Improvements in Means for Signalling on Railways during a Fog or Intense Darkness.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Nov.. 1889
Complete Specification Left, 18th July, 1890-Accepted, 23rd Aug.,
18,90
PROVISIONAL
SPECUNICATION
Improvements in Means for Signalling on Railways during a Fog
or Intense Darkness.
1, JOSEPH SUTCLIFFE, of Sutton Mill, Crosshills near Keighley in the County of
York, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows, that
is to say-
This invention relates to Improvements in Means for Signalling on Railways during
a Fog or Intense Darkness, and consists of the employment of means arranged so
that the ordinary signal-man may indicate to the driver of a train whether all is
right or otherwise, and that from his position in his signal-box, thus effecting the
object desired without the aid of extra men along the line of railway, or the
detonating signals arranged by these men as has heretofore been the case.
This is attained by making use of an oscillatory shaft with a finger attachment to
be operated by the signal-man from his box in the same way as is the ordinary
painted-board signal, or this rotary shaft may be attached by suitable levers and rods
so as to be operated from or by the same bandle lever as is the said ordinary
signal.
This oscillatory shaft is so arranged that the finger mounted upon it may be adjusted
or moved and held in a perpendicular or a horizontal position as is desired by the
signal-man.
Upon any suitable part of the engine or train, is mounted, in suitable bearings, a
pendent lever, which in an ordinary way assumes a somewhat perpendicular position.
The Tend of this lever is uppermost and operates in connection with a sliding T piece
which is kept in contact with same by means of a spiral or other spring. To this
sliding piece is attached a pin which when raised operates a catch lever, releasing
another lever which is drawn in a suitable direction by a spring. This last named
lever is coupled by appropriately formed connecting rods, levers and parts to operate
the whistle on the engine.
When the signal-man has operated the oscillatory shaft so as to move the finger
attached thereto into its perpendicular position the outer end of said finger will lie in
the path of motion of the pendent T lever on the engine or train, and as the train
continues to move this pendent lever is moved, by coming in contact with said finger,
out of its perpendicular position in this manner raising the T sliding piece as also
the pin attached thereto, by which means the levers above described are operated and
the whistle on the engine is sounded and so the attention of the driver is engaged
who by his code of signals knows how to act accordingly.
When the sounding of the whistle is stopped by the driver moving the valve in
the ordinary way, by the employment of suitable connecting levers and parts, the
sliding piece, the catch and other levers and the pendent T lever are readjusted
so that they may be again operated by the indicating finger controlled by the
signal-man.
Dated this 16th low of November 1880
JOSEPH SUTCLIFFE.
Per Samuel Hey,
Agent.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Means for Signalling on Railways during a Fog
or Intense Darkness.
I JOSEPH SUTCLIFFE of Sutton Mill, Crosshills near Keighley in the County of
York Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, that is to say :-
This invention relates to Improvements in Means for Signalling on Railways during
a Fog or Intense Darkness and consists of the employment of means arranged so that
the ordinary signal man may indicate to the driver of a train whether all is right or
otherwise, and that from his position in his signal-box, thus effecting the object
desired without the aid of extra men along the line of railway or the detonating
signals arranged by those men as has heretofore been the case.
In order that my said invention may be more readily understood I have hereunto
appended sheets of drawings illustrative thereof, to which, by figures and letters
reference is made in the following description.
Fig. 1 is a view, as seen from above of a line of railway having my improved parts
applied.
Fig. 2 is an elevation of certain parts shewn by fig. 1 and as seen in the direction
indicated by arrow a.
Fig. 3 is another elevation of similar parts as seen in direction of arrow b.
Fig. 4 is side view of a portion of a railway and railway engine shewing the
application of my invention to both, and fig. 5 is end view of parts shewn by
fig. 4.
Fig. 6 is a front view shewing in detail, enlarged scale, mechanism to be attached
to the railway engine for the purposes hereinafter described.
Fig. 7 is a back view of parts shewn by fig. 6.
Fig. 8 is a similar view to fig. 7 but shews the cover as being removed so that the
internal fittings might be seen.
Fig. 9 is a side sectional elevation of parts shewn by fig. 6.
Similar letters and figures of reference indicate similar parts throughout the several
views.
The object of this invention is attained by making use of an oscillatory shaft c with
the finger attachment d to be operated by the signal-man through the medium of
the operating lever e, adjustable connecting rod and the ordinary signal operating
lever g which is moved or operated by the chain and wire connection being coupled
to the well known handle-lever in the signal box as is the ordinary painted board
signal and as will be understood or this signal-operating lever g may be also arranged
to operate the painted board signal by being coupled thereto by the rod k in the well
known manner so that whenever said painted board signal is moved by the signal-
man so also will the finger d be moved.
As will be seen by the mechanism above described, the finger d may be adjusted
or moved and held either in a horizontal position or in a perpendicular position as shewn
in the drawings when and as desired by the signal man.
Upon any suitable part of the train but preferably upon the engine as is shewn,
I mount a pendant T lever in the suitably formed support m. The end
of this lever is uppermost and operates in connection with the sliding T piece n
which is kept in contact with same by means of the spring o. To this sliding piece n
is attached a pin p which when raised, as by being raised with the piece n to which
it is attached, operates the catch lever releasing the other levers which is drawn
or tended to be drawn in the direction indicated by the arrow t by the spring u.
The lever s is coupled by appropriately formed connecting rods, levers and parts
such as the rods v¹² and levers to to¹ and 10%, and their bearances xx¹² or any
other suitable means, to operate the whistle y.
When the signal-man has operated the shaft c so as to move the finger d into the

page_text: perpendicular position shewn by the drawings, the outer end of this finger d will lie
in the path of motion, of the pendant lever and as the engine (train or vehicle)
upon which this lever l is mounted, continues to move said lever is brought into
contact with and caused to move by the finger d into the position somewhat as is
shewn by fig. 4 and by its end raises the piece n as also the pin p by which means
the catch lever r is operated and the lever s liberated so that by the actions of the spring u
the connecting rods and are moved to open the whistle's valve and so said
whistle is sounded to call the attention of the driver who by his code of signals knows
how to act accordingly.
When the sounding of the whistle is stopped by the driver moving the valve in
the ordinary way the lever sis (by this movement being imparted through the con-
nection rods v v² v³ and v³) raised and by the lever / being now moved clear of the
finger d the spring pressure on the piece n readjusts said lever and so the
catch lever is allowed to descend and hold the lever s until the above described
operations are repeated.
In the several drawings an extra finger d' is shewn as being arranged at the same
distance from the rail z as is the finger d from the rail by which means, provided
that the fixing of the supports m are arranged on all engines (or vehicles) to be at
the proper distance from the outer edges thereof no matter whether the funnel or
tender end of the engine (or whether end of the vehicle) is to the front, one or other
of these fingers d or d will lie in the path of motion of the pendant lever carried by
such engine (or vehicle).
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed I would have it understood that
I do not bind myself to the mechanism herein described in detail, solely, as well known
mechanical equivalents may be substituted for same but what I declare as of my
invention and therefore claim is :-
1. The method of signalling herein described whereby a signal-man may com-
municate with or impart information to the driver or other person in charge of a
railway-train through the medium of his well known arrangement of handle-lever
apparatus being made to operate mechanism for effecting a movement in or dis-
lodging parts on or carried by said train substantially as herein specified.
2. The finger d mounted upon the shaft c and coupled so as to be operated by
the mechanism operating the well known painted-board signal in combination with
the pendant lever 7 having the adjusting mechanism and being coupled to operate the
whistle of a railway train by the means described substantially as and for the purposes
herein specified.
Dated this 17th day of July 1890.
JOSEPH SUTCLIFFE.
Per Samuel Hey,
Agent.