A SELF ACTING SIGNAL BALANCE WEIGHT
Year: 1885

page_text: CHARLES JOSEPH HOWE Joiner 5 Cooper St Roker, Avenue Monkwearmouth
Sunderland do hereby declare the nature of my invention for A SELF ACTING
SIGNAL BALANCE WEIGHT to be as follows:-
This invention is connected to and placed at back of signal post and immediately.
under lamp and constructed in a swan neck form with a balance weight at back
and a friction pulley at the extreme end of swan neck so that it rests at bottom,
edge of signal arm which forces the signal arm at all times to indicate danger
except when controlled by the signalman
This invention for placing railway signals at danger by its own action except
when controlled by the signalman is connected to and placed at back of signal post,
with two shaped brackets immediately under lamp and constructed in a swan neck
form with friction pulleys at the extreme end which passes through the cavity of
the signal post into which the signal arm falls when the signal represents line clear.
The swan neck portion of this balance weight rests immediately under signal arm
and at no time or by no means can this signal arm be moved from a horizontal to
a vertical position except by force from the signal cabin and should all connections
fail this invention will immediately put the signal arm at danger and keep it so;
until the necessary repairs are effected.

page_text: I CHARLES JOSEPH HOWE of N° 51 Cooper Street, Sunderland in the county
of Durham Joiner do hereby declare the nature of said invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement :—
'
The object of my invention is to ensure that by no possibility can the signal be
moved from the horizontal position, indicating danger, without the exertion of
force by the signalman and that, should any connections break, the signal shall
be immediately placed at danger and kept there until the necessary repairs are
effected.
To effect this I fit at the back of signal post under the lamp working in two
brackets a preferably swan-necked lever which passes through the cavity in which
the signal board" works" to front of post and supports the "board" at danger by
the action of a balance weight at opposite side of its fulcrum.-This lever is
independent of any of the connections for working the signals from cabin and will
operate to raise the "board" to danger even if every connection was severed The
night signals are in the same manner always placed at danger, in case of breakage
of the connections, by the action of the balance weight lever, to which the
spectacle eyes or the lenses are connected by short arms and a rod, so as to act
simultaneously with the signal "board," and provision is made by which, even if
the short arms and rod fail to act by breakage or otherwise, the red lights shall at
once indicate danger.
I am aware that balance weights and other similar fittings have been applied to
signals, but they have always formed part of the gear by which the signals are
worked from the cabin and hence were frequently rendered useless by their
connection being destroyed, by breakage or failure of the working gear, and were
besides very much exposed and liable to be damaged or get out of working order
wbile India rubber bands or other spring fittings are costly, deteriorate rapidily
and often break without warning..
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
The accompanying drawings will fully explain the action of my invention as
applied to any form of railway signalling apparatus: Figure 1 shews a side
elevation Figure 1ª an end elevation of the upper end of a signal post fitted with
my invention: Figure 2 shows a side elevation (shewn for clearness in section)
through line A, B, on Figure 2 which is an end elevation.
The same numbers indicate corresponding parts on all the Figures.
(1) Is the swan necked lever working in the two brackets (2) (2) bolted at back
and side of signal post and fitted at front end with two friction rollers (3) (3)
which support the lower edge of the "board" between them The tail end of the
lever (1) carries a balance weight (4) sufficiently heavy to raise the "board” from

page_text: carries the spectacle eyes or the lenses, which are shewn enclosed by cases attached
to the lamps to protect them-(according to my patent N° 5370 May 1885 and
as I prefer to fit them) and these are so arranged, as will be seen, that if the
connection to the lever (1) fails the red light is immediately exposed and
remains so.
In Figure (2) the "board" is shewn by dotted lines in an intermediate position,
or half-off, and in its extreme position, full-off and folded within the cavity (8)
in signal post. The different positions assumed by the lever (1) and balance
weight (4) are also shewn by dotted lines.
The effect of the balance weight lever arm (1) is to cause the board to be
lowered very steadily by the signalman till it is quite vertical and to be raised
automatically by the balance weight very steadily to the horizontal or danger
position if any of the connections break.
In taking off the signal the lever (1) is pulled down by the edge of the "board "
against the action of the balance weight (4) tending to keep the board horizontal-
and at the same time the red glass or lense is raised from opposite the lamp, or
case, opening and when the board is vertical, as shewn by figure 2 in dotted lines,
the lever connections to lamps will have completely removed the red glass or lense.
The line is now signalled "clear" but should any of the connections (or all of
them) between the signal cabin and the signal arm break, the balance lever (1)
immediately raises the "board" to danger and shews the red glass or lense in the
lamp or cases-Any existing signal post can be readily fitted with my invention at
trifling expense as the swan necked lever is entirely separate from and independant
of the other gear connected with the working of the signals, and where it is
required to work in connection with the present balance weight at bottom of post,
I propose to make balance much lighter as it will then only have the rods up the
post and the arm to raise.
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,―
The application to railway or other similar signals of a self acting balance
weight attached to a lever-preferably curved in swan neck form-working
protected within the cavity of the signal post-and acting independently of any
of the ordinary signal gear, so as to keep the "board" and lamp signals at danger
until taken off by the signalman and to replace and retain them at danger if any
or all the connections break-constructed and operating substantially as described
and illustrated.
Dated the day of April 1000.
0 Witness:
T. J. DANSON, F. Inst. P. A.,
Consulting Engineer & Patent Agent,
Newcastle on Tyne.
CHARLES JOSEPH HOWE.