IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY SIGNALS AND IN THE METHOD OF WORKING THE SAME, PARTLY APPLICABLE STAWAYS
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Jolley, of Heaton Norris, in the County
-
of Lancaster, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY SIGNALS
AND IN THE METHOD OF WORKING THE SAME, PARTLY APPLICABLE
STAWAYS
"
TO
Sealed the 13th July 1875, and dated the 16th January 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Jolley at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
16th January 1875.
I, WILLIAM JOLLEY, of Heaton Norris, in the County of Lancaster,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN RAILWAY SIGNALS AND IN THE METHOD OF WORKING THE SAME, PARTLY
APPLICABLE TO SIGNALLING IN FOGGY WEATHER," to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is the construction and arrangement of a
signalling apparatus capable of being actuated from a distance without
the intervention of the usual cranks and connecting rods, and .consists
in the use and application of the pneumatic principle to the purpose.

page_text: •
In accordance with this Invention two semaphore signal posts may be
worked simultaneously with the greatest certainty upon what is now
called the block system, so that as one semaphore signal is raised the
other is lowered, and vice versa. This is accomplished by having a
cylinder and piston applied to each signal post, and connecting the two
cylinders together by means of any suitable piping or tubing, such
cylinder and tubing being filled with air or any other suitable fluid or
liquid. The pistons are each connected to a series of levers, which are
either actuated by the rim of the locomotive passing over, and thus
depressing one of the levers, or the actuating lever may be worked by
hand; and instead of employing cylinders and pistons an accordeon or
bellows arrangement may be employed for communicating the motion
between the two signal posts.
The action of this signalling apparatus is as follows:-When one of
the pistons is raised in its cylinder the atmospheric pressure upon the
other cylinder causes its piston to fall, and thus a signalling apparatus
is produced, which ensures that as one signal is raised, the other
although situated a considerable distance off is lowered, and vice
versa.
A modification of this Invention is also applicable for sounding a.
whistle or other audible signal in foggy weather, and it will be readily
apparent that this Invention is equally applicable for working the
different colored glass signals during the night.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Jolley in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 16th July 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
JOLLEY, of Heaton Norris, in the County of-Lancaster, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of January, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the
thirty-ninth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto the said William Jolley, Her special

page_text: .
licence that I, the said William Jolley, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Jolley, 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 Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
RAILWAY SIGNALS AND IN THE METHOD OF WORKING THE SAME, PARTLY
APPLICABLE TO SIGNALLING IN FOGGY WEATHER," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said William Jolley, 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 William Jolley, 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:-
The object of this Invention is the construction and arrangement of a
signalling apparatus capable of being actuated from a distance without
the intervention of the usual cranks and connecting rods, and consists
in the use and application of the pneumatic principle to the purpose.
In accordance with this Invention two semaphore signal posts may be
worked simultaneously with the greatest certainty upon what is now
called the block system, so that as one semaphore signal is raised the
other is lowered, and vice versa. This is accomplished by having a
cylinder and piston applied to each signal post, and connecting the two
cylinders together by means of any suitable piping or tubing, such
cylinder and tubing being filled with air or any other suitable fluid or
liquid. The pistons are each connected to a series of levers, which are
either actuated by the rim of the wheel of the locomotive passing over
and thus depressing one of the levers, or the actuating lever may be
worked by hand; and instead of employing cylinders and pistons an
accordeon or bellows arrangement may be employed for communicating
the motion between the two signal posts.

page_text: And in order that this my said Invention may be the more readily
understood and carried into practical effect, I have hereunto annexed a
Drawing illustrative of my Invention, upon which similar letters are
marked to denote similar parts in all the views.
Fig. 1'is a side view of a portion of a railway line having my improved
signalling apparatus applied thereto; Fig. 2 is an end view; and Fig. 3
a plan of a portion of, viz., the right-hand side of Fig. 1.
In all the views A and A¹ are the rails, which are secured to sleepers
in the ordinary manner; B and B¹ are the semaphore signal posts,
which also are of the ordinary construction, being provided with
semaphore arms B actuated by the vertical rods B³, but such signal
posts are connected together as herein-after described for working on
the block system without the intervention of the usual cranks and
connecting rods. As cach of the signalling posts is fitted with precisely
similar actuating mechanism, and as the only communication between
them is through a pipe or tube, it will be only necessary to describe the
apparatus appertaining to one signal. post, and therefore I will confine
my description particularly to that on the right-hand side of Fig. 1, it
being understood that every detail has an exact counterpart in the left-
hand post. C is a horizontal shaft mounted in bearings C', and carrying
an arm C², which is connected to the vertical rod B³, and also carrying
an actuating lever D, which is arranged to work parallel with. and near
to the outer rail A', so that as the wheel of the engine or other railway
vehicle passes over such rail A' such actuating lever D is depressed by
the flange of the wheel, and by giving a partial revolution to the shaft C
so raises the semaphore arm B² simultaneously with its being so
depressed. The extremity of the actuating lever D bears through a
connecting link E' upon the shorter arm of the lever E, which works
upon the bracket E2, and has its longer arm connected as illustrated to
the piston F. This piston F is fitted air-tight into the cylinder F¹,
the interior of this cylinder is in communication with the cylinder G,
appertaining to the other or left-hand semaphore signal post, through
the pipe H (shewn dotted in Fig. 1), and which pipe may be formed of'
lead, iron, or other suitable material. The space beneath the pistons of
the two cylinders and inside the pipe communicating between them
being completely filled with air, water, oil, or other suitable fluid or
liquid, it will be obvious that if one piston is raised the other will be
depressed by atmospheric pressure, and this principle is utilised for
and

page_text: raising one semaphore signal and lowering the other, as will be now
described.
The action of and method of working my improved signalling
apparatus is as follows:-Supposing that the semaphore signal arms B³
are in the relative positions illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 and 1ª, the
actuating lever D of the right-hand signal is thus ready for being.
depressed, and the train is passing between the two posts. In this
position the left-hand signal post indicates danger (see Fig. 1º, which
illustrates an end view of the left-hand signal post shewn in Fig. 1), as
its semaphore arm is raised whilst the right-hand semaphore arm is
lowered. Now as the train advances and passes over the actuating
lever D, appertaining to the right-hand signal post, the flange of the
wheel of the engine depresses such lever, and this not only raises the
semaphore arm appertaining to that post, but by the extremity of
the actuating lever D pressing down the short arm of the lever E the
piston F of the right-hand semaphore is raised, and that of the left hand.
is lowered by atmospheric pressure, at the same time the left-hand
semaphore is lowered, and its actuating lever is raised ready to be
depressed by the succeeding train. It will thus be obvious that so long.
as the train is between the two signal posts the signal would be against
an advancing train, but that immediately the second or right-hand post
is passed the first signal is again lowered or placed at "safety."
In order to overcome any tendency in the two pistons to equalise one
another, and to come to the same level, I apply a friction block I, which
is constantly pressed forwards against the extremity of the short arm of
the lever E, either by a spiral spring or by an air cushion, or in any
other convenient manner.
For signalling in foggy weather I employ a similar lever to the
actuating lever D at the other side of the line marked J, see side view,
Fig. 6, and I connect the extremity of this lever to the plunger or
piston of an air pump K, so that when a three-way cock L situated upon
the signal post is turned in the proper direction a current of air is sent
through a whistle M, and thus a sonorous indication is given to the
driver of the train in foggy weather that he is passing a signal post
which indicates danger. This whistle M is provided with two three-way
taps, as illustrated, the plug of the upper one L being connected to the
vertical rod B³ of the semaphore signal post, so that when the semaphore

page_text: arm of such signal post is raised to danger the plug of the cock leading
to the whistle M is at the same time turned, so as to allow the air to be
blown from the air pump K through the whistle (the position of the
passages in the cock L being seen about full size in section in diagram 1).,
.
In clear weather the lower tap N may be turned by an attendant to
the position seen in diagram 2, and thus close the communication
between the air pump K and the whistle M, and permit the former to
blow into the atmosphere through the side passage N' formed in such
tap. The mode of working this whistle is apparent. As the wheels of
the engine and other vehicles pass over the lever J such lever is
depressed, and immediately raised again by the spring O. This action
produces a current of air through the whistle M sufficient to sound it
when the semaphore signal is raised to danger.
1
Instead of employing cylinders and pistons as a means of communi-.
cation between the signal posts it will be obvious that an accordeon or
bellows arrangement may be substituted, as seen in Fig. 5, and instead
of having a distinct lever E for working the pistons as hercin-before
described it will be readily understood that the extremity of the actuating
lever D may be extended a sufficient distance to give the necessary
stroke to the piston F, which in that case would be connected direct to
such actuating lever.
In Fig. 2 I illustrate a hand lever P in dotted lines shewing how two
semaphore signals may be worked simultaneously when situated at a
distance from one another upon my improved system of communication
by an attendant or railway porter.
It should be here remarked that I do not of necessity confine myself
to applying a signal post near to each actuating lever D, as it will
frequently be required to work a signal post after the train has passed
it a considerable distance without at the same time working a signal
post in immediate contact with the actuating lever.
Although I have only described and illustrated the application of my
Invention to two signal posts at a distance from cach other, but worked
simultaneously, it will be apparent that it is equally useful for working
single signal posts at a distance either by an actuating lever, as herein-
before described, depressed by the wheel of the engine, or by a hand
lever situated in any required "position along the line, or operated
from a signal box.

page_text: Having thus particularly described and ascertained the nature of this
my said Invention, together with the best methods with which I am
acquainted for carrying the same into practical effect, I wish it to be
distinctly understood that I do not confine myself to the precise details,
relative proportions or dimensions of the various parts of the apparatus
illustrated on the accompanying Drawing and herein-before described, as
the same may be considerably varied without departing from the
Invention, and I particularly claim,―
1st. The novel method of communicating between railway signal posts
in order to simultaneously raise one semaphore arm whilst the .other is
depressed, or for actuating semaphore signals from a distance without
the intervention of the usual cranks and connecting rods, substantially
as herein-before described and illustrated on the accompanying Drawing.
2nd. The general construction and arrangement of mechanism for
actuating signals when connected together, and operated as herein-before
described and illustrated on the accompanying Drawing.
3rd. The application of cylinders connected together by a pipe and
filled with air, water, oil, or other suitable liquid or fluid, such cylinders
being fitted with air-tight pistons, or the application of the bellows or
accordeon modification, substantially as and for the purposes herein-
before described and illustrated on the accompanying Drawing.
4th. The method of and apparatus for working a whistle in con-
junction with semaphore signals to give a sonorous indication in foggy
weather, as herein-before described and illustrated on the accompanying
Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Jolley, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this 15th day of July, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five.
WILLIAM JOLLEY. (L.S.)