IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY SIGNALS
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Brierley, Frederick Wade Brierley, and Walter
Wright Brierley, all of Kilburn, in the County of Middlesex, Railway Signal
Engineers, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY SIGNALS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Brierley, Frederick
Wade Brierley, and Walter Wright Brierley at the Office of the Commissioners
of Patents on the 11th March 1876.
JOHN BRIERLEY, FREDERICK WADE BRIERLEY, and WALTER WRIGHT BRIERLEY,
all of Kilburn, in the County of Middlesex, Railway Signal Engineers. "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN RAILWAY SIGNALS."
"
"
The object of this Invention is to appeal to the ears of the engine driver or
guard of a railway train as well as to their eyes, so that should the signal arins or
lamps be obscured by fog, mist, snow, or bad weather generally, there shall be no
excuse for the engine driver running past his signal. This object is attained by
attaching to the signal or other convenient post a powerful gong, one end of the
striker of which shall be inserted into the rod which works the signal arm or lamp
from the signal cabin. Placed in a hollow tie or sleeper under the line of rails on
which the train is about to pass is a powerful spring, which is attached to a hori-
zontal rod connected by a crank arm to a vertical rod which is made to rise to the
top level of the rail, or fall below the level of the passing wheel as the signal arm
is raised to danger or lowered to "line clear." This result is effected by con-
necting rods, which unite the striker of the gong with the vertical rising and
falling rod, so that when the danger signal is pulled off, the connecting rods will
cause the vertical rod to descend below the level of the flange of the passing wheels,
and no sound will be emitted from the gong. Should however the signal arm be
raised to danger the top of the vertical rod will also be made to rise to a level with
the top of the rail. The result will be that as each wheel of the train passes over
the top of the vertical rod, this latter will be depressed, causing the striker to full
on the gong, the vertical rod immediately resuming its uppermost position through
the agency of the above mentioned spring. It will be seen therefore that a series
of blows cqual in number to the passing wheels of the train will be delivered on
the gong while the train is passing over the apparatus, thus preventing the liability
to any accidents from the obscuring of the signal arms or lamps.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said John Brierley, Frederick Wade Brierley, and Walter Wright Brierley
in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 11th September 1876.
JOHN BRIERLEY, FREDERICK WADE BRIERLEY, and WALTER WRIGHT BRIERLEY,
all of Kilburn, in the County of Middlesex, Railway Signal Engineers. "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN RAILWAY SIGNALS."
"
The object of this Invention is to appeal to the hearing of the engine driver or
guard of a railway train as well as to his sight, so that should the signal arms or
lamps be obscured by fog, mist, snow, or bad weather generally, there shall be no
excuse for the engine driver running past the danger signal. This object is attained
by attaching to the signal or other convenient post a powerful gong, which is in
connection with a short vertical rod placed by the side of one of the rails on the
track, and which is elevated or depressed as the semaphore arm is raised to "danger'
or lowered to "line clear." Any train passing the signal post while the semaphore
arm is lowered to line clear" will not touch the vertical rod (it being at this
moment in its depressed position), and consequently the gong will emit no sound.
Should however the engine driver run past the signal post while the semaphore
arm is at "danger" (the vertical rod being then at its highest position) the gong
will be struck a succession of blows equal in number to the passing wheels of the
train, thus attracting the attention of the engine driver and guard should they be
unable to see the ordinary visible sigual.
"
The accompanying represents a signal post of the ordinary type, with audible
signal apparatus connected therewith, the semaphore arm and vertical rod being
in the position of "danger." In this Drawing a is a hollow sleeper placed
beneath and partly supporting the rail b. At one side of the rail is a short pin or
rod c, which works in a vertical direction in bearings in the sleeper a
On the top
of the rod c is a semicircular head c2, which is intended to receive the blows from
the wheels of the passing train. At the point d the rod c is slotted to receive one
arm of a bell crank lever e, the other arm of which is attached to a horizontal rod
f. One end of this rod f is secured to a powerful spring f¹, the other end being
jointed to another bell crank lever g, which is connected to the striker h of the
gong by the rod i. One end of the striker is inserted into a slot in the
rod k, the slot being of sufficient length to admit of the play of the striker has it
strikes the gong h¹. While the apparatus is in the position shewn in the Drawing
the wheels of a passing train will come in contact with and depress the head c¹ of
the rod c; this motion will be immediately communicated to the striker / through
the bell crank levers e and g and the rods f and i, and a loud clear sound will be
emitted from the gong. On the pressure being removed from the vertical rod c the
spring fwill cause the whole apparatus to resume its original position, where it
will remain until acted upon by the next wheel that may pass over it. When the
semaphore arm is lowered to the position shewn in dotted lines in the Drawing, the
rod will move upwards, thereby depressing the striker h on to the gong, and con-
sequently lowering the rod c into such a position that the wheels of a train will
pass clear of it. The gong will therefore (when no danger is to be apprehended) be
perfectly silent.
As the main feature of our Invention consists in the combination with the
ordinary railway semaphore or visible signal of an audible signal, which is sounded
by means of a suitable arrangement of mechanism connected with a rod or equiva-
lent device, so arranged in connection with one of the rails of the permanent way
that the mechanism of such audible signal will be set in motion by the running
wheels of a passing train, whenever the semaphore arm is in the position indicating
danger" it will be obvious that as a modification of the arrangement above de-
scribed the mechanism may be made to act upon a bellows or blower capable of
forcing a blast of air under pressure through a whistle, foghorn, or other equivalent
device, so as to produce an audible signal when required. We therefore do not

page_text: intend to confine ourselves to the use of a gong and striker, as above shewn and
described, although for various reasons we prefer that arrangement.
Having now described our Invention of improvements in railway signals, and
having explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, we claim as the
Invention secured to us by Letters Patent as aforesaid, the combination with the
ordinary railway semaphore or visible signal apparatus of a gong or other suitable
audible signal, which will be struck or sounded by means of a striker or other
equivalent device, connected by a suitable arrangement of levers and rods, with
a moveable rod, lever, or other equivalent device so arranged in connection with one
of the rails of the permanent way that such rod or lever would be acted upon by the
running wheels of a passing train whenever the semaphore signal is in the position
indicating "danger," as herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Walter Wright Brierley, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Eleventh day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-six.
WALTER W. BRIERLEY. (L.S.)