Improvements in or applicable to Railway Time Tables.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Dec., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 10th June, 1896-Accepted, 11th July, 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or applicable to Railway Time Tables.
I, CLARANCE ARTHUR BIRD, of 92 Crouch Hill, London, N., Artist, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to platform time tables, pocket time tables, time tables for
use in private houses, illuminated time tables and all other patterns of railway
time tables in which it is desirable to announce in the clearest possible manner more
or less complicated train services. For this purpose I provide a requisite number of
tablets of any convenient shape or pattern distinguished by various colours from
one another, the said colours corresponding to the same colour of tablet or board
giving the title of the service in such a manner that a distinctive colour sign or
design is appropriated to each distinct line or service of trains announced on the
time table. Colours may also be appropriated to announce special trains, excursion
trains, or other trains not running in the regular daily course.
In time tables, such as pocket tables and the like, the tablets may be replaced
by suitably coloured spaces, or the times of the trains may be printed upon coloured
slips, and attached to the time table, but for railway station purposes I usually
prefer to form the table with a number of slots or recesses into which the requisite
tablets can be inserted or secured.
The tablets may be made of any suitable material, preferably of slips of
wood, cardboard, tin-plate or the like, suitably painted, coloured, or enamelled.
For use in dark railway stations or other positions in which it may be desirable,
I may form my table as a transparency, the front being composed of a sheet of glass
or the like with means for holding the tablets in place, the tablets themselves being
formed of coloured glass or its equivalent, with the times of the trains painted or
impressed thereon. Behind this transparency light is arranged so as to render the
same visible at all times.
In addition to the use of my invention on the platforms of railway stations,
waiting rooms, and other public places, it forms a convenient reference tablet for
use in private dwellings or other buildings, especially, where owing to frequent
changes of trains it is requisite frequently to alter the time table correspondingly.
By my invention this can be effected with the greatest case, the movable tablet
being replaced by one bearing the corrected time of the train to which it refers.
In the case of printed time tables I prefer to substitute for the movable tablets,
coloured strips, on which the figures corresponding to the respective trains can be
printed or marked in any suitable manner, or I may print upon the surface of the
time table coloured spaces corresponding to the portions devoted to the given train
or trains, and subsequently impress thereon the figures relating thereto. The time
tables prepared in this manner and those devised for use as pocket time tables may
obviously be combined in any desired manner with advertising or other announce-
ments. They may also contain information other than merely the starting times of
the respective trains.
Dated this 20th dox of December 1895

page_text: Improvements in or applicable to Railway Time Tables.
I, CLARANCE ARTHUR BIRD, of 92, Crouch Hill, London, N., Artist, 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:―
My invention relates to platform time tables, pocket time tables, time tables
for use in private houses, illuminated time tables and all other patterns of railway
time tables in which it is desirable to announce in the clearest possible manner
more or less complicated train services. For this purpose I provide a requisite
number of tablets of any convenient shape or pattern distinguished by various
colours or patterns from one another, the said colours or patterns corresponding
to the same colour of tablet or board giving the title of the service in such a
manner that a distinctive colour, sign, or design is appropriated to each distinct
line or service of trains announced on the time table. Colours may also be
appropriated to announce special trains, excursion trains, or other trains not running
in the regular daily course..
In time tables, such as pocket tables and the like, the tablets may be replaced by
suitably coloured or marked spaces, or the times of the trains may be printed upon
coloured slips, attached to the time table, but for railway station purposes I usually
prefer to form the table with a number of slots or recesses into which the requisite
tablets can be inserted or secured.
The tablets may be made of any suitable material, preferably of slips of wood,
cardboard, tin-plate or the like, suitably painted, coloured, or enamelled...
I
For use in dark railway stations or other positions in which it may be desirable,
may form
my table as a transparency, the front being composed of a sheet of
glass or the like with means for holding the tablets in place, the tablets themselves
being formed of coloured glass or its equivalent, with the times of the trains painted
or impressed thereon. Behind this transparency light is arranged so as to render
the same visible at all times.
In addition to the use of my invention on the platforms of railway stations,
waiting rooms, and other public places, it forms a convenient reference tablet for
use in private dwellings or other buildings, especially, where owing to frequent
changes of trains it is requisite frequently to alter the time table correspondingly.
By my invention this can be effected with the greatest ease, the movable tablet
being replaced by one bearing the corrected time of the train to which it refers.
In the case of printed time tables I prefer to substitute for the movable tablets,
coloured strips, on which the figures corresponding to the respective trains can be
, printed or marked in any suitable manner, or I may print upon the surface of the
time table coloured spaces corresponding to the portions devoted to the given train
or trains, and impress thereon the figures relating thereto. The time tables
prepared in this manner and those devised for use as pocket time tables may
obviously be combined in any desired manner with advertising or other announce-
ment. They may also contain information other than merely the starting times of
the respective trains.
In order more clearly to describe my invention and illustrate the best method
known to me of carrying the same into effect I will now describe it with
reference to the accompanying drawing in which I have represented by way of
example a specimen time table for trains in one direction at one station and in
which different colours are indicated by different shading of the various tablets
which are also differentiated by various forms and marks thereon. The tablets
are divided into seven groups marked respectively A, B, C, D, E and F according

page_text: as the trains run on different lines or to different stations or part of the way only
involving a change of carriage. By further variations express trains may be
differentiated from stopping trains also when used for up line trains they could
clearly indicate the different termini to which the trains run, and for country
stations the place at which the train ends its journey. The figures inscribed
on each tablet show the time of departure of the respective train. The
application of the system will be sufficiently clear from this diagram and may be
varied according as one or more lines are included on one table or for up or down
lines as required.
I also reserve the right to apply my invention to indicating destinations of tram
cars and other public vehicles."
I may construct several tables combined and placed in a frame in such manner
that any one, or the whole successively, may be displayed as required. The tables
are moved by band or by clockwork or other automatic mechanism.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The improved adjustable and transposable indicating tablets for railway time
tables and the like substantially as described.
2. The improved system of time table indicator devised to show graphically the
destination, route, time of starting and other particulars of each train or vehicle
substantially as described.
Dated this 3rd day of June 1896
W. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
322, High Holborn, London, W.C., Patent Agents for the Applicant.