Improvements in Destination Indicators for Railway and other Vehicles.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 30th July, 1896
Complete Specification Left, 30th Apr., 1897-Accepted, 5th June, 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Destination Indicators for Railway and other
Vehicles.
I, LEICESTER BRADNEY STEVENS, of Darlington Works, Southwark Bridge
Road, in the County of Surrey, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:--
The destinations of railway and other vehicles are at present generally indicated
by means of name boards affixed to brackets on the edges of the roof. These
boards each require changing for each change in the destination, which involves
considerable labour and liability to error and neglect.
The object of this invention is to construct destination indicators which shall
dispense with the use of the ordinary destination boards, to provide means by
which, when desired, the names on both sides of any vehicle can be simul-
taneously altered from one or either side of the vehicle, thereby ensuring
similarity in the names indicated, and to provide means for illuminating the
said names.
In one arrangement constructed according to this invention a flexible band of
suitable material having the various station names printed thereon is connected
at its ends to carrying rollers, one of which may be a spring roller, the whole
being enclosed, in a suitable casing having an open or transparent front through
which the station names can be observed. The rollers are operated by hand by
means of an ordinary carriage or other key and can be secured in any position by
suitable clamping devices, the complete apparatus being secured to the side of the
vehicle in the ordinary manner. The names may be illuminated by any artificial
means, preferably by electricity, the light being placed behind the name or
reflected on to it from the outside. Two indicators constructed as described
may be placed on opposite sides of a vehicle and connected together by toothed
or other suitable gearing so as to cause them to rotate synchronously and thereby
exhibit the same names simultaneously. The various indicators may also be
connected together and their action controlled by the guard through any suitable
gearing.
Brackets are secured to the indicator casings for carrying ordinary name boards
when desired.
In another form of apparatus the station names are arranged on horizontal or
vertical laths of transparent or other suitable material secured to endless carrying
pitch chains passing over suitable guides and sprocket or pitch wheels on both sides
of the vehicle and so arranged that the same name is simultaneously exhibited on
both sides of the vehicle. Instead of the carrying chains, endless flexible bands
may be used for carrying the name laths. Or a single endless flexible band on
suitable rollers may be employed, the various stations being printed or otherwise
affixed thereon. The spindles of the band or chain rollers are operated by suitable
gear and are maintained in any definite position by star wheel and pawl or other
suitable locking device. The station names may be illuminated as hereinbefore
described.
In another arrangement a number of hinged name boards are enclosed in a
casing secured to the ends of the vehicle. When it is desired to exhibit a name

page_text: the proper board is selected and withdrawn so that the hinged part, on which the
name is printed can be turned flat against the side of the vehicle and fastened
thereto.
Dated this 30th day of Iul 1906
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE,
40 Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Destination Indicators for Railway and other
Vehicles.
I, LEICESTER BRADNEY STEVENS, of Darlington Works, Southwark Bridge
Road, in the County of Surrey, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
The destinations of railway and other vehicles are at present generally indicated
by means of name boards affixed to brackets on the edges of the roof. These
boards each require changing for each change in the destination, which involves
considerable labour and liability to error and neglect.
The object of this invention is to construct destination indicators which shall
dispense with the use of the ordinary destination boards, to provide means by
which, when desired, the names on both sides of any vehicle can be simul-
taneously altered from one or either side of the vehicle, thereby ensuring
similarity in the names indicated, and to provide means for illuminating the
said names.
In the accompanying five sheets of illustrative drawings:
Figs. 1, 2 and 3 are horizontal section, side elevation and vertical section
respectively of a destination indicator constructed according to this invention and
suitable for attaching to the side of a railway carriage.
Figs. 4 and 5 are side elevation and transverse vertical section of a modification
of the arrangement shown in Figs. 1 to 3.
Figs. 6 and 7 show perspective elevation of two indicators one on either side of
a vehicle and coupled together.
Figs. 8 and 9 show perspective elevations of an arrangement in which the names
of stations are written on an endless flexible band passing from side to side of the
top of the vehicle.
Figs. 10 and 11 are perspective elevations showing an indicator in which the
names are arranged on vertical laths, and
Figs. 12, 13 and 14 are perspective elevations of an arrangement of hinged name
boards either of which may be selected for exposure as desired.
Referring to Figs. 1, 2 and 3 a flexible band a of any suitable material having
the various station names printed thereon is connected at its ends to carrying
rollers b whose spindles c are supported in bearings d in a casing e, milled heads f
being provided on the said spindles and a clamping screw g and plate / by means
of which the rollers may be secured in any desired position. A glass plate i is
secured in the front of the casing through which the name of the station may be
readily read. Brackets / are provided on the casing e for holding ordinary destination
boards when desired. In order to change the name of the station exhibited
the band is wound onto one roller and unwound off the other until the required
name is exhibited when the spindles c are clamped in position by the screw g,
the rods m causing the band to always lie parallel to the glass front of the
casing.

page_text: In the modified arrangement shown in Figs. 4 and 5 electric lamps n fed by a
battery A or other suitable means are placed behind the band a to illuminate the
station names.
In the arrangement shown in Figs. 6 and 7 the upper rollers of two indicators,
one mounted on each side of the vehicle, are connected together by a shaft or
spindle o and bevel pinions p so as to rotate simultaneously and synchronously
the band a being automatically wound and kept taut by the bottom spring
rollers b. The shaft o is operated from either side of the vehicle by a key fitting
in sockets g and is clamped in any desired position by means of a clamping lever
operated from either side of the vehicle by the screwed spindles as is clearly
shown.
In the arrangement shown in Figs. 8 and 9 a divided band or horizontal laths t,
which may be of transparent material, are secured to endless carrying pitch chains v
passing over suitable guides and rollers w and sprocket or pitch wheels on both
sides of the vehicle and so arranged that the same name is simultaneously exhibited
on both sides of the vehicle. The sprocket wheel spindles are operated by handles y
and may be connected together and locked in position in the manner hereinbefore
described.
In the arrangement shown in Figs. 10 and 11 the name laths t are vertical and
are connected to chains gearing with sprocket wheels operated by bevel pinions p,
the shaft o being operated by a key, inserted in either socket g as will be readily
understood.
In the arrangement shown in Figs. 12, 13 and 14 a number of hinged name
boards al are enclosed in a casing & secured to the ends of the vehicle. When it
is desired to exhibit a name the proper board is selected and withdrawn so that the
hinged part on which the name is printed may be turned flat against the side of the
vehicle and fastened thereto by a button or clip c¹.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
1. A destination indicator for railway and other vehicles comprising a flexible
band having the various station names printed thereon and connected to carrying
rollers provided with a clamping device and enclosed in a casing having a trans-
parent face, the whole substantially as described and shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 of
the drawings.
2. A destination indicator for railway and other vehicles comprising a flexible
band having the various station names printed thereon and connected to carrying
rollers provided with a clamping device and enclosed in a casing having a trans-
parent face, and provided with electric illuminating lamps substantially as described
and shown in Figs. 4 and 5 of the drawings.
3. A destination indicator for railway and other vehicles comprising two separate
indicators coupled together and provided with a clamping device the whole
substantially as described with reference to Figs. 6 and 7 of the drawings and for
the purpose set forth.
4. A destination indicator for railway and other vehicles comprising horizontal
laths mounted on pitch chains gearing with sprocket wheels on either side of the
vehicle, the whole substantially as described with reference to Figs. 8 and 9 of the
drawings, and for the purpose set forth.
5. A destination indicator for railway and other vehicles comprising vertical
laths mounted on pitch chains gearing with sprocket wheels mounted on spindles
coupled together so as to operate simultaneously, the whole substantially as
described with reference to Figs. 10 and 11 of the drawings, and for the purpose
specified.
6. A destination indicator for railway and other vehicles comprising a number
of name boards, enclosed in a casing and each capable of being withdrawn and

page_text: fastened to the side of the vehicle, the whole substantially as described with
-reference to Figs. 12, 13 and 14 of the drawings, and for the purpose set forth.
Dated this 3: th day of April 1897.
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE,..
40 Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents.