IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY SAFETY AND SIGNAL SYSTEMS AND IN APPARATUS THEREFOR
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Philip Middleton Justice of 55 and 56 Chancery Lane in
the County of Middlesex Fellow of the Institute of Patent Agents for an
Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY SAFETY AND SIGNAL SYSTEMS
AND IN APPARATUS THEREFOR communicated to him from abroad by
Charles Catala of Fauquez in the Kingdom of Belgium
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Philip Middleton Justice
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 9th October 1883.
PHILIP MIDDLETON JUSTICE of 55 and 56 Chancery Lane in the County of
Middlesex Fellow of the Institute of Patent Agents IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY
SAFETY AND SIGNAL SYSTEMS AND IN APPARATUS THEREFOR. A communication
to me from abroad by Charles Catala of Fauquez in the Kingdom of Belgium
The object of this invention is to provide a safety system by which the fate of
the train shall not depend entirely upon the attention of the engine driver who
frequently by reason of fog, by the extinguishing of lights or from other causes
does not see or attend to the signals The invention consists of the system and
apparatus for carrying the same into effect all as hereinafter set forth The safety
system consists in operating or acting upon the engine and carriages of a train by
means of apparatus external thereto and which may be operated from the ordinary
signal box or from any other suitable place, a convenient form or arrangement of
parts for this purpose is as follows To the engine is attached a suitable bracket or
support which provides a bearing for an axle or pivot pin upon which is mounted
a or other suitable lever The lower end of said lever carries a small wheel
which when the signal is placed at danger or "stop," will strike upon an upwardly
rising moveable bar or piece resting in suitable guides upon the permanent way
and placed in or out of the path of travel of said wheel by means of the levers

page_text: which operate the signals or switches as the case may be To the other ends of
the T lever are attached suitable connecting rods which operate directly upon the
brake steam supply, and whistle, and thus when the wheel strikes upon the
upwardly rising piece it is thrown slightly backward upon the lever pivot and at
the same moment the brake is applied, the steam supply to the cylinders cut off,
and the whistle sounded. When the cause of danger has been removed the engine
driver can reset the apparatus in position by means of another lever left in his
control
The movement of the upwardly rising bar or piece may be assisted when deemed
necessary by placing it on anti-friction or ball bearings and also by attaching to it
a weight or spring

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Philip Middleton Justice in the Patent Office on the 9th April
1884.
PHILIP MIDDLETON JUSTICE of 55 and 56 Chancery Lane in the County of
Middlesex. Fellow of the Institute of Patent Agents "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY
SAFETY AND SIGNAL SYSTEMS AND IN APPARATUS THEREFOR " a communication
to me from abroad by Charles Catala of Fauquez in the Kingdom of Belgium
The object of this invention is to provide a safety system by which the fate of
the train shall not depend entirely upon the attention of the engine-driver, who
frequently by reason of fog, by the extinguishing of lights or from other causes
does not see or attend to the signals. The invention consists of the system and
apparatus, for carrying the same into effect all as hereinafter set forth
The safety
system consists in operating or acting upon the engine and carriages of a train by
means of apparatus external thereto, and which may be operated from the ordinary
signal box or from any other suitable place, a convenient form or arrangement of
parts for this purpose is as follows; reference being had to the accompanying
sheets of drawings illustrating the invention, and in which similar letters refer to
corresponding parts throughout all the figures thereof.
Figure 1 represents an elevation of a locomotive fitted with my improved
arrangement of parts, for the simultaneous cutting off of the steam supply,
application of the brakes and sounding of the whistle
Figures 2 and 3 represent on an enlarged scale the travelling parts which are
attached to the engine and also the fixed and moveable portions carried by the
sleepers
Figure 4 is a plan of Figure 3 and
Figure 5 a section of the antifriction plate hereafter referred to
"
"
To the engine is attached a suitable forked bracket or support B which provides
a bearing for an axle or pivot pin A upon which is mounted a T or other suitable
three headed lever c, the lower end of said lever being also forked and carrying a
small wheel or roller D which when the signal is placed at danger or "stop" will
strike upon an upwardly rising moveable bar or piece I resting upon suitable
guides K upon the permanent way. Said piece I (which may be of a double T or
girder shape) has a lateral movement imparted to it in the guides K by means of
rods L N and lever L¹ working on a pivot M These rods and levers may be
directly or otherwise connected to the levers which operate the ordinary signals or
switches so that the piece I must be placed in the line of travel of the wheel D
when the signal levers are placed at "danger" or "stop" and out of the line of
travel, when the signals are "clear" or "go-ahead To further facilitate the
movement of the piece I, one or more counterweights P P may be attached to it by
chains or in lieu thereof, springs may be employed, the tendency of which will be
always to retain the piece I in the path of travel of said wheel D so that in the
event of any break down of the levers, the engine will be always acted upon. The
plates K may also be supplied with antifriction rollers as shown in Figure 5 to
facilitate the sliding of the bar or piece I. To one arm of the three headed lever C
attached to the engine are suitable connecting rods as shown in Figure 1 operating
through crank pieces directly upon the steam supply valve E to the cylinders and
the whistle F The other arm of the lever c is connected to a rod below the frame
plate of the engine which applies the air or vacuum brake G The operation of the
apparatus may be briefly described as follows When it is desired to stop .an
approaching train, the signalman places the moveable piece I in line with the
piece J this movement will also be assisted by the counterweights P as previously

page_text: described. When the engine reaches the signal the roller D will glide over piece J
and travelling up piece I will gradually but rapidly throw the lever C into the
position shown by the dotted lines in Figure 3 This movement will operate
through the connecting rods, the whistle and brake, and close the steam supply all
as herein before described. Upon the signal being given to proceed the piece I will
be withdrawn and the engineer will through the lever H located near at hand
reset the apparatus in position. I do not however confine myself to the special
form and arrangement of parts described as it will be evident that different engines
will require different forms or modifications of the apparatus, and these may be
made without departing from the spirit of my invention It is also evident that the
apparatus may be worked separately from the ordinary signals or switches, either
from the signal box, from the station or from any other convenient place. Having
thus described the nature of the said invention, as communicated to me from
abroad by my foreign correspondent, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters
Patent is
1 The improvement in Railway safety and signal systems herein before described,
consisting of an arrangement of parts whereby the engine and cars of a train may
be positively acted upon by means of apparatus carried thereby, but operated by
apparatus external thereto, substantially for the purposes set forth
2nd In railway safety and signal systems, an upwardly inclined moveable piece
or rail I adapted to act upon, and in combination with a lever or other equivalent
device O and its connected parts, attached to and travelling with the engine or
train and capable of acting thereon substantially in the manner and for the
purposes set forth
In witness whereof I the said Philip Middleton Justice have hereunto set my
hand and seal this ninth day of April in the year of Our Lord one thousand, eight
hundred, and eighty four.
Signed Sealed and delivered in )