Improvements in Staff and Tablet Apparatus for Controlling the Traffic on Single-line Railways.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Aug., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 20th Oct., 1890-Accepted, 22nd Nov., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Staff and Tablet Apparatus for Controlling the
Traffic on Single-line Railways.
We FRANCIS WILLIAM WEBB of Crewe in the County of Chester Mechanical
Engineer, and ARTHUR MOORE THOMPSON of the same place Mechanical Engineer
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :-
It has been customary to regulate the traffic on single line railways either by a
staff, by a staff and tickets, by tablets placed in a suitable magazine, the issue of
which is electrically controlled, and which system is described in the patent granted
to Mr. Tyer dated 30th March 1878 and numbered 1262, or by staffs placed in a
suitable magazine, the issue of which is electrically controlled, and which system is
described in the patent granted to Messrs. Francis William Webb and Arthur
Moore Thompson dated 23rd January 1889 and numbered 1263. In the electrically
controlled tablet and staff systems mentioned above it is necessary that each block
station be made a staff or tablet station, but this arrangement is in many cases
inconvenient. as it not only involves the slowing of trains at the block posts so that
the staff or tablet may be exchanged which otherwise would run through at speed,
but introduces other difficulties.
The object of our present invention is to work intermediate block posts between
the staff or tablet stations so as to avoid the necessity of making them staff or
tablet stations, and we accomplish our object by forming the tablets or staffs in
several parts which may be separated the one part from the other and readily
put together again, and we so arrange these parts that if one is separated
the remaining parts cannot be utilized for actuating the apparatus, or, in other
words, if a part is absent the remaining part cannot be placed in the apparatus from
which it has been withdrawn.
To explain the use of our invention we assume that there are four stations A, B, C, D.
A and D are stations where trains can cross each other, and these stations are
provided with electrically controlled magazines for the staffs or tablets. B and C
are ordinary block posts. The train is ready to depart from A and it is required
to despatch a second, a third, and say a fourth train from A. A rings to that
he wants to withdraw the staff or tablet; D gives permission and A withdraws
a staff or tablet, this staff or tablet is handed to the station master who takes
it to the driver, and in the driver's presence he detaches one of the parts forming
the staff or tablet, and hands it to the driver, retaining the other portions.
The part handed to the driver is his authority to proceed on his journey; the portion
retained by the station master cannot now be replaced in the magazine, as there is
one part absent, consequently A cannot get a second staff nor can D. As soon as the
train has passed the block post B and line clear is signalled to A, the second train
can be despatched from A with another part of the staff or tablet, and so on with the
third train. The fourth train is in like manner sent forward, but in this case the
remaining portion or portions of the staff is handed to the driver. So soon as the first
train has arrived at D the first part of the staff or tablet is handed to the signalman,
and so on with the second and third parts; the remaining part is brought by the
fourth train, and the signalman at D having now received all the parts of the staff
or tablet, at once puts them together, and having done so he is then able to put the
complete staff or tablet in his apparatus. A or D as the case may be is then able to
signal for and obtain a second staff, or tablet and this staff or tablet may be split up
to deal with several trains which are going in the same direction, as previously
described, or should there be no following train, the complete staff or tablet is handed
to the driver.

page_text: In the case of a staff we build it up in four or more parts, each part being attached
to the other by means of a screw, bayonet joint, or other suitable connection, and
we provide each part with a projection, projections, or other suitable device; we
also provide for the magazine apparatus certain locks which are actuated by the said
projections or other devices, so that should one part of the staff be absent it is
impossible to replace the staff in the magazine as one of the said locks would not
be actuated, the actuating piece being absent with the absent part. Instead of
splitting the staff itself up into several parts a recess can be formed in the handle of
the staff, and in this recess can be placed three or more metal tickets with the name
of the section of line to which they apply cast on, and each of these metal tickets
provided with locking devices as mentioned above to work in connection with the
locks of the magazine apparatus, or the metal tickets may take the form of keys,
and attached to the staff can be provided a moveable sleeve provided with a suitable
lock for each key. To release a key it is first necessary to slide the moveable sleeve
towards the centre of the staff, in which position a key can be turned and withdrawn,
the turning of the key locking the sleeve in its moved position; a second or any
number of keys can then he withdrawn, and as the withdrawal of each key
independently locks the sleeve, it follows that all the keys must be in place before
the sleeve can be unlocked and moved back to its normal position. The sleeve is made
of such a size that it prevents a staff from being placed in the magazine if it is
moved from its normal position, and thus when a key is absent-which cannot be
unless the sleeve is moved from its normal position and locked-it follows that as
soon as a key is withdrawn the staff cannot be replaced in the magazine.
In the case of the tablet it may be constructed with four or more thin metal
plates, each plate provided with the name of the section to which it applies, and
secured together by a suitable fastening, each plate being provided with projections
or other suitable locking device to actuate locks in the magazine apparatus.
Dated this 1st day of August 1800
F. W. WEBB.
A. MOORE THOMPSON.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Staff and Tablet Apparatus for Controlling the
Traffic on Single-line Railways.
We FRANCIS WILLIAM WEBB of Crewe in the County of Chester Mechanical
Engineer, and ARTHUR MOORE THOMPSON of the same place, Mechanical Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
It has been customary to regulate the traffic on single line railways either by a
staff, by a staff and tickets, by tablets placed in an electrically controlled receptacle as
described in the patent granted to Edward Tyer dated the 30th day of March 1878
No. 1262, or by staffs placed in an electrically controlled receptacle as described in
the patent granted to Francis William Webb and Arthur Moore Thompson dated the
23rd day of January 1889 and numbered 1263.
To work a single line of railway of considerable length it is usual to provide at
certain points on the line, generally at the most important stations, a second line of
rails by means of which a train arriving from one end of the single line may pass a
train arriving from the other end, and these stations are commonly called " passing
places."
Now the object of the staff or tablet system of working is to prevent a train from
being despatched from one of these passing places when the line of rails upon which
it will run is already occupied or about to be occupied by a train travelling in the
opposite direction, and the staff or tablet system fully secures this object, but the
passing places are frequently at long distances apart and if a train leaves passing
place say A for the next passing place say Ca second train cannot leave A until the

page_text: first train has arrived at C, and to avoid this unnecessary delay one or more signal
stations or block posts are provided between the passing places so that so soon as the
first train sent from A has passed the intermediate station say B a second train can be
sent from A, an this was only accomplished by the introduction of the system now
50 well known as the staff and ticket system, which enables the first train to be sent
forward with a ticket from A. the staff being retained by A to be sent on with a
following train so soon as the first train had passed the intermediate station B.
With the electrically controlled tablet and staff systems previously referred to
ordinary tickets as used in the staff and ticket system cannot be employed, as it will be
obvious that if C gave A permission to take a staff from the receptacle, and if A
having withdrawn the staff retained it for a second train, sending the first train away
with a ticket, A might then replace the staff in the receptacle and give permission
to C to take a staff and send a train in the opposite direction. This difficulty has
hitherto been met by providing the intermediate stations with electrically controlled
receptacles for staffs or tablets but it is not only a costly but an inconvenient
arrangement as every train has to exchange the staff or tablet at these intermediate
stations.
The object of our invention is to so improve the electrically controlled tablet or
staff systems that intermediate stations may be worked with ordinary block instru-
ments as in the staff and ticket system, and we accomplish this by forming our tablets
or staffs of several parts easily detachable the one part from the other, and so arranged
that if one or more parts are detached the remaining parts cannot be put in the
electrically controlled receptacle, or in other words if A. bas by permission of with-
drawn a tablet or staff from which he has detached a part by means of which he
sends forward the first train he cannot then replace the remaining part or parts of the
tablet or staff in the receptacle, and consequently so long as the part detached is
separated from the rest of the parts forming the staff or tablet A cannot take another
staff or tablet from the receptacle, neither can C. As soon as the train despatched
with the first part of the staff or tablet passes the intermediate station B. A can then
despatch a second train with a second portion and so on until the last train is
despatched with the remaining part or parts. As soon as these several trains have
reached the several parts of the tablet, or staff can be put together to form the
complete tablet or staff which can then be placed in the receptacle.
In order that our said invention may be well understood we shall now proceed more
particularly to describe the same reference being had to the accompanying drawings
and to the figures and letters marked thereon.
Fig. 1 Sheet shows to a small scale a staff as used in connection with the
electrically controlled apparatus described in Webb and Thompson's patent of the
23rd January 1889, No. 1263, and hereinbefore referred to, the part A being added
to contain detachable parts to be hereinafter described.
Fig. 2 Sheet 1 shows the above mentioned part A to an enlarged scale.
Fig. 3 Sheet 1 is a section of the staff through the part A at X X and in the
recess a is placed a metal plate or ticket ba similar plate or ticket e is placed in the
recess d. These plates or tickets have marked on them the names of the two stations
between which they can be used and they are each provided with a key e shown in
Figs. 4. 6. 7 and 8, Sheet 1. This key is so secured to the metal plate or ticket that
it is free to be turned but cannot be detached from the plate or ticket.
C is a sliding metal cover which partially covers the metal plates or tickets
when in its normal position as shown by Fig. 2 Sheet 1, and which may be moved
to uncover the metal plates or tickets to the position shown by Fig. 4 Sheet 1. This
sliding cover is held in its normal position by a spring catch Fig. 2 Sheet 1 secured
to the body of the staff in which it is partially sunk its free end engaging with a
notch formed in the cover C, a metal plate g. g is screwed on one end of the cover (
to prevent it from being withdrawn from the staff and it limits its movement between
the enlarged portions of the staff and j. In the recesses a and d Fig. 3 Sheet 1
which are made deeper for the purpose are fixed two locks placed back to back and
secured to the body of the staff by screws or rivets. These locks k and I are shown

page_text: by Figs. 8 and 9 Sheet 1 one of the locks being also seen in Fig. 5 Sheet 1, and by
dotted lines in Fig. 4 Sheet 1 are of the ordinary drawer lock form and construction,
but we provide in the interior of cach lock a stop to prevent the key from being
turned through a complete circle, in other words when the key is inserted in the
lock and turned, the bolt of the lock is drawn back the key then meets with the
stop which prevents it from being turned further, consequently to withdraw the key
from the lock it must be turned back and the holt shot again, or in other words when
the key is in the lock and turned the bolt of the lock is drawn back or is in its
unlocked position, when the key is turned back and withdrawn from the lock the bolt
is shot or is in its locked position. The bolts of these locks mand » Fig. 9 Sheet 1
are made sufficiently long to pass through the walls of the staff and when drawn back
or in their unlocked position they are flush with the outer wall of the staff, when the
bolts are shot or in their locked position they project about ths of an inch beyond
the outer wall of the staff, in Fig. 9 Sheet the "bolt m is shown shot and the boli n
shown withdrawn. In the metal cover we provide two recesses o and Fig. 5
Sheet 1 and into these recesses the bolts m and of the locks k and shoot and it is
only when the cover is drawn back to the position shown in Fig. 5 Sheet 1 that
the bolts can be shot the sides of the cover preventing their movement in any other
position of the cover C. At the end of the staff and overlapping the metal plates
or tickets are projections 7 Figs. 4 and 8 Sheet 1, these are provided to hold the
metal plates or tickets in position at one end, the other ends being held by the keys in
the locks.
We now proceed to describe the mode of manipulating our improved staff. A
staff by the permission of the signalman at the other end of the section of a single
line is withdrawn by the signalman who has say three trains to send from his
station A to station (-he takes the staff and in presence of the driver of the
train slides the cover lack, thus uncovering the metal plates or tickets. he then
takes hold of the handle of the key e of one of the tickets turns it and withdraws
the key from the lock say k Fig. 8 Sheet 1, the turning of the key shoots the bolt of
the lock into the recess say o Fig. 5 Sheet 1, and thus the cover becomes locked in
its moved position. The signalman now withdraws the plate or ticket from the staff
and hands it to the driver of the first train as his authority to proceed from A to C.
If the signalman after the departure of this train attempts to replace the staff in the
electrically controlled receptacle he finds he cannot do so as the cover C is of too
large a diameter to pass through the slot of the receptacle and he cannot move the
cover back to its normal position as it has been locked by the withdrawal of
the ticket. So soon as the first train has passed the intermediate signal station B
a second train is sent from A with a second ticket, and when the train has passed B
the third train is sent from A but in this case the staff itself is handed to the
driver.
to
So soon as these three trains have reached the signalman proceeds to replace the
two tickets in the staff and only when this is done can he slide hack the cover
enable him to place the staff in his electrically controlled receptacle.
Fig. 10 Sheet 2 shows a modification of our improved staff. The end A of the
staff previously referred to is in this case slotted out to hold three metal plates or.
tickets t, u, v, each of these tickets are provided with two projections or ears w
Fig. 13 Sheet 2. In the electrically controlled receptacle we provide three pawls of
a similar form to those described in Webb and Thompson's Patent of the
23rd January 1889 No. 1263 herein before referred to, and these three pawls have to
be lifted clear of the discs in the receptacle before a staff can be taken out or put in.
The cars or projections w, a, on the tickets are provided for the purpose of lifting
these pawls clear of the discs to enable a staff to be put in or taken out of the
receptacle and consequently if one of these tickets is removed from the staff the staff
cannot be taken out or put into the receptacle as one pawl would remain unlifted on
account of the ticket and its lifting projections or ears being absent and the discs in
the receptacle would remain locked.
These three tickets are held in position in the staff by a recess at one end y and

page_text: by a screw at the other end, this screw may be turned by means of an ordinary
carriage key.
Fig. 11 Sheet 2 is a sectional view of Fig. 10 Sheet 2 through the line X X.
Fig. 12 Sheet 2 is a sectional view of Fig. 10 Sheet 2 looking at the face of the
tickets.
Fig. 13 Sheet 2 shows one of the tickets removed from the staff.
Fig. 14 Sheet 2 shows our improved tablet for the type of apparatus as
described in the patent granted to Edward Tyer dated the 30th day of March 1878
No. 1262.
Fig. 15 Sheet 2 is a sectional view of the same.
a is a recess formed in the body of the tablet in which is placed a circular metal
plate or ticket b. e is another and similar recess in which is placed a second circular
plate or ticket d. These plates or tickets are marked with the names of the two
stations between which they can be used and they are each provided with a key e
securely riveted to the ticket.
In the recesses a and c are fixed two locks and secured by screws or rivets
to the body of the tablet, these locks are similarly constructed to those described
and shown by Figs. 8, 9 Sheet 1. The bolts of these locks m and n are of such a
length that when the two tickets b and d are in place and locked they are flush
with the outer edge of the tablet but when the tickets are unlocked and removed
they project about a quarter of an inch beyond the outer edge of the tablet. The
bolt m is shown projecting the ticket a being removed from the tablet, bolt n is
shown flush with the outer edge of the tablet the ticket c being locked in position in
the tablet.
The object of these bolts m and n being constructed to project beyond the outer
edge of the tablet when the tickets are removed is to form an obstruction and
prevent the tablet being placed in the clectrically controlled receptacle when a ticket
is removed from the tablet, the receptacle being made of such a diameter as only to
receive the tablet when the bolts are flush with the outer edge. At all we
provide two holes in each ticket by means of which the operator can turn them with
two fingers, the turning of the ticket also turning the key attached to it and thus
actuating the locks in the tablet.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is,
1. A staff or tablet in detachable parts for use with electrically controlled receptacles
for controlling the traffic on single line railways.
2. The combination of a staff with detachable plates or tickets for controlling the
traffic on single line railways substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated
by the drawings.
3. The combination of a tablet with detachable plates or tickets for controlling
the traffic on single line railways substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated
by the drawing.
4. A metal plate or ticket provided with a key or projections for actuating a lock
in connection with a staff, a tablet, or the electrically controlled receptacles for
containing the same for use in controlling the traffic on a single line of railway
substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated by the drawings.
Dated this 10th of 1000
F. W. WEBB.
A. M. THOMPSON.