Improvements in and connected with Working, Controlling, and Detecting Railway-signal Apparatus.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Nov., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 27th Aug., 1890-Accepted, 4th Oct., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Working, Controlling, and
Detecting Railway-signal Apparatus.
We JOHN PATRICK O'DONNELL, Civil Engineer and ILLIUS AUGUSTUS TIMMIS,
Civil Engineer both of 2 Great George Street, Westminster in the County of
Middlesex do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:--
Our invention has reference to improvements in connection with the invention
described in the Letters Patent applied for by the said John Patrick O'Donnell and
granted to O'Donnell and Stevens No. 13002 of 1888.
Our invention has for its object certain improvements in detecting the actions of
the switch points and of the facing point locks or plungers at the facing points of
railways. In consequence of the inconvenience arising out of the present system
of detecting points and plungers, through causing the wires from the correlated
signals to pass across or through blades from the said points and plungers (as in
Hancox's Specification No. 5582 of 1884) or again through causing the wires from
the correlated signals to cross the lines of way at right angles to the plunger and
parallel to the stretcher bar (as in Kirby's Specification No. 762 1886); we have
so arranged our apparatus that the wires or rods from the signal levers in the signal
cabin, to the signal arms themselves, need not have any connections or communica-
tions with the respective facing points or plungers, but may as is usual with an
ordinary sectional signal, run direct from the signal cabin to the semaphore arm.
All existing systems of mechanically detecting the action of points and plungers,
where there are a series of facing points are exceedingly inconvenient, as is well
known to any one well versed in the art, and to those responsible for traffic
working.
Instead of as in O'Donnell and Stevens' prior Specification No. 13002 of 1888
returning 2 rods to the signal box one from each plunger we return only one rod
back to the signal box. This rod however has two movements, a pull movement
and a push movement. This said return rod works a tappet in the signal cabin
from a middle normal position, forward say to release the main signal and backward
say to release the branch signal.
Working the said tappet in either position would lock all conflicting levers.
Instead of returning this single return rod to the cabin, it may be arranged to
cross the path on the ground of the working or return connection of another point
lock connection or point connection or it may be arranged to cross and interlock
at or near the cabin with the wires working the respective facing signals.
The method by which we derive a double or push and pull movement on the
return detecting rod, beyond the switch points is as follows:-
Double plungers that is to say one for each position of the switch points are
essential. These plungers are worked however only by one actuating lever, and one
connection, by the usual means well known in the art. To one plunger say the main
plunger we connect by a small rod one end of a cross-bar. To the other end of the "
said cross-bar by a short rod connection, is connected one end of a sway beam. The
other end of this sway beam is connected to the branch plunger. To the middle
of the sway beam is attached the return rod connection.
When the branch plunger is pulled through the stretcher bar locking the switch
points, the cross bar reversing action moves the sway beam and return rod forward
and gives it a push.
When the points are reversed and the branch plunger is pulled through the
stretcher bar the sway beam and return rod are pulled.
Dated this 28th day of November 1889.
JOHN P. O'DONNELL,
Agent for the said Applicants.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Working, Controlling, and
Detecting Railway-signal Apparatus.
We, JOHN PATRICK O'DONNELL of Great George Street Westminster in the
County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, and ILLIUS AUGUSTUS TIMMIS of 2 Great
George Street, Westminster in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the sanie is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement :-
Our invention has for its object certain improvements in detecting the action of
the switch points and of the facing point locks or plungers at the facing points of
railways.
In consequence of the inconvenience arising out of the present systems of detecting
points and plungers through causing the wires from the correlated signals to pass
across or through blades from the said points and plungers (as in Hancox's Specifica-
tion, No. 5582 of 1884) or again through causing the wires from the correlated
signals to cross the lines of way at right angles to the plunger and parallel to the
stretcher bar (as in Kirby's Specification No. 762 of 1886); we have so arranged
our apparatus that the wires or rods from the signal lovers in the signal cabin to the
signal arms themselves need not have any connection or connections with the
respective facing points or plungers but may as is usual with an ordinary sectional
signal, run direct from, the signal cabin to the semaphore arm.
All existing systems of mechanically detecting the action of the points and
plungers where there are a series of facing points, are exceedingly inconvenient, as is
well known to anyone well versed in the art and to those responsible for traffic
working.
Instead of, as in O'Donnell and Stevens' prior Specification No. 13002 of 1889,
returning two rods to the signal box, one from each plunger, we return only one rod
back to the signal box. This rod however has two movements a pull and a push
movement. This said return rod works a tappet in the signal cabin, from a middle
normal position forward, say to release the main signal and backwards say to release
the branch signal. Working the said tappet in either direction would lock all the
respective conflicting signals.
Instead of returning this single rod connection to the cabin, it may be arranged to
cross the path on the ground of the working or return connection of another point
lock connection or point connection or it may be arranged to cross and interlock at,
or near the cabin with the wires working the respective facing signals.
We will now proceed to describe the method by which our invention is carried into
effect, reference being made for that purpose to the accompanying drawings
Figure 1 represents a sketch plan of a junction.
A is a simplex machine used as a point plunger (for a description of this machine
see Letters Patent No. 2176 of 1888). B is the right hand blade of the simplex
machine plunging the points for the left hand direction. C is the left band
blade of the simplex machine plunging the points for the right hand direction,
6 is a connecting rod connecting the simplex blade B with the cross bar G,
g is a connecting rod connecting the cross bar G with the right hand end of
the sway beam H, e' is a connecting rod connecting the left hand blade C of the
simplex machine to the left hand end of the sway beam H, h¹ is the return rod and
crank connection to the interlocking frame fixed in the signal cabin, K is a tappet
actuated by the return rod, L is the lock bar through which the said tappet K and
the interlocking tappets of the respective levers which it releases or interlocks,
work; D is the selector blade by means of which either of the blades C or B of the
simplex machine, are actuated; E is the facing point lock bar; F is the connection
from the lever in the signal box to the facing point bar and plungers. The return
connections h¹ are operated in both directions, a pull for one movement and a push
for another.

page_text: The action of our invention is as follows:
When the points lie for the left hand direction as shown in the drawing, the signal-
man upon actuating his facing point lock lever operates the rod F which moves the
bar E and pulls forward the right hand blade of the simplex machine, B, thereby
operating the connecting rod 61 in the direction of the arrow, and through pulling the
cross bar G gives an opposite movement to the rod g¹ in the direction of the arrow.
As the blade C is fixed, it forms a fulcrum so that the sway beam H by the movement
of the simplex blade B is moved forward, thereby giving a push to the return rod h¹
which in its turn pushes the tappet and releases the main signal lever, also locking
any conflicting levers in the locking apparatus. When the facing point lock lever is
returned normal and when the points are moved over to the left making the road
good for the right the simplex selector bar D is moved into gear with the simplex
blade C. Upon the signalman now operating his facing point lock lever again, he
gives a pull to the blade C, a pull to the connecting rod c¹, a pull to the sway
beam H, (the blade B of the simplex machine being prevented from being moved,
forming a fulcrum,) a pull movement is given to the return rod h³, thereby pulling
the tappet K releasing the branch signal and locking the necessary conflicting levers
in the locking apparatus.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and the manner in which the same is to be performed we declare that we lay
no claim to the simplex machine itself as a point plunger, but we declare that what
we do claim is :-
1. The combination of the simplex machine with the cross bar G sway beam H,
the return detecting connections ₁ together with the tappet K, substantially as
and for the purpose herein set forth and as illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
2. In combination with a simplex machine or any system of duplex plunger or
plungers for facing points, the application of the sway beam H, and cross bar G, for
actuating a single return connection as ' for interlocking with the actuating or
return connection of a pair of points, a facing point lock or the signalling connections
or signals either on the ground or in the signal cabin, substantially as and for the
purposes herein set forth."
3. In combination with any system of duplex plunger or plungers for facing
points, the application of a sway beam and cross bar for actuating a single return
detecting connection and tappet, substantially as and for the purpose herein set
forth.
Dated this 27th day of August 1890.
JOHN P. O'DONNELL,
Agent for the said Applicants.