Improvements in Railway Signalling Apparatus.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Nov., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 21st Aug., 1890-Accepted, 21st Nov., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Railway Signalling Apparatus.
We, JOHN PATRICK O'DONNELL of 2 Great George Street Westminster in the
County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, WILLIAM SMITH of 8 Geneva Road, Brixton
in the County of Surrey, Engineer, and ILLIUS AUGUSTUS TIMMIS of 2 Great George
Street Westminster in the County of Middlesex Civil Engineer do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
With any apparatus in which the safety-bar of the junction facing points, or a
trailing, rear, or other bar is coupled to the same connection that operates the signal,
it is obvious if the bar is intermediate between the operating lever and the signal,
that if a signal be deflected to the safety attitude and a train or vehicle be standing
on the bar, the signalman cannot replace the signal to danger, an inconvenience which
is dangerous to traffic working.
Our invention has for its object the provision of certain facilities, whereby the
signalman may if he so desires replace the signal to "danger" even though the train
be standing on the bar.
In order that our invention may be more readily understood, we will describe its
application to those cases where the signals are worked through or by the facing
point plunger or its equivalent,-that is to say, that the lever that locks the points and
works the bar, also operates the signal or signals.
In the case where duplex plungers are employed, we provide a draft wheel at the
end of each plunger, and intermediate between these wheels and some few feet away
from them is the end of a cross-bar.
To this end of the said cross bar, the wires working the two junction signals are
fixed. From this point, the wires run round the draft wheels to the signals.
The other end of the cross bar is connected by wire to a separate lever in the signal
cabin.
In the normal condition, and so long as vehicles do not stand on the bar, and the
signal is not required to be replaced to danger, the working and replacing of the
point lock lever, operates and replaces the respective signal, but should the signal be
required to be replaced with a vehicle standing on the bar, then the signalman works
his "signal replacing lever," which pays out wire to the cross bar and the weight on
the signal arm or post, places the arm to danger.
The one special lever and connection up to the arm is sufficient for the correct
replacing of both junction signals, not more than one, of course, being able to "off"
at one time.
The application of our apparatus to other forms of safety, rear, or other bars would
be very similar, some slight alterations in details being necessary for special
circumstances.
Our apparatus also applies where adjustment of the signal wires is required as by
regulating the one wire attached to the lever, the cross bar adjusts the two beyond the
junction.
1
1000

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Railway Signalling Apparatus.
We, JOHN PATRICK O'DONNELL of 2 Great George Street Westminster in the
County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, WILLIAM SMITH of 8 Geneva Road, Brixton
in the County of Surrey, Engineer and ILLIUS AUGUSTUS TIMMIS of 2 Great
George Street Westminster in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to he
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement :-
a
With an apparatus in which the safety bar of the junction facing points or a
trailing, rear or other bar, is coupled to the same connection which operates the signal,
it is obvious that if the bar is intermediate between the operating lever and the
signal, that if the signal be deflected to the safety attitude and a train or vehicle be
standing on the bar, the signalman cannot replace the signal to danger, a circumstance
which some might call an inconvenience.
Our invention has for its object the provision of certain facilities whereby a
signalman may, if he so desires replace the signal to danger even though a train be
standing on the bar.
In order that our invention may be more readily understood we will describe its
application to those cases where the signals are worked through or by the facing
point plunger or its equivalent, that is to say that the lever that locks the points and
works the bar also operates the signal or signals.
In the case where the-duplex plungers are used we employ a draft wheel at the end
of each plunger and intermediate between these wheels and some few feet away from
them is the end of a cross bar. To this end of the said cross bar the wires working
the two junction signals are connected. From this point the wires run round the
draft wheels to the signals. The other end of the cross bar is connected by wire to
a separete lever in the signal cabin.
In the normal condition so long as vehicles do not stand on the bar and the
signal is not required to be replaced to danger when such vehicles are on the bar, the
working and replacing of the point lock lever operates and replaces the signals, but
should the signal be required to be replaced with a vehicle standing upon the bar
then the signalman works his signal replacing lever which pays out wire to the cross
bar and the weight on the signal arm or post places the arm to danger.
The one special lever and connection up to the arm of the cross bar is sufficient for
the correct replacing of both junction signals not more than one of course being able
to be off at one time.
The application of our apparatus to other systems of safety,
would be very similar.
-rear-or- other.bars_
It is obvious that in the place of a cross bar, a crank with a draft wheel fixed at
the end operated by a short rod from the signal box, will equally well effect the
desired results.
Figure 1 illustrates a plan of the junction the road being made for the right hand
direction, the points are locked by a simplex machine shown with the cover removed,
and the selector blade A being in gear with the left hand simplex blade B. D is the
ordinary facing point lock bar, E is the connection to the signal box which upon
operating the facing point lock lever, locks the points and operates the signal, Fis
the draft wheel fixed to the end of the blade B, H is the cross bar, J is the wire
connection to the other end of the cross bar connecting it to the special "signal
replacing lever" in the signal box, g' is the wire connection from the end of the cross
bar round the draft wheel G to the signal L, f' is the signal connection from the end
of the cross bar round the draft wheel F to the signal M. Assuming the special
signal replacing lever to be normal when the signalman operates his facing point lock
lever he operates the simplex blade B and works the draft wheel which operates the
connections thereby deflecting the arm M. Should now a train be signalled to go

page_text: to the right, and stand on the bar D, the signal may be replaced to danger by the
signalman operating the special signal replacing lever thereby paying out slack wire
to the cross bar, enabling the weight on the arin M to pull up sufficient wire through
the cross bar and draft wheel F to allow it to rise to danger. The action is similar
when the points are reversed and the blade C is operated.
Figure 2 illustrates a plan of the junction the points lying for the right hand
direction, in which in lieu of the cross bar, the draft wheel Ŏ on the end of the
crank P effects the same results as the cross bar and draft wheel illustrated in Figure 1.
The cross bar R Figure 2 and the draft wheel S also effect similar results to the cross
bar and draft wheel illustrated in Figure 1 and the crank and wheel O and P illustrated
in Figure 2.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and the manner in which the same is to be performed, we wish it to be
distinctly understood that we lay no claim to the Simplex machine as a point plunger
or economical appliance, but we declare that what we do claim is :-
1. In apparatus where the signal or signals is or are operated through the plunger
or plungers the said plunger being connected with the bar, the application of a cross
bar and draft wheel or crank and draft wheel the said apparatus being operated by
an independent lever in the signal box, substantially as and for the purposes herein
set forth.
.
Dated this 20th day of Auenot 1800.
JOHN P. O'DONNELL,
Agent for the said Applicants.