IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR COMMUNICATING BETWEEN THE PASSENGERS AND GUARD OR BETWEEN THE GUARDS AND DRIVERS OF RAILWAY TRAINS
Year: 1872

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Charles William Earle Marsh
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 14th February 1872.
I, CHARLES WILLIAM EARLE MARSH, of Laurence Pountney Lane, in
the City of London, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR COMMUNICATING BETWEEN
THE PASSENGERS AND GUARD OR BETWEEN THE GUARDS AND DRIVERS OF RAILWAY
TRAINS," to be as follows:-
'
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for com-
municating signals between the passengers and guards and engine
drivers of railway trains.
In carrying out my Invention a light rod or tube is arranged the
length of each carriage, supported in brackets or bearings so that it may
revolve freely and with as little friction as possible. At the ends of
each of these rods double jaws or joints are placed connected with an
apparatus so arranged as to allow of free motion for the vertical, hori-
zontal, and lateral movements of the carriages or train.
This apparatus consists of pieces of gas tubes or cases of any suitable
material in which are fitted sliding rods or bars so that they may work

page_text: freely backwards or forwards, but are prevented from revolving (without
the main rod doing so) by feathers running in slots or otherwise, or any
other convenient arrangement of apparatus, such as a square neck or nut,
may be employed. At the outer ends of these sliding bars are placed
double or single joints for coupling the communication between the
carriages or other rolling stock. Under or opposite each compartment
(or opposite each communicating pull or lever handle) on the main rod
is fixed a crank to which is attached a wire or cord leading to the alarm
pull or lever handle. This wire or cord is made sufficiently loose to
allow for the free motion of the other cranks should a carriage be
turned end for end. The pull or lever handle may consist of something
similar in form to an ordinary lever bell pull, or any suitable contrivance
may be employed for this purpose. An indicator is fixed outside of
each compartment and attached to the alarm pull or lever handle by
wires and suitable bell cranks to show where the communication arises
from after the apparatus has been acted upon to give a signal. The
indicator may consist of an arm or disc thrown out by a spring or
weight. Where it is found necessary in the guard's van or otherwise
a suitable alarm bell will be placed, to which wires and cords or rods
will be attached leading to the bell cranks on the main communicating
rod or tube which will be cut off at this point, but will continue to the
next set of carriages or rolling stock in the same way. A handle should
also be placed in the guard's compartment so that if found necessary he
may communicate with the driver or other guard, if any, who would
also have the necessary alarm bell affixed. The above-mentioned bell
cranks provide for the turning end for end of any of the intermediate
rolling stock.
-The
The communicating apparatus acts in the following manner :-'
train having been made up and coupled in the ordinary way by the
porters, who when doing this cannot fail to be attracted by the commu-
nicating slide bars at the ends of each carriage, as it is proposed to fix
them for this purpose nearly under the coupling apparatus. These slide
bars are drawn out and coupled by inserting a small pin by which the
communication is then at once in complete working order. Suppose
an alarm is to be given from one of the compartments the passenger
pulls down the lever, which being attached by a wire and crank to the
main bar or rod gives about a quarter of a turn to the whole length up
to the guard's van in which is placed the bell crank with wires running
up to the alarm bell which is thus set in motion, and at the same time

page_text: the small signal or indicator is thrown out, thus showing the compart-
ment where the alarm originated. The main rod immediately revolves
back into its place ready for further communication by the weight of
the cranks, and a balance arranged for that purpose placed in the guard's
compartment; this guard is now left to continue the alarm to the
others or the driver if found necessary.