IMPROVEMENTS IN SIGNALLING ON RAILWAYS, AND IN THE MEANS OR MECHANISM THEREFOR AND CONNECTED THERE WITH
Year: 1874

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by James Trainor at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 12th
March 1874.
I, JAMES TRAINOR, of the City of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark,
North Britain, Commercial Traveller, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SIGNALLING ON RAILWAYS, AND IN
THE MEANS OR MECHANISM THEREFOR AND CONNECTED THERE WITH," to bo as
follows:-
1
.
This said Invention consists of and has for its object a new or
improved automatic arrangement of signals and mechanism worked by
the running wheels, or a special wheel for the purpose on the engine or
one of the carriages of each train as it passes certain stations, either
back or forward at every quarter of a mile or so along the whole line, so
that it turns a lever or other equivalent at the stations both before and
behind it upon the line of rails the train is running, and also upon all
the lines crossing or diverging from or converging to it; so as to show.

page_text: the red or other danger signal to all other trains at the distance of these
stations from it (or it may be even a station further off, leaving an
intermediate signal free), and also ringing a bell or sounding a whistle
on any engine or train which might try to pass one of these points or
stations, while danger or collision was possible until these levers and
signals were changed to the "all clear," or no alarm or bell was sounded
on the engine, when the driver of the train would know he could proceed
with perfect safety and without the possibility of colliding with another
train. And further, that any train backing on the main line of rails to a
station or other part, or approaching any crossing or converging point
from any other line of rails, so as to put such trains into a position of
danger, the said wheels of such train would automatically and of them-
selves in so doing give the alarm by or through the new or improved
signalling mechanism, which gives the visible danger signal at the
distant signal post at the side of the line, and sets a lever mechanism so
that it would sound the alarm on any approaching train in good and
perfect time to draw up and stop until the danger train had gone, and in
so doing would indicate the same always backwards and forwards along
all lines of rails joining that on which it had so approached or stopped,
the whole thus in fact constituting or forming a complete automatic
block system of signalling and signal mechanism, which would infallibly
prevent all accidents caused by the collisions of trains in any kind, of
weather, either by night or day, and which are by far the most
numerous class of accidents.
The particular nature or construction and arrangement of the
mechanism which effects the said automatic system of block signals or
signalling by the rolling action of the first or leading wheel of the train
(in whatever direction the train may be running), or it may be a single
wheel for the purpose carried so as to revolve loosely on its spindle
placed somewhere between the one side rail or wheel and the centre,
preferably where there are no hanging loose hooking chains, consists all
as follows, namely:-First, of a compact construction and arrangement
of mechanism carried on a long narrow portable or self-contained iron
sole. plate or frame, bedded' or secured on to the cross sleepers, where
such are used, or other equivalent in the ballast longitudinally between
the rails, either in the middle part as stated below the special wheel for
actuating it or close to one line of the rails, where the advance wheel on

page_text: that side of the locomotive or train was to actuate it, in which case that
wheel might be made with a broader rim than usual to reach over it, and
might be of a different and preferably smaller diameter and revolve
loosely on the axle as also the special middle wheel when it was used
instead. Each of these portable frames and mechanism which are
placed as stated at every quarter or third of a mile apart, consists of a
long duplex double curved or inclined bar jointed to each other near the
centre, where the upper surface is maintained by one or more springs
below, some inches above the level of the rails or normal acting surface
of the rolling wheel, which depresses this central jointed part of the bar
'oscillating on a joint pin at the rcar free end, and on a pin or spindle in
a single roller or pair of anti-friction rollers at the other or front end,
working in guides or slots in the stationary frame; or it might be such
rollers at both ends or in addition to the said rollers at the extreme front
end, another oscillating bar might be fulcrummed on a fixed pin above
the rolling end stretching towards the high jointed part of the under
forc bar recessed for its reception, so that it could have an anti-friction
roller on its front end rolling on the recessed part of the lower bar near
the centre, free for acting and lessening the friction when the central
high parts of the bars were depressed by its acting wheel, and a train
passing backwards from the front as would sometimes happen, instead of
forward in the usual manner. The said depression of the middle part
of the duplex bar (by its acting wheel on the locomotive or other
carriage of the train against the power of the springs, which raise it to
and maintain it at its highest normal position), also depresses a link
attached to it, and the free end of a lever keyed on a transverse shaft
below carried in bearings in the lower part of the long frame, so as to
turn this shaft or spindle and a wire rope complete or segmental pulley
or drum keyed on its other or outer end, preferably over guide pulleys
on supports as usual for such wires at the one end of the roadway, out-
side of the rails, to the extent of a third or fourth of the revolution of
the said drum, so as to pull the wire, cord, or ropes fixed to it and wound
round its circumference in reverse directions, as two (say: 1 and 2)
leading away back for respectively (as will be herein-after, stated) giving
the signals behind the train, and other two drawn from the front
direction (as 1 and 2) for giving the signals in advance of the train.
The duplex bar has an inclined catch fixed on its under side, so that when
depressed as stated it pushes a retaining, bolt or catch; aside on anti-

page_text: friction rollers against the power of a spring or springs, which force it
back into the catch on the under side of the bar to hold it in its lowest
position, and the drum and wires to their drawn up position as stated.
The one wire as 1 or 1' is led and fixed to segmental pulleys or to the
free end of a lever keyed on a transverse spindle which raises the danger
signal on the post, say a quarter of a mile behind or before the said bar
and mechanism which actuates it, at the same time lifting a pall lever
near the rails preferably outside of the wheels, but in the path of a spring
or pendent lever on the locomotive connected to an automatic alarm
spring bell; or it might be a loaded closing steam whistle on the boiler
near the engineer, so as to alarm him and let him know the danger
86 'ahead," even if he should not have observed or been unable to see the
red signal or light. The other wires (as 2 and 2¹) are carried back and
forward respectively, and connected either direct or over a reversing
pulley to the disengaging bolt of the bar and mechanism past one or two
of the said distant and alarm signal spindles and stations, so as to allow
the bars of these to rise to their normal position by their strong springs
below, which then loosen the wires (as 1, 1¹), of the said mechanism
which allows a heavy counterweight on the spindle of the signal post
mechanism and train bell lever to pull down these, and show or indicate
the “all clear” signal at all the stations behind these, to which these
freed wires were connected. But instead of a counterweight on the
lever of the said acting spindle for tilting the signals of the distant posts
and train bell lever, a strong spring might be employed, and instead
of a link below the duplex bar for turning the shaft or spindle of the
acting wire drum an anti-friction roller might be employed working in a
parallel angled slot, cither in the under side of the bar or on a lever or
disc on the spindle. And the two wires (as 1 and 2 or 1' and 2¹) of the
acting mechanism placed near crossings and diverging or converging
lines of rails or of sidings might have as many corresponding wires as
found necessary, attached to these, led round guide pulleys and up to the
signal spindles and posts, and diverging catches of the mechanism on
these crossings and converging or side lines, and where these extra wires
were required to cross the rails, they would be made to do so on their
guide pulleys below the rails. The wires (as 1, 1'), which give the
signal of alarm might also be made to ring a spring alarm bell at certain
places where required, as at passenger stations, or junctions, or points.
men's houses along the line, to give the notice that a train was

page_text: approaching within a half or a quarter of a mile, and men making
repairs on the line or on the signalling mechanism could carry a portable
alarm bell and fix it to a sleeper or some stationary part, and attach a
wire to it from the said alarm wires and mechanism, so that it would
ring the bell and let the men know when any train was approaching, in
time to get out of its way.