IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY SIGNALS
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Ebenezer Entwistle, of Blackburn, in the County:
of Lancaster, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY
SIGNALS."
Sealed the 26th February 1875, and dated the 19th September 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Ebenezer Entwistle at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 19th September 1874.
I, EBENEZER ENTWISTLE, of Blackburn, in the County of Lancaster,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN RAILWAY SIGNALS," to be as follows :—
This Invention has for its objects improvements in railway signals,
automatic or otherwise.
In order to obtain the objects of this my Invention I proceed as
follows:-
1st. I place alongside the ordinary rails a moveable trapezoid rail
(or rail bent in the form of trapezoid angles), or a bow or inclined rail

page_text: resting upon sectional flanged pulleys or semicircular plates working
eccentrically, or a bow or inclined lever, or any other mechanical equi-
valent secured to suitable shaft or shafts working in pedestal brackets
secured to the sleeper, or any convenient part of the line.
2nd. I connect to the said shafts a counterpoise connecting bar, with b
adjustable weight or weights if necessary, by means of levers or equi-
valents secured to the said shafts to give motion to all the said shafts
at one time, and also to counterpoise the aforesaid moveable rail placed
alongside the ordinary rails.
3rd. I place at any convenient part of the apparatus or line (or rail-
road) a toothed wheel or wheels, or an eccentric, or a loose lever or
pulley, or levers and pulleys, with lips, chains, or equivalents, and weight
or weights connected thereto for the working of the wire, chain, or equi-
valents placed alongside the line (or railroad).
4th. I secure to the said shafts a lever or levers with lips, chains, or ?
mechanical equivalents, and adjustable weight or weights to reverse,
draw, or lift the aforesaid toothed wheel or wheels, or an eccentric, or a
loose lever or pulley, or levers and pulleys, with lips, chains, or equi-
valents, and weight or weights.
5th. At the end of the said lever or levers I connect by the best
mechanical means a radius arm with a small wheel or trundle, and
a suitable catch or catches at any convenient part of the apparatus
or line to drop and hold up the said lever or levers, or equivalents.
6th. I also place at any convenient part of the line a slide rack,
or a lever bar, or mechanical equivalent, with a stud or studs, and
suitable catches to hold to meet the expansion or contraction of the
wire.
And in order to render the construction and operation of my Inven-
tion better understood I will now proceed to describe the accompanying
Drawings, in which in Figure 1, A is the ordinary rail; B, the movable
trapezoid rail placed alongside thereof, indicated by the red dotted lines.
and resting upon semicircular plates C, C, C, C, also similarly indicated
which work eccentrically and are secured to shafts D, D, D, D, such
shafts working in pedestal brackets E, E, E, E, E, and connected by
connecting bar F to secure an equal motion to all the said shafts at one
time; the bar F also serves as a counterbalance to the trapezoid rail B

page_text: with adjustable weights G, G, attached thereto; but these weights may
frequently be dispensed with; H is a lever (capable of being either
raised or depressed) secured to one of the shafts D which is raised by
the depressing of the trapezoid rail B, and falls by the weight J, which
is an overbalance or counterweight to raise weight K connected to angle
lever I. The angle lever I and wire N is connected by a chain L which
passes over the pulley M.
In Figure 2, O is a slide rack sliding in brackets P, P, which meets
the expansion and contraction of the wire; S is an angle lever secured
to a post U with an adjustable weight T, and connected to the slide
rack O by a chain R; W is a shaft working in a pedestal bracket Y.
Secured to the shaft W is a bow lever V which is depressed by the last
carriage, or any other part of a train, thereby raising a catch lever X,
and liberating the slide rack O, thus allowing the angle lever I
(Figure 1) to fall, which draws rod 7 (Figure 1), moves angle lever 6
(Figure 1), and lifts catch 3 (Figure 1), and thereby relieves the radius
arm 1 (Figure 1), and allows lever H (Figure 1) to fall and draw wire 8
(Figure 1), which is connected to the signal arm connection and denotes
the line "clear."
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Ebenezer Entwistle in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 19th March 1875:
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EBENEZER
ENTWISTLE, of Blackburn, in the County of Lancaster, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of September, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the
thirty-eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Ebenezer Entwistle, Her special
license that I, the said Ebenezer Entwistle, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Ebenezer Entwistle, my exe-
cutors, 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

page_text: vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and. Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
RAILWAY SIGNALS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Ebenezer Entwistle, my executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should 5
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same was to be performed, 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 I, the said Ebenezer Entwistle, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the samé
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement thereof, that is to say :-
1
This Invention has for its objects improvements in railway signals, 1
automatic or otherwise.
In order to obtain the objects of this my Invention I proceed as
follows:
1st. I place alongside the ordinary rails a movable trapezoid rail (or
rail bent in the form of trapezoid angles) or a bow or inclined rail, 2
resting upon sectional flanged pulleys or semicircular plates working
eccentrically, or a bow or inclined lever or any other mechanical equi-
valent secured to suitable shaft or shafts working in pedestal brackets
secured to the sleeper or any other part of the line.
2nd. I connect to the said shafts a counterpoise connecting bar with 2
adjustable weight or weights, if necessary, by means of levers or equiva-
lents secured to the said shafts to give motion to all the said shafts at
one time, and also to counterpoise the aforesaid movable rail placed
alongside the ordinary rails:
3rd. I place at any convenient part of the apparatus or line (or rail- 3
road) a toothed wheel or wheels, or an eccentric or a loose lever or
pulley, or levers and pulleys, with lips, chains, or equivalents, and weight
or weights connected thereto, for working of the wire chain or equiva-
lents placed alongside the line (or railroad).
4th. place to the said shafts a lever or levers, with lips, chains, or 3
mechanical equivalents, and adjustable weight or weights to reverse,

page_text: draw, or lift the aforesaid toothed wheel or wheels, or an eccentric or.
a loose lever or pulley, or levers and pulleys, with lips, clains, or equiva-
lents, and weight or weights.
5th. At the end of the said lever or levers I connect by any suitable
means a radius arm with a small wheel or trundle, and a suitable catch or
catches at any convenient part of the apparatus or line to drop and hold
up
the said lever or levers or equivalents.
6th. I also place at any convenient part of the line a slide rack, or a
lever, bar, or mechanical equivalent, with a stud or studs and suitable
catches to hold to meet the expansion or contraction of the wire.
་་
Now in order to elucidate all the parts of this my Invention, and
clearly to illustrate its workings, I proceed as follows:-In the first
place I shall give a general description of the accompanying Drawings;
secondly, of the details shewn in the Drawings; thirdly, of its con-
nections; fourthly, of its workings; fifthly and lastly, its leading
features and what I claim as the novelties of this my Invention.

page_text: is secured to shaft 8; the other end is connected to radial arm 18 by
stud 16. Radial arm 18 is attached to timber 20, and radiates .from
stud 19 and connected to guide 22 by stud 21. Guide 22 is bolted to
standard 25; which is bolted to timber 20. One end of chain is linked
to stud 21, and passes round pulleys 24 and 24, and is then linked to
signal arm counterbalance lever..
Catches 26, 26, and 26°, are attached to standard 25 by stud 27.
Draw rod 30 is joined to one end of lever 28 by stud 31; the other end
is joined to cam lever 32 (which is attached to the square of cam which
works in bracket 35 and guide 22) by stud 34. Bottom part of lever 28
working on shaft 8 is connected with one end of wire for any other
mechanical equivalent suspended or otherwise; the other end of such
wire or equivalent is connected to slide rack 37, resting on collars
working on studs 38, 38ª, connected to brackets 39 and 39ª secured to
timber 40. Levers 41 and 42 are secured to shaft 43 working in pedestals
44, 44, and 44°. Pedestals 44 and 44* are bolted to bridge bracket
10, 10', secured to sleepers c¹ and c¹, and pedestal 44' is bolted to
bracket 45 secured to timber 40. One end of slide rack 37 is connected
to connecting rod 46 by a set pin; the other end of rod 46 is connected
to angle lever 47 by a set pin; also, as shewn in section 1 of Sheet A,

page_text: has arrived at bow lever 42, which is then depressed by the flange of the
first wheel (or any part of a train, &c.) or by a lever with a friction
roller attached to the last carriage or any part of a train, and thereby
works shaft 43 and raises catch lever 41 and liberates rack 37, and allows
weight 29 on lever 28 to fall and draw wire f, or equivalent, and work
cam 33, and thereby raises catches 26, 26ª, 26", and allows radial arm 18
to fall out of its vertical position, by which lever 14 and bar 12 is allowed
to fall and raise trapezoid rail 1 and weight 29 on lever 28, and allows
lever 47 to fall and draw rack 37, and signal arm e¹, to fall to the position
of arm e, which denotes that the line is clear and that the next coming
train can proceed and again place the signal arm at danger.
FIFTH, AND LASTLY.
Having thus fully described the nature and particulars of this my
Invention, and the manner of carrying the same into effect, I desire it
to be distinctly understood that I do not confine myself to the exact 1
details herein set forth, as such may be varied and modified without
departing from the principles of my Invention, but what I claim as my
Invention, and which to the best of my knowledge and belief has not
been hitherto used within this realm is,-
C
First. I claim the method of working either light, sight, or sound:
signals for railways automatically by an indirect action upon the wire or
other equivalents.
Secondly. I claim the trapezoid rail 1 and quadrantal levers 2, 3, and
semicircular lever 4; also forked levers 11 and 14, connecting bar 12,
and radial arm 18, which give a more gradual motion and prevent any
part from being strained when depressed by any train travelling at the
highest possible speed, and to enable a signal to be given before as well
as behind, that is to say, when a train is a certain distance from a station
a signal may be given indicating that a train is coming and the line
must be kept clear.
Thirdly. I claim the catches 26, 26, and 26", which meet the variation
of the flanges of the wheels in order to prevent a rebound when a deeper
flange passes over rail 1.
Fourthly, and Lastly. I claim the slide 37 and its connections for
providing for the expansion and contraction of the wire or equivalents.

page_text: described and illustrated.
In witness whereof, I, the said Ebenezer Entwistle, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of March, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five.
EBENEZER ENTWISTLE. (L.S.)