Popular Science Monthly 

 Telephoning from a Moving Train 



BY means of the moving train tele- 

 phone invented by A. A. Macfar- 

 lane, communication between fast moving 

 trains may now be possible. Communi- 

 cation has actually been held between the 

 experimental station and New York city. 

 In this experiment the rails of the track 

 were used for part of the conducting 

 medium. 



On a sidetrack 

 near the little town 

 of Bridesburg, Pa., 

 experimental work 

 has been carried on 

 with a steel freight 

 car. At one end of 

 the section of track 

 used, a two-volt bat- 

 tery is connected ; at 

 the other end a sig- 

 naling and telephon- 

 ing device is located 

 between the tracks. 

 The equipment con- 

 sisted of a "puzzle" 

 box and copper 



shoes that pick up currents from the 

 rails. The nature and contents of this 

 box are not being given out at pres- 

 ent on account of some patents pend- 

 ing. The inventor states that what the 

 device accomplishes is made possible, 

 however, by his furnishing to the current 

 a path of least resistance. Without this 

 device, current would follow the track, 

 run through the wheels and axles and 

 jump to the other rail and produce a short 

 circuit. The current simply avoids its na- 

 tural outlet, follows the track until it 

 reaches the box and shoes, where it is 

 picked up and taken aboard the train. 



Telephoning between moving trains is 

 but a part of the importance of the inven- 

 tion. The real object is to produce a 

 signaling system that will bring the 

 danger and clear signals into the cab of 

 the engineer. An automatic brake has 

 also been added and tested on an engine. 

 The device will light colored lights in 

 the cab of the engine, as well as furnish 

 an automatically operated block for ap- 

 proaching trains. Into each block cur- 

 rent will be furnished by batteries along 

 the track. When a train is in this block, 



11 



it will short circuit the current, so that a 

 train approaching will be automatically 

 stopped by the brake device operated in 

 connection with the system. 



In the telephone system it will be ne- 

 cessary to have batteries along the track, 

 and by the use of the shoes and box de- 

 vice with which the train will be equipped 

 current will be furnished it. Then the 

 telephone can be operated, and connection 

 can be had through the 

 main wires along the 

 track, the current being 

 carried out at the ends 

 of the blocks. Bv this 



The two rails ot a track are used 

 as wires for telephoning to mov- 

 ing trains. In the circle is shown 

 the shoe by which the connection 

 is made from rail to locomotive 



system, the inventor claims a moving 

 train can be in communication with any 

 telephone in the country. • 



Lengthens Life of Rubber Gloves 



AXKW ])rocess for vulcanizing seam- 

 less rubber gloves has been brought 

 out by which the life of the gloves is 

 said to be considerably lengthened. In- 

 steafl of vulcanizing the glove on the 

 dipping frame after the several coatings 

 have been applied, each consecutive 

 layer is vulcanized as the glove structure 

 ])rogresses. 



