AN IMPROVED RAILWAY SIGNALLING, AND RECORDING APPARATUS
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Longshaw, of Warrington, in the County of
Lancaster, and Thomas Priestman, of Preston Brook, in the County of Chester,
for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED RAILWAY SIGNALLING, AND RECORDING
APPARATUS."
Sealed the 23rd May 1879, and dated the 15th March 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Longshaw and
Thomas Priestman at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 15th
March 1879.
.
JAMES LONGSHAW, of Warrington, in the County of Lancaster, and THOMAS
PRIESTMAN, of Preston Brook, in the County of Chester. "AN IMPROVED RAILWAY
SIGNALLING AND RECORDING APPARATUS."
The object of this Invention is to enable engine drivers and guards on luggage
and passenger trains to receive on the engine and in the guard's van signals direct
from the signal box at any necessary distance while the train is in motion, that is,
on some convenient part of the engine, and in the guard's van there will be an
apparatus which will be under the control of the man in the signal box at any
distance, and that the signal man can at will draw the attention of the engine
driver and guard to these instruments, so that they will at the same moment know
what the nature of the signal is that has been sent from the man in the signal box,
thus enabling each to know how to act in case of danger or safety. Our Invention
will dispense with fog signalling entirely, lessening the difficulty of signalling in
foggy weather and dark nights, enabling the engine driver and guard to receive
signals at such times with great certainty. Our system of signalling will not in
any way be influenced by hot or cold weather from expansion or contraction.

page_text: Signals sent by our system will also be recorded in the act of signalling, the time
and nature of the signal being registered.
To effect the above we use the following means: -
First, we fix on any convenient part of the engine and in the guard's van electro
magnets, so arranged that when a current of electricity is passed through them
they strike alarm bells, and thus call the attention of the engine driver and the
guard to the instruments employed, and there is at once placed before them signals
either of danger or safety, as the case may be.
In foggy weather and dark nights these instruments are well lighted by
any convenient method to enable the guard and engine driver to see the signal
given.
We also arrange that the tone of the alarm bell is an indicator of safety or
danger.
The means by which we enable the signal box man thus to communicate with
the engine driver and guard's van man are briefly as follows:-
First. In the signal box there are strong galvanic batteries.
Secondly. From the signal box running along the line in any convenient position,
and to any requisite distances are insulated metallic conductors of electricity so
arranged that they can at any time be connected with the battery in the signal
box.
Thirdly. From these main conductors are small branches taken off here and there
as often as is deemed necessary, and so placed and fixed that when an engine is
passing near them they press upon a metallic conductor fixed on the engine and
the guard's van, which are so arranged and insulated that any electricity in the
main conductors will, as the train passes over each of these branches, pass into the
electro magnets before mentioned, and thus gives a signal of either danger or safety
as the man in the signal box may desire.
Having stated briefly the object of our Invention we will now give detailed
accounts of the different methods by which our Invention can be applied.
The exact form and construction of the instruments herein used are capable of
considerable variation without departing from the principle of the mode of working,
and similar effects can be produced in a variety of ways by electro magnets and
permanent magnets, but in the following illustrations we take the simplest forms,
and probably the safest, for applying this system of signalling.
On some convenient part of the engine and guard's van are to be placed one or
more electro magnets, the armatures of which are connected with an apparatus
which on the armature being attracted to the electro magnet releases the cover of
the apparatus, and discloses the signal of either danger or safety at the desire of the
signalman. The attention of the guard and engine driver is drawn to this sig-
nalling apparatus by an ordinary electric bell worked by the same current of
electricity that, as above, reveals the signal.
The number of these instruments on engine and guard's van depends on the
quantity of signals required.
The terminal wires from the electro magnets we carry to the underneath or to
any suitable part of the engine and guard's van, where these ends would con-
nected with metallic rods running the whole length of the engine and the guard's
van. These wires and rods must be completely insulated from the main part of the
engine and guard's van.
To connect the aforesaid wires and rods to the main electrical conductors from
the signal box before mentioned in any practical place or position which may be
deemed necessary, we adopt preferably the following method:-
Attached to the main conductors are arms kept in the required position by springs
or otherwise. On the ends of the arms are placed metallic pulleys in such a position
as to make contact with the metallic rails fixed on the engine which passes over
them.
The electric current used in signalling we employ as an indicator of the time and
nature of the signal sent.

page_text: To effect this we employ an indicator, to which motion is given by clock work.
This indicator consists of a light wheel running freely on its axle, being so con-
structed that it is capable of holding a large amount of narrow paper or other
material, on which the results are recorded.
This paper is passed over a small wheel connected with the clock work, and so
arranged as to draw off from the above wheel a regular quantity of paper per
hour.
The paper on being so drawn off is allowed to pass loosely into some vessel or on
to a receiving wheel.
An electro magnet, on the armature of which is placed a steel pricker or pencil,
is so fixed that when an electric current is passing through the electro magnet they
mark or perforate the paper as it passes over the wheel.
This paper is sub-divided by lines indicating time, and may be arranged to record.
any number of signals at the same time.