IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR INDICATING THE STATIONS AT WHICH RAILWAY TRAINS, STEAMBOATS OR TRAMCARS WILL STOP, AND FOR OTHER LIKE PURPOSES
Year: 1884

page_text: I DAVID KINNEAR SIMPSON of 13 Oriel Road, Bootle in the county of Lancaster,
Hatter do hereby declare the nature of my said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR INDICATING THE STATIONS AT WHICH RAILWAY TRAINS, STEAMBOATS
OR TRAMCARS WILL STOP, AND FOR OTHER LIKE PURPOSES" to be as follows :-
=
This invention has reference to adjustable notice boards, adapted for use by
Railway, Steamboat Tramway or other companies, for the information of travellers
and for other similar purposes.
The apparatus consists of a vertical frame suitably inscribed, and usually
surmounted by a dial with movable pointers for indicating the time of departure
of the trains or the like, or instead of a dial movable notice boards or revolving
bars suitably inscribed may be made use of. In this frame are arranged a series of
bars or boards pivoted at each end to the sides of the frame, and usually having at
one end projecting handles by which they may be turned round as required; these
handles are usually inscribed with the name of the station or other information
corresponding to that on the board or bar, for the guidance of the official in charge.
One side of each board or bar is left blank, and each station on the route of the
railway train or other conveyance is enumerated in order upon the series of
revolving boards or bars: when in use any bar or board bearing the name of a
station at which the train does not stop is turned to present its blank side to view.
By constructing the frame with bars of three, four, or more sides two or more
routes may be successively indicated by the same notice frame. The scope of the
apparatus may be still further enlarged by combining two or more stands, or
notice frames pivoted onto a central axis.
•
If the notice board be placed upon a vehicle or steamboat or the outside of a
window of each compartment of a railway train so as to be read from the inside,
a conductor porter or other employee can turn a nained bar at each stoppage, and
thus the passengers can always see at a glance what are the next and remaining
stopping places. Mistakes caused by passengers entering the wrong train will by
this means be avoided, as they can always see if their station be displayed on the
notice board.

page_text: .
I, DAVID KINNEAR SIMPSON, 13, Oriel Road, Bootle, Lancashire, Hatter, do
hereby declare the nature of my said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
FOR INDICATIng the STATIONS AT WHICH RAILWAY TRAINS, STEAMBOATS OR TRAM-
CARS WILL STOP, AND FOR OTHER LIKE PURPOSES" and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement:-
This invention has reference to adjustable notice boards adapted for use by
railway, steamboat, tramway or other companies, for the information of travellers
and for other similar purposes.
The invention is best described by aid of the accompanying drawings, in these
Figures 1 and 2, Sheet one, show two elevations at right angles to each other of
a portable tram indicator.
Figures 3 and 4 details of same.
J
Sheet 2, a view of ticket office window et cetera applicable also to termini
stations.
Referring to Figures 1 to 4 A is a vertical standard fixed to carriage B or if
preferred to a fixed foundation, C frame capable of rotation on carriage B and
showing two sets of boards I and J say one for down line, one for up, there can be
three or four sets if desired arranged round the pillar. The stations actually
shown are for a Liverpool terminus and for a train running from there to Southi-
port. These boards are square so that three entirely different lines of stations can
be inscribed on the three sides and the fourth side be blank. To prevent mistakes
the boards or names of each line can be painted a different color the operator can
then see at a glance if he have accidentally turned to view the name of a station in a
different line. D handles for turning the boards. E E springs fixed in pivots between
two boards F G, screwed to frame A by means of screw H. To prevent boards I
and J being turned round by any mischievous person, I sometimes have squares on
the base of the handles and a movable board not shown in drawing with holes
fitting these squares locked to the side after the boards have been set, thus locking
the lot. K is the usual clock face showing the time of departure of train. As this
is liable to be mistaken for an actual clock, I have lately applied for a patent for
forming this clock face in two separate semicircles placed side by side or one
below the other, one for the hours, the other for the minutes-in actual practice
I shall probably generally use this new plan and not the one shown.
Figures 3 and 4 show a plan for use with single station, name and blank on
opposite sides of a board instead of having several inscribed sides. In this case
I prefer to use weighted crank handles to turn the board as shown stopped by pins.
The ends I box in, and the door L has a projecting piece M which when the door
is closed locks the bandles as shown in chain dotted lines in the Figures. Both
kinds of handles, can be inscribed with the names of the stations if required.
The mode of action is as follows:
Referring to Figures 1 and 2. If the three sides are set with the stations of
three lines, say Southport line, Leeds Manchester Line, and the next train to start
is the 9.24 to Southport, the clock face is set to this time. The locking board is

page_text: unlocked. This train stops at all stations on the line except Bankhall, Marsh-lane,
Seaforth, and Hall Road. All the names of the stations of this line are turned
face out except these three which are turned with their blanks showing. The
spare boards are placed to blank and the whole is again locked. In a short line
like this there is room on this particular specimen for the stations of another short
line to be placed on the boards below. In this way and allowing for two or more
faces to the apparatus and three names on each bar of each face of the apparatus
every train at a given platform can have its stopping places notified by this
apparatus no matter how many lines within reasonable limits connect with the
platform.
Sheet 2 shows a station ticket office with apparatus of this kind on each side of
the door. I have not thought it necessary or desirable to give further illustrations
but it is obvious that small apparatus of this kind can be fixed to the carriages of
a train and manipulated by porters in the manner set forth in my provisional
application also that similar apparatus can be used on steamboat, piers, omnibus
offices and the like.
The carriage window apparatus however requires a little further description.
I prefer to make the name bars with two blank faces opposite each other and two
named faces. These bars are arranged in a frame outside the window-the bars
being held in place by springs pressing against the squares of the bars. The bars
give the names of the stations the train is to call at. At each station a porter
goes along the train and pulls round the bar of that station to blank. The persons
inside the carriage and out can then see at a glance where the train is-what is
the next station at which the train will stop and what stations it goes to. Con-
sequently there is no fear of accidentally passing a station or getting into the
wrong train.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, 1 declare that what
I claim is
1st. The manufacture and use of apparatus for indicating the stations at which
railway trains, steamboats, or tramcars will stop and for other like purposes in
which a series of hoards or bars each with one or more names inscribed thereon on
different sides and a blank on another or remaining side or sides are placed in
succession in a frame and capable of being turned on their pivots and securely
placed in position by handles substantially as described.
2nd. In an indicating apparatus for the purposes described the combination of a
clock face or equivalent dial for showing the time of departure of the next train
omnibus, tramcar or boat, and a series of reversible bars or boards below, each
having two or more sides, one blank the other or others inscribed with the
consecutive names of the stations so placed that by exposing the names of the
stations that the vehicle stops at, and leaving the blanks of the other bars
exposed the series of stations that the vehicle stops at are shown in their proper
order.
3rd. The indicating apparatus constructed and arranged, substantially as herein
described or illustrated and for any of the purposes specified.
Dated this 27th day of April 1885.
WP. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, and
323, High Holboru, London,
Patent Agents for the Applicant.