IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Vincent Walker, of Fernside, Redhill, in the
County of Surrey, Telegraphic Engineer, and Alfred Owen Walker, of
63, Florence Road, New Cross, in the said County of Surrey, Telegraph
LETTERS PATENT to Charles Vincent Walker, of Fernside, Redhill, in the
County of Surrey, Telegraphic Engineer, and Alfred Owen Walker, of
63, Florence Road, New Cross, in the said County of Surrey, Telegraph
Superintendent, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION
Sealed the 19th April 1865, and dated the 22nd February 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Vincent Walker
and Alfred Owen Walker at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 22nd February 1865.
We, CHARLES VINCENT WALKER, of Fernside, Redhill, in the County of
Surrey, Telegraphic Engineer, and ALFRED OWEN WALKER, of 63, Florence
Road, New Cross, in the said County of Surrey, Telegraph Superintendant,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE CONSTRUCTION OF ELECTRO-MAGNETIC APPARATUS FOR RAILWAY SIGNALLING AND
OTHER PURPOSES," to be as follows:-
The Invention consists in using one and the same electro-magnet to move
an index into either of two positions, in either case locking or securing it in
the position into which it is moved, and by the action of the same electro-
magnet at the same time to strike a bell or gong, or not, as may be required,

page_text: the two-fold or three-fold operation being effected by a single current of elec-
tricity of momentary duration, and for railway signalling purposes requiring
only one telegraph wire for two (up and down) lines of a railway. The electro-
magnet employed is by preference of the horse-shoe or U shape, similar to
that used in the "South-eastern signal bells," or in a direct-action single stroke
bell. The same kind of electro-magnet is employed when a bell or gong is
to be struck, and when the index only is to be moved and locked, but in the
latter case of smaller size; in all cases the electro-magnet is wound with large
sized copper wire covered with cotton or silk or other insulating matter, and
receives the voltaic current direct without the intervention of a relay. The
keeper or armature of the electro-magnet is carefully pivotted, so as to be
attracted to the poles of the electro-magnet whenever a voltaic current is
passing, returning to its original position, partly aided by a spring, when the
current ceases; when a bell or gong also is to be struck, the keeper carries a
stem surmounted by a hammer, and a bell or gong is mounted within range
of the hammer. The to-and-fro motion of the index is produced by the
action of the poles of the electro-magnet upon two V-shaped steel permanent
magnets secured to the ends of a bar of brass or other suitable material
mounted on an axis, or two straight steel permanent magnets may be arranged
as the letter X on an axis, or one permanent magnet alone may be used. The
keeper or armature before described is pierced, or a notch is cut out where
it faces the poles of the electro-magnet, and the poles reduced in size project
through these holes or notches, and between the poles properly arranged of the
Vor X shaped or straight steel magnets. When a current is sent through
th electro-magnet the armature is attracted as above described, and at
the same time the poles of the steel magnets are acted upon, and the magnets
move or not according to the character of the current, and a motion is thus
imparted as required to the bar above mentioned. The armature carries a
cam or stud so placed as to prevent the system of steel magnets from moving
so long as no current is passing and the armature is not attracted, and thus
the system is firmly locked in either desired position, and from which it
cannot be moved by accident or external violence, but only by an electric
current sent in the direction proper for the purpose. When the position of
the system is required to be changed a current of the proper character is sent,
which causes the armature to move and remove the cam or stud out of the
way, and the system changes position. When it is required to pass a signal
but not to change the position of the system, a current of a proper character
is sent, and the armature moves and returns, the steel magnets remaining in
position undisturbed. The visible index may be fixed on the axis of the

page_text: above-named moveable system, or, which is better, may be on an axis of its
own, to which the proper range of motion may be imparted by light wires
acting as fingers or levers.
For railway signalling we prefer the index to be the same to the eye as
the ordinary visible signals in use on the railway. On a railway, for instance,
where semaphores are used with arms to go up and down, we prefer to have
a model on a small scale of such a semaphore with a pair of arms, one red,
the other white, having the proper range of motion. The electro-magnets
are in a case behind the semaphore, the semaphore itself being protected by a
glass plate. The currents may be sent by any of the ordinary electrepeters or
Favorsing kers
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Charles Vincent Walker and Alfred Owen Walker in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 8th August 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, CHARLES.
VINCENT WALKER, of Fernside, Redhill, in the County of Surrey, Telegraphic
Engineer, and ALFRED OWEN WALKER, of 63, Florence Road, New Cross, in
the said County of Surrey, Telegraph Superintendent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, No. 488, bearing date the Twenty-second day of February, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-eighth year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
us, the said Charles Vincent Walker and Alfred Owen Walker, Her special
licence that we, the said Charles Vincent Walker and Alfred Owen Walker,
our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said
Charles Vincent Walker and Alfred Owen Walker, our executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time
to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should
and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF ELECTRO-MAGNETIC APPARATUS
FOR RAILWAY SIGNALLING AND OTHER PURPOSES," upon the condition (amongst
others) that we, the said Charles Vincent Walker and Alfred Owen Walker,
by an instrument in writing under the hand and seal of either of us, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in
what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in

page_text: the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Charles Vincent Walker and Alfred
Owen Walker, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and.by the following statement, that is to say:-
The nature of the said Invention consists in using one and the same
electro-magnet to move an index into either of two positions, in either case
locking or securing it in the position into which it is moved, and by the action
of the same electro-magnet at the same time to strike a bell or gong or not,
as may be required, the two-fold or three-fold operations being effected by a
single current of electricity of momentary duration, and for railway signalling
purposes requiring only one telegraph wire for two (up and down) lines of a
railway.
The manner in which the said Invention is to be performed is shewn and
illustrated in the accompanying Drawings, in which Figure 1 is an electro-
magnet of the horse-shoe or U shape, similar to that used in the "South-
eastern signal bell or direct-action single-stroke bell,"
A is the electro-magnet, with the poles a reduced in size in order to pass
through the holes a¹ made in the keeper or armature B (Figure 2). We
cover the ends of the poles a with little caps, made of wood or other suitable
material, in order to prevent the permanent V-shaped magnet C (Figure 3)
from coming into actual metallic contact with the poles of the electro-
magnet A. The dotted lines shew the position of the coils surrounding the
electro-magnet A,
Figure 2 shews the keeper or armature B pivoted on the face of the coils D.
It has holes a¹ cut out to allow the diminished poles of the electro-magnet to
pass through, and a notch E cut out to allow the axis of the permanent
V-shaped magnet C (Figure 3) to pass through. A spring F is also fixed on
the face of the coils to assist the keeper or armature B in returning to its
original position after having been attracted by the electro-magnet.
Figure 3 shews the V-shaped. permanent magnet C pivoted on a cock G
carried on a brass plate H, which is fixed on the face of the coils D, and on
the base which carries the whole arrangement. The pin I, to which a
to-and-fro motion is imparted by the to-and-fro motion of the permanent
magnet C, is represented as being held in a certain position by the cam or
stud K on the armature or keeper B. The coils, armature, and cam or stud
are shown by means of dotted lines.
Figure 4 gives a side view of the arrangement with a portion of the coil

page_text: cut off. It shews how the arrangement may be used to move an index with.
or without striking a gong or bell. The diminished poll a of the electro-
magnet A is shewn passing through the armature or keeper B, which armature
carries with it the cam or stud K, which cam or stud is represented as locking
the pin I, which pin is connected with the system of V-shaped permanent
magnets C. The armature or keeper B is assisted in doing this by the
spring T.
Figure 5 shews the arrangement by means of which the to-and-fro motion
of the V-shaped permanent magnet C is transferred to the visible index.
A light semaphore arm L is pivoted upon an axis of its own M, which arm is
carried by a cock N. This cock is concealed from view by the model of a
semaphore post O. A light bent wire P is fixed to one end of the arm, and
passing through a space cut in the dial of the instrument, rests upon the
wire Q, which is firmly connected with the system of V-shaped permanent
magnets C. When the position of the system of V-shaped permanent
magnets (the same as shewn in all these Diagrams) is changed, the supporting
wire Q is removed, and the arm falls by its own weight. When the position
of the V-shaped permanent magnet C is again changed, the supporting
wire Qforces the wire P and the external index L into their original
position.
Figure 6 shews the external appearance of the index L arranged as a
model of a semaphore arm, with the V-shaped permanent magnets in the
position shewn in Figures 3, 4, and 5.
Figure 7 shews the same arrangement of semaphore arm index with the
position of V-shaped permanent magnets changed. The supporting wire Q is
removed, and the arm falls. Both arms are shewn on Figures 6 and 7, but
the details of the red one only are shewn. The white arm is worked by a
separate electro-magnet. The means of transferring motion to it are the
same as for the red arm, and the supporting wire moves downwards for the
white arm instead of upwards.
Figure 8 shews the external appearance of the complete instrument, but
the shape of the case may be varied to suit different circumstances.
Having now described the nature of our said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, we wish it to be understood that we lay
no claim to the separate and several parts of the apparatus represented and
referred to above as of our Invention, or the exclusive use of such several or
separate parts, except when the same are combined and employed for the
purpose of our said Invention, which we hereby declare to consist in con-
structing electro-magnetic apparatus actuated by a voltaic current of momen-

page_text: tary duration for moving an index to or fro into and for locking or securing
.it in the required position, and for unlocking or releasing it for a change of
position by the action of one and the same electro-magnet, as above
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Vincent Walker, Owen Walker,
have hereunto set our hand and seal, this Second day of August,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
Witness,
H. W. TRINDER,
77, Gresham House.
CHARLES V. WALKER. (L.S.)
(L.B.)