Improvements in Railway Hand Signalling Lamps or Lanterns.
Year: 1898

page_text: Improvements in Railway Hand Signalling Lamps or Lanterns.
We, JAMES WILLIAMS, of 16, Maxwell Road, Professor of Music, and WILLIAM
WILLIAMS, of 26, Main Street, Bridgeton, Tinsmith and Lamp Maker, both of the
County of the City of Glasgow, North Britain, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:
This invention which relates to railway hand signalling lamps or lanterns has
special reference to those used by railway guards in signalling from the platform
to the engine driver.
In order to manipulate the kind of lamps or lanterns presently in use both
hands are required to change the clear light to green or red or vice versa.
This
is usually accomplished by revolving the top of the lamp or lantern in whose
extension the sections of coloured glass are carried either to the right or left by
means of the one hand while the other holds the lamp or lantern in position.
According to our present invention the coloured signalling lights may be
instantaneously changed by one hand only, and by a very simple operation.
To attain this end we form the lamp or lantern with an inner and an outer
casing. The inner casing is cut away to allow the light to pass through the
glass front as well as to give ingress to the lamp interior which is provided in the
rear with a polished metal reflector in the usual manner.
Between the inner and outer casing the coloured sections of glass are interposed
which are carried in the base of the lamp in suitably grooved segmental pieces of
metal. Each segment is rigidly secured to one end of a bell-crank lever or its
equivalent which turns upon a pivot or fulcrum placed centrally or there-
abouts in the sole-plate of the lamp, it being understood there is a bell-crank lever
for each section of colcured glass.
The opposite end of each bell-crank lever terminates with a fork or eye piece.
Two vertical levers are carried side by side up the back of the lamp, between the
inner and outer casing adjacent to the handle, and are pivoted at any suitable
position, at mid distance, or at a point nearer their upper extremities. The
lower end of these levers engage the fork ends or eye pieces of the bell-crank
levers by virtue of which the motion of the vertical levers is converted into a
horizontal circular motion, necessary for moving the coloured signals in front
of the window of the lamp and back to their old positions.
The upper end of the said vertical levers project through the outer casing and
terminate with suitable knobs or press buttons which are free to be moved at will
by the hand carrying the lamp either by the finger, the ball of the thumb, or by
the side of the hand. The movement necessary to give the proper signal is such

page_text: as to require the levers being moved through a very small arc and that in an
outward direction.
Dated this 9th L
1000
JAMES WILLIAMS,
W. WILLIAMS,
Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Railway Hand Signalling Lamps or Lanterns.
We, JAMES WILLIAMS, late of 16 Maxwell Road, but now of 92, Calder Street,
Crosshill, Professor of Music, and WILLIAM WILLIAMS, of 26, Main Street,
Bridgeton, Tinsmith and Lamp Maker, both of the County of the City of Glasgow,
North Britain, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement:--
This invention which relates to railway hand signalling lamps or lanterns has
special reference to those used by railway guards in signalling from the platform
to the engine driver.
In order to manipulate the kind of lamps or lanterns presently in use both
hands are required to change the clear light to green or red or vice versa.
This
is usually accomplished by revolving the top of the lamp or lantern in whose
extension the sections of coloured glass are carried either to the right or left by
means of one hand while the other holds the lamp or lantern in position.
According to our present invention the coloured signalling lights may be
instantaneously changed by one hand only, and by a very simple operation.
To attain this end we form the lamp or lantern with an inner and an outer
casing. The inner casing is cut away to allow the light to pass through the
glass front as well as to give ingress to the lamp interior which is provided in the
rear with a polished metal reflector in the usual manner.
Between the inner and outer casing the coloured sections of glass are interposed
which are carried in the base of the lamp in suitably grooved segmental pieces of
metal. Each segment is rigidly secured to one end of a bell-crank lever or its
equivalent which turns upon a pivot or fulcrum placed centrally or there-
abouts in the sole-plate of the lamp, it being understood there is a bell-crank lever
for each section of coloured glass. A slot is made in each of the bell-crank levers,
and working in these slots and operating them are two short levers also pivoted
to the sole-plate of the lamp. Two vertical levers are carried side by side up
the back of the lamp, between the inner and outer casing adjacent to the handle,
and are pivoted at any suitable position, at mid-distance, or at a point nearer
their upper extremities. The lower end of these levers engage the fork ends
or eye pieces of the short levers by virtue of which the motion of the vertical
levers is converted into a horizontal circular motion, necessary for moving the
coloured signals in front of the window of the lamp and back to their old
positions.
The upper end of the said vertical levers project through the outer casing and
terminate with suitable knobs or press buttons which are free to be moved at
will by the hand carrying the lamp either by the finger, the ball of the thumb,
or by the side of the hand. The movement necessary to give the proper signal

page_text: is such as to require the levers being moved through a very small are and that in
either an inward or outward direction.
In order that our invention may be properly understood and readily carried into
effect we have hereunto appended one explanatory sheet of drawings in the several
figures of which corresponding parts are marked with the same letters of
reference.
Figure 1, is a side elevation partly in section of a lamp embodying our improve-
ments.
Figure 2, is an end view of the same with the body of the lamp in section in
order to show of what the improvements really consist.
Figure 3 is a plan of the lamp with the body portion removed, and,
Figure 4, is a horizontal section taken on the lines a, b, (Figure 2,) showing
the mechanism in the base of the lamp for operating the signal glasses all
hereafter more fully described.
The inner casing of the lamp to which our improvements are applied is indi-
cated by A, and the lamp itself by B. The body or outer casing is marked C.
Between the inner casing A, and the outer casing C, the coloured sections 1),
and E, of glass are interposed which are carried in segmentally formed frames
or pockets of metal F, and G. To facilitate the cleaning and replacing, owing to
breakage or otherwise, of either glass section 1) and E, a curved slot E' is pro-
vided whereby each or both may be lifted out of their respective grooves and
withdrawn. The pocket or frame F, is rigidly connected to the bell-crank or
radial lever H, and the pocket or frame G, to the bell-crank or radial lever I,
which said levers H and I, though turning upon a common centre or pivot J,
fixed in the bottom of the inner casing A, of the lamp have a motion independent
of each other.
Connected loosely to the bell-crank or radial levers H and I, are levers K and L.
These last named levers cross each other as seen in Figure 4, and are fulcrummed
at the bottom of the lamp casing A, by a pivot M.
The points of connection of these levers K, and L, with the
bell-crank or radial levers H, and I, are characterised by pin and
slot devices f, and 9, by which they perform the due operation required of them
as will be briefly explained further on.
The outer extremities of the levers K, and L have slots or eyes k, and 1, into
which the ends of the vertical levers N, and (), are inserted.
The vertical levers are carried side by side (as shewn in Figures 2, and 3,)
up the rear or back of the lamp between the said inner and outer casing A, and C,
and are pivoted at P, to the said inner casing A, Figures 1, and 2.
A bridge or guide piece Q, encircles them near the top of the inner casing A.
The upper face of the bridge or guide piece Q, is provided with three recesses q, q'
and The recesses prevent the levers N, and 0, from undue movement out of
the set positions they are intended to occupy during the signalling operations.
The under surfaces of the said levers N, and 0, are caused to move over the
face of a duplex bent spring R, which further insures against undue movement.
The upper extremities of the vertical levers O and N terminate respectively with
thumb pieces S, and T, in order to facilitate their due operation.
The operator holding the lamp by the handle V, wishing to change the clear
light to green, presses the thumb piece T, at the extremity of the lever N in
the direction of the arrow and effects the operation by his thumb. The lever N,
is by such means forced out of the recess q', when it falls into the central recess q².
This movement causes the lever L, with the bell-crank or radial lever I, with
the frame or pocket G, to move in the direction of the arrow indicated in Figure 4.
The signalling with the red glass is effected in a similar manner only in the
opposite direction as will be readily understood from the drawings.
The operator holding the transverse handle V, would effect the signalling by
moving the thumb or finger pieces S, and, T, at the middle of the levers O, and N.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is:
In railway hand signalling lamps or lanterns an arrangement of a pair of
vertical levers pivoted to the lamp casing and communicating motion through, or
by means of horizontal levers mounted in the base of the lamp and operating
substantially in the manner and for the purposes herein before described and shown
on the accompanying sheet of drawings."
JAMES WILLIAMS,
WILLIAM WILLIAMS,
Applicants.