TRANSACTIONS OP THE SECTIONS. 221 



seven of these were then laid longitudinally and bound togetlier by a serving of 

 hemp protected by an insulating compound ; each rope therefore contained seven 

 separate conductors ; and in practice the ropes were found to be very durable ; for 

 as the conducting- wires touched one another throughout, should one or all of them 

 be broken, continuity would be still maintained by the ends of some of the wires 

 touching, and unless the rope was actually severed the electrical continuity was 

 still complete. 



Malleable cast-iron eyes were attached to the ends of the coupling-ropes where 

 the connexions were made, and these were grasped by strong iron hooks actuated 

 by powerful springs placed in cast-iron boxes attached to the carriages. 



" The eyes of the couplings were coated with copper at the points of contact, and 

 pressed against a plate of brass attached to the hooks, by this means very perfect 

 contact was secured. 



The apparatus in the vans consisted of a battery and an electrical alarum ; these 

 were placed in boxes ; and the connexions were made by simply hanging them on 

 brass studs. 



The vans were supplied also with ringing keys, to enable the guards to signal 

 to one another. 



The apparatus on the engine was a portable alarum, and the power to work it 

 was obtained from the galvanic battery in the leading van. 



The carriage-apparatus consisted of a lever handle in a metal box, which when 

 pulled closed the circuit and became locked ; all the alarums were set ringing, and 

 continued to ring until the apparatus had been reset by a special key. 



Tlie cost of maintenance w.is almost nominal, and no electrical knowledge was 

 required in its management, all the operations of testing being mechanical ; the 

 connexions also being double, any faulty coupling was readily detected, and the 

 system rendered most reliable, as the apparatus woidd work even in the unlikely 

 event of a faulty coupling in every carriage. 



To meet the wishes of the Board of Trade, some of the railway companies had 

 electrical systems applied to ordinary passenger-trains, and the system referred to 

 by the author was titted up on an express train running 250 miles daily between 

 London and Wolverhampton. This train was started from all the stations at which 

 it stopped by means of the apparatus, and its working reported by the guards, and 

 in tliis way it was tested twenty-two times daily. 



Many thousands of signals have been sent and recorded, the apparatus having 

 been at work on the train more than eighteen months, and its performance, as 

 shown by the guards' reports, has been marked by the most unvarying regularity. 



The distinguishing features claimed for this system are : — 



I. The construction of the flexible conductors renders it almost impossible for 

 the electrical continuity to fail. 



II. V'ery perfect contact is obtained by the construction of the hook-and-eye 

 coupling, the surfaces of contact being made of brass and copper — metals not 

 liable to oxidation ; the act of coupling cleans the contact surfaces, and the hook- 

 nnd-eye couplings are firmly grasped by powerful springs. 



III. The couplings release themselves without damage, if the carnages be 

 forcibly separated, and the breaking away of a train can be indicated. 



r\^. The connexions being double between each vehicle, the efficiency of the 

 system is not impaired even in the unlikely event of there being se^-eral faulty 

 connexions in a train. 



V. The apparatus and connexions can be tested at any time, and any defect 

 localized without special electrical knowledge. 



YI. The connexions in the vans and on the engine being made by hanging up 

 the apparatus, and the batteries aud alarums being portable, they can be readily 

 shifted from one train to another, or replaced, if necessary. 



VII. Greater striking-power is obtained in the construction of the alarums than 

 in the usual construction of continuous ringing bells ; and all the parts being 

 mounted upon one piece of cast iron, they are very durable, and not liable to 

 derangement. 



Vni. The carriage apparatus and all parts of the system are constructed to stand 

 very rough treatment without damage. 



