Improvements in Railway Signalling Apparatus.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Sept., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 5th Nov., 1891-Accepted, 5th Dec., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Railway Signalling Apparatus.
We, WILLIAM ANDREWS, of Washington Street, in the City and County of
Worcester, Railway Signal Inspector, and WALTER HOLLAND of the Vulcan
Works, in the City and County of Worcester, Civil Engineer do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention of improvements in railway signalling apparatus has reference to
means by which a signal is governed or controlled by two or more signalmen
according to the system known as "slotting."
For this purpose where a signal is to be under the joint control of two persons
we provide in proximity to the cabin nearest to the signal to be controlled, a
loaded or balanced lever to the unloaded arm of which we connect the signal by
means of a wire or connection that is passed round a wheel or pulley.
With
The pivot on which this wheel or pulley rotates is fixed to a bar adapted to slide
longitudinally. To this bar there is also fixed a second pivot which carries a
second wheel or pulley round which is passed a wire or connection each end of
which is attached to one of the hand levers in the respective signal cabins.
this arrangement, by the movement or pulling over of one of the hand levers the
bar will be moved longitudinally sufficiently to move the loaded lever into contact
with a stop. If then the second hand lever be moved or pulled over a further
longitudinal movement of the bar will result and the signal will be lowered.
Where the concurrence of more than two signalmen is necessary preparatory to the
lowering or pulling off of a signal a cross bar can be pivoted to the longitudinal
bar and this cross bar is furnished with two or more wheels or pulleys round which
are passed the wires or connections to the respective signal levers.
Dated this 3rd day of September 1891.
W. LLOYD WISE,
Per F. J. Brougham,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Railway Signalling Apparatus.
We, WILLIAM ANDREWS, of Washington Street, in the City and County of
Worcester Railway Signal Inspector, and WALTER HOLLAND of the Vulcan
Works, in the City and County of Worcester, Civil Engineer, 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 :-
This invention of improvements in railway signalling apparatus has reference to
means by which a signal is governed or controlled by two or more signalmen
according to the system known as "slotting."
For this purpose where a signal is to be under the joint control of two persons
we provide in proximity to the cabin nearest to the signal to be controlled, a
loaded or balanced lever to the unloaded arm of which we connect the signal by
means of a wire or connection that is passed round a wheel or pulley.
The pivot on which this wheel or pulley rotates is fixed to a bar adapted to slide
longitudinally. To this bar there is also fixed a second pivot which carries a
second wheel or pulley round which is passed a wire or connection each end of
which is attached to one of the levers in the respective signal cabins. With this
arrangement, by the movement or pulling over of one of the hand levers the bar
D
י

page_text: will be moved longitudinally sufficiently to move the loaded lever into contact with
a stop. If then the second hand lever be moved or pulled over a further longi-
tudinal movement of the bar will result and the signal will be lowered. Where
the concurrence of more than two signalmen is necessary preparatory to the lowering
or pulling off of a signal a cross bar can be pivoted to the longitudinal bar and this
cross bar is furnished with two or more wheels or pulleys round which are passed
the wires or connections to the respective signal levers.
In the accompanying drawings,
Fig. 1 is a plan, and
Fig. 2 a side elevation showing diagrammatically an arrangement for placing a
signal under the control of two signalmen.
Fig. 3 is a plan, and
Fig. 4 is a side elevation also diagrammatic of an arrangement for placing a
signal under the control of four signalmen.
Like letters indicate corresponding parts.
Referring more particularly to Fig. 1, A is a sliding bar carried in suitable
supports A secured to a timber or other fixing A2 and upon which sliding bar are
mounted two grooved wheels or pulleys B and C. A wire D extends partly around
the wheel B. One end of this wire is connected to an operating lever E; the
other end is connected to a second operating lever E'. These levers may be in
separate cabins. Another wire F extends partly around the other wheel or
pulley C and is connected at one end to the unloaded arm of a lever G weighted
at G and at the other end to the rods and mechanism communicating directly with
the signal. The lever G is so weighted as to offer less resistance to movement than
the signal itself.
If one of the levers E or E' be pulled over into the position indicated in dotted
lines, it will through the wire D move the sliding bar A. At the same time
through the medium of the wheel or pulley C and wire F the unloaded arm of the
lever G will be brought against a stop G. H is an adjustment link or device by
which the wire F can be so adjusted in length as to cause it to bring the said
unloaded arm just into engagement with the stop G¹ at this stage.
No motion will yet have been communicated to the signal owing to the movement
having been entirely taken up by the lever G, but on now pulling the second
lever E or E as the case may be, a further movement will be imparted to the
sliding bar A and the resultant pull on the wire F will in this case, be transmitted
directly to the signal, further movement of the lever G being as before stated,
prevented by the stop G¹. Thus as will be evident whereas before the signal can
be "pulled off" the concurrence of the signalman in charge of each lever is
necessary, on the other hand either signalman can put the signal at "danger
independently of the other.
""
The arrangement shown in Figs. 3 and 4, is as stated designed to place the
signal under the joint control of four signalmen.
There are in this case four operating levers E, E', E2, E³, the pair E E¹ being
attached to a wire D and the pair E2 Es attached to a second wire D'. The
wires D, D' respectively pass partly round grooved wheels or pulleys B B' mounted
upon a cross bar B2 pivoted to the sliding bar A. The other parts of the apparatus
are similar to those having the same letters in the arrangement shown in Figs. 1
and 2 with the exception that the parts are so adjusted that it requires some three
of the levers E E' E' E' to be pulled over in order to bring the unloaded arm of
the lever G against the stop G', before the movement of either of the levers can be
transmitted to the signal.
In the arrangements above described it will be observed that there is in each an
even number of operating levers. Where there is an odd number of operating
levers, the odd lever might be connected directly to the said cross bar that is
pivoted to the sliding bar. In such a case the parts should be so adjusted that the
movement imparted to the sliding bar when the odd lever was pulled, would be the
same in extent as that imparted by one of the other levers.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. In a railway signalling apparatus of the kind whereby the placing of the
signal in the safety attitude is made subject to the concurrence of two or more
signalmen, the arrangement substantially as described of a sliding bar with a wheel
partly around which passes a wire or connection secured at one end to the signal
and at the other end to a weighted lever offering less resistance to movement than
the signal, the said sliding bar being worked by two or more operating levers
through one or more wires or like connections which or one or more of which passes
or pass partly round a wheel or pulley pivoted to the said sliding bar or to a cross
bar attached to the sliding bar, as set forth.
2. The construction and arrangement as shewn and described with reference
respectively to Figs. 1 and 2 and to Figs. 3 and 4 of the accompanying drawings,
of railway signalling apparatus of the kind referred to in the preceding claim.
Dated this 21st day of Ontahor 1901
W. LLOYD WISE,
Per F. J. Brougham,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicants.