AN IMPROVED ARRANGEMENT OF APPARATUS FOR WORKING AND CONTROLLING RAILWAY SIGNAL DISCS
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Marc Antoine François Mennons, of the British aud
Foreign Patent Offices, 39, Rue de l'Echiquier, Paris, in the Empire of
France, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED ARRANGEMENT OF APPARATUS
FOR WORKING AND CONTROLLING RAILWAY SIGNAL DISCS."-A communication
from Lonri Potitnierre Mechanical Engineer. residing in Paris.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Marc Antoine François
Mennons at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 15th March 1860.
I, MARC ANTOINE FRANÇOIS MENNONS, of the British and Foreign Patent
Offices, 39, Rue de l'Echiquier, Paris, in the Empire of France, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED ARRANGEMENT OF
APPARATUS FOR WORKING AND CONTROLLING RAILWAY SIGNAL DISCS," to be as
follows:-
The accompanying Drawing represents this arrangement, the corresponding
parts of which are indicated in the different Figures by the same letters of
reference.
Fig. 1 is a plan of the entire combination; Fig. 2 represents the mechanism
of the repeater; Fig. 3 is an application of the same; Fig. 4 is an elevation of
the apparatus parallel to the line.
A, A, cast framing; B, lever; C, C, are two half pullies turning freely on

page_text: their axis, and carrying the traction chain D, at the end of which is suspended a
counterpoise to maintain the tension of the connecting wires; E, wheel toothed
over part of its circumference. This wheel turning with the axle F is interposed
between the two half pullies C, C, and cogs with the traction chain D in the
working of the lever; F, axle on which are fixed the lever B, the wheel E,
and the cam L of the repeater; G, G, G, axle bearings; H, HI, supports of
the half pullies I, I, of the repeater. These pullies, like those of the main
apparatus (C, C), turn freely on their axis and carry. the repeating chain J,
connected by one extremity with a return wire from the disc and by the other
with a counterpoise; K, gorge pulley or wheel interposed between the half
pullies I, I, and taking the chain from the latter on the movement of the lever.
This pulley K is raised by the action of the cam L on the turn pieces M, in
the movement of the lever, and thus takes the chain from the half pullies I, I,
which remain free on the axle. A second chain N is fixed by one extremity
in the gorge of the pulley K, and from thence passes to the pulley O, to
which it is secured at any desired point. P, socket of the repeating column Q,
fitted with the horizontal pulley or wheel O, in the gorge. of which passes the
chain N, carrying at its free extremity a small counterpoise R; S, repeater, by
which the signals of the disc aro reproduced at the station. The apparatus
thus arranged and in communication with the disc placed at any required
distance (say, for instance, a thousand yards), it will be understood that while
at rest the expansions and contractions of the connecting wires caused by the
variations of temperatnre will always be compensated, and a uniform degree of
tension be maintained by the counterpoises attached to the traction chains
which pass over the free pullies. When the signal is to be produced the lever
at the station is brought down in the direction of the arrows, the teeth of the
wheel E take up the traction chain D of the main wire, communicating with
one end of a cross bar fitted to the column of the disc, causing the latter to
face down the line. By the same movement the return chain connected with
the other extremity of the disc cross bar is drawn in the opposite direction,
the traction chain J of the repeater is taken from the free half pullies I, I, by
the pulley K, which, in turning, draws forward the chain N passed over the
pulley O of the column Q, and causes the repeater S to reproduce the movements
of the signal disc. By reversing the lever the disc and repeater are simul-
taneously brought back to their original position, the free pullies take up the
traction chains, and the counterpoises again coming into play maintain the
tension of the connecting wires so long as the apparatus remains at rest.
!

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Marc Antoine François Mennons in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 12th September 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, MARC
ANTOINE FRANÇOIS MENNONS, of the British and Foreign Patent Offices, 39,
-Rue de l'Echiquier, Paris, in the Empire of France, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-third year of Hei
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
.said Marc Antoine François Mennons, Her special licence that I, the
said Marc Antoine François Mennons, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Marc Antoine François Mennons,
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 "AN IMPROVED ARRANGE-
MENT OP APPARATUS FOR WORKING AND CONTROLLING RAILWAY SIGNAL DISCS,"
(a communication from Henri Petitpierre, Mechanical Engineer, residing in
Paris), upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Marc Antoine
François Mennons, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inventiou, and in what 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 immediately after the
date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Marc Antoine François Mennons,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawing, and to the figures and letters marked thereon (that is to say) :-
:-
Among the numerous disadvantages connected with the present systems of
working railway signal discs may be noted the imperfection of the transmitting
mechanism, which, as is known, is generally composed of a simple lever
arrangement acting on wires passing between the station and the signal columin
placed at a certain distance. In this arrangement no allowance is made for
the alternate contractions and dilatatious of the connecting wires resulting from

page_text: the incessant variations of temperature, so that however perfect may be the
adjustment of the apparatus at a given moment, it is impossible to depend on
it for the exact reproduction of the same signal immediately after. When the
temperature falls a few degrees, contraction sets in over the whole length
of wire, and if at this moment the working lever at the station is depressed
to its full extent, the contracted wire, if it does not give way, is inevitably
weakened by the undue strain. When, on the other hand, an increase of tempe-
rature gives rise to dilatation the wire slackened in its entire length no longer
exerts on the disc, column an action proportioned to the range of the lever, the
consequences of which are that the latter either expends its stroke on the wire
alone, leaving the disc unmoved, or at the best produces but an imperfect
signal. When to these disadvantages is added the impossibility, in most cases,
of testing immediately at the station the production or failure of the intended
signal, a fair idea may be formed of the imperfect nature of the system as
it now stands.
The object of the Invention communicated to me is, 1stly, to provide a
transmitting arrangement, which, in compensating the alternate contractions
and dilatations of the connecting wires, maintains these latter under all tempe-
ratures at a uniform degree of tension; and 2dly, to control the working of
this arrangement by means of a repeating apparatus, which, placed at the
station under the eye of the guard or pointsman, reproduces each signal
immediately on its transmission to the main disc situated at a distant point of
the line.
.
The accompanying Drawing represents the entire combination, the corre-
sponding parts of which are indicated in the different Figures by the same
letters of reference.
Figure 1 is a plan of the complete arrangement; Figure 2 represents the
mechanism of the repeater; Figure 3 is an application of the same; Figure 4
is an elevation of the transmitting apparatus parallel to the line; Figure 5
represents a casing, which may be applied, if desired, to the transmitting and
repeating apparatus, either separately or in combination.
A, A, cast framing; B, lever; C, C, are two half pullies turning freely on
their axis, and carrying the traction chain D, at the end of which is suspended
'n counterpoise to maintain the tension of the connecting wires; E is a wheel
toothed over part of its circumference. This wheel turning with the axle F is
interposed between the two half pullies C, C, and cogs with the traction
chain D in the working of the lever; F, axle on which are fixed the lever B,
the wheel E, and the cam L of the repeater; G, G, G, axle bearings; H, H,
supports of the half pullies I, 1, of the repeater. These pullies, like those of

page_text: the main apparatus (C, C,) turn freely on their axis, and carry the repeating
chain J, connected by one extremity with a return wire from the disc, and by
the other with a counterpoise; K, gorge pulley or wheel interposed between
the half pullies I, I, and taking the chain from the latter on the movement of
the lever. This pulley K is raised by the action of the cam L on the turn-
piece M in the movement of the lever, and thus takes the chain from the half
pullies I, I, which remain free on the axle. A second chain N is fixed by one
extremity in the gorge of the pulley K, and from thence passes to the pulley O,
to which it is secured at any desired point; P, socket of the repeating column Q,
fitted with the horizontal pulley or wheel O, in the gorge of which passes the
chain N, carrying at its free extremity a small counterpoise R; S, repeater,
by which the signals of the main disc are reproduced at the station from which
they are transmitted. The apparatus thus arranged, and in communication.
with the main disc placed at any required distance, say, for instance, 1000 yards,
it will be understood that while at rest the expansions and contractions of the
connecting wires caused by the variations of temperature will always be com
pensated, and a uniform degree of tension be maintained by the counterpoises
attached to the traction chains which pass over the free pullies. When the
signal is to be produced the lever at the station is brought down in the
direction of the arrows, the teeth of the wheel E tako up the traction
chain D of the main wire communicating with one end of a cross bar or with
a pulley fitted to the disc column, which under the strain thus produced,
revolves on its pedestal, and faces the disc down the line. By the same move-
ment the return wire connected with the other extremity of the disc, cross bar,
or with the pulley, is drawn in the opposite direction; the traction chain J of
the repeater is taken from the free half pullies I, I, by the pulley K, which in
turning draws forward the chain N passed over the pulley O of the column Q,
and causes the repeater S to reproduce the movement of the main signal disc.
By reversing the lever, the disc and repeater are simultaneously brought back
to their original position; the free pullies take up the traction chains, and the
counterpoises again coming into play, maintain the tension of the connecting
wires, so long as the apparatus remains at rest.
It should be observed, that if so desired, the main or transmitting apparatus
may be employed alone, and the repeating mechanism entirely dispensed with.
In this way considerable economy is obtained in the cost, and although the
certainty as to the exact transmission of the signals is thus reduced by the
absence of direct control, the apparatus still retains its essential advantage over
the ordinary arrangements by the uniform strain which it exercises on the
connecting wires.

page_text: When the transmitting apparatus is thus employed alone, an upright
weighted lever or other counterpoise should be adapted in the ordinary way
to the disc column, so as to produce by its fall the danger signal, in case 'of
rupture in the connecting wires. To protect the mechanism from rain, dust,
gravel, and other foreign matters liable to impede the movement, the single or
double apparatus may, if so desired, be enclosed in a casing, as shewn in
Figure 5, the lever only being left free. A red and white guide disc adapted
to the latter, and corresponding with discs of similar colour painted on the
casing, may be added as a precautionary measure to indicate the course taken
by the lever when one or other signal is to be transmitted.
Having thus described the nature of the said Invention, and the manner of
carrying it into effect, I would have it understood that I do not limit myself to
the precise details above laid down, as these may in many respects be modified
without departing from the principle on which the system is based; but what
I claim is,
:
1stly, the general arrangement of mechanism for, the transmission of signals
from railway stations to the disc columns placed at a distance therefrom, by
means of which mechanism the connecting wires are maintained under all
temperatures at a uniform degree of tension, substantially as above described
and represented in Figures 1, 4, and 5 of the accompanying Drawing.
2dly, the general construction and arrangement of a secondary or repeating
apparatus, by which the signals of the main disc are immediately reproduced
.at the station, from which they are transmitted, substantially as above described
and represented in Figures 1, 2, and 3 of the accompanying Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said Marc Antoine François Mennons, have
hereto set my hand and seal, this Eleventh day of September, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty.
M. F. MENNONS. (L.s.)