Improvements in Apparatus for Controlling the Traffic on Single Line Railways.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 18th July, 1892
Complete Specification Left, 13th Feb., 1893-Accepted, 8th Apr., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Controlling the Traffic on Single
Line Railways.
We FRANCIS WILLIAM WEBB of Crewe in the County of Chester, Mechanical
Engineer, and ARTHUR MOORE THOMPSON of Crewe in the County of Chester,
Mechanical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
:-
In our Patent Specification No. 12199 5th August 1890, for improvements in
staff and tablet apparatus for controlling the traffic on single line railways, we
describe how tickets may be combined with the staff or tablet system of working
single lines, and we now describe how we propose to improve our system by sub-
stituting a receptacle for tickets in connection with the staff or tablet apparatus
itself, instead of having the tickets in connection with the staff or tablet itself, as
described in the above mentioned Specification.
We attach to the staff or tablet apparatus in any convenient position a metal
box containing a suitable number of metal tickets of any convenient form, and the
box is provided with a hinged cover which can only be unlocked and opened for
the withdrawal of a ticket or tickets by a key attached to the staff or tablet to be
used in connection with the tickets, the lock of the cover being so arranged that
after it is unlocked and the cover opened by means of the staff or tablet, the staff
or tablet itself becomes locked, and cannot be withdrawn until the cover is closed
again and locked. Each metal ticket has a groove formed in the box for its
reception, or the box may be divided into as many compartments as there are
tickets. We then provide in each groove or compartment a locking device which
is actuated by the withdrawal or insertion of the metal ticket, and these locking
devices are so arranged that if all the tickets are in the box the staff or tablet to
be used in connection with the tickets may be withdrawn from or inserted in the
magazine of the apparatus, but if any of the tickets should be out of the box,
then the locking device which may be in the form of a pawl or bolt presents such
an obstruction as prevents the staff or tablet from being withdrawn or inserted in
the magazine.
Dated this 16th day of July 1809
F. W. WEBB.
A. MOORE THOMPSON.
COMPLETE
SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Controlling the Traffic on Single
Line Railways.
.
We FRANCIS WILLIAM WEBB of Chester Place, Crewe, in the County of
Chester, Mechanical Engineer, and ARTHUR MOORE THOMPSON of Holly
Bank, Crewe, in the County of Chester, Mechanical 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:-
In our Patent Specification No. 12199 5th August 1890, for improvements in
staff and tablet apparatus for controlling the traffic on single line railways, we
describe how tickets may be combined with the staff or tablet system of working
single lines, and we now describe how we propose to improve our system by sub-
stituting a receptacle for tickets in, connection with the staff or tablet apparatus

page_text: itself, instead of having the tickets in connection with the staff or tablet itself, as
described in the above mentioned Specification.
We attach to the staff or tablet apparatus in any convenient position a metal
box containing a suitable number of metal tickets of any convenient form, and the
box is provided with a hinged cover which can only be unlocked and opened for
the withdrawal of a ticket or tickets by a key attached to the staff or tablet to be
used in connection with the tickets, the lock of the cover being so arranged that
after it is unlocked and the cover opened by means of the staff or tablet, the staff
or tablet itself becomes locked, and caunot be withdrawn until the cover is closed
again and locked. Each metal ticket has a groove formed in the box for its
reception, or the box may be divided into as many compartments as there are
tickets. We then provide in each groove or compartment a locking device which
is actuated by the withdrawal or insertion of the metal ticket, and these locking
devices are so arranged that if all the tickets are in the box the staff or tablet to
be used in connection with the tickets may be withdrawn from or inserted in the
magazine of the apparatus, but if any of the tickets should be out of the box, then
the locking device which may be in the form of a pawl or bolt presents such an
obstruction as prevents the staff or tablet from being withdrawn or inserted in the
magazine.
To enable our invention to be more fully understood we will now proceed
to describe the several parts in detail by the aid of the accompanying
drawings,-
Figure 1 Sheet 1 shows a face elevation of our electric staff instrument, with
our improved ticket box attached. a is the outer casing of the ticket box,
is one of the tickets in place, c is a lever one of which is provided for each
ticket and which is moved by the insertion or withdrawal of a ticket, d is another
lever turning on a centre e at the end of the lever c, is a spiral spring, is the lid
or cover of the ticket box which is hinged at h, i is a locking disc which forms a
lock for the cover g and which is actuated by a key on the ticket staff. A is the slot
in the column for the reception of the ordinary staffs, B is a side receptacle to hold
the ticket staff.
Figure 2 Sheet 1 is a plan showing the ticket box and in dotted lines the position
of six tickets similar to Figure 1, and six levers in connection similar to c
Figure 1.
Figure 3 Sheet 1 shows an end elevation of the ticket box the parts shown being
indicated by the same letters as in Figure 1.
Figure 4 Sheet 1 is another face view of Figure 1 but showing the lever c
in the position it occupies when a ticket has been withdrawn, or partially
withdrawn as shown.
Figure 5 Sheet 1 shows a sectional view of the locking disc for locking the
lever of the ticket box and it shows the cover and disc in their locked position.
k is a projection cast on the ticket box casing a, and it will be seen that this pro-
jection bears against the solid portion of the disc i and thus prevents the cover
from being opened.
Figure 6 Sheet 1 shows the cover opened and in this case the disc i has been
turned by the ticket key so that a notch cut on the periphery of the disc is
brought opposite to the projection k and from this view it will be seen that so long
as the cover is opened the disc is prevented by the projection k from being turned
back again, and consequently the ticket staff itself which has been put in to turn
the disc cannot be withdrawn.
Figure 7 Sheet 1 shows an ordinary staff, the key m being of such a size and
form that it cannot be used for opening the ticket box.
Figure 8 Sheet 1 shows the special staff which is withdrawn when tickets are
required with a key n formed at one end to unlock the cover of the ticket box.
o is a special ring formed on the ticket staff considerably larger than the ring p
Figure 7 shown on the ordinary staff and the object for which this enlarged ring is
required will be explained hereafter.
1

page_text: We now proceed to more fully describe the use of the several parts indicated
above by following the operation to be performed in sending several trains from
say station A to station B. Having received permission in the ordinary way to
withdraw a staff the signalman, knowing that he is going to use the tickets, with-
draws the ticket staff, Figure 8, from its receptacle B Figure 1. He withdraws
the staff in the usual way and proceeds by the aid of the key n formed on the staff
to open the cover of the ticket box which he accomplishes by turning the disc i
Figures 1, 5 and 6, so as to bring the slot opposite the projection k. Having
opened the cover he now takes out the whole of the six tickets in the box, he then
closes the ticket box cover and turns the disc back again thus locking the cover
and he then withdraws the staff. The signalman has now got six tickets in his
possession and one ticket staff, and if he attempts to replace the ticket staff in the
instrument he finds he cannot do so as the enlarged ring o Figure 8 is blocked by a
projection which is formed on each of the six levers, one of which is indicated by a
in Figure 4 Sheet 1.
The first train is now sent away with the ticket, which is taken possession of by
the signalman at B, and if necessary five following trains may be sent away, each
with one ticket, the last train is sent away.wlth the ticket staff.
When the ticket staff reaches B the sigualman unlocks his ticket box, which is
empty, and proceeds to put in the six tickets he has received, and until he has done
this he is not able to insert the ticket staff in his apparatus on account of the
projection, which is on each of the six levers c. The six tickets being in place
the ticket box cover can be closed, ticket staff withdrawn and cover locked.
The ticket staff can now be placed in the apparatus at B and the operation
completed.
In case it is desired to use a tablet instead of a staff then the apparatus
for tickets in connection with the tablet apparatus will be precisely the same
in principle the details only being modified to suit the different form of the
tablet.
Figure 9 Sheet 2 shows how our improved ticket box can be attached to an
apparatus constructed for the reception of tablets instead of staffs, and it will be
clearly seen from the drawing that the details are practically the same as shown on
Sheet 1, but the opening o Sheet 2, by which the tablet is withdrawn, and the
slots p, q, r, are altered to suit the flat form of the tablet instead of the round
form of the staff.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim in respect of Improvements in apparatus for controlling the traffic on single
line railways is,-
A receptacle containing tickets in combination with a staff or tablet apparatus
substantially as described and illustrated.
Dated this 11th day of February 1893.