A NEW OR IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR FOG SIGNALLING ON RAILWAYS
Year: 1884

page_text: We WILLIAM SANFORD BURRINGTON KEMPE of Merton Road Wimbledon in the
County of Surrey Station Master on the London and South Western Railway and
WILLIAM FAIRMANER ROWELL of Wimbledon in the said County of Surrey Civil
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of our Invention for "A NEW OR
IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR FOG SIGNALLING ON RAILWAYS" and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement:~-
"
This Invention consists of a "Striking Bar" a raised "Elongated Roofed Box
and an "Indicator." The striking bar is an iron or steel bar about 26 feet in length;
the ends of which are deflected below the level of the rails. It is placed within
the lines of railway and revolves upon a pivot fixed in a sleeper. Just beneath
each extremity of the striking bar is a loop facing the ground into which a fixed
bar passes which supports and also keeps the striking bar within the lines of
railway. The striking bar is worked by means of a wire or chain attached to it at
about 8 feet from its centre. About 5 feet from the pivot and outside the lines of
railway is a weight box about four feet deep, into which box is placed a weight.
A few feet from the weight box is a lantern or ground signal so constructed as to
show a red or white light. A wire or chain is attached to the door of the lantern
or ground signal and passes round a wheel to the weight box, the wire or chain is
fastened to the weight and passes over a wheel placed on the top of the weight box
and then passes under a guide wheel to the bar, from thence to another guide
wheel and then passes to another wheel which is placed outside the lines of railway
on the opposite side. The wire or chain is then carried on towards the distant (or
auxillary) and home signal posts and is attached by means of a "slot" on to the
wire by which the ordinary signals are worked. The striking bar is worked.in
connection with and in the same way as an ordinary signal. The striking bar
will when the line is "clear" be in a parallel position with the lines of railway and
antrain would pass, over the rails and the striking bar without any effect but when,
the ordinary signal is at "danger" the striking bar would be at an oblique angle
over the ground within the lines of railway. The "indicator" is a semicircular,
weight bung on its centre and suspended on any central place on the engine or
tender. In the centre of the lowest part of the indicator is an "adjustable,

page_text: pendulum" attached by means of a loose bolt. The pendulum is fixed at such a
level as to be below the top of the striking bar. On an engine passing over the
striking bar when the signals are at danger the pendulum is brought into contact
with the striking bar with such a force as to cause one of the wires or springs
fixed at either extremity of the indicator to contract and expand and so to tighten
the wire fastened to the handle of the steam cock on the top of the engine and
cause it to sound and intimate to the driver of the engine to stop. The "elongated
roofed box" is an ordinary wooden box in shape similar to a small boat with the
keel turned upwards and is intended to be used in substitution for or in addition
to the "striking bar." It is placed within the lines of railway and works upon a
pivot in precisely the same way and with precisely the same result as the " striking
bar." And in order that our said Invention may be clearly understood reference is
hereby made to the accompanying Drawings.
Figure 1 represents part of an ordinary railway consisting of sleepers upon
which are fixed the rails. A. is the " striking bar" the parallel dotted lines B show the
position of the striking bar when the line is clear and the continuous oblique line C
shows the position of the striking bar when the signals are at danger. E is the
pivot upon which the striking bar revolves and F. G. HI are stops which prevent
the striking bar moving beyond the required distance. J is the lantern which
shows the lights. K is the weight box. L is the wire and M. N. and O are the
wheels. The lantern J. is fixed in the ground to the door of which the wire L is
attached, the wire passes round the wheel M and into the weight box K it is then
attached to the weight and then passes over the wheel N and proceeds under a
guide wheel N to the striking bar A on to which it is fastened at the points
P&Q. The wire then passes under a guide wheel N 2 round the wheel O and
beyond the signal posts R and S on Figures 5 and 6 and is slotted on to the wire
of the ordinary signal at the point T or carried into the signal box and worked by
an independent lever. The signal man in putting the signal at "line clear" pulls
his lever over which draws the wire towards his box and forces his semaphore
arm signal down. Simultaneously with his so doing the wire attached to the
striking bar is also drawn towards the signal box and the striking bar is then in
the position of the parallel dotted lines B the weight in the box is raised and the
door of the lantern or ground signal J is opened when a white light is shown
indicating to the driver of the engine that the line is clear and he proceeds on his
journey. When the signal man puts the semaphore arm signal at danger be does
so by putting the lever back thus loosening the wire when the weight in the box
falls to the bottom of the box-the said striking bar A is then put in the position
of C the lantern shows a red light indicating to the driver that the semaphore arm
signal is at danger.
The position and working of the striking bar and the weight and weight box are
also clearly shown in Figure 2.
Figure 3 is an elevation of an ordinary engine. U is the "indicator" which is
hung on the engine at the point V. W and X are the springs or wires which keep
the indicator in position and Y is the adjustable pendulum. Z is the wire leading
on and fixed to the steam cock A¹ of the engine as shown in Figure 4. An engine
with the "indicator" affixed in passing over the "striking bar" would in the event
of the line being all clear and the striking bar being in its parallel position pass
over the bar without the indicator being called into requisition or in any way
interfered with but should the ordinary semaphore signals be at danger and the
striking bar in its oblique position the "pendulum" would come into contact with
the "striking bar" which would cause the pendulum to be forced into the position
of the dotted pendulum D at the same time the indicator would be put into the
position of the dotted indicator B¹ by which means the wires or springs W and X
would be contracted and expanded and tighten the wire Y which passes over the
engine sufficient to draw down the steam cock A' and cause it to make a very
audible sound, thus indicating to the driver of an engine that the signal is at
danger and that he is to at once stop his engine.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is:-
The manufacture of the "Striking Bar" the raised "Elongated Roofed Box" and
the "Indicator" and the use of the "New or Improved Apparatus for Fog Signalling
on Railways" substantially as hereinbefore described and shown on the Drawings
Figures 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6 and 7.
W. S. B. KEMPE.
W. F. ROWELL.