Improved Means or Apparatus for Preventing Collisions on' Railways.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Feb., 1892
Complete Specification Left. 18th Nov., 1892-Accepted, 31st Dec., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means or Apparatus for Preventing Collisions on'
Railways.
.
I, THOMAS MARSDEN of Holme Mill Nelson in the County of Lancaster,
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention consists of an inclined plane or planes or other suitable
contrivance placed between, on, or near the rails of the railway, so as to act upon
other mechanism or apparatus attached to the engine to shut off the steam, when
the distant signal is at danger, and whilst the engine is passing the inclined planes.
The apparatus though at a distance from the signalman is placed under his
control by means of connecting wires attached to a crank, which is made to actuate
the inclined plane, and lock it when the crank is in a horizontal position, or at dead
centre. When the engine is passing the inclined plane, the latter acts upon a
vertical lever connected to a slide bar, having a notch, which is brought by the
action of the vertical lever against the handle to shut off the steam. Therefore,
the inclined plane will always be in readiness to act upon the vertical lever to shut
off the steam, unless the signalman withdraw the inclined plane.
The usual signalling may be employed to act in conjunction with my improved
apparatus, if desired.
הד
1000
THOS. RICHMOND,
Agent.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means or Apparatus for Preventing Collisions on
Railways.
I, THOMAS MARSDEN of Holme Mill, Nelson, in the County of Lancaster,
Manufacturer, 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 :-
This invention consists of an inclined plane, or other suitable contrivance,
placed between, on or near the rails of the railway, so as to act upon other
mechanism or apparatus attached to the engine, to shut off the steam when the
distant signal is at danger, and whilst the engine is passing the inclined plane.
The plane or other suitable contrivance, though at a distance from the signalman is
placed under his control by means of connecting wires, attached to a crank, which
is made to actuate the inclined plane, and lock it when the crank is in a horizontal
position or at dead centre.
When the engine is passing the inclined plane, the latter acts upon a vertical
lever, connected to a slide bar, having a notch, which is brought by the action of
the vertical lever against the handle to shut off the steam.
Therefore, the inclined plane will always be in readiness to act upon the vertical
lever, to shut off the steam of the engine, unless the signalman withdraws the
inclined plane.
The usual signalling may be employed to act in conjunction with my improved
apparatus, if desired.
In the accompanying drawings,
Fig. 1 is an end elevation, and Fig. 2 a side view of a locomotive steam engine
constructed in accordance with my invention.
Fig. 3 is a plan of one of the rails of the permanent way, shewing its relative
position with the inclined plane or lever, which is designed to operate upon other

page_text: mechanism upon the engine, so as to shut off the steam and stop the engine at any
determined distance from the home signal at the will of the signalman.
In Fig. 1, A is the usual handle for shutting off the steam on a locomotive
engine, B is a horizontal bar, mounted in the brackets C and C. One end of the
said bar B is connected by the link D to the upright arm E, whilst the other end
of the said bar is connected by the link D', to the vertical arm F, which is also
connected to another arm G having at its lower extremity the anti-friction
pulley G. The lower end of the arm E is also provided with a similar pulley E¹.
It will be obvious, that by moving either of the arms E or G at their lower
extremities towards the side of the engine, the slide bar B will be moved in the
direction of the bracket C, during which movement, a pin or projection B¹ secured
to the slide bar B carries forward with it the handle A, to shut off the steam, in
which position the handle is automatically locked by the drop pin B2 falling into the
sneck B3 of the bar B.
To bring the mechanism above described under the control of the signalman, I
employ the inclined plane or lever H, capable of moving on the fulcrum or centre
pin 1. On the underside of this plane or lever, which is of considerable length, is
a series of friction bowls, which roll upon the bearing brackets J, to relieve the
fulcrum or centre-pin I from undue friction or strain.
From a lever in the signalman's cabin runs in suitable guides, a wire P which is
connected to one arm of bell crank lever K, the other arm being connected to the
wire L, which passes over the pulley M, secured to the crank shaft N, and weighted
by the weight. When the signalman releases the handle or lever in his cabin to
shut off the steam to stop the engine, the weight O turns the crank shaft N round,
bringing the sweep of the crank to rest horizontally on the support Q; at the same
time pushing the inclined plane or lever H into the pathway of the anti-friction
bowl E, which commences to bear upon the inclined plane about midway its length,
so that the movement of the arm E, in passing over the rest of the inclined plane,
will be easy and gradual.
To withdraw the plane or lever H from the pathway of the anti-friction bowl E'
to allow the engine to proceed unmolested, the engineman simply pulls the lever or
handle in his cabin so as to reverse the position of the sweep of the crank.
In addition to, and simultaneously with the shutting-off of the steam, the gong or
bell R may be sounded, to warn the engineman of danger, whilst the brake may be
applied by the catch link S, which is capable of engaging with a pin on the
handle T.
By the arrangement of the two arms E and G, one on each side of the engine-
man, the latter may proceed with the tender first or otherwise, one or other of the
said arms adapting itself to the inclined plane or lever, which is situated only on
one side of the rails.
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. The general arrangement of mechanism, as described and illustrated for the
purposes specified.
2. The employment of the crank shaft N for actuating the inclined plane or
lever H, substantially as described and illustrated.
3. The inclined plane or lever H, supported by friction bowls to relieve the
centre pin or fulcrum from friction or strain, substantially as described.
4. The inclined plane or lever H, capable of being operated by the signalman in
combination with the bowls E' and G and lever mechanism for shutting off the
steam substantially as described and illustrated.
Dated this 17th day of November 1892.
THUS. RICHMOND,
Agent.