US1076355A - Railway system and method of handling traffic. - Google Patents

Description

v A. L. DRUM. RAILWAY SYSTEM AND METHOD OF HANDLING TRAFFIC.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 18, 1913.

1,076,355. Patented 0015.21, 1913.

WITNESSES: I/VI/E/V TOR AME/VH3 L'ULUMLHA PLANOGRAPH c0.. WASHINGTON, D. c,

ALPHQNSUS I DEUMZ Q15 GHLAND ARK, IL O RAILWAY SYSTEM AND METHOD OF HANDLING TRAFFIC.

intens Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 21,1913.

Application filed June 18, 19.13. Serial No. 774,316.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ALPHONSUS L. DRUM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Highland Park, in thecounty of Lake and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway Systems and Methods of Handling Traffic, of which the following is a full, clear, and ex act description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

llhis invention relates to; railway systems, the arrangement and construction of stations and the method of handling traffic.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a simple and practical arrangement of stations and tracks for efliciently handling trafiic.

Another object is to provide an eflicient method of handling passengers when entering or leaving trains, or transferring from trains of one line to those of another.

A further object is to provide a simple and practical arrangement of parts and appurtenances of a station whereby a maximum passenger trailic may be smoothly and expeditiously handled andto reduce the interference of cross-currents of transfer traffic between trains with the unloading and loading traffic of such trains.

Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the several steps and the relation and order of one or more of such steps with relation to each of the others thereof, and in the fea tures of construction, combinations of elements and arrangement of parts, which will be exemplified in the method hereinafter disclosed and the construction hereinafter set forth, and the scope of the application of each of which will be indicated in the fol.- lowing claims.

In the accompanying drawing, wherein is shown one of various possible embodiments of this invention, Figure 1 is a diagrammatic plan view showing an arrangement of tracks of different lines and of transfer stations; and Fig. 2 is a semi-diagrammatic sectional elevation of one of the transfer stations.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout both views of the drawing.

As cities develop, it is generally found that a certain district or central portion becomes what is commonly knownas the downtown or business section, toward which. a large part of the population of the city goes in the morning hours and leaves again at night. It has become a problem to traction companies to provide means for practically and efiiciently handling this abnormal amount of traffic during the morning and evening rush hours. As property is of high value in this district the transportation companies cannot afford the purchase of large areas for terminal facilities, and the most convenient way of disposing of the trains is often to provide the routes with adjacent portions and form a loop or circuit permitting a continuous operation of the cars or trains. The present invention is directed to the arrangement of several routes leading to different parts of the city and meeting or terminating at convenient points, preferably by means of a common loop inclosing the central portion of the business section; said routes being provided with stations and transfer points located with a view of most efficiently and rapidly trans ferring the traiiic from one to another as may be desired.

Referring now to the drawing, and more particularly to Fig. 1, there is diagranr matically shown a terminal loop system inclosing the business section for severaldifferent routes leading to. difierent parts of the city around which loop the trains of the several routes are adapted to move in the same direction. For instance, A. and B represent the tracks of north and south bound routes, respectively, while the routes or systems C and D run in a generally east and west direction. While my present invention is herein shown as applied to elevated systems, it is of course to be understood that a similar arrangement of routes may be applied in a subway or street level system without materially changing the construction or departing from the scope of the invention. llnorder that these several routes may be more conveniently followed, different characters of lines are used, and while C and D are shown as s parate tracks in passing around the loop, it is to be understood that a single set of rails is used for accommodating the trains of both routes. At a plurality of points about the loop are arranged stations, in the. present case ten in number, denoted by the numerals 1 to 10, inclusive. These stations are spaced several blocks apart as may be necessary.

Stations 1, 5, 6 and 10 are hereinafter termed transfer stations that is, stations where passengers may transfer directly from one train to another, and preferably each transfer station comprises two outside platforms and a central island platform;

' the platforms being provided with entrances and exits and some means being provided for directing the transferring traflic,

as positively acting traffic directing means, such as gates and escalators, for a purpose hereinafter more fully described. The other stations comprise single outside platforms provided with exits and entrances thereto. This arrangement of transfer and ordinary stations at the several points about the loop will permit the least amount of overlapping of through passengers with passengers transferring from one route to the other, resulting in reducing the number of passengers v(transfer and through) on the car prior to arriving at the transfer station and consequently increasing the outbound or inbound passenger capacity of the terminal. The fact that the maximum passenger capacity of the terminal is limited by the maximum number of passengers (transfer or through) on the cars at any point in the terminal, by securing the least amount of overlapping of transfer passengers and through passengers, the maximum number of through passengers may be served. If station 3 were made a transfer station, for example, there would be an overlapping of traffic from station 1 to station 3 that would require more cars for this short distance to give the same character of service.

As conducive to a clearer understanding of the principles of this invention, it may be noted that in the morning operation when traffic travel is heavier, or preponderates toward the loops, the transfer stations between either routes C or D and the routes A and B should be located at a relatively distant point relative to the direction of preponderance of traffic travel toward the loop, as at the extreme or last connecting stations between these routes, so that in transferring passengers from route A to route D, for example, going west, the west bound train will have had an opportunity to unload its inbound traffic at as many of the earlier stations as possible before it receives the outgoing transfer passengers from minal stations as possible before receiving transfer passengers from the train on route C. Between south-bound trains on route'B and westbound trains on route C the same condition is sought, and the station 10, being the last station connection between these two lines, is used as a transfer point.

In the evening when trafiic travel is heavier, or preponderates away from the terminal loop, the transfer point between any of the east and west-bound routes and north and south-bound routes should be located at a relatively near point relative to the direction of preponderance of traffic travel away from the loop, as at the first or opposite extreme'connecting station between these routes, whereby passengers transferring from route A to route C or D, the train on route A, for. example, will be relieved of these transferring passengers at the earliest station, thereby permitting the northbound train to be loaded with its regular through passengers atas many subsequent stations as possible before leaving the terminal loop. Likewisein transferring passengers from route O or D to either routes A and B, the transfer'should be made at the first connecting station between said routes, thereby relieving the trains on routes C and D of such transfer passengers and allowing more room for the regular west-bound passengers entering the train at subsequent stations, thus eliminating confusion when the cars are more crowded. r

It will thus be seen that the transferring passengers may leave the trains before they become crowded with the non-transferring passengers, thereby permitting the trafficto be comfortably and rapidly handled. For

illustration, if in the evening when the traffic is heavier away from the terminal loop, transfer passengers from route C or D were transferred to route A'at station .3 in place of station 1, the transfer passengers on route C or D would overlap the originating or through passengers boarding cars on route O or D at stations 1' and 2 and consequently limit the loading of cars on route G or D at stations 1 and 2 to the amount of said overlap.

Variations of this arrangementmay be made if found necessary in order to satisfy the demands of the public. For instance, some passengers coming in on'route C may wish to transfer to route 13 going south, in which case they may be allowed to transfer at station 10 instead of continuing around the loop to transfer at station 6, Likewise passengers coming in on route D may be allowed to transfer at station 6 to trains going out on route without the necessity of going around the loop to station 5.

In Fig. 2, in which'station 1 is shown diagrammatically in sectional elevation, 11 and 12 denote the outside platforms adjacent the i'I'ZLCliS of routes A and GD, respectively. Between the routes is located an island platform 13 which is preferably used exclusively as a transfer and unloading platform between the two routes. Beneath the tracks of the routes is provided a mezzanine or transverse platform it connected with the platforms l1 and 12 by escalators or stairs l5 and 16, respectively. Traffic guiding means 17 also lead from the platform 13 to this mezzanine platform and turnstiles 18 are provided to permit an exit of the passengers only. Stairs or escalators 20 at each end of'the platform 14 are provided for passengers going to and from the platforms ll and 12 and from platform 13.

It will thus be seen that this arrangement provides a terminal construction for train traffic in the same direction or in opposite directions with outside platforms and an island platform positioned between the routes, with trafhc guiding means for positively directing the traflic in the proper channels; the island platform being used eX- clusively as an unloading and transfer platform, thereby maintaining the traflic in undisturbed currents and eliminating the interference of cross-currents of transfer traffie between the trains with loading traffic and of unloading trafiic with loading traffic.

The simultaneous unloading from one side of the car to the island platform with the loading to the other side of the car from the outer platform and the elimination of the interference of cross-currents of transtraflic and unloading traffic with load ing traffic will reduce the duration of the time of the station stop by 15 to 20 seeends, and consequently increasing the capacity in cars per hour of the terminal by to 20 per cent.

it will thus be seen that this invention provides a simple and practical means for efficiently handling traffic at all times and provides for a uniform and expeditious loading of trains and is adapted to accomplish, among others, all of the objects and advantages above set forth and is well. suited to meet the requirements of actual practical use.

i is many changes could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shewn in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In an arrangement of the character described, in combination, a plurality of routes, a common loop for said routes adapted to handle train traffic in the same or opposite directions, and a plurality of transfer stations located about said loop adapted to be used alternately according to the direction of preponderance of trafiic travel to and from said loop.

2. In an arrangement of the character described, in combination, a plurality of routes, a common loop for said routes adapted to handle train traffic in the same or opposite directions, a plurality of stations lo cated about said loop, two of said stations being located adjacent the connecting points of the different routes, respectively, means adapting one of said latter stations to be used as a transferringstation when the preponderance of traffic travel is toward said loop and means adapting the other of said latter stations to be'used as a transfer station when the preponderance of traflic travel away fr m. sai 10 1:-

3. In an arrangement of the character described, in combination, a plurality of routes having a common terminal loop, a plurality of transfer stations about said loop adjacent the points of connection of the several routes, traflic-guiding means associated with said stations for directing traflic from one train to another at the last transfer point when the direction of traffic is toward the loop and at the first transfer point when the direction of traffic is from the loop.

4. In an arrangement of the character described, in combination, a plurality of routes, a common terminal loop comprising a pair of tracks adapted to accommodate traflic in the same direction, a transfer station in said loop comprising a pair of platforms respectively disposed upon the outer sides of the tracks and contiguous thereto, the station being free from tracks upon the outside of said platforms, an island platform positioned between said tracks and adapted to receive passengers from either, and positively disposed traffic directing means formed and adapted to positively guide all traffic toward said first two platforms and away from said island platform, whereby said first platforms are used as loading platforms and said island platform exclusively as an unloading and transfer platform.

5. In construction of the class described, in combination, a plurality of routes having adjacent portions, stations for the acent portions of said routes, means providing a transfer station for said routes adjacent one end of said adjacent portion when the preponderance of traffic travel is toward said adjacent portion, and means providing a transfer station for said routes adjacent the other end of said adjacent portion when the preponderance of traflic travel is away from said adjacent portion.

6. In construction of the class described, in combination, a plurality of routes having adjacent portions, stations for the adjacent portions of said routes, means providing an island platform transfer station for said routes adjacent one end of said adjacent portion when the preponderance of traflic travel is toward said adjacent portion, and means providing an island platform transfer station for said routes adjacent the other end of said adjacent portion when the preponderance of traflic travel is away from said adjacent portion.

7 In construction of theclass described, in combination, a plurality of routes having a common loop, a plurality of transfer sta tions about said loop adjacent the points of connection of the several routes, means associated with said stations adapted to direct. traflic travel from one train to another at the last transfer station when the direction of traflic travel is toward the loop and at the first transfer point when the direction of traffic travel is from the 100p.

8. The method of handlingtraflicwhich comprises providing stations about adjacent portions of a plurality of routes, a d transferring traflic from one route to a other at the stations adjacent the ends of sa d adjacent portions alternately accordingly as the preponderance of traffic travel is toward or from said adjacent portion.

9. The method of handling traffic which comprisesproviding stations about adjacent portions ofa plurality of routes, and directing the traffic from one route to another at the stations adjacent'the ends of said adj acent portions alternately accordingly as the preponderance of traflic travel is toward or from said adjacent portion.

In testimony whereof I afiiX my signature, in the presence of two witnesses.

ALPHONSUS L. DRUM.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of .Patents,

Washington, I). C.

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