IMPROVED MEANS OF REGISTERING THE PERFORMANCE OF RAILWAY TRAINS.
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Vincent Newton, of the Office for: Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman,
for the Invention of "IMPROVED MEANS OF REGISTERING THE PERFORMANCE
OF RAILWAY TRAINS. "A communication:
Sealed the 6th November 1857, and dated the 15th June 1857:
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Vincent Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
15th June 1857.
I, ALFRED VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVED MEANS OF REGISTERING THE
PERFORMANCE OF RAILWAY TRAINS," to be as follows:
This Invention relates to the registration of every second or other interval
of time, that elapses between the departure of a railway train and its arrival at
its destination, by a series of marks produced in one or more lines by a pen,
style, or other marking instrument (under the control of a clock or other time-
keeper), upon a strip or sheet of paper, or any other suitable surface; and the
registration upon the same surface of every one or more revolutions of one of
the wheels of the train, or of any wheel attached to one of the carriages, and
running on the tracks by one or more series of marks produced in one or more
lines parallel with or otherwise contiguous to the line or lines of registration
of time by means of pens, styles, or other marking instruments, whose opera-

page_text: tions are controlled by the said wheel; by the comparison of which registrations
of time and distance (the registrations of the revolutions of the wheel being, as
will be readily understood; a registration of distance), the exact rate of the
train can at any time be determined, and the register of time proceeding when
the train is stationary indicates the length of time of the stoppages; the localities
at which the stoppages take place are also indicated by a comparison with the
registration of distance.
The Invention relates also to the production of marks of a different character
to those produced by the revolutions of the wheel in running forward, to be
produced in running backward, such marks being continued in the same line
as those registering the forward revolutions of the wheel, so as to enable them
to be compared with the registration of time, to show the time occupied in
backing the different characters of the marks produced by the forward and
backward revolutions of the wheel, serving also to indicate the localities of
the backing places, and by enabling the number of backward revolutions to be
deducted from the number of forward ones, serving to record the exact distance
travelled by the train. By the combination of the two above described features
a system of registration is obtained, by which all the circumstances attending
the trip of the train are indicated in a manner convenient for inspection, and
a check is held on engine drivers and conductors of trains, by showing whether
their trains are run according to instructions.
In carrying out these objects, one of the axles of the railway carriage is
caused to impart by means of bevil gearing rotary motion to a vertical shaft
which passes through the bottom of the carriage; arranged in line above this
vertical shaft is another shaft connected thereto by a feather in a long sleeve to
allow for the vibration of the carriage springs. The upper shaft carries a wheel
which is rotated by a cam fixed on the shaft coming in contact with a stud
secured in the wheel. To this.wheel a friction spring is applied, which causes
it to remain stationary if the train commences to back, until the cam comes
round against the opposite side of the stud to that with which it is in contact
when moving forward. The cam in its motion throws out from the periphery
of the wheel one of two slides alternately, according to the direction of its
revolution, while the other slide is withdrawn within the rim of the wheel by a
spring. The slide, which is projected from the wheel when the train is moving
forward, has a small stud or point on its outer end which acts against two
springs, and closes for an instantan electric circuit once in every revolution of
the axle of the carriage wheel on which the bevil wheel is fixed, and registers
a dot on a slip of paper; but if the other slide is projected, which takes place
when the train is backing, its end, which is wide instead of pointed, will in

page_text: passing the springs cause them to remain in contact for a longer time, and
thus keep the electric circuit closed for a longer time, and produce on the
travelling strip of paper a dash instead of a dot. The strip of paper is passed
round a roller at a uniform speed of about a quarter of an inch per second by
means of clockwork, so that during one revolution of the railway wheel an
electro-magnet, in connection with a galvanic battery, closes the circuit and
causes a style or marker to be brought in contact therewith, and mark on the
paper a dot or a dash, according to the progress of the train. The electric
circuit of the battery is closed once in every second to charge the electro-
magnet by means of a wheel, which derives its motion from a clock or other
timekeeper. When the train stops at a station the battery is not in use; it is
therefore proposed that the conductor should make use of a finger key to open
and close the circuit of the battery (the strip of paper still rotating) a given
number of times to indicate the name of the station (which is known by the
numberof dots),andregister the stoppages, and thus facilitate the interpretation
of the registration.
Should it be desired, electricity may be dispensed with, and the marking
may be effected by levers and suitable gearing actuated by means of the
running wheels.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Alfred Vincent Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 15th December 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALFRED
VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth 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 Alfred Vincent Newton, Her special license that I, the said Alfred
Vincent Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, 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

page_text: Invention for "IMPROVED MEANS OF REGISTERING THE PERFORMANCE OF RAILWAY
TRAINS," being a communication from abroad, upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, 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 the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
This Invention, as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent, consists,
firstly, in the registration of every second or other interval of time that elapses
between the departure of a railway train and its arrival at its destination, by a
series of marks produced in one or more lines by a pen, style, or other marking
instrument (under the control of a clock or other timekeeper) upon a strip
or sheet of paper, or other suitable surface; and the registration upon the
same surface of the revolutions of one of the wheels of the train, or of any
wheel attached to one of the carriages, and running on the tracks by one or
more series of marks produced in one or more lines parallel with or otherwise
contiguous to the line or lines of registration of time by means of pens, styles
or other marking instruments, whose operations are controlled by the said
wheel; by the comparison of which registrations of time and distance (the
registrations of the revolutions of the wheel being, as will be readily understood,
a registration of distance), the exact rate of the train can at any time be
determined, and the register of time proceeding when the train is stationary
indicates the length of time of the stoppages; the localities at which the
stoppages take place are also indicated by a comparison with the registration
of distance.
The Invention consists, secondly, in causing marks of a different character
to those produced by the revolutions of the wheel in running forward, to be
produced in running backward, such marks being continued in the same line
or lines as those registering the forward revolutions of the wheel, so as to
enable them to be compared with the registration of time, to show the time
occupied in backing the different characters of the marks produced by the
forward and backward revolutions of the wheel; serving also to indicate the
localities of the backing places, and by enabling the number of backward
revolutions to be deducted from the number of forward ones, serving to record

page_text: the exact distance travelled by the train. By the combination of these two
features of the Invention, a system of registration is obtained by which all the
circumstances attending the trip of the traiu are indicated in a manner con-
venient for inspection, and a check is held on engine drivers and conductors of
trains, by showing whether or not their trains are run according to the instruc-
tions they have received.
The Invention consists, thirdly, in the apparatus by which this system of
registration is effected.
The accompanying Drawing represents the apparatus by which this system
of registration is effected. Fig. 1 is a plan of a portion of a railway carriage
containing the apparatus; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section, and Fig. 3
is a transverse vertical section of the same. Similar letters and numbers of
reference indicate corresponding parts in these and all the other Figures
herein-after referred to.
A represents the carriage, which may be 'a luggage van or other carriage,
having its interior conveniently arranged for the purpose of containing the
apparatus. a, a, are the wheels, and b, b, the axles supporting the same;
c is a vertical shaft geared by bevel wheels d, d, to the axle b, and sustained
by a collar journal box b¹ around one of the axles b, so that the shaft c and
axle to which it is geared make the same number of revolutions, or that the
shaft c makes one revolution for any given distance travelled by the train.
The shaft c is connected with a shaft e, arranged in line with and above it
by a feather and groove in a long sleeve f' (see Figures 2 and 3), to allow
for the vertical vibration of the carriage springs. The shaft e carries a
wheelf, which is shown in Figures 1, 2, and 3, but on a larger scale in
Fig. 4, which is a plan view, said wheel being set loosely thereon, and being
rotated by a cam 1, made fast on the shaft e, coming in contact with a stud
2, secured in the wheel. A friction spring 4, applied to the wheel, causes.it
to remain stationary if the train commences to back during about one quarter
of a revolution of the shaft e, or until the cam 1 comes round against the
opposite side of the stud 2; to that with which it is in contact when the train
is moving forward. The cam in its motion throws out from the periphery of
the wheel one of two slides h, i, according to the direction of its revolution;
while the other one is drawn within the rim of the wheel by one of two
springs 3, 3. The end of the slide h has a small stud point, and, when pro-
jected from the wheel f, as it is when the train is moving forward, it acts to
close for an instant an electric circuit between two springs 5 and 6, once in
every revolution of the said wheel, to cause the revolution of the wheel to be
registered by a dot on a strip of paper, as will be herein-after described. But

page_text: if the slide be projected from the wheel, as is the case when the train is
backing, its end which is wide will, in passing the springs 5 and 6, cause them
to remain in contact for a longer time, and thus keep the electric current
closed for a longer time than the pointed end of the slide h, and produce a
registration in the form of a dash instead of a dot. 7 is a wire from a
galvanic battery to the spring 5, one end of which spring is attached to a
piece of the stationary framing B; 8 is another wire leading from the spring
6 (which spring is also attached by one end to the framing B) to a regis-
tering electro-magnet n, of which a plan view is given in Fig. 7, besides its
being shewn in Fig. 1 ou a smaller scale; and 9 is the return wire from
the electro-magnet to the battery k. The magnet n has an armature 10
attached to one end of a lever 11 (see Figures 2 and 7), which, when the
armature is attracted by the magnet, on the circuit being closed by the
springs 5 and 6, causes the point of a style 12, attached to the opposite
end of the lever, to be brought into contact with a strip of paper 13 (see
Fig. 6), passing around a roller q. To this strip of paper a uniform or
nearly uniform movement is given, at a speed of about a quarter of an
inch per second, so that, when once, during, say, every revolution of the
wheel a, the magnet n by the closing of the circuit is charged for a given
time, according to whether the train is proceeding forward or backing, and
the slide hori is projected from the wheel f, the armature is attracted,
and the style 12 is caused to make in the paper a mark or indentation of
a less or greater length, or, in other words, a dot or dash, as is exhibited in
the line of marks a¹, a, in Fig. 10, which represents the surface portion
of the strip of paper 13, with the registrations of time and distance upon it.
If the paper 13 were drawn around the roller q with a perfectly uniform
speed of so much per second or other interval of time, the velocity of the train
could be measured by measuring the distances between the marks of the
style 12, but as this would be difficult, a record of every second or other
interval of time is made on the same strip of paper in the form of two small
dots close to each other, as shewn in the line y',. y, in Fig. 10. These dots
are made by a two pointed style 16, attached to one end of a lever 15 (see
Figures 2 and 7), at whose opposite end is the armature 14 of an electro-
magneto (see Figures 2, 6, and 7), which is connected by wires 17 with a
battery 1. The electric circuit of the battery is closed once in every second
or other chosen interval of time to change the magnet o, and attract the arma-
ture 14, by causing the small lever (see Fig. 9) to come in contact with a
spring 18. The lever is actuated to produce the above result by means of a
wheel 19 (see Fig. 9), which is so connected with, and caused to derive

page_text: motion from a clock D) (see Fig. 2), or other timekeeper, that it revolves
once in a stated period of time, and has such a number of teeth that one will
strike and move the lever at the intervals of time required for the registration;
for instance, the said wheel revolving once in a minute, and having sixty teeth,
so that the lever is moved to close the circuit, and cause the style to make a
mark on the paper every second; but for registering the minutes one of the
teeth of the wheel is removed, so that a blank space will be left on the paper,
as shewn at 71, Fig. 10, by the failure of the lever to be actuated to
close the circuit when the sixtieth division of the wheel passes it. The
movement of the lever is provided for without removing it out of the circuit,
by furnishing it with a pin 60, which dips into a cup of mercury 61 (see
Fig. 9).
The two characters of registration, above described, and represented in the
lines a, a, and y', y', of Fig. 10, the one of distance and the other of time,
will shew by comparison, on inspection, the manner in which the train has
travelled, indicating the number of revolutions of the wheel a per minute or
other space of time over any part of the road, the number of seconds or
minutes the train was stationary at given places, and also the distance backed
and time occupied in backing. But for the greater facility of deciphering the
record, another registration is made at every mile or half mile of the journey,
or once in every three hundred or other number of revolutions of the wheel,
as is represented by the red marks between the two lines of registration a¹, a¹,
and y', y', in Fig. 10, by the following means:-On the end of the shaft e of
the wheelf, before described, there is an endless screw 20 (see Figures 2, 3,
and 5, the latter of which is a top view on a larger scale than the two former)
gearing into a worm wheels, whose shaft, running in bearings in the framing
B, carries a pinion t¹ gearing with a wheel t, the proportions of which are
such that the wheel t shall revolve once for every given number of turns of
the wheel a, and to prevent the wheel t from running backwards when the
train may be backing (as the backings are a comparatively small distance,
and do not require this registration), the wheels is fitted loosely to its shaft,
and a ratchet wheel 21 and pawle 21* are applied, so as to compel the said
wheel to turn the shaft of the wheel t only when the train moves forward.
On this wheel t is a sharp-edged stud or projection t* (see Fig. 5), which,
coming in contact with a similar projection on a spring 22 attached to the
framing B, throws the said spring into contact with a spring 63, and for an
instant closes a third electric circuit from a battery m through wires 31, so
as to charge a third electro-magnet p (see Figures 3, 6, and 7), and attract
the armature 64 thereof. This armature is attached to one end of a lever 65,

page_text: which carries at its opposite end a style 23.. When, therefore, the armature
is attached, the style 23 is thrown upward, and caused to make a márk on
the strip of paper 13 between the two lines of registration, 1, and y¹, y, of
distance and time. The armature levers 11, 15, and 65, it is almost needless
to say, have springs applied, or are weighted to remove the styles out of
contact with the strip of paper, when the circuits through their respective
magnets are not closed. The parts of the apparatus that are in the electric
circuit are of course insulated. When the train stops at a station the battery
m is not in use; it is therefore proposed that the engine driver or conductor
of the train make use of a finger key u (see Fig. 2) to close and open the
circuit of the said battery through the magnet n by means of a separate
branch, consisting of the wires 32, and by a given number of pulsations or
strokes of the key (the strip of paper being still in motion) to make such
number of marks or characters which the stations, being known by numbers,
will indicate all the stoppages at stations, and thus facilitate the interpretation
of the registration.
The strip of paper 13 is supplied to the roller q from a reel of paper 24
(see Figures 2 and 3), suitably located and sustained in bearings in brackets
25, and a friction weight 70 or retarding spring is to be made use of to cause
the paper to run off the reel uniformly. The strip of paper conducted by the
guides q is passed off from the roller q (see Figures 3 and 6) on to a
revolving cylinder v, that is moved at a speed so as properly to draw the
paper beneath the roller q by means of clockwork and gearing B', moved by
a weight 66 (see Fig. 3), attached to a barrel 26 (see Figures 1 and 2), and
regulated in its velocity by the fly 27 or by a balance. The cylinder has
thus given to it the desired uniform rotation, and it has also given to it a
movement endwise, so as to wind the strip of paper upon it in a helical form,
in order to expose the whole surface of the strip, or at least the registrations
thereon, to the inspection of the officer whose duty it is to see that the train
has been run according to instructions. The endwise movement of the
cylinder is produced by the following means, best shown in Fig. 8, which is
a view of the cylinder and its immediate appendages on a larger scale than
Figures 1, 2, and 3. The shaft 28 of the said cylinder, which derives motion
from the clockwork; is fitted easily to the hubs of the cylinder, but is provided
with a feather 29 running in a groove in the hub 30. The shaft 28 is bored
out longitudinally and centrally from one end about half way through to
receive a screw shaft w, that is supported and held stationary by a standard &,
which screw shaft is connected with the shaft 28 and 67, in such manner as to
allow the latter to revolve, but not to permit the screw to movelongitudinally,

page_text: and a fork or divided nut y, clamped to the screw thread on the shaft w.
causes the cylinder to be drawn endwise along its shaft by the revolution of
the fork or nut y on the screw thread, as the cylinder is caused to revolve
with its shaft 28 by the feather 29 on the said shaft. The standard is
fitted so that it can be disengaged from the screw and turned down on a
hinge a (see Fig. 2) out of the way of the cylinder v, which, when the nut
or fork y is unclamped, can be slid off for inspection and another substituted,
and after the record has been examined the helical strip of paper is removed
from the cylinder, which is again made ready for use by replacing it on the
screw and shaft 28, and turning up the standard a into place. The whole
apparatus, except the finger key u,might be enclosed (as shown by blue lines,
in Figures 1, 2, and 3) in a locked compartment of the carriage out of the
reach of the engine driver and any or all other persons upon the train,
suitable doors being left for access to the different parts by the proper
persons.
The apparatus is capable of considerable modification without changing the
character of its operation. The strip or fillet of paper might be run off into
afsuitable box or case, to be examined in passing it through the hand, instead
of being wound upon a cylinder. In this case the roller 9 will have to be
moved at the proper speed to draw along the paper. The styles 12, 16, 23,
might be made to mark on a sheet of paper wrapped around a cylinder,
instead of on the strip of paper to be wound thereon, and by having the sheet
of paper prepared with suitable chemicals (as prussiate of potash, &c., as is
used in Bain's electro-chemical telegraph), the magnets might be dispensed
with, the electric current making marks in the chemically prepared paper; or
an impression might be made by the action of magnetism on the styles with
the use of transfer paper between the pressure point and the receiving paper
to transfer some of the coloring matter from the transfer paper to the
receiving paper. The contrivance for producing the long and short pulsations
of electricity to distinguish the forward from the backward movements of the
train might be varied in many ways.
Should it be desired, electricity may be dispensed with altogether, and the
registering marks,substantially such as described, may be produced by levers
actuated by mechanical force transmitted from the running gear of the train
and from a timekeeper. Magnetism is, however, to be preferred on account
of the greater convenience and delicacy of its action.
The clockwork B, which drives the winding cylinder v, may be wound up
by hand or by power derived from the revolution of the running gear through
suitable ratchets and gearing.

page_text: Having now set forth the nature of the Invention of "Improved Means of
Registering the Performance of Railway Trains," as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondent, and explained the manner of carrying the same
into effect, I wish it to be understood that, under the above in part recited
Letters Patent, I claim,-
First, the method, herein described, of recording the performance of a
railway train on a journey by the combination of a registration of time, and
one or more registrations of distance, such registrations being made in lines
parallel with or contiguous to each other, to show by comparison with each
other the speed, movements, and stoppages of the train; substantially as
specified.
Second, the indication of the backward movements of the train by a
registration of a different character to that of the forward movements, but in
the same relation to the registration of time, so as to show the time occupied
and the distance passed over in backing, and to enable such distance to be
deducted from the distance run forward, and the distance run from the
starting point to be correctly ascertained.
Third, the employment of an apparatus operating in any way, substantially
as herein set forth, for effecting the movements of the registering pens or
styles and the registering paper or other surface on which the registration is
made.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Fifteenth day of December, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
A. V. NEWTON. (L.8.)