IMPROVE- MENTS IN ARRANGING AND COMBINING APPARATUS FOR COMMUNICATING BETWEEN THE GUARD, ENGINE DRIVER, AND PASSENGERS IN A RAILWAY TRAIN
Year: 1866

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Charles Ernesto Spagnoletti at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
3rd October 1866.
I, CHARLES ERNESTO SPAGNOLETTI, of the Telegraph Department, Great
Western Railway, Paddington, in the County of Middlesex, Telegraphic
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN ARRANGING AND COMBINING APPARATUS FOR COMMUNICATING BETWEEN
THE GUARD, ENGINE DRIVER, AND PASSENGERS IN A RAILWAY TRAIN," to be as
follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in arranging and combining
apparatus for communicating between the guard, engine driver, and passengers
in a railway train..
I make a communication with two insulated wires attached to each carriage
forming part of a train. These wires are joined between each carriage by
means of iron bars, pieces of metal cable, or connecting rods sufficiently strong
to supply the place of the present coupling chains, so that the act of coupling
up the carriages makes the electrical connections, such bars being brazed,
galvanized, or plated at the points of contact. For additional means of con-
tact if necessary I use side springs at each joint; I can also make my
connections by means of a half ball of brass so fitted to the end of each buffer
with springs that upon pressure they push in to avoid damage, and upon being
released from pressure project and form a constant connection between the
buffers. The connecting insulated wire runs through the buffer rod, which

page_text: rod I propose should be hollow. The apparatus to be fixed in each com-
partment of the carriages over the side windows consists of a handle in
connection with an iron rod, at the end of which, outside the carriage, is fixed
a thin metal plate painted red, and perforated with the number and letter of
the carriage compartment; this metal plate is placed, when in its normal
position, edgeways to the line of sight; on the handle before mentioned being
turned electrical connection is formed by springs connected to the earth ringing
the bells herein-after described, and turning the metal plate so as to face the
guard, so that he from his break can see which compartment rang. The metal
plate may be also thrown into sight by means of a spring released by turning
the handle before mentioned. A lock apparatus is attached to the handle in
such manner that after the handle has been turned it cannot be replaced by
the person turning it, but must be done by the guard. On the engine is
placed a bell-disc instrument and battery attached to the insulated wires.
Each van is provided with a bell, battery, key, and switch, the latter instru-
ment being for adapting the vans for any position in the train (intermediate,
terminal, or reversed). The disc instrument shows two signals, "stop," on a
red ground, "stop at next station," on a green ground. By having the iron
coupling bars before mentioned all fine and delicate means of electrical con-
nection are dispensed with, all extra duty, risks, and responsibility of any
additional connections are removed, and time is thus saved. Should a train
be imperfectly coupled and a bar left hanging, it falls against a support in
connection with the earth, and the guard's bell will ring and thus inform him
of the incomplete coupling of the train. The chances of the frail insulated
wire now used being cut, pulled off, broken, or otherwise damaged, is also
removed, and being made the proper lengths to suit each carriage, in the
event of a shackle breaking or the draw bars giving way, the jerk would be
comparatively little. By this system passengers ring to all the guards, and
the driver of the train, and the guards can ring to each other and the driver.
Flags may be used in place of the disc instrument on the engine red, "stop
immediately," green and red striped "stop at next station," and lamps at
night.