An Improved Automatic Fog Signal for Railways.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Oct., 1892
Complete Specification Left. 8th July, 1893-Accepted, 2nd Sept., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Automatic Fog Signal for Railways.
I, RICHARD WHITEHEAD of Chorley Road, Swinton, near Manchester in the
County of Lancaster, Machinist do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:-
This invention relates to signalling apparatus, intended to be used on railways
during foggy weather for the purposes for which fogmen are at present employed.
The object of this invention is to give or obtain the necessary warning without
requiring the employment of fogmen.
I attain this object by the means hereinafter described reference being made to
accompanying sheet of drawings which illustrates a side view of the mechanism
constituting my invention.
In this drawing a is a line of rails on which a train would proceed in the direction
indicated by arrow marked thereon.
At one side of a line or pair of rails I mount on suitable supports the cylinders b
and which may be placed at some distance, such as one hundred yards, apart.
I place a piston c within said cylinders; at the end of the cylinder b nearest to
the advancing train, the end of the piston will be retained a short distance within
said cylinder, and the opposite end will project from the cylinder b' at the forward
end when the apparatus is in use by means of the weighted lever d which is
supported by the rocking shaft e.
I mount a target or striking plate f in close proximity to the end of the
cylinder b, and a gong g near the opposite end of said piston; I place a lever h at
one side of the rail a, and sufficiently near thereto for a wheel to run partly thereon
while passing along the rail. I pivot said lever at j and connect one end to
aforesaid rocking shaft e by means of the lever k affixed thereto.
At the forward end of the cylinder ¹, I place a vertical bar 1, that will work in
guides m. The upper end of said bar I form with a hole through which the
piston c may pass; the bottom end of the bar rests on one end of a transverse
rocking lever n that is pivotted near its centre.
The opposite end of the aforesaid lever n, or that end which is nearest to the rail
I attach loosely to a lever o that is pivotted at p and placed sufficiently near the
rail a for a wheel to run partly thereon while passing along the rail.
mount a vertical case 7 over an opening in the cylinder b, that is formed
immediately in front of the end of the piston c and attach said case thereto by a
flanger in which is a sliding cover.
This case is formed internally of a size to receive a greater or less number of fog
signals & placed edgeways one above the other.
The herein before described apparatus will be brought into action by the leading
wheel of an engine or train when proceeding in the direction of the arrow shown on
drawing, passing over and pressing down the raised portion of the lever / which
will cause the lever d to propel the piston c with force against the target or striking
plate, carrying with it one of the fog signals t, which will by these means be
exploded, at the same time the opposite end of the piston c will be withdrawn
into the cylinder and the vertical bar will be lowered until the blank portion
at top of said bar will come opposite the end of the cylinder and prevent
the piston c returning until the engine or train has proceeded farther along the
line when the leading wheel will pass over and press down the raised portion of
the lever o thereby raising the vertical bar l, when the piston c will shoot through
the hole in top of said bar and strike the gongs as shown, or a target, thereby
giving the second warning.

page_text: The end of the piston e will have thus been caused to return to its original
position within the cylinder, and the fog signal in succession in the case q will drop
into the cylinder in front of the end of the piston, ready for the next signal.
The distance between the end of the cylinder 6, and the target f is arranged so
that only an exploded signal may pass between. In clear weather when the
apparatus is not required, it may be placed out of gear by keeping the weighted
lever d in a vertical position by means of the stud u that is attached to the sliding
bracket which may be pulled back against the lever d and retained in position by
the lever which may be locked.
む
The case
is removeable for the purpose of being replaced by a full case when
the supply of signals in the case in use has been exhausted.
The herein before described apparatus is intended to be put in and out of gear
by the pointsman only.
Dated the 27th day of August 1892
THOMAS PRESCOTT,
53, Arcade Chambers, St. Mary's Gate, Manchester,
Agent for Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Automatic Fog Signal for Railways.
I, RICHARD WHITEHEAD of Chorley Road, Swinton, near Manchester, in the
County of Lancaster, Machinist, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described aud
ascertained in and by the following statement :--
This invention relates to signalling apparatus, intended to be used on railways
during foggy weather, for the purposes for which fogmen are at present employed.
The object of this invention is to give or obtain the necessary warning without
requiring the employment of fogmen.
attain this object by the means hereinafter described and as illustrated in the
accompanying three sheets of drawings in which Figs. 1 and 2 are side views of the
mechanism constituting my invention applied to or in combination with a line of
rails, Fig. representing said mechanism placed ont of gear and Fig. 2 the same
mechanism placed in position for being actuated by a passing engine or train:
Fig. 3 is a plan of the same in the position shown in Fig. 2: Figs. 1 and 2 are
front views of a part of the apparatus. Fig. 4 is a plan of a cover forming a part of
the foregoing.
In these views similar letters refer to similar parts.
At one side of a line of rails such as a, forming the railway on which a train may
run, I mount on suitable supports, a cylinder or cylinders such as bin which is a
piston c form a slot of any convenient length and position in the aforesaid
cylinder, through which to pass the upper end of the lever d which is connected to
the piston c by the pin c
The lower end of the lever d is connected to the channel of the rail a, or to a
bracket by the pin e.
To the extension or cranked end of said lever, I connect by means of the
pink, the lever h, which is placed close to the side of the rail, but is formed so as
to be a little above the rail level as in Fig. 2 when the apparatus is in use, for the
tread of a wheel to run partly thereon while passing along the line. The opposite
end of the lever his pivotted at j either to the web of the rail a or to a bracket.
I place a vertical case g over an opening formed in the cylinder near to a
target f
This case is formed at the lower end so as to fit on to a flange r, and is constructed
internally of a size to receive a greater or less number of fog signals placed
edgeways one above the other, where they are retained by a sliding cover as ¹,
while the case is being placed in position.

page_text: A plan of the cover is shown in Fig. 4. When the case 7 containing the fog
signals is in position as in Figs. 1 and 1 the cover r is pulled back and the tongue
upon which the fog signals have been resting, will be withdrawn, said fog
signals will then rest as shown in Figs. 2 and 2 on the upper end of the vertical
sliding piece. which is actuated by the bell crank lever that is connected to the
lever by the stud 17.
The lever is employed for the purpose of placing the apparatus out of gear
and is actuated by the signal man from his cabin. The lever n is connected to the
distance signal or the post us by the bell crank lever pivotted at 2 and the
rod s¹.
In order to place the apparatus herein before described in position for work, the
lever is pushed forward in the direction of the gong g, so that the lever dis
altered by the weight d¹ from the position shown in Fig. 1, to the position shown
in Fig. 2 in consequence of the stud u being removed from contact with the lever d
as shown in Fig. 1.
The lever
Fig. 2.
will thereby be raised above the level of the rail a as shown in
The end 6x of the bell crank lever will also be lowered and thereby permit the
vertical sliding bar on which the fog signals t are supported when the cover r³ is
withdrawn, to be lowered until the fog signal that is at the bottom of the case q
comes opposite the end of the piston c as shown in Figs. 2 and 24.
In applying my invention, the signal a is placed to indicate danger, by pushing
forward the lever n in the direction of the gong g, when by means of the bell crank
levers, the signal arm which is connected thereto by the rod s' is raised to a
horizontal position, at the same time the point n' of the lever n comes in contact
with the vertical sliding bar 1, when said bar will be raised through the guides m
to the position shown on Fig. 2 on the drawing, thereby permitting the piston c to
pass through an aperture, formed in the upper end of said sliding bar and strike the
gong g. The herein before described apparatus will be brought into action by the
leading wheel of an engine or train when proceeding in the direction of the arrow
shown on drawing, passing over and pressing down the raised portion of the lever /
represented in Fig. 2, which will cause the lever d to propel the piston e with force
against the target or striking plate f, carrying with it one of the fog signals t,
which will by these means be exploded, and after explosion fall out through the
opening '.
When the train has passed over the raised lever h, the lever d will cause the
piston c to return to its original position, at the same time striking the gong g,
thereby giving warning to the home signalman, while the fog signal in succession
in the case will fall into the cylinder in front of the end of the piston e ready
for the next signal. The apparatus is reset by the signal arm being placed at
danger.
When the signal arm shows line clear, the apparatus is placed out of action by the
stud on the lever n coming in contact with the lever d when the lever n is drawn
back, and said lever d is thereby placed in the position shown in Fig. 1, and at the
same time the sliding bar is raised by the pivotted lever n' actuated by the
stud that is attached to the lever n thereby permitting the piston c to pass
through the hole 68 in the bar 6 as shown in Fig. 1.
The distance between the end of the cylinder b, and the target f is arranged so
that only an exploded signal may pass between.
In clear weather, when the apparatus is not required, it may be placed out of
gear by keeping the weighted lever d in a vertical position by means of the stud
that is attached to the sliding lever be, which may be pulled back and retained in
position by said lever being locked by the plate x fitting into a groove in said
lever, or by other suitable means.
The case 9
is removeable, for the purpose of being replaced by a full case when
the supply of signals in the case in use has been exhausted.

page_text: The herein before described apparatus is intended to be put in and out of gear by
the distance signalman only. is the home signal and is worked by the lever v¹
and the bell crank lever v to which it is connected by a rod.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
.
In apparatus intended to be used on railways during foggy weather, the
combination of parts constituting mechanism arranged in the manner and for the
purpose substantially as herein before described.
Dated this 7th der of Jule 1802
THOMAS PRESCOTT,.
53, Arcade Chambers, St. Mary's Gate, Manchester,
Agent for Applicant.
THOMAS PRESCOTT,.
53, Arcade Chambers, St. Mary's Gate, Manchester,
Agent for Applicant.