11>. A second train, passing a raised contact a<1>, has the brakes applied or the power cut off. A train travelling in the wrong direction on the double line will be stopped by its contact encountering a lever a, which cannot be depressed in that direction. The signals may be connected to the contacts, but in such a way as to allow of this being lowered alone. For single-track working, the contacts o, o<1>, Fig. 6, are each counterweighted, and have catch-pieces o<5>, o<6> adapted to be locked by spring-pressed catches o<11>, o<12> controlled by electro-magnets o<17>, o<18>. The track has two sets of contacts E, E', E<2> and F', F<2>, F<3>, Fig. 4, normally open to trains travelling from left to right and from right to left respectively, and also has switch arms e, e<1>, e<2> and f<1>, f<2>, f<3> controlling the position of switches e<4>, f<5> in circuits connecting the electro-magnets o<17>, o<18> to contacts e<8>, f<8>, the other electro-magnet of each pair being connected to contacts e<12>, f<14>. For the levers E, the weight o<8> is the heavier, and for the levers F, the weight o'. A train proceeding towards the lever E' as shown, first actuates the contact c' to break the switch e<5> to lock the contact E<2> against an oppositelyrunning train. It then passes the switch f<9> and passes current through the switch f<5> to the magnet o<18> to unlock the contacts F<2>, which the train can then pass. It then passes the levers E<1>, which it reverses to close the section to a following train, and then passes a contact e<13> to energize the magnet o<18> of the levers E, which then return to normal. The closure of the contact e<13> also electrically resets the switch e<4>. An oppositely-running train reaching the switch contact f<1> will open the switch f<5> to prevent unlocking of the levers F<2>, thereby stopping the first train, and will itself be stopped at contacts E<2>.