IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR FACILITATING COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN PASSENGERS, GUARDS, AND DRIVERS OF RAILWAY TRAINS
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Samuel Turton, of Heaton Norris, in the County of
Lancaster, Engineer, and George Holcroft, of the City of Manchester,
Consulting Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
FOR FACILITATING COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN PASSENGERS, GUARDS, AND
DRIVERS OF RAILWAY TRAINS."
Sealed the 21st January 1868, and dated the 25th July 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Samuel Turton and
George Holcroft at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 25th July 1867.
We, SAMUEL TURTON, of Heaton Norris, in the County of Lancaster,
Engineer, and GEORGE HOLCROFT, of the City of Manchester, Consulting
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR FACILITATING COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN PASSENGERS,
GUARDS, AND DRIVERS OF RAILWAY TRAINS," to be as follows:-
The object of our Invention is to enable the passengers or the driver of
a railway train to communicate with the guard, or vice versa. In each
compartment of every carriage composing the train is placed one or more
handles which are connected to or form part of a vertical rod, which when
the handle is moved acts on a catch and liberates a weighted elbow lever,
one arm of which fits on a rod extending the whole length of the carriage;

page_text: to this rod is fixed a shoulder against which the elbow lever acts, and the
rods of the adjacent carriages are coupled by a bell-mouthed socket and by
teeth on the rods taking when the rod is turned partly round into short racks
fixed to the ends of the carriages and connected by hooks and links; or the
ends of the rods may be coupled in any other convenient manner; or a cord
or chain may be used instead of the rod; the extreme end or ends of the cord
or rod is taken into the guard's van, or to the engine, or to both, and connected
to a bell or other alarum. As soon as the elbow lever above referred to has
been liberated the rod by which the catch is released is prevented from rising
by means of a spring, thereby (in addition to the position of the elbow lever)
indicating the compartment of the carriage in which the signal has been
given for calling the attention of the guard. Instead of causing the longi-
tudinal motion of the rod to give the alarm the same may be produced by
turning the rod partially round; or the rod or cord may pass through the
carriages or within reach of the passengers, and be enclosed in a case with
lids; on opening the lid to pull the cord or rod to give the alarum the lid
causes an arm or semaphore to project beyond the carriage to draw the attention
of the guard to the compartment from which the communication proceeds;
or each compartment is in communication with the longitudinal cord by a
cord and tassel, handle or lever, which may be connected to an arm or sema-
phore to indicate the carriage from which the communication has been given; or
each compartment is in communication with a bell or other alarum in the
guard's van, or on the engine, by a cord which is kept taut by a weight or
compensating pulleys. The end of the longitudinal cord is taken around a
pulley, and it is kept tight and wound up by a counterweight; to the pulley
is fixed a ratchet wheel which is acted upon by a catch and lever which is
in communication with each compartment of the train; this apparatus may be
placed in the guard's van or attached to each carriage.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Samuel Turton and George Holcroft in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 24th January 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, SAMUEL
TURTON, of Heaton Norris, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer, and GEORGE
HOLCROFT, of the City of Manchester, Consulting Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of July, in the year of our Lord

page_text: One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us,
the said Samuel Turton and George Holcroft, Her special license that we,
the said Samuel Turton and George Holcroft, our executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as we, the said Samuel Turton and George
Holcroft, our 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 Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR FACILITATING COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN PASSENGERS,
GUARDS, AND DRIVERS OF RAILWAY TRAINS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that we, the said Samuel Turton and George Holcroft, our executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our, or their, or one of
our or their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be per-
formed, 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 we, the said Samuel Turton and George Holcroft,
do bereby declare the nature of our 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 object of our Invention is to enable the passengers or the driver of a
railway train to communicate with the guard, or vice versa. In one or more
compartments of every carriage composing the train is placed one or more
handles, which are connected to or form part of a drop rod, which when the
handle is moved acts on a catch and liberates a weighted lever or arm which
fits on a rod extending the whole length of the carriage, the extreme end or
ends of the rod are taken into the guard's van, or to the engine, or to both,
and connected to a bell, whistle, or other alarum. As soon as one of the
levers above referred to has liberated the catch to allow the weighted arm to
fall the weighted arm in falling turns or partially turns a longitudinal rod
extending from end to end of the carriage, the ends of these rods are con-
nected by means of a self-acting universal coupling. The position of the
weighted arm and handle will indicate the compartment and the carriage
in which the signal has been given for calling the attention of the guard.
semaphore arm may be employed.
A
And in order that our Invention may be fully understood and readily carried.

page_text: into operation we will proceed to describe the accompanying Sheet of
Drawings, reference being had to the figures and letters marked thereon.
Figure 1 is a longitudinal elevation of a railway carriage to which our
improved apparatus is applied; and Figure 2 is an end elevation of the
same; Figure 3 is a diagram or oblique view of the self-acting universal
coupling; and Figure 4 shews the machinery or apparatus for striking the
bell or other alarum in the guard's van, and a similar arrangement can be.
used for turning on a whistle on the engine at the same time.
In each or several of the compartments of every carriage composing the
train is placed one or more handles, tassels, or rods I, which are connected
to or form part of a rod or cord o extending along the roof of each carriage.
The rod or cordo is connected by means of a pulley or lever and rods or
cords F to the slip or drop lever E, and to the catch D. When one or any
of the handles I is pulled or moved it raises the slip or drop lever E.and
allows the weighted arm or lever C to fall; and this weighted arm or lever C
in falling turns or partially turns by means of a ratchet wheel or other
apparatus a longitudinal rod A extending from end to end of each carriage.
The longitudinal rod A on one carriage is connected to the longitudinal
rods A on the other carriages, and also to the rods communicating with the
bell, whistle, or other signal, by means of the self-acting and universal
coupling box M, K, the ends of the rods being enlarged, as shewn at S, to
allow a certain freedom of action without preventing the accurate working of
the rods. This coupling box M, K, is arranged so as to transmit with
perfect freedom the motion from any one carriage to the other, to the guard's
van, and to the engine, and will allow of one carriage being more heavily
loaded than another, and will also transmit the motion quite as freely even
should the train be at the time passing over a very sharp curve of the rails on
the line, or should the train be stopping or starting. The coupling box M, K,
being bell-mouthed and self-acting requires no hand labour when a train of
carriages is being shunted together. The position of the weighted arm C
will shew the carriage, and the position of the handle I when moved will shew
the compartment from which the communication or signal has been given,
while the handle is prevented from being returned to its primary position by
a ball and spring or other apparatus. X, Y, is a hinged flap attached to the
footboard of each carriage, by means of which the guard may pass along from
his van to the opposite end of the train, thereby rendering the stoppage of
the engine, which might occasionally be hazardous (say, when a fast train is
following), not absolutely necessary.
Having thus stated the nature of our Invention, and described the manner

page_text: of performing the same, we declare that we claim, the improved arrange-
ment and combination of apparatus for facilitating communications between
passengers, guards, and drivers of railway trains, and particularly the self-
acting universal coupling for the rods by which the signal is transmitted, as
shewn and described.
In witness whereof, we, the said Samuel Turton and George Holcroft,
have hereto set our hands and seals, this Twenty-second day of
January One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight
SAM. TURTON. (L.S.)
GEO. HOLCROFT. (L.S.)