IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY FOG SIGNAL APPARATUS AND IN DETONATOR SIGNALS TO BE USED THEREWITH
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Coleman and Isaac Henson both of Derby in the
County of Derby for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY FOG
SIGNAL APPARATUS AND IN DETONATOR SIGNALS TO BE USED THEREWITH"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Coleman and Isaac
Henson at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 10th March
1883.
JOHN COLEMAN and ISAAC HENSON both of Derby in the County of Derby
"IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY FOG SIGNAL APPARATUS AND IN DETONATOR SIGNALS
TO BE USED THEREWITH
"
This Invention has for its object improvements in railway fog signal apparatus
and in detonator signals to be used therewith.
In a provisional specification lodged by us on the 22nd December last N° 6127
we described apparatus for placing detonator signals on to the rails of railways.
In this apparatus the signals were raised upwards in a cylindrical reservoir and
whenever a signal was to be placed on to the rail the uppermost signal was pushed
on to the rail by means of a horizontal lever arm which then had a partial turn
given to it.
In order that the lever arm may be thus turned with but little friction we now
cause a flat blade or plate to pass below the upper most fog signal before the lever
commences to move-in this way the upper most signal is relieved from the
pressure upon it of the other signals and is quite free to be moved forwards by
the lever arm at the time when the lever arm is turned.
The end of the flat blade after passing across the upper end of the cylindrical
reservoir passes through a slot in the side of the reservoir. To prevent any of
the detonators being pushed sidewise into this slot we fix across it a vertical pin
and form a longitudinal slot in the blade for the pin to pass through.
The flat blade or plate may be carried by a slide bar which as it is moved to
and fro also serves to give motion to the lever arm. For this purpose a pin or
roller carried by a short arm projecting from the same axis as the before mentioned

page_text: lever arm may be received into a slot in the bar and the slot may be so formed as
only to act upon the lever to turn it at the central part of its stroke and not at the
beginning or end of its stroke. Thus the blade carried by the slide would first be
made to advance and relieve the uppermost signal from pressure and the lever
would then turn to carry the signal on to the rail. In the same way if the signal
were not exploded during the time it was resting upon the rail and it was required
to withdraw it from off the rail the lever would draw the signal back on to the
top of the blade or plate before this blade or plate was withdrawn from above the
top of the reservoir.
Preferably we place the slide bar parallel with the rails and move it to and fro
by a lever to which the signal wire is connected or it may otherwise have motion
given to it fron the signal wire.
The lever arm by which the detonator signals are moved from the reservoir on
to the rail we form as described in the before mentioned specification with a dove-
tail slot in it near its end to receive a corresponding dovetail head formed at the
end of a stem projecting out from each signal.
We make this stem of a tube formed from thin sheet metal. Into the outer end
of the stem we insert a peg of wood formed with a dovetail head which can enter
freely into the slot in the end of the lever arm.-This dovetail lead we make of
the same thickness as the thickness of the case of the detonator. The case we
form as usual of two discs each dished or hollowed so as to form a projecting flange
around it.
The flange of one disc goes inside the flange of the other disc and the outer
flange is closed inwards against the inner one so as to form a closed case to contain
the detonating charge.
The end of the tubular handle which is to be secured to the case is not bent into
a tubular form but is left flat. This flattened end we insert between the flanges
of the two parts of the case before the case is closed. When the case is closed the
end of the handle gets nipped and held securely. By making the detonators with
their stems in the above way the stems will ordinarily become detached from the
case when the detonator is exploded and the stems will be free to drop away-
Should it not do so the peg of wood would be withdrawn from the end of the
tubular stein whenever the lever arm was drawn back and the peg would then
drop away leaving the dovetail groove in the lever arm empty and ready for the
stem of another detonator signal to rise up into it from the reservoir.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said John Coleman and Isaac Henson in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 8th September 1883.
JOHN COLEMAN and ISAAC HENSON both of Derby in the County of Derby
"IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY FOG SIGNAL APPARATUS AND IN DETONATOR SIGNALS
TO BE USED THEREWITH
"
This Invention has for its object improvements in railway fog signal apparatus
and in detonator signals to be used therewith.
In a Provisional Specification lodged by us on the 22nd December last N° 6127
we described apparatus for placing detonator signals on to the rails of railways.
In this apparatus the signals were raised upwards in a cylindrical reservoir and
whenever a signal was to be placed on to the rail the uppermost signal was pushed
on to the rail by means of a horizontal lever arm which then had a partial turn
given to it.
In order that the lever arm may be thus turned with but little friction we now
cause a flat blade to pass below the uppermost fog signal before the lever
commences to move-In this way the uppermost signal is relieved from the pressure
upon it of the other signals and is quite free to be moved forwards by the lever
arm at the time when the lever arm is turned.
The end of the flat blade after passing across the upper end of the cylindrical
reservoir passes through a slot in the side of the reservoir and to prevent any of
the detonators being pushed sidewise into this slot we fix across it a vertical pin,
and form a longitudinal slot in the blade for the pin to pass through.
The flat blade or plate may be carried by a slide bar which as it is moved to and
fro also serves to give motion to the lever arm. For this purpose a pin or roller
carried by a short arm projecting from the same axis as the before mentioned lever
arm may be received into a slot in the bar and the slot may be so formed as only
to act upon the lever to turn it at the central part of its stroke and not at the
beginning or end of its stroke. Thus the blade carried by the slide would first be
made to advance and relieve the uppermost signal from pressure and the lever
would then turn to carry the signal on to the rail. In the same way if the signal
were not exploded during the time it was resting upon the rail and it was required
to withdraw it from off the rail, the lever would draw the signal back on to the
top of the blade or plate before this blade or plate was withdrawn from above the
top of the reservoir.
Preferably we place the slide bar parallel with the rails and move it to and fro
by a lever to which the signal wire is connected or it may otherwise have motion
given to it from the signal wire.
The lever arm by which the detonator signals are moved from the reservoir on to
the rail we form as described in the before mentioned Specification with a dovetail
slot in it near its end to receive a corresponding dovetail head formed at the end of
a stem projecting out from each signal.
We make this stem of a tube formed from thin sheet metal. Into the outer end
of the stem we insert a peg of wood formed with a dovetail head which can enter
freely into the slot in the end of the lever arm. This dovetail head we make of
the same thickness as the thickness of the case of the detonator.
The case we form as usual of two discs each dished or hollowed so as to form a
projecting flange around it.
The flange of one disc goes inside the flange of the other disc and the outer flange
is closed inwards against the inner one so as to form a closed case to contain the
detonating charge.
The end of the tubular handle which is to be secured to the case is not bent into
a tubular form but is left flat. This flattened end, we insert between the flanges

page_text: of the two parts of the case. before the case is closed. When the case is closed the
end of the handle gets nipped and held securely. By making the detonators with
their steins in the above way the stems will ordinarily become detached from the
case when the detonator is exploded and the stems will be free to drop away-
should it not do so the peg of wood would be withdrawn from the end of the
tubular stem whenever the lever arm was drawn back and the peg would then drop
away leaving the dovetail groove in the lever arm empty and ready for the stem of
another detonator signal to rise up into it from the reservoir.
Figures 1 and 2 show plan views of apparatus constructed as above described-
in each of these views the top cover of the apparatus is turned back so as to
exhibit the parts more clearly. When the apparatus is in use the lid would close
over all the working parts and would also form a stop to retain the detonator
signals in the hopper.
In Figure 1 the parts are shewn in the positions they come into when a
detonator has been placed on to the rail. In Figure 2 the parts are in the positions
they are brought into when the detonator has been drawn back from off the rail.
Figure 3 is a vertical section taken through figure 1 across the centre of the
hopper and the detonator placed on to the rail.-Figure 4 is a corresponding
section taken through Figure 2-Figure 5 is a horizontal section taken through the
hopper.
Its
In these figures A is the fixed frame or case of the apparatus. Bis the hopper-
the detonators are piled one above the other in this hopper and rest upon a
moveable bottom or piston B* which is drawn upwards by a chain and counter-
balance weight until the uppermost detonator comes against the lid or cover as
described in the Specification above mentioned. C is a flat blade to which an
endway to and fro motion is given whenever the signal is raised and lowered.
rear end rests on friction rollers C¹ its forward end passes through a slot in the
casing which is just above the hopper and can be thrust forward through this
slot into a chamber B' which stands out from the opposite side of the casing. B2 is
a stop fixed across the mouth of the chamber B¹ to prevent the detonators with
which the forward end of the slide comes into contact from being pushed by it
into the chamber B'.
The blade C at its rear end can be coupled to a lever not shewn in the
drawings which can be turned in one direction by the signal wire and in the
opposite direction by the action of a weight, which may be the weight employed
for holding the signal at danger or it may be a separate weight. The upper surface
of the blade C is level with the surface along which the uppermost detonator in
the hopper is to be pushed whenever a detonator is to be passed from the hopper on
to the rail.
The space between this surface and the underside of the lid or cover is somewhat
deeper than the thickness of one of the detonators.
When the blade C is drawn back the detonators in the hopper are lifted up until
the uppermost detonator is stopped by the lid or cover as shewn at Figure 4. The
forward end of the blade C is bevilled off on the underside so that whenever it is
moved forwards from the position shewn at Figure 2 into the position shown at
Figure 1 it enters between the top detonator signal and the one below it and as it
is moved forwards the incline on its underside presses downwards the detonator
signals which are below it bringing them into the position shewn at Figure 3. In
this way the uppermost detonator which is left resting upon the top of the blade
is relieved off all pressure upon it and is ready to be pushed forwards onto
the rail.
D is the lever arm by which the detonators are pushed from the hopper on to
the rail E. Near its end a dovetail slot is formed in it for the dovetailed ends of
the stems of the detonators to enter.
On the axis of this lever is a shorter arm Di carrying a roller which lies in a
slot in the blade or slide C. For the greater part of its length this slot is straight
but near its centre it has on one side an inward projection and opposite to this on

page_text: the other side of the slot a corresponding indentation. When as the slide is
moved endwise to and fro this part of the slot comes up to the roller on the lever
arm D¹ it gives a partial turn to this lever and shifts the arin D from the position
shewn at Figure 1 to the position shewn at Figure 2 or vice versa according to the
direction in which the slide is moved.
In this way when the slide is moved from the position shewn in Figure 2 to the
position shown in Figure 1 the uppermost detonator is first relieved from pressure
from the other detonators below it and is then by the movement of the lever D
pushed forwards on to the rail-similarly if the lever D is moved back again
without the detonator having been exploded the detonator is first moved back to
the top of the reservoir before the slide has been entirely withdrawn from above
the hopper and then the slide completes its back ward movement and the detonators
in the hopper rise up into the position shewn at Figure 4.
A¹ is a slot in the bottom of the casing through which the dovetail end of the
stems of the detonators may drop away if the detonators are exploded before the
lever arm is moved back into the position shewn at Figure 2.
At Figures 6 and 7 I have shewn an underside view and longitudinal section of
a railway fog signal detonator constructed as herein before described. A is the
tubular stem formed of thin sheet metal, B the peg of wood inserted into its end
and formed with a dovetail head-C' C are the two dished discs or parts of which
the detonator case is formed. At A' the flat end of the handle is held between these
two parts
Having thus described the nature of our invention and the manner of performing
the same we would have it understood that although in the description of our fog
signal apparatus we have always spoken of the detonator signals being raised
upwards in the hopper by a counterbalance weight yet the hopper might be placed
so that the detonator signals have to descend in it by their own weight and
similarly have a blade or slide C made to work with it to separate the detonator
signal which is to be placed on to the rail from the other detonator signals in the
hopper and relieve it from pressure so that it can be readily pushed from the hopper
on to the rail or be drawn back again we believe however that in all cases it is
better that the detonator signals should have to be lifted upwards from a hopper
by means of a counterbalance weight as in this case the hopper is below the rail
instead of standing upwards above it so that the apparatus may be brought much
nearer to the rail than would otherwise be practicable
We claim as our improvements in railway fog signal apparatus and in
detonator signals to be used therewith-
First. The use in combination with a hopper containing a column of detonator
railway fog signals of a slide C to separate the end fog signal in the column from
the remainder of the fog signals and relieve it from pressure before it has to be
pushed from the hopper on to the rail substantially as herein described.
Second. The combination of railway fog signal apparatus substantially as herein
before described and illustrated in the drawings annexed.
Third-The construction of detonator railway fog signals substantially as herein
before described and illustrated in the drawings annexed.
In witness whereof we the said John Coleman and Isaac Henson have
hereunto set our hands and seals this Seventh day of September in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and eighty three.
JOHN COLEMAN
(L.S.J
ISAAC HENSON (L.S.)
.