Improvements in Compensators for Railway Signals.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 11th June, 1892
Complete Specification Left, 13th Mar., 1893-Accepted, 13th May. 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Compensators for Railway Signals.
I, JOSEPH HIGGINSON, the Younger, of 9, Wharf Street, Ancoats, Manchester,
in the County of Lancaster, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion to be as follows:
My invention relates to an improved arrangement of compensating gear intended
to compensate for the varying expansion and contraction which occurs in the wires
controlling railway signals from the signal boxes. Such wires when long may
vary several inches in length between day and night even when protected from the
direct rays of the sun.
The object of my invention is to provide simple and easily applied arrange-
ments to obviate the evil effects of expansion in changing the positions of the signals
relatively to the positions of the levers.
In one arrangement, I attach the signalling wire to the opposing ends or sides
of a lever from which lever a weight is suspended, the said weight being placed
about the middle position between the signal lever and the signal post and the
signal wire passing over pulleys where the weight is suspended. The weight is
made sufficiently heavy to overcome the counterbalance weight on the signal post
and when by the operation of the signal lever the said weight is allowed to fully
strain the signal wire then the signal is moved to the "line clear" position.
The weight is preferably suspended at a point nearer the point of attachment of
the wire from the signal post so that the weight is held up by an unequal armed
lever. The signal post end of the wire is attached thus to the short arm of the
lever and is simply hooked to that end; should the signal lever end or half of the
wire break, then the weight falls and the lever so moves that the hook disengages
from the signal post half. In this manner the semaphore or signal arm rises to the
danger position being raised by the ordinary counterbalance weight.
When the signal is operated from the signal lever the action is as follows:-
One motion of the signal lever raises the weight by the cross lever and by
suspending it from the signal end of the wire leaves the other or signal half of the
wire free to move under the influence of the signal counterbalance so that the
signal rises to the position indicating danger. The other motion of the signal lever
lowers the central weight and allows it to pull up the counterbalance and pull down
the semaphore arm or signal to the "line clear" position.
A stop or stops is or are sometimes used to check the movement of the lever
suspending the weight in one direction while leaving it free in the other but the
action may be accomplished as described without stops by the varying angle of the
weight lever.
:
In another construction I mount the central compensator weight upon a rod held.
at its ends by the ends of the signal wires in such manner that the weight can,
slide to either end of the rod depending on its inclination. It may roll along the
rod by means of a wheel or slide along a smooth surface. When the signal lever is
moved in one direction the weight slides to the signal wire end and so pulls down
the semaphore arm while when the lever is put in the other position the weight.
slides down the inclined rod to the signal lever end of the signal wire and allows
the signal to rise to danger. If the wire should break this arrangement. also
aliows the counterbalance weight to raise the signal to danger. An eccentric
wheel with pitch chain may also be applied to the central weight for a similar
purpose, the essential feature of the invention being an arrangement restrained in
one direction and free in the other or bring the weight to bear in one movement,
and freeing it from pulling the signal wire in another.

page_text: An equal armed lever may also be used in the first modification.
The pivoted lever attached to the weight is sometimes provided with a hook at
one end over which a loop on the signal half of the wire is slipped so that if the
other half of the wire should break the hook at once slips the weight, the hook
presses against the weight in one arrangement and so encloses the loop.
Another type of hook is sometimes adopted where both halves of the wire are
attached to the hook but the hook slips into an eye in the weight, but is so
shaped that in the event of breakage the hook slips out of the eye and drops the
weight.
A swivelling lever may be dispensed with and the ends of the wire may be
slipped over a T piece attached to the weight and arranged that the canting
action of the weight when one wire breaks causes the weight to fall.
Dated this 11th day of June 1892.
CLERK & MARKS,
13, Temple Street, Birmingham, Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Compensators for Railway Signals.
I, JOSEPH HIGGINSON, the Younger, of 9 Wharf Street, Ancoats, Manchester,
in the County of Lancaster, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My invention relates to an improved arrangement of compensating gear intended
to compensate for the varying expansion and contraction which occurs in the
wires controlling railway signals from the signal boxes. Such wires when long
may vary several inches in length between day and night even when protected
from the direct rays of the sun.
The object of my invention is to provide simple and easily applied arrangements
to obviate the evil effects of contraction or expansion in changing the positions of
the signals relatively to the positions of the levers.
Referring to the accompanying sheet of drawings
Figure 1 is a general arrangement showing the application of my invention in
one modification.
Figure 2 shows a method of suspending the weight to be hereinafter described
from a pivoted lever.
Figure 3 shows a method of suspension by a T piece fixed in the weight.
Figure 4 shows a hook link suspension.
Figure 5 shows a rigid L piece suspension, and Figure 6 shows a bar suspension
with sliding weight.
In one arrangement (Figure 2) I attach the signalling wire A B to the opposing
ends or sides of a pivoted lever D from which lever D a weight C is suspended,
the said weight being placed about the middle position between the signal lever K
and the signal post L and the signal wire A B having chains passing over pulleys
where the weight C is suspended. The weight C is inade sufficiently heavy to
overcome the counterbalance weight on the signal post L and when by the operation
of the signal lever K the said weight C is allowed to fully strain the signal wire
then the signal is moved to the "line clear" position as shown in dotted lines at
Figure 1. The weight C is preferably suspended at a point nearer the point of
attachment of the wire from the signal post, so that the said weight is sometimes
held up by an unequal armed lever. The signal post end of the wire is sometimes
thus attached to the short arm of the lever and is simply booked to that end;
should the signal lever end or half of the wire marked B break, then the weight C
falls and the lever D so moves that the hook disengages from the signal post half
of the wire marked A. In this manner the semaphore or signal arm rises to the
danger position being raised by the ordinary counterbalance weight.

page_text: When the signal is operated from the signal lever the action is as follows:-
One motion of the signal lever K raises the weight C by the cross lever D and
by suspending it from the signal lever end B of the wire, leaves the other or signal
half A of the wire, free to move under the influence of the signal counterbalance
so that the signal rises to the position indicating danger. The other motion of the
signal lever L lowers the central weight C and allows it to pull up the
counterbalance and pull down the semaphore arm or signal to the "line clear"
position.
A stop M (Figure 2) or stops is or are sometimes used to check the movement
of the lever D suspending the weight in one direction while leaving it free in the
other, so that when the chain or wire B is raised the weight may be almost
entirely suspended from it, the lever D resting meanwhile on the stop Mupon C.
The action, however, may be accomplished as described without stops by the varying
angle of the weight lever.
In another construction (Figure 6) I mount the central compensator weight C
upon a rod D held at its ends by the ends of the signal wires A B in such
manner that the weight can slide to either end of the rod depending on its
inclination. It may roll along the rod by means of a wheel as shown at Figure 6,
or slide along a smooth surface. When the signal lever is moved in one direction
the weight slides to the signal wire end A and so pulls down the semaphore arm,
while when the lever is put in the other position the weight slides down the inclined
rod to the signal lever end B of the signal wire and allows the signal to rise to
danger. If the wire should break this arrangement also allows the counterbalance
weight to raise the signal to danger. An equal armed lever may also be used in
the first modification as shown at Figure 2.
The pivoted lever attached to the weight is sometimes provided with a hook at
one end over which a loop on the signal half of the wire is slipped as shown at N
Figure 2 so that if the other half of the wire should break the hook at once slips.
the weight. The hook presses against the weight at M in one arrangement and so
encloses the loop.
Another type of hook is sometimes adopted where both halves of the wire are
attached to the hook, but the hook slips into an eye in the weight, but is so shaped
that in the event of breakage the hook slips out of the eye and drops the weight.
This is shown at Figure 4 where E is the hook attached to the ends A and B,
and F is the eye in the weight into which the hook slips. If the wire B should
break then the hook E at once turns over and the weight C slips off.
A swivelling lever may be dispensed with and the ends of the wire may be
slipped over a T piece attached to the weight and arranged that the canting action
of the weight when one wire breaks causes the weight to fall.
This modification is clearly seen at Figure 3 where the T piece D fixed into the
weight C serves the same purpose as hereinbefore described. A loop on the end
of A is slipped over one end of the T while the other end is fastened to B
as shown.
Figure 5 shows an unequal armed or L piece D G fixed into the weight C and
here the end of the chain A is hooked into the long arm of D but so hooked that.
when B breaks the weight falls clear of A.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A compensator for signal wires in which a weight is suspended from a position
between the signal lever and the signal post and strains the wires, the said weight
being suspended by a pivoted lever, or a fixed T piece or L piece, or a hook
slipping into an eye, or on a bar along which it can slide or roll, so that the wire
may be operated accurately by the signal lever and yet in the event of
breakage of the wire, the weight may fall clear of the part remaining connected

page_text: with the signal and allow the signal to move automatically to danger, substantially
as herein before described.
2. A compensator for signal wires having a suspended weight as C suspended
and arranged by either of the methods hereinbefore described with reference to
Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 of the accompanying drawings, substantially as described
and illustrated.
Dated this 10th day of March 1893.
CLERK & MARKS,
13, Temple Street, Birmingham, Agents for Applicant.