Improved Means for Signalling on and Stopping Railway Engines and Trains.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Sept., 1898
· Complete Specification Left, 31st May, 1899-Accepted, 8th July, 1899
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means for Signalling on and Stopping Railway Engines
and Trains.
I, JOHN FAIRLEY, of 2, Hamlet Cottages, Hamlet Court Road, Southend, in
the County of Essex, Clerk, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
This invention has for its object a means for warning the driver of a loco-
motive of danger ahead and automatically shutting off steam. It is designed to
be used in addition to and in conjunction with the existing signals, gates or
points on railways to prevent a locomotive running past a signal at danger, into
gates opened on railway, or facing points not properly opened or closed, and
places the engine under the control of the pointsman at all times should the
signals be obscured by fog or the lamps extinguished by gale or failure of gas or
other illuminant.
It may also be used by platelayers when drawing or relaying the metals or
sleepers, or by guards etc., of derailed or broken down trains to stop any
approaching train.
The invention consists of two separate pieces of mechanism to be used in con-
junction for the purpose of contact, the one being a table or platform bolted or
screwed to sleeper, to be lowered out of position by means of wire, chain or rods
by the existing signals, gates or points, and to be brought into and kept in
position by means of balance weight at end of lever or arm of table, the other
to consist of a leg with a revolving wheel with a tyre of india rubber (for the
purpose of breaking the impact at the moment of contact) the said leg to be
pivotted to the locomotive at a convenient position and in such a manner that
when contact is made between the table and the wheel the leg is so thrown out
of its perpendicular position as to cause the opening of the engine whistle, the
applying of the brake or the turning off steam by means of suitable cranks,
levers or other device. Preferably the platform should be fitted normally above
the level of the rail so as to allow the leg to be clear when running over points
or metals.
Dated this First day of September 1898
Improved Means for Signalling on and Stopping Railway Engines
and Trains.
JOHN FAIRLEY, 17, Park Place, Leyton, Essex, late of 2, Hamlet Cottages,
Hamlet Court Road, Southend, Essex, Clerk, do hereby declare the nature of this
[Price 8d.1

page_text: invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention has for its object, a means for warning the driver of a loco-
motive of danger ahead and automatically shutting off steam. It is designed to
be used in addition to and in conjunction with the existing signals, gates, or 5
points on railways to prevent a locomotive running past a signal at danger
or into gates opened on railway, or facing points not properly opened or shut, or
into dangerous obstructions, and places the engine under the control of the points-
man at all times, should the signals be obscured by fog, or the lamps be extin-
guished by gale, or failure of gas or other illuminant, or to cause a runaway
engine to be brought to a standstill.
It may also be used by platelayers when drawing or relaying the metals or
sleepers, or by guards or others in charge of derailed or broken down trains to
stop any approaching train.
1
To make this invention clear and to be properly understood, I attach two 1
sheets of drawings.
Fig. 1 shews the position of table as worked by the balanced lever on signal
post.
Fig. 2 represents leg with lever and revolving wheel as fitted on engine.
Fig. 3 shews platform or table in position with lever (as in Fig. 2) passing
over when signal indicates line clear, the dotted line shews platform with lever
(as in Fig. 2) making contact and being put out of its perpendicular position
when signal indicates danger.
Fig. 4 is a plan of platform or table B.
Fig. 5 is an elevation of platform or table B.
Fig. 6 is end elevation of platform or table B.
Fig. 7 is side elevation of platform or table B.
Fig. 8 is sectional elevation of platform or table B.
Fig. 9 is elevation of lever A.
Fig. 10 is revolving wheel.
Fig. 11 is plan of leg P.
Fig. 12 is elevation of leg P.
The invention consists of two separate pieces of mechanism to be used in con-
junction for the purpose of contact, the one being a table or platform B as in
Fig. 3 bolted or screwed at R by well known means, to the sleepers, on the out-
side of the metals, in such a manner and of such a height that when the plat-
form C is raised by means of the signals being placed at danger, contact is made
with revolving wheel N as also indicated by Fig. 3 causing the lever A. to be
thrown out of its normal position, as shewn by the dotted line R' thus causing a
signal to be given to the driver by the opening of the engine whistle, the apply-
ing of the brake or shutting off steam, single or collectively, by means of cranks
levers, or other well known or suitable device connected at S. The platform or
table C works upon a bolt or hinge F and is raised to contact position by a
balance weight D affixed to lever E and is lowered to line clear by a wire, chain
or other suitable device attached to an eye, 0, at the one end, and at the other
end to the balance lever on signal as shewn in Fig. 1 or to gates or points in
such a manner that when the points, or gates, are not properly shut and the
line not clear the platform is raised to the contact position.
The portable platform which is to be used by guards, platelayers or other
servants when the line is not clear will be slightly modified. It will consist of
a platform or table of somewhat similar make and will be worked by a short
hand lever fixed and working from the base of the platform for the purpose of
raising or lowering the platform C.
The platform should in all cases be fixed at such a distance in advance of the
signal post, derailed train, working gang, gate or points as to allow the train being
brought to a standstill before the obstruction, or the like is reached,

page_text: The balance weight D to be of sufficient weight and size to keep the platform C
in position and to move the lever A with its attachments, when contact is made.
Preferably the platform should be fitted at such a height as to be normally
about three inches above the top of the metals.
The second piece of mechanism consists of a lever Fig. 9 with a wheel H
Fig. 10 provided with a rubber tyre N (for the purpose of reducing the impact)
revolving on a bolt of well known make, M, at a point L, the said lever work-
ing on a bolt at I on a leg P riveted at G on to the platform of engine as in
Fig. 2.
The leg and lever should be of such a length that the lower edge of the
wheel may be say 5 or 6 inches normally above the top of the metals in order
to clear all crossing points and the like.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
In combination with or in addition to the existing signals gates, points or the
like, the apparatus constructed and operated, as shewn in the drawings and herein
described the one part causing a contact with the other part so that a signal is
given to the driver, the brakes are applied, and steam shut off, singly or collec-
tively in such a manner, as to prevent a train running past a signal at danger,
or into dangerous obstructions or to cause a runaway engine to be brought to a
standstill, substantially as described.