Improvements in Railway Signal Apparatus.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Jan., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 16th Feb., 1895-Accepted, 20th Apr.. 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Railway Signal Apparatus.
[1
RALPH COATES 21 Howdon Road North Shields County of Northumberland
Coffee Roaster JOHN LANDELLS Nos. 2 and 4 Howdon Road North Shields
County of Northumberland Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
Our invention has for its object to provide an apparatus to cause a signal of
imminent danger to work on the engine or train while in motion. The invention
can be adjusted to ring a bell, blow the whistles, or ease on the automatic brakes,
or explode a detonating cap or fog signal all or any of these in the cab of the
engine, giving the driver timely notice of danger, the apparatus can also be
adjusted to ring a bell or ease on the automatic brake on any vehicle composing
the train.
The invention consists of metal casing about 4 ft. x 6 in. x 4 in open top &
bottom, into this two metal boxes about 2 ft. long are hinged in the middle when
let down they are nearly flush with the casing, on the under side of casing & fitted
to it at right angles is a shaft on the end of shaft under the boxes is a lever or
bell crank the pin of which gears into a horizontal slot link fixed on one of the two
boxes, it will be understood that when the lever or bell crank is moved from the
horizontal to the vertical, it lifts with it the hinged centre of the two boxes,
presenting a surface of a double inclined plane. On the other end of shaft
mentioned above is fitted a double arm or levers, or grooved pulley, to these
levers, or pulley is attached two wire cables, one going & one coming from the
signal or semaphore oscilating arm, or other, from this it will be understood that
when the semaphore arm is raised to danger the wire cables work the crank under
the hinged boxes causing them to rise & form a double inclined plane. This
apparatus casing & boxes are preferably fixed 300 or 400 yds. in advance of distant
semaphore, to which the cables are carried, the two ends of casing rest upon sleepers,
there are two distance stays carried from the under side of casing going under the
outside rail having gibs or clamps, to hold it in exact position from rail the casing
containing the inverted binged boxes is adjusted about one inch below top of rail
while lying down or level, & when lifted by bell crank to rise three or more inches
as desired above. On the engine, or on any vehicle composing the train there is
a vertical rod, or an oscilating arm or lever, the lower end of which is shod with a
small wheel, the upper end of rod or lever can be adjusted to cause any of the
before mentioned devices to work.
The working of invention is as follows the casing with boxes, being adjusted in
position on outside of rail, the engine or other vehicle having rod or oscilating
lever adjusted to proper height from top of rail, viz. 1 in. it will be seen that when
the signal arm rises to danger the double inclined planes rise presenting a top
which the rod or lever strikes as the engine or vehicle passes over it, thus giving a
vertical or oscilating motion to the rod or lever, from which any device desired can
be worked.
Toad this First day of January 1895.
RALPH COATEF,
JOHN LANDELLS,

page_text: Improvements in Railway Signal Apparatus.
RALPH COATES 21 Howdon Road North Shields, County of Northumberland
Coffee Roaster JOHN LANDELLS, 2 and 4 Howdon Road North Shields, County of
Northumberland 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 :-
And in order that the same may be clearly understood, we append one sheet of
drawings.
Fig. 1 shews frame plan of apparatus A, & outside rail C to which it is affixed
by distance stays or clamps XX, the tops of working planes B1, B2 shewing the
hinge J midway in their length, D is a weigh shaft, E outer bearing, F is a double
ended oscilating lever to which wire cables are attached.
Fig. 2 shews elevation with planes lying horizontal G1 G2 shews base or flange
of frame which may rest upon sleepers or other foundation.
Fig. 3 shews longitudinal section with planes B 1, B 2 inclined, the bell crank H
is vertical a little past the centre where it locks itself at the end of guide slots,
resting in this position all strain or tension is removed from the cables working the
bell crank H this crank has two pins one on each side traversing in the slot
guides these two guides are attached to plane B1 plane B2 only resting upon
the top of guide plates when in the position Fig. 3. It will be seen from Figs. 2
& 3 that oscillating the lever F from right to left works the bell crank in guide
slots raising or lowering the box planes B1 & B2 as may be desired.
Fig. 4 shews transverse section through bell crank H, slot guides I, & hinge J
connecting the planes B 1 & 2.
Fig. 5 is an end view shewing planes raised also distance stays or clamps fixing
the apparatus to rail section as shewn.
The manner of working is as follows the frame & parts shewn in Fig. 1 is
adjusted (a suitable distance in advance of distant semaphore being so placed to
allow of a driver having time to stop his train under cover of semaphore) to
outside rail & resting upon sleepers or other bearing. The wire cables attached
to double lever F are carried back to the semaphore post, to the mechanism of
which it is attached, so that the act of raising the signal arm to the horizontal or
danger position also raises the box planes B1 & B 2, lowering the signal arm
causes the planes to fall level, & when down are a little below the tops of the
rails, keeping them out of danger, on the locomotive or any other vehicle composing
the train may be fixed a vertical or oscillating rod or lever the lower end of which
has a pulley or wheel fixed in it, this is so adjusted in height & distance from
wheel flanges, that it passes directly over the casing containing the planes. These
planes being down or level no action takes place. But when the semaphore signal
arm rises to danger the planes rise also, & upon the locomotive passing over,
the lever shod with wheel on its lower end runs up one inclined plane, causing a
vertical or oscillating motion in rod or lever, from which may be worked many
devices, as blowing the whistles, ringing a bell, to call the attention to danger, the
double inclined plane allows of vehicles passing safely either way over it.
Having now particularly described & ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion & in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is
1st. A metal frame or casing provided with rail stays or clamps, said casing
containing two inverted metal boxes hinged together having two guide plates, in
the slots of which work the pins of a bell crank, the motion got from which raises

page_text: or lowers the boxes, forming when raised a double inclined plane substantially as
shewn & for the purposes described.
2nd. A double ended oscillating lever on weigh shaft actuating bell crank
having two wire cables to connect it with semaphore or other sigual gear substan-
tially as shewn & for the purposes described.
Dated this 4th day of Anril 1895
RALPH COATES.
JOHN LANDELLS.