Improvements connected with Lock and Block Railway Signalling Appliances.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Jan., 1896
•Complete Specification Left, 15th Oct., 1896-Accepted, 2nd Jan.. 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements connected with Lock and Block Railway Signalling
Appliances.
I, JOHN HENRY ROSE, of 64 Frithville Gardens, Uxbridge Road, Shepherds
Bush, Landon, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to a particular combination of electrical and mechanical
appliances for use in connection with semaphore signals of railways, the object
being to so construct and connect said electrical and mechanical appliances or
apparatus that a perfect lock and block system of railway signalling is obtained in
which the train as it passes a given section is the active principle for setting or
releasing the instrument to enable the operator to pull the signal off whereby
practically all risk of error on the part of said operator is eliminated.
The apparatus and manner in which the invention is carried into effect I will
now describe as applied between two stations A and B on the up line.
The signal cabin of station A is provided with a contrivance for operating a
flag marked with the, words "Train on line" and "Line clear," said flag being
under the control of an electro magnetic device which is energised by a local
circuit that is opened or closed under the action of an electro magnetic switch
which is in electrical communication with station B by the line wire.
"
The armature of said electro magnetic switch also controls a balanced lever
interposed between a stop piece and a suspended wedge that engages a corre-
sponding recess in the signal rod to lock said signal at the "on position which
cannot now be pulled "off" until the electro magnet is energised by a current
transmitted through the line wire by the operator at station B.
In the signal cabin of station B are three flags marked "Train on line,"
"Line clear sent" and "Line clear" respectively.
The flag marked "Train on line" is a fixture and so arranged as to be covered
by the other two.
The flag "Line clear sent" forms part of an armature that also acts as an
interrupter to make and break the circuit in the line wire as it passes to earth from
the electro-magnet that controls said armature; and the flag "Line clear" is
operated by a sliding drop piece under the action of an electro magnet controlled
by a local circuit that is closed by the weight of the train as it passes out of the
"section," the effect being to place said drop piece in such a position that it can
be lifted by a tapper key to, close the circuit in the line wire and withdraw the
lock on the starting signal at station A.
:
The switch operated by the train is placed under the rails and makes no contact
with the wheels of the passing train but is actuated by the deflection of the rail
which by means of a lever of the first order is multiplied to the required extent
for closing the local circuit and releasing the sliding drop piece.
:
One of the spring contacts between which the nose of the multiplying lever
engages is connected to the signal lever of the starting signal in station Ba
compensater in the shape of a slipping excentric and sheave being provided to
prevent undue strain or breakage either in the connecting wire or the spring
contact.

page_text: By connecting the spring contact with the starting signal lever of station B, the
said contacts are held wide apart when the signal is at the "on" or danger
position, so that should a train inadvertently pass, said danger signal the
multiplying lever cannot close the local circuit and enable the operator in
cabin B to transmit the signal "Line clear" to station A.
Therefore the modus operandi is as follows:-
The operator at A cannot withdraw the starting signal until the operator in
station B has depressed the tapper key to close the line wire circuit, and withdraw
the lock on the signal at A, and before the operator at station B can close said
circuit, he must first have passed the train over the train operated switch which is
in advance of the starting signal of said station B, which will close the local
circuit and cause the sliding drop lever to move into a position to be operated by
the tapper key, and it will also cause the flag "Line clear" to cover the flag
"Train on line," thus intimating to him that the apparatus is so set that he can by
depressing the tapper key close the circuit in the line wire and withdraw the lock
on the starting signal of station A. By depressing said tapper key the sliding
drop piece will resume its normal position out of the way of the tapper key until
placed in position by the passage of the next train, and the flag "Line clear" will
move away, and the flag "Line clear sent" will be moved up into its position
intimating to him that he has released the block on station A.
As before stated this action closes the line circuit but breaks the local circuit at
station A allowing the flag "Line clear" to fall by gravity, thus intimating to the
operator in said station that he can pull the signal "off" for the train to enter.
section B, and in pulling said signal "off" the line wire circuit is broken, which
allows the flag "Line clear sent" in station B to fall out of the way and expose
the fixed flag. "Train on line" intimating to him that it has started into his
section.
1000
T
Dated the 18th Jasny 1906.
Jaum
H. GARDNER,
Patent Agent, 166 Fleet Street, London,
Agent for J. H. Rose.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements connected with Lock and Block Railway Signalling
Appliances.
I, JOHN HENRY ROSE, of 64 Frithville Gardens, Uxbridge Road, Shepherds
Bush, London, Engineer, 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 the particular combination of electrical and mechanical
appliances for use in connection with semaphore signals of railways, the object
being to so construct and connect said electrical and mechanical appliances or
apparatus that a perfect lock and block system of railway signalling is obtained in
which the train as it passes a given section is the active principle for setting or
releasing the instrument to enable the operator to pull the signal off whereby
practically all risk of error on the part of said operator is eliminated.
The apparatus and manner in which the invention is carried into effect, I will
now describe with reference to the accompanying sheet of drawings which
represents the invention as applied between two stations A and B on the up line.
The signal cabin of station A is provided with a contrivance for operating a
flag D marked with the words "Line clear" which when operated covers the fixed

page_text: flag and marked "Train on line," said contrivance consisting of an electro
magnetic device within the box E which is energisel by a local circuit I that is
opened or closed under the action of an electro magnetic switch G that is in
electrical communication with station B by the line wire H.
The armature of said electro magnetic switch als> controls a balance·l lever J
interposed between a stop piece K and a suspended wedge L that engages a
corresponding recess M in the signal rod N to lock said signal at the ".
position, so that said signal cannot now be pulled "off" until the electro
magnet G is energised by a current transmitted through the line wire H by the
operator at station B.
In the signal cabin of station B are three flags marked "Train on line," "Line
clear sent," and "Line clear" respectively. The flag marked "Train on line" is
a fixture and so arranged as to be covered by the other two flags alternately.
The flag "Line clear sent" forms part of an armature P that is connected by a rod
and spring P, P, respectively to a movable drop piece S, and the said armature P
also acts as an interrupter to make and break the circuit in the line wire Has it
passes to earth Q from the electro-magnet R that holds up said armature P.
The flag Line clear" is also operated by the sliding drop piece S which
moves on the pivot T under the action of an electro-magnet U controlled by a
local circuit V closable by the weight of the train as it passes out of the "section,"
and by this means energises said electro-magnet U causing it to attract the pivoted
armature W and place the drop piece S in the position indicated by the full lines,
so that it can be lifted by a depression of tapper key X to the position indicated
by dotted lines to close the circuit in the line wire H by contact with spring Pin
and cause the flag "Line clear sent" to cover that marked "Train on line," and
withdraw the lock on the starting signal at station A.
The switch Y operated by the train is placed under the rail Z and makes no
contact with the wheels of the passing train but is actuated by the deflection of
the rail Z, the amount of said deflection being by means of a treadle lever a of the
first order multiplied to the required extent to cause a block b on the end of
the treadle lever a to close the local circuit V and energise the magnet U for the
purpose before described.
One of the spring contacts c, c, between which the block 6 of the multiplying
treadle lever a engages is connected to the sigual lever d of the starting signal e in
station B, and a compensator in the shape of a slipping eccentric f and sheave g
being provided to prevent undue strain or breakage either in the connecting
wire or the spring contact by allowing slip to take place when a certain
pressure or pull has been exerted.
The spring contacts c, c, connected with the starting signal lever d of station B,
by their springiness are held wide apart when the signal e is at the "on" or
danger position, therefore should a train inadvertently pass said danger signal e
the multiplying lever a cannot close the local circuit, so that the operator in
cabin B is unable under these circumstances to transmit the signal "Line clear" to
station A.
Therefore the modus operandi is as follows:-
The operator at A cannot withdraw the starting signal until the operator in
station has depressed the tapper key to close the line wire circuit and withdraw
the lock on the signal at A, and before the operator at station B can close said
circuit be must first have passed the train over the train operated switch Y which.
is in advance of the starting signale of said station B, said train will close the
local circuit U and cause the sliding drop piece S to move into a position to be
operated by the tapper key X, and it will also cause the flag "Line clear" to
cover the flag "Train on line," thus intimating to him that the apparatus is so set
that he can by depressing the tapper key X close the circuit in the line wire H
and withdraw the lock on the starting signal N of station A. By depressing
said tapper key X the sliding drop piece S will resume its normal position out of
the way of the tapper key until placed in position by the passage of the next.

page_text: train, and the flag "Line clear" will move away, and the flag "Line clear sent"
will be moved up into its position intimating to him that he has released the block
on station A.
As before stated, this action closes the line circuit; but breaks the local
circuit I at station A allowing the flag "Line clear" to fall by gravity, thus
intimating to the operator in said station that he can pull the signal "off," for
the train to enter section B, and in pulling said signal "off," the line wire
circuit H is broken at N¹ which allows the flag "Line clear seut" in station B to
fall out of the way and expose the fixed flag "Train on line" intimating to him
that the train has started into his section.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
The improvements connected with lock and block railway signalling appliances
consisting of the particular combination and arrangement of electrical and
mechanical devices in connection with the rails of railways and the semaphore arms
of railway signals by which a train must pass a given section before the operator
can release the lock on the signal for a train to enter the same section, all being
operated and arranged as hereinbefore described and as shown in the accompanying
.drawing.
H. GARDNER,
Patent Agent, 166 Fleet Street, London,
Agent for the said John Henry Rose.
H. GARDNER,
Patent Agent, 166 Fleet Street, London,
Agent for the said John Henry Rose.