Improved Means of Fog Signalling by Mechanical Appliances on Railways.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Dec., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 14th Sept., 1893-Accepted, 30th Sept., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means of Fog Signalling by Mechanical Appliances on
Railways.
JOHN HENRY PINDER Permanent Way Inspector. 274 Wallgate Wigan in the
County of Lancaster, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to an improved means of placing detonators on rails by
means of an endless chain, wire, or rod passing under rails and connected to a
detonator slide.
The nature of this invention consists of two pieces of flat iron or steel attached
on each side of a trough forming a smooth surface for the detonator slide to travel
upon and pulleys are placed on the lower portion of the trough to carry the endless
chain.
The object is to obviate fogmen crossing the line to put detonators on the rail
where there are several lines of permanent way to pass over before reaching the
line they are signaling for. The work of placing the detonator on the rail is
accomplished by a person standing outside of all the permanent way rails actuating
the endless chain by an horizontal shaft & wheels which shifts two detonators
10 yards apart to or from the rail.
December 11th 1892
JOHN HENRY PINDER.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION:
Improved Means of Fog Signalling by Mechanical Appliances on
Railways.
I JOHN HENRY PINDER of 274 Wallgate Wigan in the County of Lancaster,
Permanent-way Inspector, 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 :-
This invention relates to an improved means of placing detonators or fog-signals
upon rails by means of an endless chain, wire, or rope passing under the rails and
connected to a detonator slide.
The nature of my said invention and the manner in which the same is to be
performed or carried into practical effect will be readily understood on reference to
the sheet of drawings hereunto annexed and the following explanation thereof.
Fig. 1 on the drawing is a section across the permanent way and Fig. 2 a plan
view of the same showing the application of my invention thereto.
Figs. 3, 4 and 5 are detached views upon a larger scale and Fig. 6 is a cross
section of a modification thereof.
a a' represent the up and down rails of the permanent way and for the sake of
illustration the apparatus is shown as arranged so as to enable a signalman
stationed at A (Fig. 2) to place detonators upon the rail b without crossing over
the lines a and a¹.
Transversely to the rails and beneath the same I fix two troughs c (section of one
of which is shown at Fig. 6) inside which are attached two pieces of flat iron or
steel d to form a smooth surface for the detonator slide e to travel upon, and
pulleys are placed on the lower portion of the trough to carry the endless chain
or wire g. A single T- or other suitable shaped rail h may be employed instead
of the two plates d as shown in cross section at Fig. 3.

page_text: The rail whether arranged as at Fig. 3 or Fig. 6 is sloped up from the bottom of
the trough eat each end (see Fig. 4) so as to bring the detonator slide e up
to the level of the rail 6 to deposit, the detonator e* thereon as shown at Figs. 4
and 5.
The detonator slide e is attached to the endless chain or wire g which passes
under the rails a and a' and round guide pulleys to the winches k by turning
which the signalman can place a detonator or two detonators (as he may wish) upon
the line or withdraw it or them if not required.
The object of the invention is as. before stated to obviate the necessity for the
fogmen crossing the line to put detonators on the rail where there are several lines
of permanent way to pass over before reaching the line they are signalling for, the
work of placing the detonators on the rail being accomplished by a person standing
at A outside of all the permanent way rails actuating the endless chain or wire g
by a winch or other similar device so that he can place and remove either a single
detonator or two detonators placed (say) ten yards apart.
66
"
For the purpose of enabling the fogman to see (in a dense fog) whether the
ordinary danger signal is on without leaving his box I find it convenient to
provide the same with a miniature semaphore signal or index connected to and
worked by the signal wire so that he can (however dense the fog may be) see the
actual position of the danger signals and regulate his fog signalling accordingly
without leaving his post.
Having now particularly. described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
The improved means of placing detonators on the line of rail required, from the
outside of the permanent way by means of endless chains, wires, or ropes, without
the necessity for the fog signalmen crossing intervening lines substantially as
hereinbefore described and illustrated by the drawings annexed.
. Dated this 13th day of September 1893.
GEO. DAVIES & SON,
4, St. Ann's Square, Manchester, Agents for the Applicant.