IMPROVEMENTS IN ACTUATING RAILWAY SIGNALS
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Gustave Marqfoy, Engineer, of Bordeaux (France),
Cours du Jardin Public, No. 110, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN ACTUATING RAILWAY SIGNALS."
Sealed the 27th November 1857, and dated the 17th June 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Gustave Marqfoy at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
17th June 1857:
I, MARQFOY (GUSTAVE), Engineer, of Bordeaux (France); Cours du Jardin
Public, No. 110, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN ACTUATING RAILWAY SIGNALS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in actuating railway signals
by means of electricity. For this purpose the signal is composed of a disc,
colored differently on each side; this disc is mounted on a vertical axis, and
on this axis there is a bevilled toothed wheel, into which another bevilled
toothed wheel gears; on the axis of this second wheel there are two arms of

page_text: projections pointing in opposite directions, the ends of which take into a
notch in a metal spring, and so prevent the axis and in conveyance the disc
from rotating; but when the spring is drawn back the arm or projection is
released, and the axis is caused to rotate, by means of a spring or otherwise,
until the other arm comes round and enters the notch in the spring. By this
means the disc will be turned half round each time that one or other of
the arms or projections is released by the spring being drawn back. This
spring is moved back when the signal is required to be altered by passing a
current of electricity through the coils of an electro-magnet, thus causing it to
attract one end of a lever, the movement of the other end of the lever releasing
another lever, and allowing it to .be drawn down by a spring; the other arm of
the second lever drawing back the spring which prevents the disc from rotating,
and so cause the disc to be moved half round, and present a different colored
face. On the axis on which the disc is fixed there is an eccentric, which gives
motion to one arm of a lever, the other arm of the lever, making and breaking
contact between two points, so as to complete electric circuits, and thus indicate
in which position the disc is retained.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Gustave Marqfoy in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
15th December 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GUSTAVE
MARQFOY, Engineer, of Bordeaux, France, Cours du Jardin Public, No. 110,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventeeth day of June; in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twentieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Gustave Marqfoy, Her special licence that I, the said Gustave Marqfoy,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Gustave
Marqfoy, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN ACTUATING
RAILWAY SIGNALS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said

page_text: Gustave Marqfoy, 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 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 tho
date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Gustave Marqfoy, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following.
statement thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in actuating railway
signals by means of electricity. For this purpose the signal is composed of
a disc, colored differently on each side; this disc is mounted on a vertical
axis, and on this axis there is a bevilled toothed wheel, into which another
bevilled toothed wheel gears; on the axis, of this second wheel there are
two arms or projections pointing in opposite directions, the ends of which
take into a notch in a metal spring, and so prevent the axis, and in conse-
quence the disc, from rotating; but when the spring is drawn back the arm or
projection is released, and the axis is caused to rotate, by means of a spring
or otherwise, until the other arm comes round and enters the notch in the
spring. By this means the disc will be turned half round each time that one
or other of the arms or projections is released, by the spring being drawn back.
This spring is moved back when the signal is required to be altered, by passing
a current of electricity through the coils of an electro-magnet, thus causing it
to attract one end of a lever, the movement of the other end of the lever.
releasing another leyer, and allowing it to be drawn down by a spring; the-
other arm of this second lever drawing back the spring which prevents the
disc from rotating, and so cause the disc to be moved half round, and. present
a different colored face. On the axis on which the disc is fixed there is an
eccentric which gives motion to one arm of a lever, the other arm of the lever
making and breaking contact between two points so as to complete electrio.
circuits, and thus indicate in which position the disc is retained.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, I will proceed. more-
fully to describe the same.

page_text: each side; this disc is mounted on the vertical axis b, on which is the. bevilled
toothed wheel c, which gears with the bevilled toothed wheel d on the axis
e; on this axis there are two arms or projections ff, pointing in opposite
directions. The ends of these arms take into a notch in the metal spring g,
and so prevent the axis e, and in consequence the disc a, from rotating; but
when the spring g is drawn back the arm or projection f is released, and the
axis e is caused to rotate, by means of the spring h, until the other arm f
comes round and enters the notch in the spring 9; by this means the disc will
be turned half round each time that one or other of the arms or projections
ffis released by the spring g being drawn back. When the signal is required
to be altered, the spring g is drawn back by passing a current of elec-
tricity through the coils of the electro-magnet j, thus causing it to attract
the lower end of the lever k; the movement of the upper end of the lever k
releases the end of the arm l' of the lever 1, and allows it to be drawn down-
wards by means of the spring. m, when the shorter arm " of the lever / draws.
back the spring g, by which means 'as above described the disc is caused to
turn half round, and so present a different colored face. n is a wheel on which
are pins or projections o; on the axis of the wheel n there is a toothed wheel
which takes into a toothed wheel on the axis e, so, that each time the axis e
revolves the wheel n is also caused to revolve a distance. Each time the
wheel n is caused to revolve a distance, one of the projections o. on the wheel
n comes against a short arm p. on the lever l, and brings back the lever to
its former position; the lever at the same time being brought back by
the spring, so that the apparatus is in a position to be used for again
changing the signal. On the axis b, on which the disc is fixed, there is an
excentric r, which gives motion to the arms of a lever; the other arm t of
the lever making and breaking contact between the two points v and w, so,
as to complete electric currents, which are made to act on ordinary needle.
instruments, the position of the needles indicating in which position the disc is
retained, so that the position of the signal can be known at any two. required
points, the needle of the instruments being in one position if the current is
passing, and in another if the current is not passing.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that I do not confine myself.
to the precise details, as other forms of signals may be used, and the working
of the signal may be governed by other apparatus, than that shewn in the
Drawing. But what I claim is, the combining railway signals with clock-
work or other similar apparatus, and also with electric apparatus, as herein

page_text: described, so that when the clock-work or other apparatus is liberated by the
electric apparatus, the required motion is given by it to the signal.
In witness whereof, I, the said Gustave Marqfoy, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.