Improvements in Railway Signals.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Mar., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 21st Dec., 1892-Accepted, 21st Jan., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Railway Signals.
HENRY MOSELY 91 Mile End Road London E. Bank Manager do hereby
déclare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
train.
An apparatus for attachment to an existing railway signal post for indicating by
sound to the driver of a passing train in foggy weather the position of the signal
arm and for warning platelayers or workmen at work on the line of an approaching
It consists of two cylinders one of which is fitted with a piston and rod
bored vertically side by side out of a piece of metal. Two holes are bored in the
external side of the latter cylinder one above the other (leaving a space between
them) facing which are bored two other holes of exactly the same dimensions which
penetrate into the second cylinder. To the bottom external hole a foghorn is fitted
and a whistle is fitted to the upper one. The piston is made of such dimensions that
when raised it completely covers both the top external hole and also the hole
communicating with the other cylinder. When the piston. is lowered it completely
covers the bottom holes in the same manner. To a joint at the top of the piston
rod is fitted an arm. The second cylinder is open at one end so as to admit air
conducted through a pipe attached thereto. At the back exterior is a flange with
screw holes for attaching the instrument to a railway signal post. The arm at the
top of the piston rod is attached to the post with a pivot thereby making a lever.
The end farthest from the piston rod is attached by a joint to the rod or chain (or
to a rod or chain in connexion therewith where it is not practicable to attach the
instrument to the signal post itself) which raises or lowers the arm of the signal.
When the chain is drawn by the signalman it lowers the rod and raises the arm of
the signal bringing down with it the end of the lever attached to the instrument
(the bi-phone) thereby raising the piston in the cylinder and covering up the top
holes. The air which is forced into the back cylinder through the air supply pipe
rushes through the lower hole into the other cylinder and out by the external hole
sounding the foghorn in its passage. In precisely the same manner when the
signal arm is lowered the bottom holes are covered up and the air rushing out of
the top external one sounds the whistle.
At the foot of the post a tap having two apertures is inserted in the air supply
pipe so that when the tap is turned in one direction it allows the air to pass up the
pipe into the afore described instrument but when turned in the other direction it
closes that air passage and opens another.
Near to the railway line is placed laterally a few inches higher than the rails a
bar of iron straight on the underside but rising in the centre (in somewhat the
shape of a whale or camel back) to a point about three inches higher than at the
ends. One end is fitted on a pivot to a cradle attached to a sleeper the other end
is attached by a double joint to a lever arm placed at right angles to the bar. The
lever arm is pivotted to a standard (also attached to a sleeper) and terminates in a
counterpoise which by its power of lowering that end of the lever raises the bar
into its proper position. Attached to the lever arm is a rod which controls a valve
and allows or prevents the air to pass along the air supply pipe to the cylinder of
the sounding instrument. Attached to the cylinder containing this valve is a small
box or cylinder containing the terminals of an electric wire, the one fixed-the
other moveable. When the valve allowing the air to pass is opened these terminals
are brought together and complete an electric circuit ringing a bell in the signal box.
To the guard rail in front of the engine wheels a small wheel is fixed so that it
strikes the end of the lateral bar and depresses the bar as the engine passes along-
opening the air valve in the supply pipe and sounding either the foghorn or whistle

page_text: as the signal has directed at the same time ringing an electric bell in the signal box
& dropping an indicator "train passed." When the engine has passed, the bar is
raised by the counterpoise to its original position--the valve is closed and the sound
ceases. In fine weather when it is desired to use the apparatus for warning plate-
layers at work on the line the tap admitting the air to the instrument is turned off
and the air passes along a pipe by side of the line which is fitted at intervals with
a series of cocks to any one of which the workman can attach a flexible pipe with
a horn fitted placing the horn near to where he is engaged working. The
approaching train depresses the lever and opens the valve-the air rushes along the
pipe and sounds the horn.
The air may be pumped either through a main from a central station or locally
from each signal box.
5th March 1900
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Railway Signals.
HENRY MOSELY, 91 Mile End Road, London E. Bank Manager 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 :-
My invention has for its object to indicate by dissimilar sounds to the drivers
and guards of a train, the position of the arm of a signal which they are about to
pass, and also to warn platelayers and other workmen that a train is approaching.
1 do this by means of the contrivances hereafter described, whereby by the flanges
of the wheels of the engine and carriages or trucks depressing a lever attached to
the side of the line, a valve is opened, and a blast of air allowed to pass along
a pipe which (1) sounds a horn or whistle (as the case may be) attached to the
signal post, or where the signal post is in an inconvenient position, then to a post
fixed by the side of the line and connected by a moveable rod or chain to the rod or
chain which controls the semaphore signal, so that both the rods or chains are
drawn or released by the same controlling power and (2) by shutting off the
admission of air to the said whistle or horn and diverting it through a pipe running
parallel to the line in which cocks (to which a hose terminating in a sounding horn
or whistle can be attached) are fitted at intervals, so that when a train passes over
and depresses the beforementioned lever, a blast of air is allowed to pass through
the said pipe, out of the cock to which a workman may have attached a hose and
sounds the horn at the end thereof.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this
Specification wherein
Fig. 1 is a side view of a signal post and section, of rails shewing the flange of a
wheel in readiness to depress the lever.
Fig. 2 is a plan of the same shewing the position of the rails, pipes, valves, and
signal post.
Fig. 3 is a sectional view of a rail together with the lever which controls the
valve and Fig. 4 is a plan thereof.
Fig. 5 is an elevation, Fig. 6 a sectional view and Fig. 7 a plan of the
contrivance (for attachment to the signal post) containing the horn and whistle.
Fig. 8 shews a cam (fixed to the rod which is raised or lowered to actuate the
semaphore signal) which presses against a roller fitted to a lever and momentarily
opens a valve and again allows it to close as the rod is either raised or lowered.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.
Figs. 1 & 2. Air is forced along a main supply pipe M (at a moderately high
pressure) from which the pipes m² and m² branch near to each signal post. A
valve D is inserted in the pipe m¹ and is controlled by the lever C which is secured to

page_text: the rail A by bolts and nuts running through the bracket B. The lever C is
depressed by the flange n' of the wheel N and thereby opening the valve D allows
a blast of air to pass through the pipes m' and m³ to the contrivance Ę and through
either the whistle H or the horn H¹. The contrivance E is secured by screws to
the signal post R and the piston rod g is connected with the rod O (which actuates
the semaphore) by the fork o' and the double collar g²
A cam J is also fastened to the rod O and as it is raised or lowered moves the
roller k in the lever arm K (working on a pivot attached to the signal post) and
so opens momentarily the cock L inserted in the pipe m² below but near to the
contrivance E and so sounds the whistle H or the horn H. The object of this is
that the driver of a train brought to a standstill in foggy weather shall be made
aware by sound of the alteration of the position of the semaphore. P is a two way
cock inserted in the pipe m' at the foot of the signal post R (or if preferred two
separate cocks may be used) and at the junction of the pipes m² m³ and m* so that
the air may be shut off from m³ and diverted along m the latter of which runs
parallel with the lines (until about 20 yards before the next signal post where it
terminates) and is fitted with cocks S about 20 or 30 yards distant from each other
so that when a train passes over and depresses the lever C the air rushes along the
pipes m¹ and m' and out of whichever cock S may be open and to which a man at
work will have attached a hose terminated by a horn which will sound and warn
him that an approaching train has passed the previous signal.
In Fig. 4 A is the railway line B the bracket carrying the bearings on which
the lever C works and is attached to the rail by bolts b'. C is the lever terminating
at the top with the roller c¹ to lessen the friction when struck by the wheel of a
train and is a counterpoise keeping the lever in position d is the coupling shewing
the means of connecting the lever C and the rod controlling the valve D. D is a
throttle valve inserted in the pipe m' and the whole are shewn in section in Fig. 3.
In Fig. 5 which is shewn in section in Fig. 6.E is a contrivance having a cylindrical
air chamber F connected by apertures f¹ and f" with the cylinder having
external apertures 4 and terminating respectively in a whistle H and a horn H
This cylinder is fitted with a piston G moved by the piston rod 9 and the piston is
made of such dimensions that when at the bottom of the cylinder as shewn in
the drawing there is a free passage between the chamber F and the whistle H, and
the communication between the chamber F and the horn His shut off and vice versa
when the piston is at the top of the cylinder. 2 is the cover for the air chamber F
and cylinder f. e¹ is a guide for the piston rod 9, and g² is a double collar for
connecting the contrivance by a fork o' with the arm O (Fig. 1) which actuates the
semaphore signal and so lowers or raises the piston rod as the semaphore is either
lowered or raised.
Fig. 8. Furthermore for the purpose of warning the engine driver of a stationary
train of the fact of the semaphore signal being altered, I attach to the rod O
which actuates that signal a cam J which when the rod O is raised or lowered
gives a lateral forward and return movement (the return movement which is
permitted by the cam J is caused by the weight of the counterpoise attached to
the lever of the stop cock L) to the roller k¹ and the lever K and so by means
of the connecting rod a moves the lever 11 of the stop cock L and allows a
momentary blast of air to pass from the pipe m² and through the pipe m³ to the
contrivance E and consequently sounds the whistle H or the horn H¹.
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) The herein described combined means of denoting by dissimilar sounds the
position of the semaphore of a railway signal and of the moment when that position
is altered and also of warning men at work on a railway line when a train is
approaching, substantially as specified.
(2) The herein described construction of the valve-controlling lever and

page_text: attachment thereof to the rails, of the double cylindrical contrivance for emitting
dissimilar sounds, and of the contrivance for admitting a momentary blast of air
thereto when the position of the semaphore is being altered, as specified.
Dated this 20th day of December 1892.
HENRY MOSELY,
91, Mile End Road, London, E.