Improvements in and connected with Fog Signalling Apparatus for Railways.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Feb., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 2nd Apr., 1898-- Accepted, 28th May,
1898
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Fog Signalling Apparatus
for Railways.
THOMAS WEBB, Foreman of Works, 3, Osbourne Cottages, Wellington Road, N.,
Hounslow, Middlesex, I do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows: :-
The signal is composed of two parts one part fixed to engine and the other part
is fixed to the sleepers.
The part fixed to the sleepers is composed of metal or other suitable material
and consists of hinged strips about 7ft. long by 4 inches wide and 3" inches thick
fixed at one end & free at the other parallel to the rails. The free end can be
raised, & lowered by an excentric fixed below it at the free end; The excentric is
fixed on a shaft to be worked by a crank, from the signal box, in a similar manner
as the semaphore is now worked on railway lines.
The part fixed to the engine is a metal rod provided with a wheel at the lower
end and a fork at the other to be fixed at the drivers end of the engine, this rod
will be so fixed that it can move freely up & down in a vertical position so that
when the part is raised by the excentric fixed on the sleepers the wheel on the
lower end of the rod fixed to engine will run up the ramp and raise the rod, when
the upper end of the rod will raise a lever handle fixed to the steam whistle,
which will then begin to blow & will continue to do so until pressed down again
into the fork on the top of the rod fixed to the engine.
A similar arrangement is also provided for shutting off steami so as to stop
the engine.
1000
Improvements in and connected with Fog Signalling Apparatus
for Railways.
I, THOMAS WEBB, of 3, Osbourne Cottages, Wellington Road, North, Hounslow,
Middlesex, Foreman of Works, do hereby declare the nature of this invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement:
This invention relates to fog signalling apparatus and it has for its objects to
provide a means which shall give an audible indication to the driver of a locomo-

page_text: .
tive, and at the same time operate the steam valve shutting off the steam and
thereby reducing the speed of, or ultimately stopping the engine.
In carrying this invention into effect, I arrange a vertical rod or rods so as
to engage with the lever or handle of both whistle and steam valve. The vertical
rods are of any suitable material and are supported in suitable guides and pro-
ject through and below the foot plate and have at their lower ends small wheels
adapted to engage with two pieces of metal arranged between the rails and
parallel therewith each hinged at one end to a sleeper or other block and curved
or cambered throughout its length and having a portion turned down at one end
at approximately a right angle to the main or curved portion of the piece of metal,
and slotted to allow of the passage therethrough of a bolt, or stud, screwed into
a sleeper or block.
Arranged at one end of the curved pieces and underneath the same and with
their peripheries in contact with the said piece are eccentrics mounted upon a shaft
arranged transversely to the line of the rails and carried by suitable bearings
formed in brackets attached to the sleepers, or in the case of longitudinal sleepers
a suitable block provided for the purpose.
The shaft has at one end a lever to which is attached a line leading to the
signal box where a suitable lever is provided, upon operating which the eccentric
will be caused to partially rotate raising the free end of the curved piece until in
a position in which it will permit of the rollers or wheels upon the end of the
rods coming into contact therewith and raising the rods operating the whistle and
steam valve; and in order that this invention may be the better understood I
will proceed to describe the same with reference to the accompanying drawings
in which:
Fig. 1 is an end view from the foot plate of an engine shewing my invention
applied thereto.
Fig. 2 is a plan of a portion of the permanent way shewing the device whereby
the whistle and steam valve rods are operated.
Fig. 3 is a side view of Fig. 2.
Fig. 4 is a detail view shewing more clearly and to an enlarged scale the con-
struction of the rods.
Fig. 5 shows an alternative form of rod for operating the whistle and valve.
Fig. 6 is an enlarged view showing details of construction of the guides for
the lower ends of the rods.
Fig. 7 is an end view of the curved hinged plate for operating the rods.
A, B, are the upper ends of the rods which may be either round or square in
section and as shown in Figs. 1, 4 and 5 are formed in two parts of which C and D
are the lower.
The upper parts A and B are of less diameter than the lower parts to which
they are secured by pins, or the like, passing through the boxed end of the lower
parts of the rods A, C, as shewn in Fig. 4. The upper ends A, B, are provided
with forked ends E, F, adapted to engage with the levers G, H, which respec-
tively operate the whistle and steam valve. Guides I, J, are provided for the
upper ends A, B, and are secured to the front of the boiler or any other con-
venient part of the engine.
The boxed ends of the lower rods also serve to limit the downward travel of the
rods by coming into contact with the guides, through which they pass.
The rods C, D, are provided at their lower ends with small rollers or wheels K, L,
the axles of which run in ball bearings formed in the ends of the rods C, D.
These rods are also provided with guides M, N, constructed as shewn in Fig. 6,
from which it will be seen that the rod passes between the two rollers O, P,
carried by the guide M, N, which guides from part of a strap P¹, rivetted or other-
wise secured to the fire box. The guides J, may also be provided with similar
rollers as shewn by dotted lines Fig. 1. The spindles of the rollers O, P, may
also run in ball bearings.
Referring to Figs. 2, and 3, in which is illustrated the device for operating the

page_text: rods A and B, Q, Q', are the rails laid upon the sleepers R, and between which
and parallel thereto are arranged the curved, hinged plates S, T, hinged to the
pieces U, U, secured by screws or the like to the sleeper or other block and
which plates are turned down at one end and slotted, see Fig. 7, to permit of
the passage therethrough of the bolts or studs V V₁, which studs prevent the
curved plates S, T, being raised beyond a certain point either accidentally or by
design. Underneath the plates S, T, and in contact therewith are eccentrics W, WI,
mounted upon a spindle W2, carried by bearings W3, formed in the brackets W, W
secured to the ground or upon a piece of wood provided for the purpose, or they
may be secured to the side of the sleeper R. At one end of the spindle W2, is
a lever W, which may be operated either by a rod W6, or equivalent means lead-
ing to the signal box. To protect the eccentrics W, WI, a metal case W7, may
be provided, and the ends of the plates S, T, with the bolts V, VI, are protected
by means of a case or cover W8.
Instead of the upper part of the rods A, and B, being constructed as described,
it may be found that in cases where the direction of motion required to open the
whistle and steam valve is opposed to that of the rods a device similar to that
shewn in Fig. 5, may be employed and which consists of a short lever a pivotted
to the rod A, and slotted at 6 through which slot passes a pin c secured to the
boiler or other part of the engine and having a portion at the free end turned
down at a right angle to the body of the lever and forked, which portion will
engage with the handle of the valves.
In action the forked ends of the rods A, B, are normally engaged with the
whistle and steam levers with the rollers upon the lower ends of the rods being
in a line with the top of the rails. When for any cause it is desired to warn the
driver the line is operated from the signal box causing the eccentrics to raise
plates S, T, as indicated in dotted lines Fig. 3, which are then directly in the
path of the wheels or rollers which travel up the then inclined plates raising the
rods and simultaneously sounding the whistle and partially or wholly shutting
off the steam from the engine. Upon reaching the ends of the plates, the rods
fall back leaving the levers or handles to be operated by the driver by whom
they are returned to their original positions.
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. In fog signalling apparatus the combination of a rod or rods for actuating
the whistle and steam valve of a locomotive in combination with a device for
operating the same, consisting of a plate or plates with means for raising the
same, so as it shall be in the path of rollers attached to the lower ends of the rods
aforesaid, all substantially as described and shewn by the appended drawings.
2. The improved apparatus for fog signalling, substantially as herein described
and shewn by the appended drawings.
A
1 1000