William Robinson (November 22, 1840 – January 2, 1921) was an American inventor, electrical engineer,

mechanical engineer Mechanical may refer to: Machine * Machine (mechanical), a system of mechanisms that shape the actuator input to achieve a specific application of output forces and movement * Mechanical calculator, a device used to perform the basic operations of ...

and businessman. He invented the first

track circuit A track circuit is an electrical device used to prove the absence of a train on rail tracks to signallers and control relevant signals. An alternative to track circuits are axle counters. Principles and operation The basic principle behind t ...

used in

railway signaling Railway signalling (), also called railroad signaling (), is a system used to control the movement of railway traffic. Trains move on fixed rails, making them uniquely susceptible to collision. This susceptibility is exacerbated by the enormou ...

, a major development that improved railroad safety and efficiency.

Early life and education

William Robinson was born in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

on November 22, 1840. He came to the United States as a boy and lived in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

for much of his adult life. He received his B.A. degree in 1865 and his M.A. degree in 1868 from

Wesleyan University Wesleyan University ( ) is a private liberal arts university in Middletown, Connecticut. Founded in 1831 as a men's college under the auspices of the Methodist Episcopal Church and with the support of prominent residents of Middletown, the col ...

. He received a

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

in Electrical and Mechanical Engineering from

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with ...

in 1907.

Railway signaling inventions

Robinson began developing an

automatic block signal Automatic block signaling (ABS), spelled automatic block signalling or called track circuit block (TCB ) in the UK, is a railroad communications system that consists of a series of signals that divide a railway line into a series of sections, ...

system for railroads in 1867. His first system was installed on the Philadelphia and Erie Railroad in 1870. He received multiple

patent A patent is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an enabling disclosure of the invention."A ...

s for railway signaling inventions: * 1870: automatic electrical and electrically controlled fluid pressure signal systems (U.S.) * 1871: automatic electro-pneumatic electric signal systems (U.K.) * 1872: closed track circuit system (U.S. and France). Robinson's invention of the closed track circuit, often referred to as "failsafe" due to its ability to reliably detect abnormalities such as broken wiring or a broken rail, was one of the key developments in railway safety, and paved the way for trustworthy railway signaling. The failsafe track circuit remains in widespread use. He established the Robinson Electric Railway Signal Company in 1873 and during the 1870s his signal systems were installed on railroads throughout the United States. He lived in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

in the mid-1870s and supervised installation of his systems on the

Boston and Lowell Railroad The Boston and Lowell Railroad was a railroad that operated in Massachusetts in the United States. It was one of the first railroads in North America and the first major one in the state. The line later operated as part of the Boston and Maine ...

, the

Boston and Providence Railroad The Boston and Providence Railroad was a railroad company in the states of Massachusetts and Rhode Island which connected its namesake cities. It opened in two sections in 1834 and 1835 - one of the first rail lines in the United States - with a ...

, and other roads in the region. He organized the Union Electric Signal Company in 1878. This company, holding valuable patents on track circuit designs, was acquired by the newly formed

Union Switch and Signal Union Switch & Signal (commonly referred to as US&S) was an American company based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which focused on railway signaling equipment, systems and services. The company was acquired by Ansaldo STS (from 2015, Hitachi Rail ...

(US&S) in 1881.

Other inventions

Following the sale of Union Electric Signal to US&S, Robinson turned his attention to other fields, particularly mechanical inventions. His other significant inventions included: * the Robinson radial car

truck A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame constructi ...

* the first

coaster brake A bicycle brake reduces the speed of a bicycle or prevents it from moving. The three main types are: rim brakes, disc brakes, and drum brakes. Most bicycle brake systems consist of three main components: a mechanism for the rider to apply the b ...

used on bicycles * roller bearing skates, and * a repeating

telephone A telephone is a telecommunications device that permits two or more users to conduct a conversation when they are too far apart to be easily heard directly. A telephone converts sound, typically and most efficiently the human voice, into e ...

. William Robinson was the author of ''History of Automatic Electric and Electrically Controlled Fluid Pressure Signal Systems for Railroads'' (1906).

Professional recognition

Robinson was a Fellow of the

American Institute of Electrical Engineers The American Institute of Electrical Engineers (AIEE) was a United States-based organization of electrical engineers that existed from 1884 through 1962. On January 1, 1963, it merged with the Institute of Radio Engineers (IRE) to form the Insti ...

, and an esteemed member of the Signal Section of the

American Railway Association The American Railway Association (ARA) was an industry trade group representing railroads in the United States. The organization had its inception in meetings of General Managers and ranking railroad operating officials known as Time Table Conventi ...

. Robinson died on January 2, 1921, in Brooklyn.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, William 1840 births 1921 deaths American electrical engineers American inventors American railroad pioneers Wesleyan University alumni Irish emigrants to the United States (before 1923)