Improvements in the Mode and Means for Signalling on Railways.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Nov., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 31st July, 1896-Accepted, 12th Sept., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Mode and Means for Signalling on Railways.
I, HENRY BRISTALL EVANS, of 6 Westbourne Terrace, Packstone Road, Hockley
in the County of Warwick Builder, do hereby declare the nature of my said
invention to be as follows:-
My invention has for its object improvements in the mode and means for signalling
on railways which is specially applicable on dark or foggy nights. The general
arrangement on railways now is to have a staff of men who are called up to their
various positions immediately fog sets in and these may have to be called from
other duties and even from bed and frequently the fog is cleared away by the time
the men arrive at their various posts and very much inconvenience and annoyance
is caused besides the great danger delays, and expense thereby incurred. Now my
invention entirely obviates this by placing in the hands of the signal men the means
for immediately connecting up the equivalent of fog signals beyond his distant
signal post without either loss of time or additional assistance. This he effects in
the following manner by my mode and means.
I fix to the side of the line-say the outside rail-an electrical contact box with
a lever passing under the rail when it turns up and finishes with a convenient pad
or picce over which the wheel flange must pass and which is depressed by the wheel
flange every time a wheel passes over it. This action or the continued actions
causes the pieces in the contact box to complete the electrical circuit and to ring &
bell or bells which is determined by the position of the distant signal and is in the
hands of the signal man. This is effected by mounting upon a post say one hundred
yards more or less-beyond the distant sigual say two bells or gongs which are
so pitched-say as sevenths-that when they both ring together a powerful
discordant alarm is produced which would be the case if the distant signal were at
danger, but should the distant signal be off as when the line is clear only one bell
is rung and so the train passes on without reducing speed. This may be effected
as follows:-
-
I so mount the levers over which the train passes that they are held in position
to indicate by wires which pass to the signal box and they are wound into that
position by the signal man when required by a hand wheel and barrel with its
ratchet and pawl and immediately this released the levers open out so that the
flange of the rail misses them. The electrical battery may be fixed at any con-
venient position say near the gongs and may be of any kind to answer the purpose
such for instance as the Lacluncbe batteries. In the ordinary way and when the
line is clear only one bell or gong would be operated but when the line is not clear
and when ordinarily the distant signal is up the signal man would in addition to
the distant signal also bring into action by means of a switch the second gong, so
that both would sound together which constitutes the alarm. In doing this
there may be an independent wire or it may be effected through the existing
boll wire.
Dated this 11th day November 1895
GEORGE BARKER,
77. Colmore Row, Birmingham, Agent for Applicant.

page_text: Improvements in the Mode and Means for Signalling on Railways.
I, HENRY BRISTALL EVANS of 6 Westbourne Terrace, Paxton Road, Hockley,
in the County of Warwick, Builder, 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 :-
My invention has for its object improvements in the mode and means for signalling
on railways which is specially applicable on dark or foggy nights. The general
arrangement on railways now is to have a staff of men who are called up to their
various positions immediately fog sets in, and these may have to be called from
other duties and even from bed, and frequently the fog is cleared away by the time
the men arrive at their various poste and very much inconvenience and annoyance
is caused; beside the great danger, delays, and expense thereby incurred. Now my
invention entirely obviates this by placing in the hands of the signal-man the
means for immediately connecting up the equivalent of fog signals beyond his
distant signal post without either loss of time or additional assistance. This he
effects in the following manner by my mode and means :-
I fix to the side of the line-say the outside rail-an electrical contact box with
a lever passing under the rail when it turns up and finishes with a convenient pad
or piece over which the wheel-flange must pass and which is depressed by the
wheel-flange every time a wheel passes over it. This action or the continued
actions causes the contact pieces in the contact box to complete the electrical
circuit and to ring a bell or bells which is determined by the position of the distant
sigual and is therefore in the hands of the signal man. This is effected by
mounting upon a post near to the distant signal-say two bells or gongs which-are
so pitched, say at sevenths-that when they both ring together a powerful,,
discordant alarm is produced which would be the case if the distant signal were at
danger, but should the distant signal be off, as when the line is clear, only one bell
rung and so the train passes on without reducing speed. This may be effected as
follows:-
I so mount the levers over which the train pass so that they are held in position
to indicate by wires which pass to the signal box and they are wound into that
position by the signal man when required by a hand wheel and barrel with its
ratchet and pawl and immediately this is released the levers open out so that the
flange of the wheel miss them. The electrical battery may be fixed at any
convenient position-say near. the gongs and may be of any kind to answer the
purpose, such for instance as the Laclanche. batterics. In the ordinary way and
when the line is clear only one bell or gong would be operated but when the line is
not clear and when ordinarily the distant signal is up the second bell or gong, would
be brought into circuit with the previously named bell by an attachment to the
vertical rod and which operates the distant signal.
In order that my invention may be clearly understood and more easily carried
into practical effect I have appended hereunto a double-sized sheet of drawings
upon which I have illustrated by diagrams the mode of carrying the same into
effect, and which will suffice to enable others.to apply to varying circumstances and
conditions. In explaining my invention with the aid of the accompanying diagrams,
I will suppose a train to be travelling on the up line X Figure 2, in the direction.
of the arrows.
Presuming the line to be clear with the signal Figure 1, down, the signal man
actuates the arrangement shown in Figures 4 and 5, which is fixed in the signal
box A, by turning the wheel W having a pawl attached thereto working in a
ratchet on the top of bracket to for preventing the wheel from turning back until
released by the operator. This operation, by communication through the wire

page_text: and lever es brings the part E, which I call the "indicator" sufficiently near to the
rail R, into a position so that the indicator is depressed by the flanges k¹ of the
carriage wheels K while the train is passing as shown in Figure 3. The lever e
passes through the contact box C and works on the pivot and when the indicator
is depressed as shown in the diagram the two pieces c³ and c contained within the
box Care brought into contact which operation completes the electrical circuit
through the wires c and d (the wire being connected with the battery B, Figures 1
and 2) and causes a continuous ringing of the small gong H which ceases when the
train has passed. Now I will suppose the line to be blocked and the sigual ³ in
its normal position when the train is approaching. The action of the indicator E
is precisely the same as before, but in this case a powerful and discordant alarm is
produced by both the small and large gongs H and G being actuated together.
This is accomplished by the large bell or gong being brought into contact with the
small bell by an attachment to the vertical rod operating the distant signal which
causes the two contact pieces 8, s to come together so that the second bell or gong
is brought into action automatically when the danger signal is up and the line
blocked. Thus it will be seen that when the line is clear the gong H only is
aetuated and the train passes on, but a distinct and powerful alarm is produced
when the line is blocked, the tones of the gongs being pitched as desired. The
levere acts against the resistance of springs conveniently arranged and fitted which
take it back to the dotted position Figure 3 when the winding gear shown in
Figure 4 is released. The indicator may be formed as a convenient pad or bead to
suit the flanges of the carriage wheels or it may be a separate bar supported on
springs and capable of vertical movement only, and of sufficient length, say 20 feet
more or less, to be acted upon by two consecutive carriage wheels as illustrated at
right hand end of Figure 2. The indicator E' for use on the down line Y is worked
and acts the same as E just described. I also attach to the levere inside the box C
(see Figure 3) a piece d which comes into contact with the piece d' when the
indicator is in gear which operation completes the electrical circuit through the
wires d d and operates what I call a repeat or its equivalent inside the signal-man's
box, this informing him that the indicator E is in gear ready to be operated by the
passing train.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed 1 declare that what I
olaim is:-
The improvements in the mode and means for signalling on railways consisting
of a such-like indicator as E or E' operated in its relationship to the rail R by the
signal man from his box A by means of a such like winding apparatus as shown by
Figures 4 and 5 and any convenient connection such as the wire e in combination
with the electrical battery B and the gong H brought into action by the wheel or
wheels K through the contact pieces in the contact box, as also the gong G
operated by the distant signal rod by the two contact pieces s, s¹ together so as to
sound both gongs together as aud for the purpose herein set forth and shown upon
the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 30th day of July 1896.
GEORGE BARKER,
77 Colmore Row, Birmingham, Agent.