CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MECHANISM APPLICABLE TO RAILWAY SIGNALS
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Elias Robison Handcock, of Albemarl Street, in
the City of Westminster, in the County of Middlesex, Esq., for the
Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MECHANISM APPLICABLE TO
RAILWAY SIGNALS."
Scaled the 28th June 1872, and dated the 3rd January 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Elias Robison Handcock
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 3rd January 1872.
I, ELIAS ROBISON HANDCOCK, of Albemarl Strect, in the City of
Westminster, in the County of Middlesex, Esq., do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MECHANISM
APPLICABLE TO RAILWAY SIGNALS," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in a self-acting species of mechanism by which
the engine driver or guard can ascertain the number of minutes that a
train has passed the signal post. This is effected by means of a hand or
rod from which a pendulum is dependent, and which traverses a semi-

page_text: circular or other form of face or disk, hereby showing the length of time
since the previous train has passed, and which the action of the wheel of
the engine or that of any railway carriage adapted to the purpose can set
in motion while passing over a small lever contiguous to the rail attached
to a crank by a wire or string at the back of the cross head, setting also
in motion the alarm bell at the top of the semicircular disk or a gong,
as the case may be.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Elias Robison Handcock in the Great Scal Patent
Office on the 1st July 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ELLAS
ROBISON HANDCOCK, of 7, Albemarle Street, Piccadilly, in the County
of Middlesex, Esquire, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Third day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-fifth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said Elias Robison Handcock, Her special licence
that I, the said Elias Robison Handcock, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Elias Robison Handcock, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and
no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVE.
MENTS IN MECHANISM APPLICABLE TO RAILWAY SIGNALS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Elias Robison Handcock, my executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or
one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to
be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said Letters Patent.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Elias Robison Handcock, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
The peculiarity of this Invention is that of the well-known principle
of the pendulum and its application to signals for railway purposes, and
by so relieving friction in its adoption that it loses little of the effect of
gravity in its action, and also that it indicates both the intervals of
time and space between the passing of two trains, and renders it almost
impossible for one train to come into collision with another, unless
through palpable carelessness or inattention of the engine driver.
Nothing can be more uniform or correct then the oscillation of a
pendulum, thus the space passed over by the train is indicated by the
hand attached to the pendulum rod, and recorded on the quadrant each
minute with the great accuracy, and as there are sixty minutes in an
hour let us suppose an express train completes one mile for each minute
including stoppages, it is only necessary to mark out the exact spot the
hand arrives at and record it on the face of the quadrant when each mile
is completed on each minute terminates (the exact weight of the pen-
dulum and the length of the rod to continue to vibrate for a certain time
being accurately ascertained and indicated) and to be convinced there
can be little difficulty in its correct adjustment in the first instance, or
in being made aware how far the previous train is in advance.
Thus suppose an express train to occupy say one minute to complete a
milc, at the rate of sixty miles an hour, a passenger train at the rate of
thirty miles an hour consequently would take two minutes for cach mile;
and a goods train at fifteen miles an hour would require four minutes for
cach mile. And as the lines and figures specifying the particular time
and the space passed over by each separate train are distinctly marked on
the quadrant so there can be no possibility of mistake, as the engine driver
is supposed to be aware of the description of train which has last passed.
But should this not be the case the porter at each station at which a
signal post is placed has only to hang the label, as seen in Figures 6, 7,
and 8, after the train has gone by to notify it; for even if the arrow
heads, the circles, the lozenges, or other figures placed on the face of the
quadrant were overlooked, the very are described by the pendulum's
vibration would in itself be sufficient to indicate the space and time since

page_text: the passing of the last train, for the arc of the circle described by the
hand in the pendulum rod deceasing at each vibration, and becoming
less and less as the previous train recedes, would fix the attention of the
engine driver without taking into consideration the totting of the bell,
especially as the totting ceases after the lapse of a certain number of
minutes, and when all danger or chance of a collision has ceased.
The vibration of the pendulum by a proper adjustment might be made
to continue for a considerable period, even for half an hour, but from
ten to fifteen minutes would be ample for all purposes.
The bell being counterbalanced by the weight y occasions little
perceptible difference in the continuance of the oscillation, especially as
seen in E2, when only the clapper is struck by a projection from the top
of the piston rod, all of which is fully taken into consideration in the
construction of the Invention.
.
Another unique feature in this signal is its continued movement when
in action until brought to act by the effect of gravity. This in itself is
a peculiarity not found in any application of the kind for a like purpose,
and which from this movement alone must attract attention at a long
distance. But added to this there is inserted in the face of the pendulum
a m from sixteen to eighteen inches in diameter, or such area as may
be deemed desirable, either flat, concave, or convex, whichever may be
found most conspicuous or advantageous, concentrating the rays of light
and rendering it (independent of the oscillating action) a most con-
spicuous object at a considerable distance before the signal post is
reached. And at night or in foggy weather a lamp, as seen in Figure 1,
letter K, may be hung loosely on a hook in front of the mirror, which
lamp always retaining a natical position, and also traversing the mirror
from side to side, must add considerably to the effect.
The friction of the axle to which the pendulum rod is attached is
reduced to the least possible degree, as the axle does not rest on the
cross head L (Figure 12), but on the plates or knife-edged pieces of steel or
other metal at each end of the cross head, as seen in Figures 12 and 14,
and which is found admirably to answer the purpose and reduce the
friction to a minimum, leaving the vibration of the pendulum almost
free from friction.
The cranks, as seen in the back view of the signal in Figure 3 being
equally balanced can have no effect one way or the other as regards the

page_text: free action of the pendulum, which when once set in motion meets no
obstruction from the lever N, as seen in Figure 1, as the stop or small
ball I after the first move of the pendulum never even touches the lever N,
and leaves the action of the pendulum as free and uncontrolled as if there
was no lever N in question at all. The stop I which is fixed on the cord
or wire, and which wire passes through a hole in the lever N up to the
crank, is merely intended to enable the lever N to strike it when the
train is passing, and press it down and draw the crank with it until it
rises the pendulum to a horizontal position as seen in the dotted lines at
letter C, and Figure 3, letter u. The pendulum after the first move never
rises sufficiently high towards a horizontal position so as to cause the
lever N to meet the stop I; tlie lever cannot therefore in any manner
impede the action of the pendulum. These levers P and N are kept
raised at an angle by means of counterbalancing weights V, as seen in
Figures 10 and 13, consequently cannot in any manner interfere with
the vibration of the pendulum or be put out of order.
This signal may be employed to indicate danger or caution cither to the
up or down train, as it may occupy the centre of what is denominated
the six-fect gage or the space between the two lines of rails, videlicet,
the up and down line; and the station master from his office can raise the
signal to any point and keep it stationary there, like the ordinary sema-
phore (only far more observable), telegraphing thereby to either the up or
down lines, it being common in this instance to both, either to stop or go
slow, as seen in Figure 3, letter T and U, and this without any confusion
or mistake relative to the up or down line signal. But as a self-acting
signal it must be confined to one line alone, any application to the other
line must be by the manual act of the station master, although it can be
arranged so as to be a self-acting signal for both lines, which does not
som dosimha
•
First. That the wind may affect the action.

page_text: In answer to the first remark I have to observe that the pendulum
being round and bevelled off of thus at the outer edge, no side wind
can effect it, and to prove this I employed a large bellows within an inch
of the rim of the pendulum, and it produced no effect nor even moved the
pendulum, and if the wind took it in front it would have but a very
slight effect, and by no means worth taking into consideration or impede
the action even in a slight degree.
To the second remark I have to observe that a train travelling at
sixty miles an hour is nearly twice as much in velocity as hurricane speed,
which is fifty feet a second or one thousand yards in a minute, while at
express train at sixty miles an hour goes one thousand seven hundred
and sixty yards in a like time, so the noise of the tolling of the bell
must be towards not after the engine, and the noise of the train likewise,
for no one ever saw the smoke of the funnel driven by the wind before
or in front of the engine.
As to the third remark I have to observe that the time since the
previous train had passed and the distance it has gone is indicated as
usual whether the train follow each other at an interval of one minute
or ten minutes, and although the pendulum would continue to vibrate
the usual time the coming train stops its usual vibration and sets it in
motion commencing de novo at one minute, and scarcely will trains be
allowed to follow each other under eight or ten minutes even where
there is the greatest traffic.
Figure shows a front view of the signal post, (B) is a pendulum; A, a
mirror inserted into the pendulum; K, a lamp which is loose on a hook;
C shews the position of the pendulum when the wheel or pulley of the
guard's van sets it in motion in passing over the lever P, which in
turn depresses the lever N, which again acts on the stop I. W is a bell
with a bar attached to the lips, which is acted on by the hand J, which
causes it to ring when the pendulum vibrates, and which bell is counter-
balanced by the weight Y, which enables the bell to move freely on its
axle with little friction and not impending the action of the pendulum,
although a better arrangement for this purpose is seen in Figure 2. The
letters D, E, F, in dotted lines in this Figure show the different position
of the pendulum during different vibrations. This Figure also shows the
position of the lever N when the pendulum is at rest; the ball or stop I
being just as distant from that part of the lever N, through which the
wire or cord passes to the crank as the length of the crank itself; this

page_text: enables the crank to move freely up to the vertical point without friction
or impediment. This crank is attached to the end of the axle R, which
passes through the cross head to opposite to that to which the pendulum
is fastened, as more particularly shown in Figure 3, and also the position of
the crank as seen in the dotted lines when the pendulum is at the
horizontal position (u) just after the passing of the train. In this Figure is
also shown by the dotted lines the position of the pendulum at the
different distances of the train. The lever N it will be perceived by the
dotted lines presses the ball or stop I down, till it arrives sufficiently low
to raise the pendulum by the action of the crank o, which is placed at
right angles to the pendulum on the same axle R, as high as the dotted
lines C, as also shewn in this Figure. It also shows how the levers P
and N are made to act and retain their upright position by the simple
means of the weight Y, inserted into the end of the levers, as also seen
in Figure 10.
Figure 2 shews a side view of the signal with the cross head L, through
this cross head the axle R passes, and which supports the pendulum rod;
it is to be observed that the axle does not rest on or touch the cross head
through which the axle passes, but rests on two thin steel or other metal
plates S, as before described at the ends of the cross head, more par-
ticularly seen in Figures 12 and 14. This Figure also shews another
method of setting the alarm bell in motion.
Figure 3 shows the back view of the signal post, and the two cranks
by which the signal is set in motion; these being under the control of
the station master may be employed to set the pendulum at the danger
signal, or give an intimation to go slow or stop the vibration altogether,
as seen in letter T, U, and A, and retain it there as long as necessary;
all this is accomplished by setting the signal at the necessary angle.
The same operation may be employed to stop or check the reverse
train, and this without the signal for one train interfering with that of
the other, much in the same way as the ordinary Admiralty or railway
telegraph is used.
Fig. 4 shows an enlarged view of the semicircular disc and quadrant
(the simple quadrant I prefer), together with the hand affixed to the
pendulum rod, which points the miles gone over by each description of
train; videlicet, an express train is represented by the arrow heads at the
rim of the quadrant, supposing the speed to be at the rate of sixty miles

page_text: claim,―
First. The general combination of parts, as detailed both in the
Drawings and description, without limiting myself to the precise
method herein set forth, but adhering to the principle of an oscillating
signal.
Secondly. The peculiarity of an oscillating signal and pendulum of
any durable shape, in which a mirror may or may not be inserted, and
the method of setting it in motion and causing it to vibrate, and the
method by which the station master from his office can regulate and
control the action of the signal.
Thirdly. I claim the self-acting application of a bell to be set in
motion by the pendulum rod.
Fourthly. I claim the quadrant or other shaped disc on which the miles
and minutes are marked, as seen in the enlarged scale of the Diagram
Figure 4, and on which the time and distances between the passing of
cach train is marked, and the method by which the same is exemplified.
Fifthly. I claim the employment of cranks to set the pendulum in
motion, and the means whereby they are acted on by the levers P and N,
for the purpose of setting the signal in action, and directing it to any
angle necessary either to intimate danger or caution.
Sixthly. I claim the cross head L through which the axle R passes,
and the means of relieving the friction by the plates S; also the moveable
lamp traversing the face of the pendulum, and necessary at night or in
foggy weather, and also the mirror as shewn in the pendulum.
In witness whereof, I, the said Elias Robison Handcock, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Tenty-sixth day of
June, One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two.