IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTRICAL SIGNALLING APPARATUS FOR USE ON RAILWAYS
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake,
& Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for an Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTRICAL SIGNALLING APPARATUS FOR USE ON
RAILWAYS." A communication from abroad by John B. Johnson, of Boston,
Massachusetts, United States of America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 12th November 1881.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent
Agents, Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTRICAL
SIGNALLING APPARATUS FOR USE ON RAILWAYS." [A communication from abroad
by John B. Johnson, of Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.]
This Invention relates to electro signalling apparatus for use on railways.
According to the said Invention I provide a magneto-generator and a rotating
armature adapted to be operated by mechanism which is set for action by the
wheels of a train.
Heretofore said mechanism has been constructed to operate the magneto-
generator after the wheels of the train have ceased to act on said mechanism. The
mechanism has been of such construction that in case the train should be moving
very slowly or should chance to stop while setting the mechanism, no effective
rotation of the armature will take place for the reason that a portion of the
mechanism is a lever arranged to be depressed by the wheels of the train, and so
connected to the other parts of the mechanism that it requires to assume its
original position during the rotation of the armature, and if impeded and caused to
slowly assume such position by a slowly moving vehicle wheel the rotation of the
armature will be correspondingly retarded and rendered useless.
The object of this Invention is to enable the mechanisin which directly drives
the armature to be abruptly released or detached from the mechanism operated by
the wheels of the vehicles to set said driving mechanism, so that the said driving
Pains I

page_text: mechanism may be released and put in effective action immediately upon being
set, the mechanism in rotating the armature being in no way dependent on the
rate of motion of the vehicles.
To this end the said Invention consists essentially in the combination with a
magneto-generator having a rotating armature of mechanism for driving said
armature mechanism operated by a passing train of vehicles to set said driving
mechanism for action, and a tripping or releasing device whereby said driving
mechanism is abruptly released from the setting mechanism and put in operation,
all of which I will now proceed to describe.
In carrying the said Invention into practice I employ a magneto-generator,
having a suitable rotating armature. The driving mechanism for operating the
generator, the mechanism whereby said driving mechanism is set for action, aud
the tripping or releasing devices, may be variously constructed.
The driving mechanism is composed of a gear-wheel on an arbor, journalled in a
suitable fixed frame and meshing with a pinion on the shaft of the rotating armature,
a ratchet-wheel on the arbor, said ratchet and the gear-wheel being connected
so as to rotate together, an arm pivotted on the arbor and bearing a dog and a
spring arranged to draw the arm upwardly and cause the dog to engage with and
rotate the ratchet.
The mechanism for setting said driving mechanism for action consists of a
primary lever pivoted near the rail and having its outer end in such proximity to
the rail as to be depressed by the wheels of vehicles passing over the rail, a
secondary lever pivotted and having one end projecting over the primary lever, and
arranged to be operated by the latter, the levers being preferably connected by a
link, and a rod pivoted to one of the levers and provided with a tooth adapted to
project over a pin on the arm.
The tripping or releasing device consists of a projection on the rod and a fixed
object or stop arranged to come in contact with the projection when the latter
descends. A spring is provided to press the rod against the stop.
My Invention provides against. the contingency of the operation of the generator
being prevented or rendered inefectual by the stoppage or slow motion of the
train. After the train has passed the parts of the mechanism are returned to their
positions by a spring under the outer end of the primary lever, this lever and the
other being suitably connected so that the spring will move the latter lever and
raise the rod, causing its hook to engage again with the pin.
I do not confine myself to the use of a spring as a motor for rotating the
armature, it being obvious that a weight may be employed instead of the spring,
the weight being adapted to be raised by the action of the wheels of the train.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
12th May 1882.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent
Agents, Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTRICAL
SIGNALLING APPARATUS FOR USE ON RAILWAYS." A communication from abroad
by John B. Johnson, of Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.
This Invention relates to electric signalling apparatus for use on railways.
According to the said Invention I provide a magneto-generator having a rotating
armature adapted to be operated by mechanism which is set for action by the
wheels of a train. Heretofore such mechanism has been constructed to operate the
magneto-generator after the wheels of the train have ceased to act on the said
mechanism. The mechanism has been of such construction that in case the train
should be moving very slowly, or should chance to stop while setting the mechanism,
no effective rotation of the armature will take place for the reason that a portion
of the mechanism is a lever arranged to be depressed by the wheels of the train,
and so connected to the other parts of the mechanism that it requires to assume its
original position during the rotation of the armature, and if impeded and caused to
slowly assume such position by a slowly moving wheel of a vehicle, the rotation of
the armature will be correspondingly retarded and rendered useless.
The object of this Invention is to enable the mechanism which directly drives
the armature to be abruptly released or detached from the mechanism operated by
the wheels of the vehicles to set the said driving mechanism, so that it may be
released and put into effective action immediately upon being set, the mechanism
for rotating the armature being in no way dependent on the rate of motion of the
vehicles.
To this end the said Invention consists essentially in the combination with a
magneto-generator having a rotating armature of mechanism for driving the said
armature, mechanism operated by a passing train of vehicles to set the said driving
mechanism for action, and a tripping or releasing device whereby the said driving
mechanism is abruptly released from the setting mechanism and put in operation,
all of which I will now proceed to describe.
The accompanying Drawing represents a transverse section of a rail and an
elevation of mechanism embodying the said Invention.
In carrying the said Invention into practice I employ a magneto-generator A,
having a suitable rotating armature B, the driving mechanism for operating the
generator, the mechanism whereby the said driving mechanism is set for action,
and the tripping or releasing devices, may be variously constructed.
In the form shewn in the Drawing, the driving mechanism is composed of a
gear-wheel a on an arbor or shaft a', journalled in a suitable fixed frame, the said .
gear-wheel meshing with a pinion 6 on the shaft c of the rotating armature, a
ratchet-wheel e on the arbor a', the said ratchet and the gear-wheel a being con
nected so as to rotate together, an arm f pivoted on the arbor a¹, and carrying a
dog or pawl g, and a spring h arranged to draw the arm f upwardly and cause the
dog or pawl g to engage with and rotate the ratchet e.
The mechanism for setting the said driving mechanism for action consists of a
primary lever i pivoted at j near the rail k, and having its outer end in such
proximity to the rail as to be depressed by the wheels of vehicles passing over the
rail, a secondary lever pivoted at m, and having one end projecting over the
primary lever v, and arranged to be operated by the latter, the levers i, l, being

page_text: preferably connected by a link and a rod o pivoted at p to the lever l, and provided
with a hook or tooth r adapted to project over a pin s on the arm f.
The tripping or releasing device consists of a projection u on the rod o, and a
fixed object or stop v arranged to come in contact with the projection u when the
latter descends. w represents a spring to press the rod o against the stop v.
The operation of the said Invention is as follows, that is to say-A wheel of a
vehicle passing over the rail k depresses one end of the lever i, and by means of
the lever depresses the rod o. The hook or tooth r bearing on the pin 8 depresses
the arm and extends the spring h. When the projection u reaches the stop v
in the descent of the rod o, the said stop and projection cause the rod to move
laterally until the hook releases the pin s. The arm is thus set free, and is
drawn upward by the spring h, causing the dog or pawl g to rotate the ratchet e
and the armature B.
It will thus be seen that as soon as the generator driving mechanism is set for
action it is released and operates instantaneously without waiting for the lever i
to rise to its normal position. It follows therefore that should the train stop while
the lever i is depressed by one of the wheels, or if the train should move at so slow
a rate that the return of the lever i to its normal position should be correspondingly
slow, the operation of the generator would be equally as vigorous and effective as
if the train were moving at full speed. The said Invention thus provides against
the contingency of the operation of the generator being prevented or rendered
ineffectual by the stoppage or slow motion of the train. After the train has passed
the parts of the mechanism are returned to their normal positions by a spring
under tho outer end of the primary lever i, the levers and being suitably
connected so that the spring will move the lever l and raise the rod o, causing
its_hook_r.to engage again-with-the-pin-s
I do not confine myself to the use of a spring as a motor for rotating the armature,
as it is obvious that a weight may be employed instead of the spring, the weight
being adapted to be raised by the action of the wheels of the train.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent, and the manner of performing the same, I wish it under-
stood that I do not claim the combination with a magneto-generator of mechanism
for operating the said generator, adapted and arranged to be set for action by a
passing train, and to be automatically put in action as the train ceases to act upon
it; but I claim,-
In combination with a magneto-generator having a rotating armature, mechanism
for driving the said armature, mechanism operated by a passing train to set the
said driving mechanism for action, and a tripping or releasing device, whereby the
said driving mechanism is abruptly released from the setting mechanism, and put
in operation, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have hereunto set my
hand and scal, this Twelfth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty two.
W. ROB. LAKE, (L.S.)