Year: 1886

page_text: I DANIEL HANNA of 19 Blenheim Terrace Belfast, in the County of Antrim,
Ireland, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my said invention to be
as follows:-
Two or more vertical bars, adjusted and fixed in a frame or case; and attached
to the carriage in motion; and moving vertically, coming in contact with certain
prostrate levers fixed on the railway; in the direction thereof, and properly
supported thereon; causeth the motion to be communicated to the ends of small
levers connected with a rolling shaft or axle transversely with the line of direction
of rails; at the extremities of which, either levers or geared machinery, actuates
upon the draw or pull rods, affixed to similar machinery, and acting upon the
switch bar, as at present opening or closing the points. The fulcrum axle bars or
shafts of the prostrate levers may be used in like manner or purpose.
The before described machinery, either single or double; can in like manner be
connected and arranged to actuate the signal machinery.
The locking machinery connected with the switches, are actuated by smaller
prostrate levers, set in a reverse manner and borne upon the axle bar, which
supports the prostrate levers; and which is likewise operated upon by the vertical
bars, previously to the prostrate levers being touched; communicating their motion
to drawing out a small upright lever out of a slot (of which there are two) cut in
the disk of of the pedestal and which being pressed against the edge of said
pedestal disk, will, when the other slot is presented before it, fall thereinto,
completely locking the switches, until relieved therefrom by the aforesaid prostrate
lever machinery, a spring or counterpoised weight is used for said purpose.
Dust or waste receptacles to be provided for each of the points or switches to
preserve same from being obstructed in opening or closing. The small stones nuts
or waste falling thereinto are conveyed therefrom in a slant direction free from
the rails into a receptacle which may be cleared out time after time.
Local circumstances may change both the situation of the vertical bars; or
the prostrate bars on the line, but does not alter the specific intention of the
Invention.
°
}
MAGA

page_text: Working the Points, Switches, and Signals on or Connected
with Railways.
I, DANIEL HANNA, of 19 Blenheim Terrace, Belfast, in the County of Antrim,
Ireland, Civil Engineer, 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 :—
The object of my invention is to effect improvements in the method of working
the points, switches, and distance and other signals on or connected with railways,
by rendering the same automatic, instead of having the same worked by pointsmen
or other persons on the line as at present.
In carrying out my invention I fit two or more vertical bars in a frame attached
to the engine or one of the carriages of the train. The frame is so formed as to
guide the vertical bars, and allow of vertical movements. A portion of each bar is
fitted as a rack into which a pinion is made to gear, and by revolving the pinion
the bar may be raised or lowered.
The position of each vertical bar is so. arranged, that (when suitably lowered for
that purpose) it will act upon the upper surfaces of certain horizontal levers, and
these levers are so connected, by means of rods, bell-cranks and other well-known
devices, with the points, switches and signals on the railway, that the saine are
operated and manipulated and caused to effect their respective purposes auto-
matically.
And in order that my said invention may be more particularly described and
ascertained reference is hereby made to the accompanying drawings, in which
similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts; and which drawings are
merely illustrative of one method of carrying out my invention, as it is obvious
that the form and arrangements, and the operations may be very much varied in
detail.
.
Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a railway wagon fitted according to my invention.
Fig. 2 is a side view of an end portion of a wagon, so fitted.
Fig. 3 is an elevation of a portion of. a signal post, shewing one method of
connecting the same with my invention.
Fig. 4 is an elevation, and
Fig. 5 a plan view of a portion of a railway, shewing one method of fitting the
levers and other apparatus.
a a are vertical bars, fitted as shewn; to either end of a wagon or other vehicle,
and which bars have toothed racks formed on a portion of their faces, into which
the pinions bb gear. cc are rods fitted to the pinions b b. d d are movable
handles for actuating the pinions, and thereby raising or lowering the bars a a.
The bars a a act upon the prostrate or horizontal levers ef communicating their
action to other smaller levers g h affixed upon a transverse axle, har or shaft x at
the outer ends of which, are affixed other small levers, I m to which the switch
pulley rods, are connected, transmitting motion to pedestal lever stands ii the
upper parts of which revolve on upright shafts firmly set and stayed to the
permanent way.

page_text: The prostrate levers ef are two longitudinal bars, with counterpoise tail
pieces f¹ to each acting upon their fulcrums freely, upon a supporting fixed
axle y; along which axle they may be shifted as required. The small levers g h are
likewise adjusted on the axle x.
In order to obtain security against the switches shifting or sliding, a locking
apparatus is attached which acts in connection with each set of levers and other
apparatus and actuate the same.
The smaller prostrate levers no are supported by the axle y set in an opposite
direction; but the locking levers are adjusted to lie immediately and in accordance
with the line of the two prostrate levers e and f, so that being elevated about
4 inches, more or less, above the level of the rails, the vertical bars on the carriage
will come in contact therewith before they touch the prostrate levers e orf and so
press down the small levers p p which are firmly set upon and revolve with the
axle z communicating motion by the small end levers to which are attached the
pulley rods which act upon the lock bolt lever-which falling into a slot com-
pletely prevents the disc of the pedestal from revolving. There are two slots or
gaps rr cut in each disc properly adjusted, and actuated by the switch pulley rods.
When either of these gaps are presented before the lock bolts, and the lever of the
lock bolts being pressed by springs & the lock bolts drop into the gaps r and
remain so, until again operated upon by the before described apparatus.
In order to describe the direction of the movements of the machinery in motion
the letters U and V are placed at the left and right ends of the drawings and the
progressive motion is from U (the left hand side) to V (the right hand) therefore
the motions communicated to the locking apparatus are in advance of the motions
of the prostrate levers ef, and consequently the switches are freed immediately
before the vertical bars act upon the prostrate levers e f.
The places and positions of the levers ef may be transposed, the lever e taking
the place of the lever fand vice versa, and which operation I term "reversing
and from the shape, and position of these levers with those immediately below
and upon which they act, it is evident that when one is pressed down-the other
is elevated about 7 inches and vice versâ; and, in every case, when necessary, the
levers are balanced with counterpoise weights so adjusted that little power is lost
by the weight of the machinery. Rest blocks are provided at t to adjust the extent
of the rise of the levers.-The two prostrate levers with one vertical bar, and the
locking levers with all the machinery attached thereto, I term one set." In
every case slides and rollers are provided.
In the foregoing description the progressive motion is on one single line--from
U to V-the machinery on the return line must be reversed, or adjusted to suit the
return line, and otherwise modified to meet local circumstances.
In working a "Passage" where it would be necessary to pass a left hand set of
points and act upon a corresponding left hand set further along the line the
prostrate levers-with their attendant-lock levers, must necessarily be shifted
over along the axles x y and z, a certain distance the adjustable vertical bar above
which actuates them; a reversed adjustment may even be used; but such are
entirely subject to local positions or circumstances, and must be tabulated to suit
the circumstances.
Loop lines are treated as junctions, and furnished with complete "sets" and
there is no limit to the number of vertical bars, or to the exact positions in which
they are set, and they may be made to be shifted laterally or hinged as it is not, the
object of this Specification to limit the construction and variations of the details
but to describe the "modus operandi" for attaining the desired object. The whole
matter may be condensed thus:-The vertical bars being fixed and set, and
maintaining their parallel position with respect to the rails, one of such bars, by
the progressive motion of the carriage to which it is fixed, comes in contact with
the upper side of one of the prostrate levers-and in passing over it (the prostrate
levers being loose or free) presses it down, if elevated above the level of the rails,
to the required position; an allowance of about 2 inches more or less above the rails

page_text: should be given for springing and vibration of the carriage and to allow freedom
for passing over the rails-one lever and one vertical bar only acting at one time
it will (as has been before described) while being depressed elevate the other lever,
which before has been set to about 2 inches above the rails-and-parallel therewith,
to a like elevation of the other lever before being operated upon by the vertical bar.
The like operation is also performed by the same vertical bar as above-and it
acts in a similar manner upon the locking apparatus-thus the prostrate levers act
upon the small axle levers, switch pulleys, pedestal levers and switch bar as before
described.
The machinery and apparatus before described is intended to be attached to, and
applied in actuating and working the necessary signals connected with a line of
railway and can be affixed principally to the shaft or any other similar
shafting, axle or portion of the before described machinery; which, being extended
in a lateral direction-to clear the working seat of the switches machinery, can be
actuated by similar apparatus upon an upright spindle rod, sustained by the signal
post, operating at the end thereof upon lamps, shades, or the signal arms, and
locked by a drop catch falling into slots, being also released by a counteracting
apparatus, derived from the switch machinery of another "set," or otherwise, in a
similar manner; thereby setting the signals until again required for blocking or
other purposes. The signals and apparatus connected therewith, may be entirely
isolated or detached from the switch machinery, and may be worked perfectly
independently; but with the vertical bar or bars acting thereon and having their
own independent levers &c: but it is unnecessary to describe any particular set of
signal apparatus, as any two may differ very materially from each other; and as
it is not the object of this Invention further than to claim a right of attachment or
connection to work with the machinery already described for actuating the points
and switches and in such manner as may be deemed best, whether by lamps, lever
arms, or electricity. The working of the points and switches-and also the
connections with the signal apparatus of whatever kind they may be, automa-
tically as already described is the object of the present invention.
Tabulated codes for working and setting the vertical bars and prostrate levers
must be supplied to each line or portion of a line of railway-to guide the signal-
men and others; also communicating openings and other necessary arrangements
to provide for repairs being effected.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
1. The method of automatically working and operating the points, switches, signals,
and analogous appliances connected with railways, by means of adjustable vertical
bars a a, suitably attached to any convenient portion of the rolling stock, in
combination with prostrate and bell crank levers and other connections, or their
equivalents, substantially as herein before described and illustrated on the drawings.
2. The general construction, combination and arrangement of the several and
respective parts, or of any two or more of them, together constituting my
improved method of and apparatus for automatically working the points, switches,
and signals on or connected with railways, substantially as herein before described
and illustrated on the drawings.