IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY SIGNALS
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Sir John Macneill, of Mount Pleasant, County
Louth, Ireland, and of 23, Cockspur Street, in the County of Middle-
sex, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY
SIGNALS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Sir John Macneill at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 31st
August 1864.
I, Sir JOHN MACNEILL, of Mount Pleasant, County Louth, Ireland, and of
23, Cockspur Street, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY
SIGNALS," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to certain improvements in railway signals, by the
use of which passengers may communicate with the guard of a train either by
day or night in the event of it being necessary to stop the train for any reason
of danger.
I propose to apply in each compartment of the carriages, and at the back
of each seat, if necessary, a handle or pull, communicating by wires or other
connections with a trigger or triggers of one or more barrels, similar to a short
pistol. Such barrels are fixed in a suitable position on the outside and end

page_text: of each carriage, at the top thereof, and either at the corner or midway across
the carriage, as may be found convenient. The triggers should be set so as
to explode the detonating or other powder in each barrel successively, and
thus attract the notice of the guard. A cover of arched iron and vulcanised,
rubber or waterproof fabric would protect the barrels from wet; or a metal
plate with the edges turned down would form a cover, and increase the sound
of the explosion. In order that the carriage from which the signal proceeds
may be denoted to the guard, I propose to apply to the side of each carriage
a fan or folding signal of a red color; such fan is to be held down by a catch
when not in use, such catch being released by the same pull or movement of
the handle which discharges the barrels, so that the spring will throw over
and
open the fan, and expose it to view.
In lieu of barrels, I propose in some cases to cause the ignition of explosive
materials in a metallic open chamber, with the view of creating sound. At
night I propose to add to the fan signal a lamp or blue or other colored light
at the end and side of each carriage, Where lamps are employed, it would
only be necessary to withdraw a shade or slide from the exterior or interior of
the lamp glass, and so expose the light; or the blue or other colored light
may be ignited by friction, and made to burn for several minutes. These
arrangements may also be effected by suitable connecting wires or cords from
the handles in the carriages, so as to actuate the signals simultaneously. To
prevent the chance of the signals being used wantonly with impunity, I
propose to apply a non-return catch to each handle, so that when once pulled
upwards or outwards it shall so remain until released by the guard.
By this arrangement the compartment of the carriage in which the signal
was given would be known, and it would consequently be an easy matter to
detect the person actuating the signal.
To enable the guard to pass along the train from one carriage to another
while in motion, I propose to apply a series of iron bars, say in rows of three,
held together and supported by cross bars and brackets fixed to the sides of
the carriages. These bars may be kept folded against the sides of the
carriages when not in use. The upper surfaces of the bars should be
roughened to afford a good footing, by which means, and suitable handles for
him to grasp, the guard could get to any carriage desired, and by means of a
signal of his own to the engine driver the train could be stopped if
requisite.

page_text: SPECIFICATION-in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Sir John Macneill in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
28th February 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, J, Sir JOHN
MACNEILL, of Mount Pleasant, County Louth, Ireland, and of 23, Cockspur
Street, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirty-first day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-eighth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Sir John Macneill, Her special licence that I, the said Sir John
Macneill, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Sir John Macneill, 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 "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY SIGNALS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the sail Sir John Macneill, 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
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 Sir John Macneill, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
This Invention relates to certain improvements in railway signals, by the
use of which passengers may communicate with the guard of a train either by
day or night in the event of it being necessary to stop the train for any reason
of danger.
I propose to apply in each compartment of the carriages, and at the back
of the seat, or in the front of the side partitions, if necessary, a handle or pull,
communicating by wires or other connections with a trigger or triggers of one
or more barrels similar to a short pistol. Such barrels are fixed in a suitable
position on the outside and end of each carriage at the top thereof, and either
at the corner or midway across the carriage, as may be found convenient, the

page_text: triggers should be set so as to explode the detonating or other powder in each
barrel successively; or it may be done by allowing the barrels to fall in their
cases on percussion caps fixed in the bottom of each barrel, and thus attract
the notice of the guard. A cover of arched iron and vulcanised rubber or
waterproof fabric would protect the barrels from wet, or a metal plate with
the edges turned down would form a cover, and increase the sound of the
explosion. In order that the carriage from which the signal proceeds may be
denoted to the guard, I propose to apply to the side of each carriage a fan
folding signal or arm of a prominent color; such fan or arm is to be held
down by a catch when not in use, such catch being released by the same pull
or movement of the handle which discharges the barrels, so that the spring or
weight will throw over and open the fan or arm, and expose it to view.
:
In lieu of barrels, I propose in some cases to cause the ignition of explosive
materials in a metallic open chamber, with the view of creating sound. Blue
or other colored lights are to be placed at the end and side of each carriage,
and thus blue or other colored light may be ignited by friction or other means,
and made to burn for several minutes. These arrangements will also be
effected by suitable connecting wires or cords from the handles in the
carriages, so as to actuate the signals simultaneously. To prevent the chance
of the signals being used wantonly with impunity, I propose to apply a non-
return catch to each handle, so that when once pulled upwards or outwards
it shall so remain until released by the guard.
By this arrangement the compartment of the carriage in which the signal
was given would be known, and it would consequently be an easy matter to
detect the person actuating the signal:
To enable the guard to pass along the train from one carriage to another
while in motion, I propose to apply a series of iron bars, say in rows of three,
held together and supported by cross bars and brackets fixed to the sides of
the carriages under the doorways with folding pieces. These bars may be
kept folded against the side of the carriages when not in use. The upper
surfaces of these bars should be roughened to afford a good footing, by which
means, and suitable handles or brass or metal handrails for him to grasp, the
guard could get to any carriage desired; and by means of a signal of his own,
either by hand lamp or otherwise, to the engine driver the train could be
stopped if required.
The annexed Drawings will serve to explain further the above description
of my Invention, and I proceed to describe them, with the additional
improvements.
Fig. 1 is a transverse section of part of a railway carriage; and Fig. 2, a

page_text: longitudinal section of the division of a compartment. a, a, are the pulls or
handles connected to horizontal rods b, b; the rod b is shewn at rest support-
ing the flat sash weight c, the rod is shewn drawn out, and the weight c
at its lowest position, which will prevent the handle from taking its normal
position until the weight is drawn up by the guard from the outside by means
of his door by acting on a small rack fixed to the back of the weight; these
weights are situated in grooves, as shewn, cords or wires are attached to the
weights, and pass over vertical pullies or cranks d, d', and horizontal pullies
or cranks e, e, at the top of the carriage; the cords are then connected to a
rod passing along the roof of the carriage, and set in suitable guides; it is
therefore clear that when one of the pulls is drawn out, the weight will fall
and actuate the.rod, from which the alarms hereafter described derive their
motion. The weight, when fallen, acts as a non-return for the handle or pull,
so as to indicate the compartment from whence the alarm proceeded. A
spiral spring should be applied around each rod, and fixed thereto in such a
manner that when the weight is readjusted the handle shall resume its
position and sustain the weight.
In every division of the carriage the above arrangement is to be applied,
but at each end of the carriage there is a system of alarms, each actuated by
a sliding rod as described; so that there are two sliding rods, each moved by
the handles in each half length of the carriage.
Fig. 3 is an end view of a part of a carriage, shewing the alarms; and
Fig. 4, a plan view. The pullies e, e, guide the cords from the rod to bolts f,f,
which enter sockets in weights g, g, attached to the fans or arms h, h', so that
when the bolts are withdrawn, the weights descend and clevate the fans or
arms, as shewn at h¹; i, i, represent the position of two blue or other lights,
which are in like manner illuminated by the withdrawal of a friction fuse or
percussion cap by the same action of the bolts.
In like manner a maroon or maroons, suspended on a hook or on the rod,
0 (which rod terminates in contact with a receptacle for the maroon,) is released
and falls to the bottom of the metal chamber in which it is placed, thereby
causing an explosion, and creating the necessary alarm.
In Fig. 1, k, k, represent narrow footboards or ledges for the guard to pass
from one carriage. to the other, supplementary handrails being placed on the
5 carriages, and, if necessary, at the ends of the carriages, as far out as the
buffers; they may in the latter case be made to fold in an upward direction,
and held by catches close to the ends of the carriages, and which can be let
down by the guard as he passes along the train, and which will afford safe
footing between one carriage and another.

page_text: Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I would remark, in conclusion, that I do
not limit myself to the exact details and configuration of parts I have
expressed and shewn, as the same may be obviously varied or modified without
in any way departing from the principles on which my Invention is based ;
but what I claim and desire to be secured to me by the herein in part recited
Letters Patent are, the general arrangements and combinations of parts,
substantially as herein specified, for the purpose of signalling on railways,
enabling passengers to give alarm in case of danger.
In witness whereof, I, the said Sir John Macneill, have hereunto set
I my hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of February, in the year.
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
Witness,
ALEX. PRINCE,
-
Office for Patents,
4, Trafalgar Square,
Charing Cross.
JOHN MACNEILL. (L.S.)