Improvements in Fog-signalling Apparatus for Railways.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd Feb., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 21st Nov., 1896-Accepted, 20th Feb., 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Fog-signalling Apparatus for Railways.
I, GEORGE Woor, of Bold Street, Moss Side, Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster, Joiner, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in the apparatus for which Letters
Patent have been granted to me No. 20120 of 1893.
I now construct the apparatus with the lever that raises the punch or sliding bracket
by which the detonator is exploded pivoted to the side of the rail so as to lie parallel
therewith and I connect this lever by means of a pivoted connecting rod or rods
with a shaft or spindle caused to rotate part of a revolution by the passage of the
train. This spindle is moved by a bar placed alongside the rails over which the
wheels pass and the connecting red is attached to a lever which moves with it.
this arrangement the punch is allowed or caused to move down into contact with
the detonator as the train approaches.
By
The bar which is depressed by the train to operate or release parts of the
apparatus is made sufficiently long and with a very gradual rise so as to be
depressed before the wheel reaches the punch and so as to be gradually depressed
without undue jar or vibration.
To the spindle is attached another lever or bar at the end of which is connected
a drop or car lever which in turn actuates the weighted lever by which the
detonators are fed or moved forward as required. The weighted lever is caused
to extend to both sides of the spindle about which it rotates and the drop or cam
lever when raised or moved in one direction allows the weight to fall and advance
the feed plate or bed in which the detonation is carried into position and when
moved down again or in the reverse direction draws the feed plate and spent
detonator back again. When the bar alongside the rail is depressed by the wheel
the detonator is fed forward by the weight lever being released thereby.
I place a second lever in contact with the feed plate which is also connected
with the signal post apparatus and is actuated thereby by a bell crank lever or
other device. The lever may be cranked and pivoted or of other suitable shape
and arrangement. When the ordinary signal is dropped or "pulled off" by the
signal man this lever comes in contact with the feed plate and prevents it moving
forward when the bar is depressed and the apparatus is held suspended so as not to
deliver the detonator. When the signal is up the detonator is fed to the panch as
the bar is depressed by the train as it approaches.
The magazine with a number of compartments is set close to the rail above the
feed plate or bed. It is rotated part of a revolution by a connecting rod cord or
lever by the actuating shaft each time the bar is depressed and thus delivers at
each movement a detonator to the feed plate. There may be 10 compartments
each constructed to hold 10 detonators.
To prevent jumping or vibration of the long connecting lever or other parts of
the apparatus 1 connect to it the piston moving oil or other liquid in a cylinder.
The cylinder is provided with lugs on the outside which also form guides within
which the drop or cam lever slides to maintain it in position.
Dated this 21st dor of Fab
1000
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
6, Bank Street, Manchester, Patent Agents.

page_text: improvements in Fog-signalling Apparatus for Railways.
I, GEORGE Wood, of Bold Street, Moss Side, Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster, Joiner, 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 relates to improvements in the apparatus for which Letters
Patent have been granted to me No. 20120 of 1893.
The improvements will be fully described with reference to the accompanying
drawings.
Fig. 1. Side elevation of the apparatus.
Fig. 2. Plan view.
Fig. 3. Plan of the delivery mechanism.
Fig. 4. Transverse section on line - Fig. 2.
Fig. 5. Transverse section on line y-y Fig. 2.
The magazine A which holds the detonators B is constructed with six chambers
each capable of containing about 10 or 12 detonators. It is caused to rotate part
of a revolution after each chamber has delivered 10 of the detonators to bring the
next chamber over the base plate C from which the detonators are carried forward
by the pusher F and slide E under the punch L which slides up and down beside
the rail D.
The punch L is carried by a bracket bolted to the side of the rail and is free
to slide or move up and down. It is raised by the action or pressure of the
detonator B as it is passed or slid under it and is forced down to explode the
detonator by the wheel of the engine passing over it or when the detonator is
removed it falls by its own weight. When one of the detonators is in position to
be exploded the punch rests on the top of it.
The apparatus is operated and one of the detonators B placed beneath the
punch L by the approaching train.
Alongside the rail I place a bar G which is supported on pivoted arms or
levers H (one of which is shown) capable of being depressed by the weight of the
wheels passing over it. This bar 1 now make sufficiently long and with a gradual
rise or inclination so as to be depressed before the front wheel reaches the
punch L and so as to be gradually depressed without undue jar or vibration.
The arm or lever H is attached to a spindle K mounted in bearings h which is
rotated part of a revolution by the movement of the arm or lever H. To the
spindle attach a weighted lever M which is raised by the downward movement
of the bar G and lever H.. The lever M at its other end is connected by a pin m
with the bell crank or cam lever N the pin m sliding in a slot n whereby the
raising of the weighted lever M draws back the upper member of the bell crank
lever N.
The upper member of the bell crank lever N is connected by a connecting rod O
with a second bell crank lever P which is moved backwards and forwards with it.
The forward end of this bell crank lever P is. connected to a pin e on the slide E
which carries forward the detonator B. Thus when these levers O and P are
moved back by the depression of the bar G the slide E is moved forward and
carries a detonator under the punch L.
The pusher F is carried in slides above the slide E with a pin f depending
therefrom into a slot el in the slide E and is moved forward by the back of the slot
coming into contact with the pin thereby pushing forward the next detonator
which has been delivered from the magazine to the base plate C onto the slide E
at the same time closing the delivery aperture of the magazine A.

page_text: 5
Below the slide E at its delivery end is attached a loose or pivoted plate R with
projecting edge or flauge by which the spent detonator is withdrawn from
beneath the punch L when the slide E recedes. The forward movement of the
slide E brings the detonator under the inclined edge of the punch Land raises it an
the loose or pivoted plate R is raised by the inclined edge of the bracket I into
position so that the flange will project above the end of the slide to carry back the
spent detonator with it when the slide E is withdrawn.
The magazine A is preferably made to carry 12 detonators in each compartment
piled one above the other and these may all be delivered from one cimpartment
and the magazine then moved round to deliver from the next compartment or the
magazine may be turned with each movement of the slide and the detonators be
delivered one from each of the compartments in rotation. I at present prefer to
deliver 10 detonators from each compartment in succession and then move forward
or turn round the magazine until the next compartment is over the delivery
aperture e in the top plate C'.
The magazine A is rotated by a chain S and weights upon a drum T on the
lower end of the central spindlet upon which the magazine rotates. The magazine
is held stationary by a pawl or bolt U engaging with a ratchet wheel u on the
spindle t the pawl or bolt U being withdrawn sufficiently at each tenth stroke of the
slide.E to allow one tooth of the ratchet wheel u to pass and the magazine to rotate
one sixth of a revolution. The check pawl U is then moved back again by the
weight U preventing the magazine rotating more than the required amount.
I connect a pivated lever P' with the pin e on the slide E which is caused to move
backwards and forwards with the bell crank lever P. To this lever P1 is pivoted
a pawl or catch p engaging with a ratchet wheel p' which is rotated one tooth at each
movement of the lever P. The ratchet wheel pt is provided with ten teeth so that at
every ten strokes of the slide E it has been rotated one revolution. On the side of
the ratchet wheel p¹ is placed a cam or wiper u' which engages with the sliding pawl
or bolt U and at each revolution of the ratchet wheel draws it back and releases
the ratchet wheel u allowing the magazine to move round the desired distance. The
pawl or bolt U is brought back and held in engagement with the ratchet wheel u
by the weight U₁ attached to it by a chain.
To prevent the apparatus being operated when the signal has been "pulled off"
I place a second lever V in connection with the feed plate or slide E or with the
connecting rod O which operates it. This lever is weighted at one end and of bell
crank shape the upper end engaging with the end of the connecting rod O. The
lever V is connected with the signal apparatus by the weighted bell crank lever W
one end of which rests upon it and the other end is attached to the wire or chain w
leading to the signal. When the signal is "on" or up the wire w is slack the
weighted end of the bell crank lever is down resting upon the lever V. The
weight or leverage of the lever W being greater than that of the lever V the
connecting rod O is held in the position shown in Fig. 2 this allows the depression
of the bar G to act upon the lever P to place a detonator under the punch L.
When the ordinary signal is "pulled off" by the signal man the bell crank lever W
is raised the weighted end of the lever V falls carrying over the end of the
connecting rod O until the pin o is opposite the longitudinal slot o' and when in
this position the depressing of the bar G does not operate the lever P and slide E
to deliver the detonator.
To prevent jumping or vibration of the long connecting lever or other parts
of the apparatus I may connect to it a piston moving oil or other liquid in a
cylinder.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The improved fog signalling apparatus for railways constructed and arranged

page_text: 2. In apparatus for fog signalling on railways the combination with a magazine
to hold the detonators and a sliding plate or carrier for delivering from the
magazine to the rail of a weight and chain for rotating the magazine a pawl or
sliding bolt acting on a ratchet wheel to hold it in position and a ratchet wheel
actuated by a pawl or catch at each forward movement of the sliding carrier which
releases the pawl or bolt of the first ratchet when a fixed number of detonators
have been discharged to bring another chamber into position substantially as
described.
3. Fog signalling apparatus for railways constructed with a longitudinal bar
depressed by the passing train to operate the apparatus, a revoluble spindle
connected thereto and rotated thereby carrying a lever and connected to a sliding
carrier by a series of bell crank levers by which the detonator is delivered under a
punch which discharges the detonator by the pressure of the wheel upon it a
multichambered magazine for containing the detonators and mechanism connected
to the delivery slide for rotating the magazine after each chamber is empty
substantially as described.
Dated this 20th day of November 1896.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Manchester, Liverpool, and London, Patent Agents.