Novel or Improved Means for Automatically Indicating Signals, and Recording a Register thereof, for Use in connection with Trains.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Jan., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 29th Oct., 1896-Accepted, 23rd Jan., 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A Novel or Improved Means for Automatically Indicating Signals,
and Recording a Register thereof, for Use in connection with
Trains.
I, JAMES ROBINSON JOHNSON, of 7, Upper Archer Street, Darlington, in the
County of Durham, Coachbuil·ler, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
This invention relates to means or apparatus attached in part to the permanent
way and in part to the train itself, for automatically indicating whether signals
are up or down and for recording such indications on a register.
The object in view is to automatically in licate for the use of driver or guard
each time a signal is passed whether the line is clear or the signal against the
train and as the train travels along the line to take a record of such notifications
for reference.
That part of the apparatus which is placed in the permanent way consists of a
substantial metal block which is secured to the sleepers of the railway at a short
distance in front of the ordinary standard signal post.
The centre part of this block is made to swivel on pins and is controlled from
the cabin by the same lever which controls the semaphore, each semaphore of the
system having its own block and the connection between the semaphore and the
corresponding block is, that the movement communicated to the block corresponds
with the position of the semaphore. This block I will for convenience of
description term the semaphore block.
Connected with the train and preferably attached to the foot plate of the engine
is a piston arrangement and the piston by its position and length strikes each
semaphore block in succession as the train passes over them so as to impart a
movement to an indicating and a registering device which are preferably fixed in
convenient positions for observation in the engine drivers cabin. The piston is
provided with a small wheel or is suitably inclined or rounded off at its lower end
and runs over each semaphore block placed in its track in the permanent way the
block being suitably inclined all with a view of facilitating the passage of the
piston over each block without undue impact. The piston is suspended from
the foot plate in its lowest position by nuts, and in its other or recording positions by
a spring catch or its equivalent. Connected to it at a point below these is a
cross bar from either arm of which extends a rod each in the vertical direction
so that these rods partake of the movement of the piston itself. One rod operates
the indicator and the other the recording register. The indicator is of any
construction suitable for the purpose such as a slide or motion block within a
casing which in one position exposes the word "on" aud in the other position the
word "off" according to the position of the semaphore. The recording register is
also of any suitable construction, such as a device for winding a strip of paper off
one roller un to another by gearing one roller to the vertical rod in such a manner
that each lift of the rod winds the paper from one roller to the other at a rate
determined by the gearing. The strips thus caused to pass along in tension over
a suitable surface receive impressions or marks from a pencil or other suitable
device from which the positions of the several semaphores passed by can be
read f

page_text: But in order to get these movements of the piston and the operating rods of the
indicator and recording register, the semaphore block is mounted on pins to swivel
so as to present its surface at one level for the piston to pass over when the
semaphore is up, and at another level when it is down, so that the piston jumps up
more or less according to the position of the semaphore block and the indicator
and record register act accordingly. The piston is retained automatically in the
recording and indicating position it jumps up to by a spring catch or its equivalent
controlled by a lever by which it is released and dropped to its lowest level for
contact with the next semaphore block.
Dated th: 001 1
G. J. CLARKSON,
Chartered Patent Agent,
Stockton-on-Tees, Agent for the Applicant.
A Novel or Improved Means for Automatically Indicating Signals,
and Recording a Register thereof, for Use in connection with
Trains.
I, JAMES ROBINSON JOHNSON, of 7, Upper Archer Street, Darlington, in the
County of Durham, Coachbuilder, 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 means or apparatus attached in part to the permanent
way and in part to the train itself, for automatically indicating whether signals
are up or down and for recording such indications on a register.
The object in view is to automatically indicate for the use of the driver or
guard each time a signal is passed whether the line is clear or the signal against
the train and as the train travels along the line to take a record of such notifica-
tions for reference.
That part of the apparatus which is placed in the permanent way consists of a
substantial metal block which is secured to the sleepers of the railway at a short
distance in front of the ordinary standard signal post.
The centre part of this block is made to swivel on pins and is controlled from
the cabin by the same lever which controls the semaphore, each semaphore of the
system having its own block, and the connection between the semaphore and
the corresponding block is, that the movement communicated to the block
corresponds with the position of the semaphore. This block I will for convenience
of description term the semaphore block.
Connected with the train and preferably attached to the foot plate of the
engine is a piston arrangement and the piston by its position and length strikes
each semaphore block in succession as the train passes them so as to impart a
movement to an indicating and a registering device which are preferably fixed in
convenient positions for observation in the engine driver's cabin.
But in order that my said invention may be clearly understood and readily
carried into effect, I will now preceed to describe the same with reference to the
accompanying drawings in which the same letters of reference are used to indicate
the same or corresponding parts in all the figures.
Fig. 1 illustrates in side elevation the metal block which is secured to the
sleepers of the railway at a short distance in front of the ordinary standard signal
post, and includes a view in elevation of the piston and its connections as seen
when running over the semaphore block.

page_text: Fig. 2 is a corresponding view in plan of a semaphore block with the piston and
its connections omitted.
Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the semaphore, and corresponding view in elevation
of the piston arrangement and indicating and registering mechanism as seen when
looking into the engine cabin.
Fig. 4 is a sectional view showing the semaphore block as if taken on line ww
of Fig. 2, but showing in dotted lines the position of the swivel when turned
down.
Figs. 5, 6 and 7 are some of the details drawn to an enlarged scale; Fig. 5
being a front view of the indicator and Fig. 6 a plan view of Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is an
enlarged view of the piston rod showing the notches as hereinafter described.
Registering and recording devices adapted for the purpose of this invention are
illustrated to a larger scale in Figs. 8 to 15 inclusive which will be hereinafter
described by themselves.
a is the semaphore biock the centre part a' of which is made to swivel on pins
and is controlled from the cabin by the same lever which controls the semaphore.
bis the engine foot plate, & the fire box bottom and the fire box end. c is the
piston rod supported from plating or frame work of the engine. The piston c is
provided with a link or fender bar c¹ to relieve the shock of the impact; this
bar has a slotted or elongated hole to adapt a radial motion to a straight line
motion and takes the first impact. To this bar may be attached a small wheel
which runs over each semaphore block placed in its track in the permanent way,
the block being suitably inclined all with a view of facilitating the passage of the
piston over each block without undue impact. The piston is suspended from the
engine foot plate in its lowest position by nuts and in its other or recording
position by a spring catch d or its equivalent which engages with the notches d'
in the piston rod as shown more particularly in Fig. 7. Connected to it at a point
below these is a cross bar e from either arm of which extends a rod el e² each in
the vertical direction so that these rods partake of the movement of the piston
itself, one rod e' operates the indicator f' and the rod the recording register f³.
But in order to get the requisite movements of the piston and the operating rods of
the indicator and recording register the part a' of the semaphore block which is
mounted on pins for the purpose swivels over so as to present its surface at one
level for the piston to pass over when the semaphore is up and at another level
when it is down so that the piston jumps up more or less according to the positions
of the semaphore block and the indicator and record register act accordingly. This
swivel block is shown in the turned up position in Figs. 1 and 4, and in the turned
down position in dotted lines in Fig. 4 the wire g which controls the semaphore
being used to control the swivel block so that both are at all times in corresponding
positions. The weight g' acts in combination with this arrangement and pulls the
Swivel block a over whenever the wire g is slackened. The piston c is retained
automatically in the recording and indicating position it jumps up to by the spring
catch d or its equivalent controlled by a lever d³ by which it is released and
dropped to its lowest level for contact with the next semaphore block. The
arrangement is intended to act in the following manner: If the swivel block jumps
up to the higher level and the spring catch engages with notch d' the indicator
exposes the word "on" as shown in Fig. 5. If the swivel block is turned down,
the piston c only jumps to the lower level the spring catch engages with the
notch d the indicator exposing the word "off." The dotted circle c¹ is intended to
show the position where the wheel of the piston first encounters the semaphore
block. But these movements could also be communicated to a bell or gong giving
one blow when the signal showed "board off" and two blows in the other
position.
Having thus described the construction and mode of action of this part of my
invention I will now proceed to describe that part of my invention which relates
to the recording registering apparatus which is shown in Figs. 8 to 11 as designed
to mark the record by means of a pencil, and in Figs. 12 to 15 inclusive a modified

page_text: construction of such apparatus is illustrated as designed to mark the record by a
punch.
Referring to Figs. 8 to 11 inclusive in which Fig. 8 is a front elevation of the
pencil recording registering apparatus; Fig. 9 is a sectional plan view of same
taken on line of Fig. 8; and Figs. 10 and 11 are sectional elevations taken on
line y y and respectively of Fig. 9.
The upper extremity of the register rod is bevelled on two sides in such a
n.anner that as the rod rises the bevelled sides work against slides h¹ h² which
slides are retained in position by springs jj; one of these slides h¹ operates a
ratchet wheel k which in turn acts upon the drums 2 containing the paper while
the other slide operates the pencil 7 which marks the paper in a manner varying
with the height to which the rod rises; as for instance, if the rod rises to the
position indicated at 1 the pencil records a short stroke on the paper, and when
the rod rises to the position indicated at 2 the pencil records a long stroke on the
paper, the long stroke corresponding with the position "un" of the indicator.
Referring to Figs. 12 to 15 in which Fig. 12 is a front elevation of the punch
register; Fig. 13 a transverse sectional elevation of same, and Figs. 14 and 15 are
top and bottom plan views respectively of Fig. 12. In this case the upper
extremity of the rod e is bevelled on two sides so that as the rod rises it depresses
the slides which are furnished with pins m which punch holes through the
paper as shown; as for instance, if the rod rises to the mid position, one hole is
punched through the paper which registers "signal off," and when the rod rises to
its highest position two holes are punched through the paper which registers
"signal on." These slides are retained in position by springs nn. Another
slide h operates the ratchet wheel k in the same manner as herein before described
with reference to the pencil recording apparatus.
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 :-
1. In means or apparatus for automatically indicating signals and recording a
register thereof for use in connection with trains, the arrangement of parts
comprising a semaphore block with a central swivel block, placed in the permanent
way, a piston rod supported from the engine foot plate, and furnished with rods for
operating an indicator and recording register, all combined and operating together,
substantially as and for the purpose as hereinbefore described with reference to the
accompanying drawings.
2. For use in connection with means for operating a vertical rod in the manner
indicated in my first claim, the device or apparatus for recording the register of
such movements in writing, constructed and operating substantially as hereinbefore
described with reference to Figs. 8 to 11 of the accompanying drawings.
3. For use in connection with means for operating a vertical rod in the manner
indicated in my first claim, the device or apparatus for recording the register of
such movements by punching, constructed and operating substantially as herein-
before described with reference to Figs. 12 to 15 of the accompanying drawings.
4. The general arrangement of parts constituting the apparatus as a whole,
arranged, constructed and effecting its purpose, substantially in the manner herein-
before described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 28th day of October 1806
G. J. CLARKSON,
Chartered Patent Agent,
Stockton-on-Tees, Agent for the Applicant.
G. J. CLARKSON,
Chartered Patent Agent,
Stockton-on-Tees, Agent for the Applicant.