IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR WORKING THE DISTANCE AND OTHER SIGNALS USED ON RAILWAYS
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Brierley, Frederick Wade Brierley, and
Walter Wright Brierley, all of Kilburn, in the County of Middle-
sex, Railway Signal Engineers, and Francis Samuel Reynolds, of
Edgware Road, in the same County, Surveyor, for the Invention
of "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR WORKING THE DISTANCE AND OTHER SIGNALS
USED ON RAILWAYS."
Sealed the 6th December 1875, and dated the 9th June 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Brierley, Frederick
Wade Brierley, and Walter Wright Brierley, and Francis Samuel
Reynolds at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 9th June 1875.
We, JOHN BRIERLEY, FREDERICK WADE BRIERLEY, and WALTER
WRIGHT BRIERLEY, all of Kilburn, in the County of Middlesex, Railway
Signal Engineers, and FRANCIS SAMUEL REYNOLDS, of Edgware Road,
in the same County, Surveyor, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR WORKING THE DISTANCE AND OTHER
SIGNALS USED ON RAILWAYS," to be as follows:-
The object of our Invention is to compensate for the stretching, elon-

page_text: gation, or contraction of the wires which connect the lever apparatus of
the signal box with the signal posts on the line by causing the slack
wire to be taken up or given out automatically, so as to keep the wires
always taut, in order that the semaphore arms shall never be allowed to
remain in a wrong position. This object is effected by passing the wires
over guide pullies and suspending therefrom a weight or weights, which
will take up any slack and keep the wires taut.
In carrying out our Invention we employ two separate wires, which
are attached to two tail pieces forming part of a T shaped hand-rocking
lever placed in the signal box. These wires are made to pass over fixed
antifriction pullies, then under other antifriction pullies which move up
and down in slides or guides, and to which are attached a weight or
weights which rise or fall so as to take up the slack of the wire or give
out more wire as required, according to the state of the atmosphere.
The wires then pass over the pullies, and from thence to the semaphore
apparatus, where they are made fast to rods, one of which works the
semaphore arm so as to indicate " danger," while the other rod is con-
nected to the semaphore arm and works it to indicate "all right." As
the wires stretch with the heat of the weather or by the tension to
which they are subjected the weight or weights will drop slightly
and take up the slack caused by the expansion or stretching of the wire,
and as the wire contracts by cold the weight or weights will be drawn
up or will rise in their grooves or guides, and consequently will give out
the exact amount of slack that is required to keep the wires properly
taut. In order to prevent accident should either of these wires be
severed by accident or design a ring coupling is employed, which is
attached to one of the wires, the ring being fastened to one or both of
the compensating weights by a wire or chain, so that directly either of
the signal wires is severed the weight will drop and pull off the ring
from the coupling, thereby severing the other wires, which should the
semaphore arm be at "all right" will cause it to ascend to "danger," or
will effectually prevent the signal from being lowered from "danger"
until the connexions have been properly renewed.
The shorter end of the semaphore arm is weighted so that the arm
always has a tendency to assume the horizontal position and indicate

page_text: "
' danger," as already
broken the arm will immediately fly up to
mentioned, and will thus be a signal to the driver of an approaching
train not to come forward.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Brierley, Frederick Wade Brierley, Walter
Wright Brierley, and Francis Samuel Reynolds in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 9th December 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOHN
BRIERLEY, FREDERICK WADE BRIERLEY, and WALTER WRIGHT
BRIERLEY, all of Kilburn, in the County of Middlesex, Railway
Signal Engineers, and FRANCIS SAMUEL REYNOLDS, of Edgware Road,
in the same County, Surveyor, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of June, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the thirty-
eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto us, the said John Brierley, Frederick Wade Brierley,
Walter Wright Brierley, and Francis Samuel Reynolds, Her special
licence that we, the said John Brierley, Frederick Wade Brierley,
Walter Wright Brierley, and Francis Samuel Reynolds, our executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said John
Brierley, Frederick Wade Brierley, Walter Wright Brierley, and Francis
Samuel Reynolds, our executors, administrators, and assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all
times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an
Invention for "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR WORKING THE DISTANCE AND OTHER
SIGNALS USED ON RAILWAYS," upon the condition (amongst others) that
we, the said John Brierley, Frederick Wade Brierley, Walter Wright
Brierley, and Francis Samuel Reynolds, our executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under our, or their, or one of their hands
and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the
said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed,

page_text: and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within
six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said John Brierley, Frederick Wade
Brierley, Walter Wright Brierley, and Francis Samuel Reynolds, do
hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement, reference being had to the
Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon
(that is to say) :-
The object of our Invention is to provide an efficient means for main-
taining the tension of the wires which connect the lever apparatus of
the signal box with the signal posts on the line in order that the sema-
phore arms shall never be allowed to remain in a wrong or dubious
position, and also in the event of the breakage of the wires that the
semaphore arms shall show the danger signal.
In carrying out our Invention we employ two separate wires for
working each semaphore arm. These wires are attached to two tail
pieces forming part of a T shaped hand-rocking lever placed in the
signal box, and they are made to pass over fixed antifriction pulleys, then
under other antifriction pulleys, which move up and down in slides or
guides, and to which are attached a weight or weights, which rise or fall
so as to take up the slack of the wire or give out more wire as required,
according to the state of the atmosphere. The wires then pass over
other pulleys, and from thence to the semaphore apparatus, where they
are made fast to rods, one of which pulls up the semaphore arm so as to
indicate "danger," while the other rod depresses it to indicate "all
right."
In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1 shows in elevation a semaphore
signal post with the apparatus in connexion therewith for working the
semaphore or "distance" signal; and Fig. 2 is a partial plan view of
the apparatus.
A is a pull-over hand lever situate in the signal box. This lever,
instead of being counterweighted as heretofore, has connected to its

page_text: The ends of these wires are respectively connected to the vertical
rods C, C', which extend upwards, and are attached to the semaphore
arm D at opposite sides of its fulcrum. This arm is slightly counter-
weighted by means of the "spectacles "E which it carries, and thus if
by any accident the wires should be severed the arm D will be thrown
up into the position of "danger," as shewn in the Drawing.
Supposing it is desired to indicate that the line is clear, the signalman
will put the lever A into the dotted position, in doing which he will
draw upon the wire B, at the same time slacking the wire B¹. The
tension put on the wire B will draw down the rod C, and with it the
semaphore arm D, to its lowest position. If now it is desired to change
the signal to "danger" the signalman will reverse the motion of his lever,
moving it into the drawn position. He will thus slacken the wire B and
draw upon the wire B', thereby drawing down the rod C₁ and raising the
semaphore arm D, together with the rod C. .
The exact position of the raised arm will be determined by and
correspond exactly with the amount of motion given to the hand
lever A. Thus as the throw of the lever is completed the arm D will
rise to its full height and indicate "danger."
To provide against the elongation, expansion, and contraction of the
wires, as also to ensure that the semaphore arm shall, in case of one or
other of the wires breaking, show the "danger" signal, we provide the
following contrivance :-At any convenient distance between the signal
box and signal post we provide a rectangular frame F, in which are
mounted two pairs of pulleys G, G', over which the wires are led.
Between these pulleys are two weighted pulleys H, H', the axles of
which are free to slide in vertical guides of the frame F. The wires B
and B¹ pass under their respective pulleys.H, H', and are by this means
kept taut. The wire B at a point near the framing F is divided, and the
division is made good by means of a slip hook I, the holdfast ring of
which is connected by a chain to the weight of the pulley H'. Supposing
the wire B should break at any portion of its length the weighted
pulley H would fall, and the weighted pulley H' being no longer counter-
balanced would draw down the wire B, and thereby raise the semaphore
arm D to "danger." If on the other hand the wire B' should break the
tendency of the weighted pulley H pendent from the wire B would be
to pull off the signal, and it is to provide against this that the slip

page_text: hook I is employed. On the breakage of the wire B¹ the weighted
pulley H¹ will fall, and through its connection (by chain) with the
securing ring of the slip hook will draw off the ring, and thus disengage
the slip hook and break the continuity of the wire. The result of this
severance of the two wires is to leave the semaphore arm free to answer
to its counterweight and assume the horizontal position indicative of
danger. In this position the arm D will remain whenever an accident
to either of the wires takes place until the continuity of the same is
restored.
Having now set forth the nature of our Invention of "Improved
Apparatus for Working the Distance and other Signals Used on Rail-
ways," and explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, we
wish it to be understood that we do not claim as of our Invention
weighted pulleys for taking up the slack of railway signal wires, however
applied; but what we claim under the above in part recited Letters
Patent is, the arrangement of apparatus above described whereby the
semaphore arm is caused to follow with certainty the movements of the
actuating lever in the signal box, and in the event of the breakage of
the connecting wires the semaphore arm will be automatically raised to
"danger."
In witness whereof, we, the said John Brierley, Frederick Wade
Brierley, Walter Wright Brierley, and Francis Samuel Reynolds,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, the Seventh day of
December, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and seventy-five.