Improved Method and Apparatus for Placing and Fixing Detonators upon Rails of Permanent Ways.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Sept., 1891-Accepted, 16th Jan., 1892
COMPLETE SPECIALI
Improved Method and Apparatus for Placing and Fixing Detonators
upon Rails of Permanent Ways.
I, DANIEL SLADe, of Leichhardt, near Sydney, in the Colony of New South
Wales, Railway Employee, 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 :-
Heretofore when it has been required to place and fix detonators or fog-signals
upon the rails of permanent ways it has been customary and necessary that an
attendant should carry said detonators or fog-signals from the place of storage to
the desired point on the rail and place and fasten them in position by hand. Now
this invention dispenses with the employment of such an attendant and has been
specially devised in order that the placing and fixing of the detonator or fog signal
on the rail will automatically occur upon the movement of a lever at any distance
from the desired signalling point and by this means the said placing and fixing of
the detonators or fog signals may be arranged within the province and under the
control of the usual signalmen without the necessity of such signalmen leaving
their posts.
The improved method for fixing detonators upon rails of permanent ways consists
of, or is involved in, the use of apparatus consisting of a combination and arrange-
ment with a controlling lever, or other mechanism, of a storage box for detonators
at the fog-signalling point of such rails adapted to have a detonator or fog-signal
withdrawn therefrom placed upon said rail and held upon said rail by the move-
ment of said controlling lever, or other mechanism, at any distance from said
storage box.
The improved apparatus for fixing detonators upon rails of permanent ways
consists first of the particular construction of storage box for detonators having a
feeding channel terminating close to the rail and having a sliding bar or piston to
which reciprocating movement is imparted; secondly of the particular combination
and arrangement with detonator storage box or boxes with feeding channel and
sliding piston, of bell crank levers and connecting rod actuating mechanism at a
signalling station; and thirdly of the particular construction of detonator carrier
or mount.
But in order that this invention may be clearly understood reference will now
be made to the drawings herewith, in which
Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view showing the improved method and apparatus
for fixing detonators upon rails of permanent ways, in which is shown three of the
apparatus, one, or two, or the whole of which connected together, may be used at
one point; or either connected together, or not, one or more such apparatus may
be used at various points in the permanent way, while
Figures 2 and 3 are sectional elevation and sectional plan respectively of the
detonator storage box with feeding channel and sliding bar or piston.
The sole plate A having channel or groove A' is secured by bolts A³ on founda-
tion or packing B with the surface A on a level with the top of a rail C of a
permanent way and with its outer end A' extending as closely as possible to said
rail. The detonator D is fixed to the toe of a mount or carrier D' preferably
made of lead or other soft or compressible material and having its heel D³ equal
to the thickness of the detonator and adapted to receive thereon the force of a
spring D in the mouth A' and the length of such mount or carrier is equal to the
stroke or length of movement imparted to it in channel A' as hereinafter described.

page_text: Over the channel or groove A¹ is placed cover A' secured by bolts A*, and this
cover carries a bottomless box or receptacle A' with supply door A* into which a
number of mounted fog-signals or detonators D on mounts or carriers D'are placed.
The bottom mounted detonator rests upon sliding bar or piston E from which a
stop E¹ takes within guide slot A' in cover A'. This bar E is connected from its
eye Es by rod E' to one arm of a bell crank lever E' pivotted at E the other arm
of said bell crank lever having a slot Eª into which a pin or pintle on rod E' takes.
The rod E' is connected by pipes or rods to a lever (similar to an ordinary
signal lever) on a platform or station or within a signal box as ordinarily on per-
manent ways.
In use when it is required to place a fog-signal or detonator on the rail the
attendant or signalman actuates the lever or "fog lever" of rod E' and so moves
bell crank lever E on pivot E causing rod E to draw out the sliding bar or
piston E and thus leave lowermost mounted detonator in box A' free to fall and it
drops on to bottom or surface A in channel A. Upon the attendant reversing the
movement of this "fog lever" the sliding bar E returns to its normal position and
in doing so it pushes the mounted detonator along the channel A¹, said dropped
mounted detonator D pushing the previously dropped mounted detonators D*
and Dxx in channel A¹ until the outermost one Dxx is thrust over the end A* ou
to the top of rail C but with the heel D' of the carrier D' firmly grasped and
held between surface A and spring D' by said spring thus securing the detonator
firmly in place on said rail against all vibration of the rail until the first wheel of
a passing train travels over and explodes it after which the next forward movement
of the bar or piston E will push the now exploded detonator and the carrier D'
with its heel D' under spring D' clear of the said spring D³, the channel A, and
off the rail C, and will push the next following mounted detonator in channel A¹to
take its place upon said rail as before described. The storage boxes A' are supplied
with mounted detonators as required and the covers A³ are locked against inter-
ference by anyone but the responsible person who has the key.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
First. The improved method for fixing detonators upon rails of permanent ways
consisting of or involved in the use of apparatus consisting mainly of the com-
bination and arrangement with a controlling lever, or other mechanism, of detonator
storage boxes or receptacles (at the fog-signalling points of such rails) adapted to
have a detonator withdrawn therefrom, placed upon the rail, and held upon said
rail on movement of said controlling lever or mechanism (at any distance from
said box or receptacle) substantially as herein described and explained.
Second. A detonator storage box or receptacle consisting essentially of a sole
plate such as A, a channel such as A¹, a cover such as A', a bottomless chamber
such as A', preferably having door such as A³, a sliding bar or piston such as E,
having preferably a stop such as E' in a guide such as A', substantially as herein
described and explained and as illustrated in the drawings.
Third. A detonator mount or carrier consisting essentially of a compressible
block such as D¹ to the toe of which the detonator is secured and the height of
whose heel (such as D³) is equal to the thickness of such detonator, substantially
as herein described and explained and as illustrated in the drawings.
Fourth. In apparatus for fixing detonators upon rails of permanent ways the
combination and arrangement with a storage receptacle such as A' having a feeding
channel, such as A', and a sliding bar or piston, such as E, of a connecting rod
such as E, bell crank lever, such as E E, and connecting rod or pipes such as E
to actuating mechanism, substantially as herein described and explained and as
illustrated in the drawings.
Fifth. The particular combination and arrangement of mechanical parts all

page_text: together forming the improved apparatus for fixing detonators upon rails of per-
manent ways substantially as herein described and explained and as illustrated in
the drawings.
Dated this Sixth day of August One thousand Eight hundred and ninety-one.
DANIEL SLADE.
By Ernest de Pass,
78, Fleet Street, London, and 6, Victoria Street, Nottingham,
Agent for the Applicant.