COLLISION-PROOF

Mataura Ensign, 26 December 1913, Page 5

COLLISION-PROOF

RAILWAY INVENTION. HUMAN ERROR IMPOSSIBLE, j A PRACTICAL TEST. Three years ago Mr A. R, Angu«, e wealthy Australian, came to this ooux • try with the firm intention ofe buildin - an accident-proof railway (stated a ape cial oorre»jK)ndent of '1 he Daily Mail ) writing from Somerset). He leased l! I miles of permanent way from the Weft - Somerset Mineral Railway at Watchei purchased two powerful locomotive j from the Greai Western ltailway,,. ant i quieilv but with untiring energy' pm I ceeded to solv« the problem. His ex i perienees will be found of especial in terest in view of a cable in to-day's-ia-i sue. In a tatter to 'The Daily Mail,' Ml , Angus stated that he had realised Jul ambition. He claimed alt*o that he [could provide a satisfactory answer to t the question raised in the lead ing axi ticle of 'Tho Daily Mail': "The rqpeattfl • failures of tlie human; element raise fl| I question whether some means of vfl maticallv stonning a train when HI signals stand at danger cannot bo inflQr duced." At the invitation of Mr Angus I rgH in the cab of one of his engines his accident-proof system. The liul railway is entirely devoid of the ordlH j ary signals. At first we ran at the njß 'of 60 miles an hour over a track dH void of traffic, passing over the thftgl sections into which the line is divuMfl 'As the engine entered each bell with a deep note sounded, dtnflß ing that the line was clear. M? | "Now," said Mr Angus," we shX| see what happens when another j gine is on the line. He rang thraugH from a control box to headquarters *3' j instructed the driver of the other loqA i notive to run into a section. It iiß single-line railway, so the second loom motive was on our line direct aheadRUSHING TOWARDS OOL.LISIO!fIJb "We will make a rush at speed |fl that engine," said Mr Anglos. "TflP driver will pretend to take no of it and we will see what happSEß The driver opened the throttle aulHn locomotive started off. It's speedJjlV came greater and greater. AheaflGßl our line was the other looomcfKfl There seemed no. apparent we should crash into it. ThenipE denly the wlustle of the engine shr&B ed; yet the driver had touched notuH in the ordinary course. I _ This shrill wnistle would be the leMHj ing to the driver that he was iwaHß mediate danger, but our driver fofHf occasion was supposed to be ddafJPuj moment or so after the whistle IflH* came a hissing of steam and the tpttw ing of brakes. Th& engine dSHM abruptly and stopped (load. StillWMK driver had touched nothing. The tflMB of the engine saved us from disastMPß How it is all done became evtißUe from an examination of the petWfK ent way and control boxes. Each'SfeE tion of the line is guarded at both B| by three ramps (metal contrivances VP tween the rails), which are oonnedSv by telegraph wires to an instrumental a control oox. The locomotive is üßk fitted with an electrical contrivjEflj brought into contact with the rammnl a shoe depending from the engine. fnH brain of the engine automatically iMegraphs to the instrument in the oontegj| dox, which instrument telegraphs nH that the sor;tion is free from trafficJlH bell rings in the cab of the enginaHp notify the driver. If, however, flpj section is blocke<l, the brain in thesaSfe way causes a whistle to blow, when tM driver should stop the train. If he fails' to do so, then, and only then 1,1,p locomotive, by means of the .*> '*J contrivance, take the contr< i "it o 1 " his hands. It shuts off steai- :ir"i ?»- plies the brakes. He cannot •h u until freed by some respond , ,■< at the control. In tho conue « thing is similarly automatic The system absolutely e v !iu personal element. If the driver mataa an error tho train stops. If the noun at the control makes a mistake tb«J same thing occurs. If the machme. breaks the train still stops.