Apparatus for Adjusting the Wires employed for Railway Signalling Purposes.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Jan., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 22nd Oct., 1890-Accepted, 17th Jan., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Apparatus for Adjusting the Wires employed for Railway
Signalling Purposes.
We, JOHN PATRICK O'DONNELL, Civil Engineer, and ILLIUS AUGUSTUS TIMMIS
Civil Engineer, both of 2 Great George Street Westminster in the County of
Middlesex do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
―
The object of our invention is to provide an apparatus by which a signalman can
readily adjust the wires employed for working points, point locks, signals or any
parts or things that may be required to be operated in connection with railway
signalling. It is well known that according as the weather is hot or cold so the wires
are expanded or contracted. With an expanded wire a signalman in working for
example his signal lever will occasionally only take up the slack wire failing to
operate the signal arm. Again, which is a more dangerous case, the contraction of
the wire even without the signalman operating. his signal lever, may be sufficient to
deflect the signal arm. The constant working of wire stretches it, and the results
are similar to the expansion previously referred to.
In most of the existing appliances for adjusting wires, the signalman has to turn
a screw a sufficient number of times to pay out or take in wire as the case may be.
In these cases it devolves upon the signalman to judge whether he has paid out or
taken in the proper quantity. He could maliciously or through negligence turn and
turn until the arm came off, although the lever be not moved from its normal
position.
With our apparatus, we place the action of the correct adjustment of the wire upon
the weight on the back balance tail of the signal lever in the case of expansion, and
upon the weighted arm or spectacle in the case of contraction, subject to the
signalman loosening a nut to bring them into oporation.
We employ a loose tail working on the same spindle (preferably) as the lever.
On the back portion of the said tail is fixed the usual back balance weight. On the
front portion of the said tail is fixed one end of a quadrant, the other end of the
said quadrant in which a slotted hole is formed works about a pin or stud on
the lever.
A nut on the end of the said pin and outside the quadrant upon being turned tight
on the quadrant, holds it in position.
The action is as follows: If the wire expands, the signalman loosens the nut,
the back balance tail falls, taking up the slack wire and the quadrant is worked
forward, the slotted hole working about the stud or pin on the lever. The signalınan
now tightening the nut, holds the quadrant in that position. The signalman upon
working his lever actuates his signal.
Again should the wire be contracted, the signalman loosens the said nut, and the
weight on the signal arm, draws the wire out and the quadrant down. The signalman
tightens the nut and working his lever deflects the signal arm. Any weight on the
signal post, for instance the weight on the balance-lever may suffice to effect the
result described with reference to the weight on the arm or the spectacle.
Dated this 22nd day of January 1890.
JOHN P. O'DONNELL,
Agent for the said Applicants.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Apparatus for Adjusting the Wires employed for Railway
Signalling Purposes.
We, JOHN PATRICK O'DONNELL, Civil Engineer and ILLIUS AUGUSTUS TIMMIS
Civil Engineer, both of 2 Great George Street Westminster in the County of
Middlesex, 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 :-
The object of our invention is to provide an apparatus by which a signalman can
readily adjust the wires employed for working points, point locks, signals or any
parts or things that may be required to be operated in connection with railway
signalling.
It is well known that according as the weather is hot or cold so the wires expand
or contract. With an expanded wire a signalman in working for example his signal
lever will occasionally only take up the slack wire failing to operate the signal arm.
Again which is a more dangerous case, the contraction of the wire even without
the signalman operating his signal lever may be sufficient to deflect the signal arm.
The constant working of the wire stretches it and the results are similar to the
explanation previously referred to.
In most of the existing appliances for adjusting wires the signalman has to turn a
screw a sufficient number of times to put out or take in wire as the case may be.
In these cases it devolves upon the signalman to judge whether he has paid out or
taken in a proper quantity.
He could maliciously or through negligence turn and turn until the arm came off
although the lever be not moved from its normal position. With our apparatus we
depend for the correct adjustment of the wire upon the weight on the back of the
balance tail of the signal lever in the case of expansion, and upon the weighted arm
or spectacle in the case of contraction, subject to the signalman loosening a nut to
bring them into operation.
We employ a loose tail working on the same spindle preferably as the lever.
On the back portion of the said tail is fixed the usual back balance weight. On
the front portion of the said tail is fixed one end of a quadrant, the other end of the
said quadrant in which a slotted hole is formed works about a pin or stud on the
lever. A nut on the end of the said pin and outside the quadrant, upon being turned
tight on the quadrant, holds it in position.
.
In order that our said invention may be more clearly understood and readily
carried into effect we will proceed to describe the drawings hereunto annexed.
Figure 1 represents a side view of the locking frame showing the adjusting
apparatus and also the wire connecting the tail of the lever to the signal.
Figure 2 is a front view of the lever showing the adjusting apparatus. In these
figures A is the lever, B is the loose tail working on the same fulcrum as the lever A,
C is the weight on the tail B, D is the nut for tightening the adjusting quadrant to
the lever, E is the slot in the upper end of the said quadrant, F is the quadrant
and G is the wire connecting the end of the tail B to the balance lever H on the
post, J is the weight on the balance lever, K is the upright rod by which the
balance lever H actuates the arm, M is the weighted spectacle and L the signal arm.
The action of our invention is as follows:-
If the wire expands the signalman by loosening the nut D, causes the weight C
on the back balance tail B to fall thereby taking up the slack wire forcing the slot E
of the quadrant F further. upward towards the front of the locking frame. The
signalman now on tightening the nut D can operate the lever working the signal.
If on the other hand the wire contracts and the arm is inclined to be depressed, the
signalman loosens the nut D and the weight J or the balance spectacle M on the
signal post and the signal arm respectively pull the wire so that the balance weight C
on the balance tail B is forced upwards, the quadrant F being forced downwards

page_text: until the further end of the slot of the said quadrant F is moved towards the nut.
Upon the signalman now tightening the nut D be places the apparatus ready for
operating the signal arm in its correct working.
The balance tail B works on the fulcrum of the lever but separate from it. This
apparatus places the smallest amount of responsibility on the signalınan and is as near
approaching the automatic compensator as is practically required for railway
signalling. The means for placing the compensator in operation is placed in a
convenient position to the signalman and the time necessary for performing the
operation is reduced to a minimum.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manuer the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
In adjusting apparatus used for railway signalling the combination of a loose
tail B, quadrant F, slot E, nut D and weight C with the lever A substantially as and
for the purposes set forth."
JOHN P. O'DONNELL,
2, Great George Street, Westminster, London, S.W.,
Agent for the said Applicants.