IMPROVED APPAratus FOR SIGNALLING ON RAILWAYS
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Walker, of Grectland, near Halifax, in
the County of York, for the Invention of "IMPROVED APPAratus
FOR SIGNALLING ON RAILWAYS."-A communication from abroad by
William Rainbow, Engineer, of Bombay, in the East Indics.
Sealed the 21st January 1873, and dated the 25th July 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Walker at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
25th July 1872.
I, HENRY WALKER, of Greetland, near Halifax, in the County of
York, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "Im-
PROVED APPARATUS FOR SIGNALLING ON RAILWAYS," a communication to me
from abroad by William Rainbow, Engineer, of Bombay, in the East
Indies, to be as follows:-
The signal is worked or put on from the station or suitable point on
the railway by means of a handle. By moving the handle and putting
a small pin in a rack in which the handle works, the signal is "off,"
that is "unset." The effect of drawing back the handle is to tighten a
spring by means of a wire attached to it, such wire working in a wheel,
thus drawing a tread piece or catch back from the rail. When "set"
at danger the flange of the wheels of the train in passing along the line

page_text: strikes down the said catch, thereby causing the lower end of the said
catch to rise, which being connected by means of a bolt with the end of
a lever causes the other end of the lever to fall, thereby pulling the bell
wire attached thereto and causing the bell to ring.
If it should be wished to work a disc signal or one of Saxby's patent
signals by means of the same apparatus, this can be done by one or
more straight rods, which by means of a crank or quadrant pull the disc or
signal half-way round, so that it then stands edgeways on the line, being
pulled off with the catch or treadle of the bell apparatus away from
the rail when the signal is supposed to be put on. There is also another
stationary catch, that is to say, one which is always "set" which works
in a similar way by lever, and thus when a train passes over pulls tho
wire which is connected with a similar bell at the station, causing the
same to ring, and thus giving warning that the train is passing the
signal.
These signals are intended to stand outside or beyond other signals,
that is at a distance of about half a mile to. a mile from the station, so
that in all cases, either in rainy or foggy weather the driver and guard
in charge of the train will thus have ample time to get the train under
full control before approaching the distant signal of the station, and
notice will at the same time be given at the station of the train having
passed the signal. These signals can be worked either by weights or
springs as may be thought desirable.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Henry Walker in the Great Seal Patent Office on 2
the 25th January 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
WALKER, of Greetland, near Halifax, in the County of York, send
greeting:
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her 3
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of July, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-
sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Henry Walker, Her special licence that
I, the said Henry Walker, my executors, administrators, and assigns, 3

page_text: or such others as I, the said Henry Walker, my 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 Ircland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR
SIGNALLING ON Railways,” a communication to me from abroad by William
Rainbow, Engineer, of Bombay, in the East Indies, upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Henry Walker, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or
one of their hands and seals, 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 the Great Seal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Henry Walker, do hereby declare
the nature of my said 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 will be best understood by first describing its action.
It can be made and worked in three different ways. It is not principally
intended to work a disc, or one of Saxby's patent arm signals (but can
be worked with either, as hereafter described), but it is intended for a
bell signal to stand outside all distant signals, so as to give the driver
and guard caution and due time to have their train under proper control
before reaching the distant signal; that is to say, that the bell is to be
placed on a post, say about ten fect high, standing about four feet from
the line. This post is only intended for the bell. The lever for pulling
the bell wire is placed by the side of the post; the rod going underneath
the rails will show that it can be connected to any disc or arm signal at
any distance from the line by making the necessary connection. Where
this signal does not work with a disc or arm it is requisite to have two
wires from the station leading to the signal; that is to say, the top wire
leading from the top crank is intended to be worked by one of Stevenson's
patent signal levers, so that it can be tightened up according to expansion
or contraction, and to prevent any mistake of this not working where
there is not an arm signal attached to the apparatus, so that you can see
whether it is working or not, it is requisite to have wire No. 2, which is

page_text: placed on the bottom crank at the end of the rod, this is supposed to be
à tell-tale wire working in accordance with the top wire. At the bottom
crank there is a slot, which does not interfere with the top wire when
being pulled off or unset, but the bottom wire is supposed to be worked
by a small lever placed along the side of Stevenson's signal lever, which
will work the top wire. After the signal is pulled off by the top wire
the small lever working the slack wire at the bottom should be pulled
back in a small rack, and pinned over; and when it is requisite to put
the signal on again at danger it is requisite to take out the pin in the
rack of the slack wire at the bottom, so that when Stevenson's lever is
put over at danger the small lever attached to the bottom wire will fly
over of its own accord. This will denote that the signal is in working
order. If these two do not work in accordance with each other it can
easily be discerned which wire wants tightening or slackening to make
them work properly together. If the top wire should at any time break,
this apparatus will immediately fly to danger, that is to say, set my
means of the springs or weights, as the case may be. It can easily be
discerned whether the wire is broken or not by taking out the pin in
the small lever rack, as the small lever will at once fly forward, the
same as when putting on the signal. There is also another catch or
treadlo placed near to the bell. apparatus; this bell is intended to be
placed close to the rail, as shown in the Drawing. There should be a
wire attached to this catch or treadle leading from thence to the plat-
form, which can be attached to a bell which may be attached to a post,
or any other convenient place on the platform, by a weight being placed
under the bell over a small pulley attached to the wire leading from the
catch or treadle, so as to keep the wire always tight, and pull the wire
in its proper position after the train has passed over the catch or treadle.
There should be a small screw coupling attached to the wire, so as to
Lighten it or slacken it when the bell does not ring properly on the plat-
form, which can easily be done by a porter or any one the station master
may appoint. This apparatus is placed to give the station master and
servants due warning that the train has passed the apparatus, so that
they may prepare for its arrival. The wire of this apparatus is supposed
to work along the same posts as the other apparatus. Great caution
should be used in putting down the wire to avoid sharp curves and
prevent friction, at the same time by so doing it will make the apparatus
work at a greater distance, be more free, and less liable to wear, lear,

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS AND OF THE PARTS OF THE
MECHANISM USED.
Fig. 1 shows a side clevation of a line of rails and signal; Fig. 2,
plan view of same.
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A and B denote the handle and its positions for working the apparatus
by means of the wire D, which passes over the wheel or pulley E, so
that when the handle is worked it actuates the spring C, and thereby
communicates motion to the catch or treadle F, working the signal, as
before explained. When the handle is standing at B the signal is "on,”
that is, set; when at A (and secured by a small pin in the rack or
guide in which the handle works) the signal is "off," that is,
unset;
F, catch or treadle; G, rails; H, lever connected at its end by means of
a bolt with the catch or treadle; K, bell wire attached to the lever at J ;
L, bell; M shows the point where the arrangements for working Saxby
and Farmer's or a disc signal can be applied; N, stationary treadle or
catch, which works by lever in similar manner to what is, above
described, so that when a train passes over the wire O connected with
a similar bell P (at the station causes the same to ring.
Fig. 3, plan showing how my Invention may be adapted to Saxby and
Farmer's or a disc signal consisting simply of one or more straight rods
and a crank, so to pull the disc signal half way round, that is to say, it
should stand edgeways on to the line when being pulled off the same,
as now shown in the Drawing, with the catch or treadle of the bell
apparatus away from the rail when the signal is supposed to be put on
by the signalman or attendant at the station; the catch or treadle of the
bell apparatus of course will go to the rail, and the straight rod going
under the rail will of course push the crank at a about quarter of the
way round, and turn the disc signal full face to the line, but where it
works with one of Saxby's signals it is a much more simple connection,
say, for instance, supposing one of my apparatus were put to work with
one of Saxby's patent signals the apparatus could be placed just opposite
the signal. When one of Saxby's signals are put up the wire is slack
leading from the station to the signal; as the signal is weighted on at
the post by weights placed on a small handle at the bottom of the post
it takes a pull of three or three and a half inches to pull the signal off,
so by connecting the wire of my apparatus to the end of the rod going
under the rail, that is to say, the same wire from the station will work

page_text: my apparatus and Saxby's at the same time, because when the catch or
treadle of my apparatus is pulled from the rail, say three or three and a
half inches more or less, as it may be required to tighten the wiro
sufficiently to pull down the arm of the signal. Supposing this is the
wire at from the end of the rod under the rail it will show when the
catch or treadle of my apparatus is away from the rail; the wire b
between the signal and the rail will be tight, and of course the arm
down when the signal is put on. The apparatus will
go to the rail and
slacken the wire b, and allow the arm of the signal to rise at danger by
means of the weights attached to the bottom of the post for the purpose
of raising the arm.
•
My apparatus can be worked as casily with weights as springs by
having a similar crank to that at a attached to the end of the rod at c,
and weighted over by weights working in a box similar to a railway
point box sufficiently weighted according to the distance it has to work
the apparatus. Ringing the bell at the platform will always have to be
worked by a wire by itself, as the treadle is not moved from the rail, and
the wire only has to be according to expansion or contraction, which is
donc by a small screw coupling at the station by any one appointed for
so doing.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature and
object of my Invention, and in what manner the same may be performed
or put in practice, I hereby declare that I claim, the Invention of
Improved Apparatus for Signalling on Railways," as the same is
herein-before described and illustrated by the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Walker, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-second day of December, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two.
Witness,
DAVID BURLEY,
Greetland.
HENRY WALKER. (L.S.)