IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR WORKING SIGNALS ON RAILWAYS."
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Saxby, Engineer, of Brighton, Sussex, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR WORKING SIGNALS ON
RAILWAYS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by John Saxby at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 11th October
1858.
I, JOHN SAXBY, Engineer, of Brighton, Sussex, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR WORKING
SIGNALS ON RAILWAYS," to be as follows:-
It consists of apparatus for the working of signals on railways by means of
the engine or vehicles passing, so that independent of any signal man, the
signal shall indicate danger when an engine or train has passed, and remain
so until taken off by the signal man at the junction or station, as the case may
be. The engine wheel in passing is made to depress a lever placed at the
outside of the rail, which lever, working on a centre and at the same time
rising at the other end, disengages a sliding bar which governs machinery for
adjusting the lamps and signals to the position for showing danger, when it
becomes fixed until relieved by a lever and chain connected with the signal
box. When the signal is given, as mentioned, the same lever and chain
cause a bell to ring in the signal box, and the position of the bell crank shows

page_text: the signal man the corresponding position of signals and lamp, and by an
arrangement of the mechanism the same lever and chain can be used by the
signal man to put on the signal or relieve it. By a further arrangement, the
chain spoken of as passing to the signal box is connected to mechanism so
arranged, that if the signal is given for "all right" for the main line, it is
rendered imperative for the distant signal for the branch line or sidings to be
set at danger, and vice versa. The distant signal can be so connected with
the siding or station signals, and also with the points, as to make it impossible
for the signal man to give a contradictory signal, or to hold over the wrong
points.
Although I consider the use of my apparatus of paramount importance at
junctions, I propose to use it also at sidings and stations.
Another part of my improvements consists in the use of discs of metal or
any suitable material for the signals at junctions, instead of semaphore
signals, in connection with my signal apparatus, as described in my Patent,
No. 1479, dated 24th June 1856.
SPECIFICATION filed in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
and of an Order of the Lord Chancellor, by the said John Saxby in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 11th May 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN SAXBY,
Engineer, of Brighton, Sussex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-second year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me
the said John Saxby, Her special licence that I, the said John Saxby, my exe-
cutors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John Saxby,
my executors, 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 vend,
within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR
WORKING SIGNALS ON RAILWAYS," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said John Saxby, my executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should par-
ticularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what

page_text: 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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Saxby, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
My improvements consist, first, of apparatus for working signals on rail-
ways by means of the engine or train passing, so that independently of any
signal man, the signal shall indicate danger when an engine or train has
passed, and remain so until taken off by the signal man at the junction or
station, as the case may be. The engine wheel in passing is made to depress
a lever placed at the outside of the rail, which lever working on a centre and
at the same time rising at the other end, disengages a sliding bar which
governs machinery for adjusting the lamps and signals to the position for
showing danger, when it becomes fixed until released by a lever and chain
connected with the signal box. When the signal is given as mentioned, the
same lever and chain cause a bell to ring in the signal box, and the position
of the bell crank shows the signal man the corresponding position of signals
and lamps, and by an arrangement of the mechanism the same lever and
chain can be used by the signal man to put on the signal or release it.
Secondly, by a further arrangement the chain spoken of as passing to the
signal box is connected to mechanism so arranged that if the signal is given
for the main line, the distant signal for the branch line or sidings must of
necessity from this arrangement be set at danger, and vice versa. The
distant signal can be so connected with the siding or station signals, and
also with the points, so as to make it imposible for the signal man to give
a contradictory signal or to hold over the wrong points. Although I consider
the use of my apparatus of paramount importance at junctions, I propose to
use it also at sidings and stations.
Thirdly, another part of my improvements consists in the use of discs of
metal or any suitable materials for the signals at junctions instead of semaphore-
signals in connection with my signal apparatus as described in my Patent,
No. 1476, dated Twenty-fourth June One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
Having thus briefly referred to the nature of my said Invention, I will now
proceed to particularly describe the same, reference being had to the accom-
panying Sheets of Drawings, the same letters on which represent corresponding
parts of the apparatus.
Figure 1, Sheet 1, is a sectional elevation, Figure 2 a plan, and Figure 3

page_text: a side view in partial section of the signal box; Figure 4, wheel for putting
the apparatus in action; Figure 5 shews the arrangement for ringing the
bell; Figures 6 and 7, a front and side view of the signal posts. These
Figures illustrate the first and third heads of my improvements. A, Figures
1, 2, and 3, is the signal box in which is placed the horizontal rod B, supported
at one end between two rollers C, C, the opposite end passing through a groove
D in the signal box. This rod is formed with a fork E, through which passes
the arm F of the cranked lever G, which works on the fulcrum H; the other
arm of this lever is attached by means of a rod I to the weight J. The rod B
is formed with a notch K at one end in which the catch L enters, which works
vertically up and down. To this catch is fixed at the lower end, a projecting
stud M working in a groove in the signal box. Also to the catch is attached
by a pin and fork N, the "disengaging lever "O, which works on a fulcrum P
in the frame P¹, the opposite end of the lever is formed with a head Q, over
which the wheels of the engine or train pass, and which depresses it, thus
causing the other end to raise the catch L out of the notch K, and set free
the rod B, which is forced forwards by the weight J, and cranked lever G.
This movement allows the discs R on the signal post S to be "set" to
"danger," that is to say, when in a vertical position. The signal man when
necessary, sets the signal to "all right," that is when the discs are in a
horizontal position by turning the hand wheel T, Figure 4, which causes by
the chain U on the barrel V, to pull the rod B and catch Ļ, to their original
positions. The signal remains in this position until again released by a passing
train or by the signal man. The lamp W is employed shewing a green light
when the discs are horizontal, or a red light when the disc is perpendicular.
When a train or engine passes over the end of the lever O, or when the rod B
is drawn back by the signal man, the bell X, Figure 5 fixed to any suitable
support, is caused to ring by means of the wire Y, and bell crank lever Z.
This lever is connected by a wire a to the cranked lever b, furnished with a
weight c. The position of this lever shews the corresponding position of the
signals and lamps.
Figure 8 is a plan, and Figure 9 a sectional elevation, of one modification
of the herein-before described apparatus. In this arrangement a double
quadrant d, d', is used, one sliding against the other, the play being regulated
by a pin e, in the slots f; the periphery of the quadrants is grooved to form a
guide to the chains g, g, attached to eyes h, fixed at each end. i, is a lever
playing on a pin j, the opposite end of the lever resting on a pin k; at the
periphery of each quadrant is a notch 1, into which takes the disengaging.
lever O. When the latter is raised by a train or engine, the weight mou tho

page_text: arm n descends and sets the signal to "danger;" the lever i when the
signal man pulls the quadrant up by the wire g, lifts the lever O out of the
notch l, and allows the front quadrant d to go forward, and the signal to shew
'danger."
66
Figures 10, 11, and 12, shew respectively a section plan, also a side
view of the quadrant representing another modification of the apparatus. In
this mode a catch o', and wedge p are employed fixed to the rod B, which
has a notch 9 on the top in which rests the lever O; the rod passes between
rollers r, r; the catch o¹ acts so as to raise the lever O, and allows the signal
to shew "danger." The rod B¹, to which the wire for working the signal
is attached is connected to the rod B by a pin r¹ passing through the slots 8¹.
The wire or chains is attached to the weighted quadrant t, which, in its
descent sets the signal to "danger."
The second part of my Invention is shewn in edge view, side view, and
plan in Figures 13, 14, and 15, of Sheet 2 of my Drawings; u represents a
portion of a signal station for a junction or other part of the railway; v is the
floor, to which is fixed the support of the hand wheel I, from the barrel of
which passes the chain or wire w round the small pulley x in order to work the
signals. Another wire y connects the bell X, to the wire w, to which is also
fastened another wire z, attached to the lever armı 1, fast on the axis 2, working
on bearings 3,.3. This arm 1 is pulled down when the distant signal is set to
danger. The projecting arm 4 forms a stop to the lever "A" reference being
now had to the Specification of Letters Patent granted to me on Twenty-fourth
June, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six,
No. 1476. This lever is employed for working the main line signals, and the
points or switches i in connection simultaneously, and it is represented as
"locked" by the projecting pin or arm 4, so as to render it impossible to alter
the signals of the main line without the corresponding distant signal being set
to danger.
5 is another arm on the axis 2; it is formed with a fork, and is fixed to the
rod 6 by a pin. The rod is furnished at one end with weights 7, and the
other end is fastened to the end of the lever 8, working on a centre pin 9.
The object of this lever is, that in case of the wire of the wheel breaking, the
signal man can unlock the lever A by pressing on the end of the lever 8 with
his foot so as to raise the stop 4, the weight 7 causing it to return to its
original position. The same arrangement of apparatus may be applied to the
levers for working the main line signals which act independently of the
points.
If the branch distant signal is set to "all right," the apparatus will lock the

page_text: levers of the two main line signals, and if the main line distant signal is set to
"all right," it will lock the levers of the branch line.
Having now described my Invention, and how the same is to be put into
operation, I wish it to be understood that I make no claim to actuating signals
on railways by the depression of a lever caused by the passage of the train,
and that I do not claim the working of the switches, semaphore arms, and
lamps by one combined action; but what I claim is the apparatus for self-
acting distant signals on railway lines, and apparatus to lock simultaneously
the signals at the junctions or main lines and branch lines, substantially as
herein-before described and shown by the Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Saxby, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eleventh day of May, One thousand eight hundred
and fifty-nine
Witness,
C. BARLOW, Patent Agent,
89, Chancery Lane, London.
JOHN SAXBY. (L.S.)