IMPROVEMENTS IN THE APPLI. ELECTRICITY FOR COMMUNICATING BY SIGNALS WITH CARRIAGES IN MOTION ON RAILWAYS
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Albert Horwood, of No. 29, Great Québec Street,
New Road, in the Parish of Marylebone, in the County of Middlesex,
Electric Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE APPLI.
ELECTRICITY FOR COMMUNICATING BY SIGNALS WITH CARRIAGES IN
MOTION ON RAILWAYS"
Sealed the 15th August 1861, and dated the 22nd February 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Albert Horwood at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 22nd
February 1861.
I, ALBERT HORWOOD, of No. 29, Great Quebec Street, New Road, in the
Parish of Marylebone, in the County of Middlesex, Electric Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
APPLICATION OF ELECTRICITY FOR COMMUNICATING BY SIGNALS WITH CARRIAGES IN
MOTION ON RAILWAYS," to be as follows, that is to say:-
The nature of the said Invention consists in communicating or transmitting
intelligence by signals between bodies at rest and bodies in motion, as between
a station and a train in motion on a railway. For this purpose I lay down
between the rails traversed by the train at suitable and convenient places, three
inclined metal bars or rods insulated from each other. The two outside bars
[Price 8d.1

page_text: are connected with each other by an insulated wire, and also with one pole,
and the middle bar is connected with the other pole of a battery at any
convenient part of the railway or other fixed station to the moving engine or
carriage. I affix a magnetic indicator in combination with a horse-shoe
magnet, and a dial and apparatus for receiving and retaining signals, and
which are connected with pieces of insulated metal also affixed to the moving
engine or carriage in such manner as to come in contact with two of the
metal bars between the rails, and a connection is thus made with the poles of
the batteries at the station above mentioned. The station batteries being
charged, a communication is effected, or signals exchanged between the station
and the engine or carriage as the latter passes over the bars between the rails,
the circuit being completed by the use of the middle and one of the outside
bars as the engine or carriage travels in one direction, and by the use of the
middle and other outside as the engine or carriage travels in the opposite
direction along the line. The signal given from the engine to the station
will be simply the ringing of an alarum so as to indicate the approach of a
train, the signals given from the station to the engine or carriage indicating
danger or clear, by the pole changer in ordinary use for such purposes.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Albert Horwood in the Great Seal Patent Office ou the
21st August 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALBERT
HORWOOD, of No. 29, Great Quebec Street, New Road, in the Farish of
Marylebone, in the County of Middlesex, Electric Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fourth-year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant.
unto me, the said Albert Horwood, Her special licence that I, the said
Albert Horwood, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said Albert Horwood, 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, au Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE APPLICATION OF ELECTRICITY FOR COMMUNICATING BY

page_text: SIGNALS WITH CARRIAGES IN MOTION ON RAILWAYS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Albert Horwood, 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 the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Albert Horwood, do hereby declare
the nature of my said. Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly; described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, that is to say:-
The nature of the said Invention consists in communicating or transmitting.
between
intelligence by signals between bodies at rest, and bodies in motion, as
a station and a train in motion on a railway. For this purpose in the space
between the pair of iron rails which constitute a line of permanent way on a
railway, and which space is in the case of lines of the ordinary guage em-
ployed in England, commonly called the "four foot," and at any convenient
point or points on the railway, I place three metal bars B, B, B, of a suit-
able length as shewn in Sheets I., II., and III., and which I ordinarily make of
about equal length to the rails used on the line. Each of these bars is insulated
from the others, and from everything else except as after mentioned, and is
made square or otherwise angular in shape. By preference I employ the mode
of insulation shewn in Sheets I. and II.,where the bars are provided at each
end with tubes and insulating plugs similar to the plugs herein-after described
and shewn at, d, Figure I., Sheet III. I place the bars B, B, B, with an
angle or sharp edge upwards as shewnin Sheet II., Figure 3, and Sheet III.,
Figure 1, and at a suitable inclination from the horizontal line as shewn in
Sheet II.,Figure 2, so that the required contact between the apparatus attached
to the engine and the bars may be established as herein-after described with
a pressure which is gradually increased. By setting the bars with an angle
or sharp edge upwards they are kept cleaner, and the required contact is
Established with better effect. The middle bar will occupy the exact centre
between the two lines of rail, and the two outside bars will be equidistant
from the middle one. I attach these metal bars by cross pieces or other
suitable means to the inside of the fishing plates at the junctions or fish joints
of the iron rails as shewn in Sheets I. and II., or to the iron rails themselves,
or otherwise in any other convenient manner, so that their level relatively to the
level of the rails of the permanent way may remain as far as practicable always
the same.
A connection is made or established between the two outside

page_text: metal bars by a wire insulated from everything but those two bars, and
passing from one to the other as shewn in Sheet II., Figure 1 W. A connec-
tion is also made or established by another insulated wire between either of
the outside bars, and one pole of a voltaic battery or other battery used for
generating electric currents, and other instruments herein-after described
affixed to some part of any railway station or other fixed point. A con-
nection is also made or established by another insulated wire between the
centre metal bar and the other pole of the voltaic or other battery aforesaid,
and the instruments at the station or fixed point aforesaid, and the circuit
is completed when signals are to be transmitted in the manner herein-after
described.
To the buffer beam, or other convenient part of a railway engine, two iron
tubes A, A, Sheets 1 and III. are affixed, extending perpendicularlydownwards
towards the inclined metal bars before mentioned, one of such iron tubes
is placed in a central position so as to be directly vertical to the centre metal
bar before mentioned as the engine is passing over the rails between which
the said bars are laid. The other iron tube is placed so as to be directly
vertical to one of the outside metal bars when the engine is moving with
its front end forwards and vertical to the other outside metal bar when the
engine is moving with the hinder end forwards. Into each of the said iron
tubes is fitted a plug of wood or other suitable non-conducting substance,
which projects further downwards towards the metal bars and again receives
at the other end of the plug another iron tube so that there is left intervening
between the two portions of iron tube a sufficient portion of wood or other
non-conducting substance to break the circuit of electricity as shewn at d
in Sheet III. Figure 1. Over the intervening exposed portion of the plug
is fitted a protecting cap C, Figures 1 and 2, Sheet III., to prevent any
counteraction of its non-conducting property by the action of wet or weather.
These iron tubes I make of about three inches or some other convenient
diameter. Instead of tubes other suitable projections properly insulated may
be employed. To the bottom of each of the lower iron tubes is attached by a
suitable hinge working both ways a bar of magnetized steel of about half
an inch in thickness, and about three inches in width, and of sufficient
length to come in contact with the middle, and one of the outside inclined
metal bars at the lower ends thereof when the engine is passing over them,
see Sheet III. Figures 1, 2 and 3, where G is the magnetized steel bar, L
is the hinge, Hthe spring; Figure 2 shews the arrangement which I prefer;
the spiral springs H, H, being attached to F, F, which act as guard irons
and protect the plate G from injury; Figure 3 shews another arrangement

page_text: where a box spring is used, as the engine advances the steel bars travel
along the middle and one of the outside inclined metal bars and in continual
contact with them, accomodating themselves to the ascent of the inclined bars
by means of the hinge which allows of their deflecting as much as is required.
From the lower part of each lower iron tube to each side of the magnetized
steel bar annexed to it is applied a spring pressure by means of one or more
elastic steel lap or laps, or by spiral springs, or otherwise as seen in
Figures 1, 2 and 3 of Sheet III., so as to keep the magnetized steel bars
as they pass up the inclined metal bars in perfect contact with the latter
and to restore their perpendicularity after passing. The inclination of the
metal bars is such that when the magnetized steel bars come in contact
with them they are acted upon with a pressure which is at first slight and
is gradually increased as required. Insulated upright supports (Sheet II.
Figures 2 and 3 p) are placed under the inclined metal bars at about mid-
length. To each of the magnetized steel bars is connected an insulated
wire W, Sheet III., Figure 1. One of such wires will be continued to and
connected with one pole and the other to and with the other pole of a suit-
able magnetic indicator affixed to the engine at such part thereof as may be
found most practically convenient for attracting the attention of the engine
driver by a suitable signal made when the circuit is completed by the contact
of magnetized steel bars G, G, and the inclined bars B, B. The indicator
may be of the description ordinarily used for railway signals, or it may be
of the improved construction hereinafter described. When the voltaic or
other battery at the station is charged, and the engine passes over the
inclined metal bars, and brings the two magnetized steel bars into contact
with the middle and either one of the outside inclined metal bars, the circuit
of electricity is completed, and a signal is transmitted from the station to
the engine, and from the engine to the station. It will be observed that the
electric circuit is completed by the use of the middle and either of the outside
inclined metal bars without the use of the other of the outside metal bars.
The object of having the two outside inclined metal bars each similarly
placed relatively to the central bar is that as the apparatus of tubes and
magnetized steel bars on the engine varies in position according as the
engine may be moving front forwards orrear forwards, the operation intended
may be effected by means of the middle and one outside bar in one case, and
of the middle and the other outside bar in the other. The instruments
used at the station may be besides the voltaic or other battery the alarum hell
and pole changer in ordinary use. The pole changer may have inscribed
on one side of its front the word "clear," and on the other side of its front

page_text: the word " danger," and the signals conveyed to the engine on completion of
the circuit will be either "clear" or "danger" according as the pole changer
may be set!
The signal given from the engine to the station may be simply
the ringing of the alarum and so indicating the approach of the train, or other
suitable signals may be given. The instrument on the engine may be the
ordinary inagnetic indicator in which the motion of the magnetic needle is
recorded externally by an indicator or pointer needle obeying the internal
motion of the magnetic needle. The dial of the indicator may be apportioned
into, two divisions upon which will respectively be inscribed also the words
"clear" and "danger" respectively corresponding to the similar words on
the station instrument as shewn in Sheet IV. Figure 1. The pointer needle a
when at rest will hold a normal position intermediate between these two
divisions of the dial. The completion of the electric circuit as before
described will cause the magnetic needle, and with it the pointer needle, to
deflect from the normal position to the division "clear" or "danger"
according to the signal received from the station. For, better securing the
notice by the conductor of the engine of the signal upon the engine indicator
when such signal has been received, I add to the ordinary indicator a
retaining or assisting apparatus to retain the magnetic needle.and.with it
the pointer needle at the signal given and indicated until both are released
therefrom by the conductor of the engine as herein-after described. For this
purpose I affix to one side of the indicator the apparatus shewn in Sheet IV.
Figures 2 and 3, where.d, d, are pieces of soft iron connected with set screws
dd', when the needle C is deflected it moves towards one of the pieces d, d,
which assists in deflecting C and retains it in contact until released as
herein-after described; a horse-shoe magnet may also be used for a similar
object. To release the magnetic needle when held in its deflected state.
by d, and to restore it to its normal (or vertical) position I pass a light
spindle or rod B, Sheet IV. furnished with a thumb-piece at the outer
extremity. through the outside case of the indicator to within such a distance
from the magnetic needle as that pressure upon the thumb-piece will bring
it into contact with the needle, the spindle is supported and steadied in its
position by a bracket projecting from the outside case so as to give the
spindle a second bearing, and it is retained at a proper distance from the
magnetic needle by a spiral spring of appropriate length, extending from the
bracket to the thumb-piece of the spindle. By the action of pressing upon
the thumb-piece, the spindle will be brought in contact with the magnetic
needle and will restore it to its normal position, and on withdrawing the
pressure the spindle will spring back to its first position.

page_text: Having thus described my Invention, I would have it understood that I
claim the combination of parts herein-described for transmitting signals
between a fixed station and a railway. train in motion.
I also claim the use of the inclined metal bars as described, I also claim
the use of the hinged plates, springs and tubes, with the insulating plugs as
described.
I also claim the use of the apparatus for retaining aud releasing the
needle in the indicator as described and shewn in Sheet IV.
In witness whereof, I, the said Albert Horwood, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Twenty-first day of August, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
ALBERT HORWOOD. (L.S.)