IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR SIGNALLING BETWEEN PASSENGERS, GUARD, AND DRIVER UPON RAILWAY TRAINS
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Nathan Stocks, of Preston, in the County of Lancaster,
for the Invention of "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR SIGNALLING BETWEEN
PASSENGERS, GUARD, AND DRIVER UPON RAILWAY TRAINS."
Sealed the 2nd February 1877, and dated the 7th December 1876.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Nathan Stocks at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 7th December 1876.
NATHAN STOCKS, of Preston, in the County of Lancaster. "IMPROVED APPARATUS
FOR SIGNALLING BETWEEN PASSENGERS, GUARD, AND DRIVER UPON RAILWAY
TRAINS."
The object of this Invention is to provide a simple incans whereby any passenger
in any compartment of a carriage can, by simply pulling down a lever, sound the.
bell or whistle upon the engine and the bell in the guard's van, and at the same
time throw out a semaphore or signal to indicate the carriage and the particular
compartment of that carriage whence the alarm was given.
Across each compartment of each carriage, just beneath the ceiling, extends an
axle or shaft mounted in suitable bearings so that it can revolve. Keyed upon this
axle are three levers (one on each seat), which levers when in their normal position
lie horizontally close under the ceiling, and when any passenger pulls one of these
levers down into a vertical position it is evident that the axle will be caused to
make a quarter of a revolution. To one or more of these levers is attached (or
formed in one piece with its boss) a toothed quadrant, which gears into a rack at
the back working in a tube at the back, and with its upper end passing out
through the carriage roof, where it has attached to it a semaphore arm or other
visible signal, which when in its normal position will lie close down on the roof,
but which will be raised up on any of the levers inside the carriage being pulled
down. This rack (or the semaphore or signal) is furnished with a spring retaining
catch, so that when once raised it will remain up until the catch is released by
the guard, the catch being so situated that it cannot be reached from the inside of
the carriage.
To communicate with the guard and engine driver I sometimes employ the cord
as at present used running along cach carriage, and connected by the ordinary

page_text: fastenings, and with a drum in the guard's van for tightening the same, the said
cord being acted upon by levers keyed on the end of the axle above named, so that
when a lever is pulled down inside the carriage the corresponding outside lever will
pull down the cord between two pulleys, and thus draw both ends inwards, sounding
the bell or whistle on the engine at one end, and the bell in the guard's van at the
other; but I prefer to employ a chain for this purpose, and to provide the end of
each chain with spring links, so that when the train is made up the chains can be
linked up to the proper length, and thus the drum in the guard's van is dis-
pensed with.
Whenever a lever inside the carriage is pulled down, not only are the guard and
driver's signals sounded, but they are kept in action until the guard passes along
the train and releases the spring interlocking catch. This arrangement will not
prevent the ordinary signalling between the guard and driver.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Nathan Stocks in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 7th June
1877.
(5 IMPROVED APPARATUS
FOR SIGNALLING BETWEEN PASSENGERS, GUARD, AND ENGINE DRIVER UPON RAILWAY
TRAINS."
NATHAN STOCKS, of Preston, in the County of Lancaster.
The object of the Invention is to provide a simple means whereby any passenger
in any compartment of a carriage can, by simply pulling down a lever, sound the
bell or whistle upon the engine and the bell in the guard's van, and at the same
time throw out a semaphore or signal to indicate the carriage and the particular
compartment of that carriage whence the alarm was given.
Such being the nature and object of my said Invention, I will now proceed to
describe in detail the manner in which the same is to be or may be performed or
carried into practical effect; and in order that the same may be clearly under-
stood I have annexed hereunto a Sheet of Drawings illustrative thereof, and have
marked the same with figures and letters of reference corresponding with those
in the following explanation thereof:-
-
Fig. 1 in the annexed Drawing is a transverse section, and Fig. 2 a longitudinal
section of part of the roof of a railway carriage with my improvements shown as
applied thereto; Fig. 3 is an exterior view of part of two carriages.
a, a, is the carriage roof; b, b, the sides; and c, c, the partition between two
compartments.
Across each compartment of each carriage, just beneath the ceiling or roof a, a,
extends an axle or shaft d, d, mounted in suitable bearings e, e, so that it can
revolve. Keyed upon this axle are three levers f, f, f, (one over each seat) which
levers when in their normal position lie close under the ceiling (see dotted lines in
enlarged detached view, Fig. 4), and when any passenger pulls one of these levers
down into the position shown at Figs. 2 and 4 it is evident that the axle d, d, will
be caused to make a quarter of a revolution. To one or more of these levers is
attached (or formed in one piece with its boss) a toothed quadrant g, g, which gears
into a rack h, k, working in a tube at the back, and with its upper end passing out
through the carriage roof, where it has attached to it a semaphore arm i, i, or other
suitable signal, which when in its normal position will lie close down on the roof,
but which will be raised up, as seen at Figs. 1, 3, and 4, on any of the levers ff.;
inside the carriage being pulled down. This rack h, h, (or the semaphore or signal)
is furnished with a spring retaining catch h, k, (see Fig. 4), so that when once
raised it will remain up until the catch is released by the guard, the catch being
so situated that it cannot be reached from the inside of the carriage.
To communicate with the guard and engine driver I sometimes employ the cord
as at present used running along each carriage, and connected by the ordinary

page_text: fastenings, and with a drum in the guard's van for tightening the same, the said
cord or chain being acted upon by levers n, n, keyed on on the end of the axle d, d,
above named, so that when a lever is pulled down inside the carriage the corre-
sponding outside lever a will pull down the cord between two pulleys (see enlarged
view, Fig. 5), and thus draw both ends inwards, sounding the bell or whistle on
the engine at one end, and the bell in the guard's van at the other; but I prefer to
employ a chain 7, 7, for this purpose, and to provide the end of each chain with
spring links m, so that when the train is made up the chains can be linked up to
the proper length.
When the train is made up and the cords or chains connected the slack in taken
up in the guard's van by means of a drum in the ordinary manner; but in order
to allow of the expansion and contraction of the train (especially in passing short
curves) I place in the guard's van the apparatus shown at Fig. 6. The chains 1, 2, pre-
viously to passing round the drum is carried over and under the pulleys o, o, o², o¹,
to the latter of which is suspended a weight p, p It will be evident that this weight
will always keep the cord or chain l, l, at a proper tension, but will give and tako
"slack
as the expansion or contraction of the train requires.
"
Whenever a lever f inside the carriage is pulled down, not only are the guard
and driver's signals sounded, but they are kept in action until the guard passes
along the train and releases the spring interlocking catch k. This arrangement will
not prevent the ordinary signalling between the guard and driver.
Having now described the nature and object of my said Invention, together with
the manner in which the same is to be or may be performed or carried into practical
effect, I wish it to be understood that I claim as my Invention, the general con-
struction and arrangement of mechanism for such purposes, constructed and acting
substantially in the manner herein-before described and illustrated by the Drawings
annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said Nathan Stocks, have hereunto set my hand
and scal, this Fifth day of June, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-seven.
NATHAN STOCKS. (L.S.)