An Automatic Time Recorder for Railway Trains, Applicable also for other Similar Purposes.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Mar., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 21st Dec., 1889-Accepted, 8th Feb., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Automatic Time Recorder for Railway Trains, Applicable also
for other Similar Purposes.
A communication from abroad by WALTER GEORGE PAVEY, of Madras.
I WILLIAM EDWARD BLAND of 57 Hartwood Road Southport in the County of
Lancaster Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:
This invention is designed principally for the purpose of recording the time of
departure and arrival of a railway train at each station on its route, but it is also
applicable to other wheeled vehicles and for other similar purposes where it is desirable
to record the actual time during which any revolving shaft is in action, and at
rest.
mi
4. The excentric.
The clock is fixed in the clock-bracket by a spring catch immediately before the
engine leaves the shed to be attached to the train. The clock consists of a metal
drum containing the movement of an English lever clock and the recording
apparatus.
The clock bracket is a cast iron bracket fixed to the fire box of the engine in any
convenient position, and consists of a cast iron frame containing a small plunger, with
an automatic filling reservoir attached.
The plunger bracket is a cast iron bracket with a plunger working through a
stuffing box. The plunger having a stroke of about a quarter of an inch, and being
acted upon by a spring lever attached to the casting. It is fixed underneath the foot
plate of the engine in such a position that the spring lever presses against an
eccentric attached to the trailing axle of the engine. A copper pipe connects a
recess behind the plunger in this bracket with the recess at the rear of the plunger
in the clock bracket, these recesses and the pipe itself are filled with water and kept
full by the automatic reservoir before mentioned.
The eccentric is fixed on the trailing axle of the engine; it is arranged to be in
contact with the lever spring and so cause the plunger in the plunger bracket to
reciprocate. This motion is transmitted through the copper pipe to the plunger in the
clock bracket by the water with which the recesses and pipe are filled.
The action of the apparatus is as follows.
When the engine is put in motion the eccentric begins to revolve. This through
the medium of the spring lever moves the plunger in the plunger bracket which in
its turn moves the water in the tube which acts on the clock bracket plunger. The
latter plunger is constructed in such a way that any motion imparted to it is
transmitted to a small shaft that is free to reciprocate in the clock, and to this shaft
is attached a style which presses against a piece of paper fixed on the recording
drum, any movement of the wheel of the engine is therefore recorded on the drum
which is revolved by the clock once in the hour. The style is also moved along a
plane at right angles to the diameter of the drum by the clock; this latter motion
is governed by a small starting hand which is set to the hour at which the train is
to start. Thus so long as the engine is at rest the style simply presses against the
recording drum and so traces a fine spiral line upon it, but immediately the engine
is put in motion the shaft begins to reciprocate and this mark is abruptly transformed
into a wide line equal to the length of the stroke of the plunger.

page_text: The paper on which the record is taken is marked with vertical lines corresponding
with the divisions of time (hours minutes &c.) and also at the proper intervals of
time with the names of the stations on the journey, and as the movement of the
style is transmitted through a piece of carbon paper, a continuous spiral line is drawn
upon the recording paper.
This a plain thin line as long as the engine is stationary, but when the engine is
running it becomes broad, and thus it records the time of arrival, length of stoppage
and time of departure at each station along the route.
Dated this 20th day of March 1880
GEORGE DAVIES,
4, St. Ann's Square, Manchester, Agent for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Automatic Time Recorder for Railway Trains, Applicable also
for other Similar Purposes.
A communication from abroad by WALTER GEORGE PAVEY, of Madras.
I WILLIAM EDWARD BLAND of 57 Hartwood Road Southport in the County of
Lancaster Engineer 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 is designed principally for the purpose of recording the time of
departure and arrival of a railway train at each station on its route, but it is also
applicable to other wheeled vehicles and for other similar purposes where it is
desirable, to record the actual time during which any revolving shaft is in action and
at rest.
The nature of the said invention and the manner in which the same is to be
performed or carried into practical effect will be readily understood on reference to
the two sheets of drawings hereunto annexed and the following explanation thereof,
the same being shewn and described as applied to a locomotive engine for the sake of
illustration the modifications requisite for applying the same to other wheeled
vehicles or revolving shafts being so obvious as to require no further illustration or
description.
Fig. 1 sheet 1 of the drawings shows the general arrangement of the apparatus and
the method of mounting the same upon the locomotive engine.
Fig. 2 is an elevation and Fig. 3 a horizontal section of the clock bracket.
Fig. is a face view of the clock and
Fig. 5 a horizontal section of the clock and recording apparatus.
Fig. 6 is a detached view of a portion of the latter drawn full size and
Fig. 7 (sheet 2) is one of the record papers after use showing the diagram formed
thereon recording the engines worked.
The clock A (Figs. 4 and 5) is fixed in the clock bracket a (Figs. 1. 2 and 3) by
a spring catch b immediately before the engine leaves the shed to be attached to the
train. The clock consists of a metal drum c containing the movement of an English
lever clock, the main arbor d and winding up arbor e of which only are shewn on the
drawing.
The recording cylinder, to which the paper is attached between the clips g, is
fixed firmly on a cone at the rear end of the 'minute' arbor d so that it revolves
with the same, its other end being supported by a small pivot i fixed to the back of
the drum c.
The wheel on the winding-up arbor drives a pinion / which is attached to one
half of a clutch box m.
to
. The other half of this cluich box has a square hole in it, in which fits the squared
end of the screwed spindle n so that when the two halves of the clutch box mare in
gear the clock will cause the spindle to revolve slowly in the screwed nut
which the style o' is attached and thus move the style along in the direction of the
axis of the cylinder f.

page_text: This spindle is also capable of an end wise to and fro motion as hereafter
described. The style (see Fig. 6) is carried in a piece attached to the nut o and
is pressed against the paper on the cylinder by means of a spring 9 bearing against
a sliding rod r to which is attached the forks by means of which the clutch
box m is moved out of gear when winding up the clock, or when setting the style to
the proper line for commencing a journey.
The clock bracket a is a cast iron bracket fixed to the fire box of the engine in any
convenient position (see Fig. 1) and contains also a small spring plunger & connected
When the clock is in
with a pin u and fitted with an automatic filling reservoir v.
position the projecting end of the screwed spindle n comes against the end of the
pin and is kept in contact therewith by means of a coiled spring w (see
Fig. 5).
The plunger bracket (see Fig. 1) is a cast iron bracket in which is a recess fitted
with a plunger working through a stuffing box y the plunger having a stroke of
about a quarter of an inch and being acted upon by a spring lever z attached to the
casting.
It is fixed underneath the foot plate of the engine in such a position that the spring
lever presses against an excentric L. attached to the trailing axle 2 of the engine.
A copper pipe 3 connects the recess behind the plunger in this bracket with the
recess at the rear of the plunger in the clock bracket (Fig. 3) and these recesses
and the pipe 3 itself are filled with water and kept full by the automatic reservoir v
before mentioned.
The excentric 1. fixed on the trailing axle 2 is so arranged as to be in contact
with the spring lover and so cause the plunger in the plunger bracket x to
reciprocato.
This motion is transmitted through the copper pipe 3 to the plungert in the clock
bracket by means of the water or other fluid with which the recesses and the pipe 3
are filled.
The action of the apparatus is as follows:-
When the engine is put in motion the excentric 1. begins to revolve.
This through the medium of the spring lever 2, moves the plunger in the plunger
bracket which in its turn moves the water or other liquid in the tube 3. which acts
on the clock bracket plunger t. The latter plunger being so situated as above
described that any motion imparted to it is transmitted to the screwed spindle n which
is free to reciprocate in the clock, and to this spindle is attached as before described
a style of which presses against a piece of paper fixed on the recording drum f; any
movement of the wheel of the engine is therefore recorded on the drum which is
revolved by the clock once in the hour.
The style o is also moved along a plane at right angles to the diameter of the
drum by means of the screwed spindle n which is worked by the clock, this latter
motion is governed by a small starting hand (see Fig. 4) which is set to the hour
at which the train is to start. This small starting hand actuates suitable mechanism
(similar to that of the ordinary alarm of a clock and not shown on the drawing) for
setting the style in contact with the paper on the drum at the desired hour and
minute.
So long as the engine is at rest the style o' simply presses against the recording
drum and so traces a fine spiral line upon the paper but immediately the engine is
put in motion the screwed spindle n begins to reciprocate and this mark is abruptly
transformed into a wide line equal to the length of the stroke of the plunger.
The paper (see Fig. 7 sheet 2) upon which the record is taken and which is fixed
to the drum by means of clips 9 (Fig. 5) is marked with vertical lines corresponding
with the minutes of the hour (from 1 to 60) and also with horizontal or nearly
horizontal lines forming spiral spaces when wound on the drum, marking the
hour of the day, and at proper intervals of time with the names of the stations on
the journey.
The dotted line (which should preferably be red) represents the work which the
engine should perform, the breaks representing the time which it ought to occupy at

page_text: each station. The black line (which should preferably be blue) partly thin and
partly thick represents the record which is made by the style o' of the actual work
performed.
The movement of the style is transmitted through a piece of carbon paper and thus
a continuous spiral line is drawn upon the recording paper. This is a plain thin line
so long as the engine is stationary but when the engine is running it causes the
screwed spindle n and style o' to reciprocate rapidly and thus make a broad line, and
by these means a correct record is taken of the time of arrival, length of stoppage
and time of departure, of the train at each station along the route.
The diagram will be removed from the drum when the journey is completed and a
fresh one substituted before another journey is commenced.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
First. The construction and arrangement of apparatus substantially as herein-
before described and illustrated by the drawings annexed whereby the inovement of
an engine or vehicle or the revolution of a shaft is recorded by the agency of a fluid
medium.
Secondly. I claim the combination for. such purposes of a revolving excentric, a
spring lever and plunger working in a recess, a second spring plunger also working in
a recess, a pipe connecting the two recesses and containing water or other fluid, the
second plunger giving a reciprocating motion to a recording style substantially as
hereinbefore described and illustrated by the drawings annexed.
Thirdly. The combination with a recording style thus reciprocated of a revolving
drum actuated by a clock and carrying the paper upon which the record is
taken.
Fourthly. The construction and arrangement of apparatus substantially as illus-
trated by Figs. 5 and 6 on the annexed drawing whereby the reciprocating style
which records the movement of the vehicle or shaft is moved along a plane parallel
to the axis of the recording drum whilst the latter is revolving, both the parallel
notion of the style and the revolving motion of the drum being produced by the same
clockwork.
Dated this 20th day of December 1000
GEORGE DAVIES,
4, St. Ann's Square, Manchester, Agent for the Applicant.