IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY SIGNALS FOR AUTOMATICALLY. MAINTAINING THE WIRES IN A TENSIONAL STATE FOR WORKING THE SIGNALS.
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Snowball and Charles Warren, both of Quex Road,
Kilburn, in the County of Middlesex, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
RAILWAY SIGNALS FOR AUTOMATICALLY. MAINTAINING THE WIRES IN A
TENSIONAL STATE FOR WORKING THE SIGNALS.".
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Snowball and Charles
Warren at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 12th March
1881.
JOHN SNOWBALL and CHARLES WARREN, both of Quex Road, Kilburn, in the
County of Middlesex. "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY SIGNALS FOR AUTO-
MATICALLY MAINTAINING THE WIRES IN A TENSIONAL STATE FOR WORKING
THE SIGNALS."
Owing to the variations of atmospheric temperature the wires used for working
railway and other signals are subject to so mucb expansion and contraction that it
is found necessary to regulate their length by hand, or through the medium of
machinery, so as to ensure their action on the signals at all times when they expand
or contract by variations of temperature. Our improvement is specially applicable
to working long distance signal wires, in fact it can be applied to wires of any
required length, and automatically keep the wire stretched at all times to any
required tension under all variations of temperature.
By preference our apparatus or compensator is placed in the centre of the wire,
or midway between the signal box and post, but may be placed in any other
position or parts of the wire if desired. Our improvement consists in suspending
a lever at its centre, made of wood or metal, in a vertical position, and left free to
Oscillate to and fro in line with the wires. The upper end of this lever is provided
with two pulleys for receiving a chain for connecting the ends of the two wires
together.
The lower end of the oscillating lever is made hollow, or is provided with a
square recess which extends up to a short distance from the fulcrum on which it
Oscillates; this recess is furnished with a weighted sliding rod or piston for freely
working in and out of the recess telescopically.

page_text: The ends of the two signal wires at the compensator apparatus are connected
together by a chain which is made to pass from the right wire over the left side
of one of the pulleys on the top end of the lever, then down and around the lower
end of the weighted telescopic rod, and upon the right side and over one of the
pulleys on the upper end of the lever, and connected with the left wire. With the
wires thus connected at their centres between the signal box and post, should any
variation in their length take place by expansion or contraction, owing to variations
in the temperature or other causes, the telescopic rod is weighted sufficiently to
automatically draw the wire tight, and keep them at any required tensional strain
at all times for properly working the signals under all variations of temperature.
When the wires contract from the cold the telescopic weighted rod rises, and when
they expand from the heat it falls, and thereby keeps the wires between the signal
box and post at a constant and uniform tension. Should the wire, chain, or any
other part of the compensator apparatus break the signal will point to danger, and
thus prevent accidents.
The telescopic lever for receiving the pulleys, weight, and chains for connecting
the ends of the wires may be made in any form. The whole apparatus is simple,
it works in any kind of weather, is not liable to get out of order, and is capable of
being applied to existing forms of signal levers and posts.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said John Snowball and Charles Warren in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 10th September 1881.
JOHN SNOWBALL and CHARLES WARREN, of Quex Road, Kilburn, in the
County of Middlesex. "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY SIGNALS FOR AUTO-
MATICALLY MAINTAINING THE WIRES IN A TENSIONAL STATE FOR WORKING
THE SIGNALS."
Owing to the variations of atmospheric temperature the wires used for working
railway and other signals are subject to so much expansion and contraction that it
is found necessary to regulate their length by hand, or through the medium of
machinery, so as to ensure their action on the signals at all times when they expand
or contract by variations of temperature.
Our improvement is specially applicable to working long distance signal wires,
in fact it can be applied to wires of any required length, and automatically keep
the wire stretched at all times to any required tension under all variations of
temperature.
By preference our apparatus or compensator is placed at the centre of the wire,
or midway between signal box and post, but may be placed in any other position
or part of the wire if desired. Our improvement consists in suspending a lever
at its centre, made of wood or metal, in a vertical position, and left free to oscillate
to and fro in line with the wires. The upper end of this lever is
with two pulleys for receiving a chain for connecting the ends of th
together.
led
res
The lower end of the oscillating lover is made hollow, or is providea with a
square recess which extends up to a short distance from the fulcrum on which it
oscillates; this recess is furnished with a weighted sliding rod or piston for freely
working in and out of the recess telescopically.
The ends of the two signal wires at the compensator apparatus are connected
together by a chain, which is made to pass from the right wire over the left side
of one of the pulleys on the top end of the lever, then down and around the lower
end of the weighted telescopic rod, and upon the right side and over one of the
pulleys on the upper end of the lever, and connected with the left wire. With the
wires thus connected at their centres between the signal box and post, should any
variation in their length take place by expansion or contraction, owing to variations
in the temperature or other causes, the telescopic rod is weighted sufficient to
automatically draw the wire tight, and keep them at any required tensional strain'
at all times for properly working the signals under all variations of temperature.
When the wires contract from cold the telescopic weighted rod rises, and when
they expand from heat it falls, and thereby keeps the wires between the signal box
and post at a constant and uniform tension. Should the wire, chain, or any part
of the compensator apparatus break the signal will point to danger, and thus
prevent accidents.
The telescopic lever for receiving the pulleys, weights, and chains for connecting
the ends of the wires may be made in any form. The whole apparatus is simple,
it works in any kind of weather, is not liable to get out of order, and is capable
of being applied to existing forms of signal levers and posts.
In order to give a more full understanding of our improvement, and mode of
constructing and working the same, reference is here made to the accompanying
Drawings and letters of reference marked thereon.
Fig. 1 is a view of our improvement in use attached to wires uniting a signal
box and signal; Fig. 2 is an enlarged view separately drawn of the vertical
oscillating lever with its attachments for taking up the slack of the wire, and
Fig. 3 is a side view of the same; Figs. 4 and 5 are separate views of the
telescopic rod working in the lower part of the vertical oscillating lever.
A is supposed to represent a signal box, and B a signal post of ordinary

page_text: construction and united together by the wires a and b and portions of chain, as
represented in Fig. 1. The vertical oscillating lever C, more fully represented in
Figs. 2 and 3, is provided with pivots e for working on the frame E. The upper
end of the lever is furnished with the pulleys d, d, as represented, for the chains
to work over attached to the ends of the wires a and b. The lower end of the
lever is supplied with a telescopic rod D, which is furnished with a grooved plate h
for the chain to pass around from the pulley d, d, at the top end of the lever C.
The chain is not permitted to work or slide in the groove in the plate h, but is
permanently held in one position by a pin or screw bolt i, as shown in Fig. 3.
The rod D is supplied with sufficient weights g, g, on each side of the grooved
plate h, or may be furnished with weights in any other convenient manner for
taking up the slack of the signal wires a and b when required, to allow them to
contract to keep them in constant tension, as before stated. The lower end of the
lever C is provided with a slot m on each side for the pin n to work in attached
to the telescopic rod D to prevent the rod from slipping out of the lever C in case
of accident or while handling it. The upper end of the lever C on the signal box
side of it is provided with a catch or clip f for catching and preventing the chain
from slipping when working the signal.
The operation of the improvement is as follows:-
The ends of the two signal wires a and b at the compensating apparatus or
lever C are connected together by a chain, as before described, which is made to
-pass from the right wire b over one of the pulleys d on the top end of the lever,
then down and around the lower end of the weighted telescopic rod D, and up over
the other pulley d on the upper end of the lever C connected with the left wire a.
With the wires a and b thus connected at their centre between the signal box A
and post B, should any variation in their length take place by expansion or
contraction, owing to variations in the temperature or other causes, the telescopic
rod D is weighted sufficient to automatically draw the wire tight, and keep them
at any required tensional strain at all times for properly working the signals under
all variations of temperature. When the wires contract from cold the telescopic
weight rod D rises, and when they expand from heat it falls, and thereby keeps
them between the signal box. A and post B at a constant and uniform tension.
We wish it understood that we do not confine ourselves to the precise forms and
mechanical construction of our compensating telescopic lever, as represented by the
accompanying Drawings; for instance, the lever C may be made to work in an
opening made in the end of the rod D, by which the rod would then form the
cylinder, and the cylinder the rod; or the rod D could be made to work in one
or more grooves made in the sides of the levers C. Other forms and modes of
making the compensating lever C may be used without departing from the principle
of our Invention.
Having described the nature of our Invention, and manner of constructing and
working the same, what we claim is,-
A vertical oscillating telescopic lever C provided with pulleys d, d, at its upper
end and a weighted telescopic rod D working in the lower end of said lever, or
their mechanical equivalents, for taking up the slack of signal wires, substantially
as and for the purposes herein described.
In witness whereof, we, the said John Snowball and Charles Warren, have
hereunto set our hands and seals, the Second day of September, in the
vaar of our Lord 1881
JOHN SNOWBALL.
(L.S.)
50
CHARLES WARREN. (L.S.)