SAFETY ON RAILWAYS.

Mataura Ensign, 26 September 1913, Page 4

SAFETY ON RAILWAYS.

AUTOMATIC SIGNALLING. Regarding the fatal railway collision in Nova Scotia mentioned in to-day's cable news, it is interesting to note that if all that is claimed for an electric signalling invention patented by Mr A. It. Angus, a solicitor, of Sydney, is borne out in practice its it lias been in trials, railway collisions should soon be things of the past.

A demonstration of the working of the invention was given lately at \Vat~ eliet, in Somerset, on a disused section of the West Somerset Mineral Railway. It was attended hv railway directors, officials and engineers from all parts of England and the Continent, who travelled down i>v special train from Paddington. These included Viscount Churchill (chairman ef the Great Western Railway Company), the general manager and chief engineer of the company; Mr T. A. Coghlan (Agent-Gen-oral for New South Wales), Major Bivkloy (representing the High Commissioner for tlie Commonwealth of Australia), and Mr J. Davis (resident engineer in. England for the New South Wales railways). l'or the purpose of his experiments Mr Angus has purchased two ordinary locomotive* from the Great Western Hailway- Company, and has equipped these engines w'th electrical apparatus, and also <about two miles of the lines with olectrio w'res and ramps. The principle of the invention is simple. When an engine enters a section on which there is .another Train an electric circuit is formed and the oncoming driver is warned of his danger by means of a. high-toned whistle, automatically blown. If he. disregards this and attempts to proceed, the electrical apparatus .aulomal ic:->.lly dints off ■steam, applies the bra lies and brings the train to a standstill. Thus a collision is avoided. If the section is clear on entering, a soft-toned whistle on the engine .notifies the driver of the fact, and he, of course, continues in the ordinary way.

Several illustrations of the working of tho invention were- given before a gathering of s-nno riOO people, who saw tho engine-'. i''l- dup under different conditions. 'v ! 'ir!; they were able to follow by mca;:? <■!' mi exi lanatory programme. The last ns the most important of all—-t>i" a "headon" collisior. i- this tho enginedrivers vae.'ri<ri i-.-> >-laces. vVch word taken by Ms'jcr i'.u>-Moy a.nd ATr Coghlan respect' two crgMiw approached rv>r'> <.i {;,-»• at a h'"h speed from the fj»rfb r yi.inta of thr equipped line, and when 'ley l>oth entered tho came section ||„. circuit was formed, tho warning wl.H.to blew. n»v] the locomotives veer - :ijrbt to standstill within a f.-v,- *.' ids, w.ifh an amplo margin of tVni. An expnw. or any other 'rain, may run at its h'ulin'.i. <|.-eed through a den.se fog and b> *.•**♦ d from 'lie risk of collision by Mr Angus' invasion, even in the higliK liapmbablo evuit of the signalman, dri d/iker avl guard all being at the fame time. In tlilci case of a linakdowri the same protection in even---the li.i,-. will be protected nr>H ii w e]«ar<vl. The cost of equipment h a,vd to bo extremely low.