ed Method of and Means for Placing Detonating Fog-signals on Rails.
Year: 1898

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Impro ed Method of and Means for Placing Detonating Fog-signals
on Rails.
1, ERNEST ALBERT BENNETT BOWDEN, Railway Clerk, of Paddington Station,
in the County of London, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
-
This invention relates to a novel method of and certain improved mechanical
means for placing one, two, or more detonators, such as are used for fog-signalling
on railways, upon the rail required, and if more than one be used, at any desired
distance apart, with certainty and accuracy. My object is to enable a man to
accomplish this end from a position outside of and clear of the permanent way
and thereby obviate the necessity for him to cross the rails, which, where there
are many roads, is of course a source of great danger, and especially during fogs.
I am aware that means have been proposed for attaining the same purpose, but in
such case so far as I am aware a separate transverse conduit extending beneath
intervening rails and a separate set of mechanisms have been required for each
detonator-placing apparatus. As two detonators are always used, this arrange-
ment necessitates a separate set of mechanism for each detonator to be placed
on the rail. By my improvement, for each road I require but a single apparatus
which is adapted to place the two or more detonators upon the rail at any required
distances apart with certainty and accuracy. In such prior arrangements the
detonators have always been pushed on to the rail endwise or from a direction
at right angles to the rail, but according to my novel method I place them upon
and travel them along the rail to or fro, in the longitudinal directions of the
rail, and thus I am able to save apparatus and to dispose them in any required
positions with great exactitude, and withdraw them when required. In carrying
out my invention I provide a carrier of suitable kind and section which may
be a simple square rectangular or T bar passing from the fogman's box beneath
any intervening roads to the rail to be signalled, and this carrier as it approaches
the rail is easily curved round until it lies parallel with and at a suitable level
and distance from same. Upon such carrier is mounted a sliding traveller which
may be a simple bar of such length as to support and carry two or more detonators
at any required distances apart. The traveller is made so as to pass along the
carrier and round the curve thereof, freely and with case, by articulation, bogey-
ing, jointing or otherwise in a workmanlike way, and it is travelled out and in
by an endless chain rope or wire passing over suitably disposed guide pulleys
or the like, and operated by a hand winch. The whole apparatus may be enclosed
in one conduit beneath nearer roads to protect it from injury and dirt. The
detonators are fixed to the traveller on holders projecting sufficiently far and
arranged at such level as bring the detonators after passing round the curved
part just upon the head of the rail and he slidden therealong.
In combination with an arrangement of sliding carrier such as above referred
to I may employ a rotary side bar mounted thereupon and having a holder
carrving one of the detonators to be placed on the rail, (riz., the second to the
exploded) and also an impact plate arranged about opposite to the other or first

page_text: detonator. By this means the force of the explosion of the first detonator acting
on the impact plate serves to rotate the said side bar and withdraw from the
rail the second detonator, thereby economising same, but in case of failure of the
first detonator to explode, the bar will not be rotated and the second detonator
will remain on the rail.
Such an arrangement forms of itself the subject of a prior application for
Letters Patent (No. 5555 of A.D. 1898) made by myself and another.
I may also combine means for indicating to the operator the positions of the
detonators in regard to the rail to be signalled which may be a suitable device
such as a painted disc, link, or the like attached to the endless chain or rope,
and I may also use in conjunction with the whole arrangement a repeating sema-
phore (i.e. a signal acting with the main signal) for indicating to the fogman
the position of the main signal.
Dated this Twenty-third day of June 1898.
J. C. CHAPMAN,
Agent for the Applicant.
Improved Method of and Means for Placing Detonating Fog-signals
on Rails.
I, ERNEST ALBERT BENNETT BOWDEN, Railway Clerk, of Paddington Station,
in the County of London, 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:-
-
This invention relates to a novel method of and certain improved mechanical
means for placing one, two or more detonators, such as are used for fog-signalling
on railways, upon the rail required, and if more than one be used, at any desired
distance apart, with certainty and accuracy. My object is to enable a man to
accomplish this end from a position outside of and clear of the permanent way
and thereby obviate the necessity for him to cross rails, which, where there
are many roads, is of course a source of great danger, and especially during fogs.
I am aware that means have been proposed for attaining the same purpose, but in
such cases so far as I am aware a separate transverse conduit extending beneath
intervening rails and a separate set of mechanisms have been required for each
detonator-placing apparatus. As two detonators are generally used, this arrange-
ment necessitates a separate set of mechanism for each detonator to be placed
on the rail. By my improvement, for each road I require but a single apparatus
which is adapted to place the two or more detonators upon the rail at any required
distances apart with certainty and accuracy. In such prior arrangements the
detonators have always been pushed on to the rail endwise or from a direction
at right angles to the rail, but according to my novel method I place them upon
and travel them along the rail to or fro, in the longitudinal directions of the
rail, and thus I am able to save apparatus and to dispose them in any required
positions with great exactitude, and withdraw them when required.
In further description of my invention I will refer to the accompanying draw-
ings in which Fig. 1 is a plan illustrating the general arrangement of my inven
tion, Fig. 2 an elevation of the rail and the part of the carrier-bar lying parallel
therewith with traveller and mechanism. Fig. 3 a sectional elevation taken at
right angles to Fig. 1, Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are respectively a plan and front and side
elevation showing the forward part of traveller and detonator-holder. Figs. 7.8
and 9 are similar views of an alternative form of traveller, and Figs. 10, 11 and 12

page_text: are similar views showing details of an economising apparatus for use in connec-
tion with the placing apparatus.
In carrying out my invention I provide a carrier-bar or rail A which may be
of T-section as shown or of square rectangular or other convenient section; it
extends from the fogman's box beneath any intervening roads B to the rail C
which is to be signalled, and as it approaches the rail C it is easily curved round
as at a until it lies parallel with and at a suitable level and distance from same
as at a. Upon such carrier-bar is mounted a sliding traveller or carriage adapted
to support and carry two or more detonators at any required distance apart. The
traveller is made so as to pass along the carrier and round the curve thereof, freely
and with ease, by articulation, bogeying, jointing or otherwise in a workmanlike
way. In the drawings this traveller or detonator-carrier is shown in articulated
form, consisting of two separate parts D D¹ one for carrying each detonator and
connected by a chain e or it may be by a jointed bar or rod. The parts D DI
are run out to position by an endless chain, rope or wire f passing over suitably
disposed guide pulleys 9 9 and operated by a hand-winch H, comprising a suit-
able winding pulley h mounted in a frame or standard h¹ arranged in or near
the fogman's hut. The outermost pulley g¹ is adapted to move in a guide or
slot and is provided with a counterweight such as g³ for keeping the chains f
taut when in use. The whole apparatus may, if required, be enclosed in one
conduit passing beneath nearer roads such as B, to protect it from injury and
dirt. The detonators i i¹ are fixed to the traveller D'D' on holders d d which
project as shown sufficiently far and are arranged at such level as to bring the
detonators after passing round the curved part a just upon the head of the
rail C along which they are slidden to position by the traveller D D¹.
In combination with an arrangement of traveller such as above referred to I
may employ means for economising unexploded detonators such as are described
in the prior Letters Patent No. 5555 of A.D. 1898 granted to me and another.
I have illustrated such an economising device combination in all the figures,
but it is to be understood that such economising apparatus and the mechanism
appertaining thereto may be omitted if desired. In applying such apparatus I
provide a side bar ; mounted in suitable bearings and carrying an impact
plate mounted in a position about opposite to the first detonator i, the whole
being arranged out of the path of the first part D of the traveller, and a baffle
plate may be provided to concentrate the force of the explosion on the plate 7;
the end of the bar j is provided with a cranked arm adapted when the bar is
rotated to travel in the path of and operate a projecting arm m of spindle m¹
(Figs. 10, 11 and 12) on the part D', which bar m¹ is mounted in the part D¹
and carries the detonator-holder d¹ in such manner that the force of the explosion
of the first detonator acts to withdraw the second detonator from the rail as set
forth in the prior patent above cited.
Referring more fully to the construction of the traveller. The fore part D
is shown in Figs. 4, 5 and 6. It is extended down at the sides so as to embrace
the carrier-rail A and is provided with antifriction rollers oo in suitable
positions as shown or where required according to the section of carrier-bar
employed. The detonator-holder d is fixed to the top as shown and is bent
upwards and outwards so as to support the detonator i and carry same on to the
rail. The said detonator is secured to the holder by a flat supporting piece q
of sheet tin or the like, having lugs gl at one end for securing the detonator, and
a shank adapted to pass into a slot such as t in the holder over which it is bent
as shown at q³.
When an economising apparatus is employed the detonator holder of the
part D is hinged as described: this construction is shown in Figs. 7, 8 and 9
where D is the second part of the traveller constructed as before but having
the detonator-holder d¹ hinged to an arm n carried by the spindle m¹ which has
the projection n hefore referred to. A bracket is provided to support the
holder d, upon which the latter is slidden when turned over by the economiser

page_text: to the position shown dotted in Fig. 9, the arm n being provided with a motion
limiting stop formed by a projecting part of its boss engaging a similar pro-
jection m on the bearing m2.
for
Fig. 10 is an enlarged plan showing the stop S against which the traveller D
abuts at the completion of its travel. This stop S also forms the bearing
the side rod j, the cranked connection between which and the arm m' is also
shown and consists of a guide and stop formed by an army upon the bar j,
sliding in a slot y¹ in a suitable bracket Y.
In operation, assuming it is desired to signal the rail C the traveller Dis
drawn in by the fogman and the detonators are secured to the holders d das
described. The winch is then operated to run the traveller out to the longitudinal
part a of the carrier-bar A on passing to which from the curve a the detonators
pass on to the rail C in a longitudinal direction and are slidden thereon to the
positions shown in Fig. 1, the distance apart being determined by the length of
the joining chain e. The part 1 passes under the economiser sile bar ; whilst
the part D stops at the end thereof with its crank arm m projecting in the path
of crank of bar j. Should a train now pass on the rail the detonator i will
be exploded and the force of the explosion acting upon the plate will cause the
bar to rotate and with it the bar m¹ in the part 1i so sliding back the holder d¹
upon
the bracket and withdrawing the unexploded detonator from the line.
The traveller may now be withdrawn by the winch and recharged. It will be
obvious that the traveller and detonators may also be withdrawn should the line
be signalled clear on the interval between placing the detonators on the line and
the arrival of the train.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. In fog signalling on railways, the improved method of placing one or more
detonators upon a rail consisting in causing a traveller carrying same to be guided
along a curved carrying bar to a position adjacent to and parallel with the rail,
so that the detonators are slidden by the said traveller into required position
upon the rail in a longitudinal direction and similarly withdrawn from same,
substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
2. The improved means for placing detonating fog-signals on railways which
comprise a traveller with a detonator-holder or two holders arranged at required
distance apart in combination with a fixed curved guide-bar for guiding said
traveller first towards the rail to be signalled and then curving round so as to
lie adjacent to and parallel with the said rail and means for operating said
traveller whereby as the traveller is run out the detonators are slidden
longitudinally on and along the rail to position and at the predetermined distance
apart, and may be similarly withdrawn when required, substantially as set forth
and illustrated in the drawings.
3. The combination with the carrier-bar and a detonator-carrying traveller
such as above referred to, of an economising apparatus comprising an explosion
impact plate mounted upon a rotary side bar adapted on explosion of the first
detonator to withdraw the second and unexploded detonator from the rail, sub-
stantially as and for the purposes set forth.
J. C. CHAPMAN & Co.,
Chartered Patent Agents, 70, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.