IMPROVEMENTS IN MECHANISM OR Apparatus to BE EMPLOYED FOR SIGNALLING ON Railways.”
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Samuel Moorhouse, of Cheadle Bulkeley, in the
County of Chester, and William John Kendall, of Heaton Norris,
in the County of Lancaster, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MECHANISM OR Apparatus to BE EMPLOYED FOR SIGNALLING ON Railways.”
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Samuel Moorhouse and
William John Kendall at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 14th October 1871.
We, SAMUEL MOORHOUSE, of Cheadle Bulkeley, in the County of
Chester, and WILLIAM JOHN KENDALL, of Heaton Norris, in the County
of Lancaster, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MECHANISM OR APPARATUS TO BE EMPLOYED FOR SIGNALLING
ON RAILWAYS," to be as follows:-
:-
The object of this Invention is primarily to ensure greater safety and
immunity from danger to railway trains in thick or foggy weather and

page_text: to supersede the use of detonating and other arrangements of fog signals
generally by the substitution of an apparatus by means of which the
engine driver at all times and in all weathers would be made aware of
his distance from the present signals and at the same time would know if
the said signals stood at "danger" or ".caution or if the line was clear,
and that without the possibility of failure.
"
To carry out the said Invention-we place between the rails or metals.
or at a convenient distance from such rails a plate of metal, which said
plate is at one end attached to a hinge or some other similar contrivanco
firmly bolted or fastened to a stone or a piece of timber or to one of the
ordinary sleepers, the said metal plate being raised in the centre and
depressed at each end so as to form two inclined planes. Underneath the
above plate and at right angles thereto is placed a rocking shaft
supported by suitable bearings; on this rocking shaft and placed so as
to be underneath the plate, is screwed an arm or lever projecting
horizontally, or nearly so, therefrom, and connected by means of a short
connecting rod with the before-mentioned metal plate; or instead, the
lever and connecting rod, or lever only, or an excentric may be used. At
one end of the said rocking shaft is a lever and balance weight connected
with the present signals by means of a wire, or chain, or some similar
means of communicating motion thereto, and so arranged that on the
present signals being turned to "danger," the lever being moved by the
wire or chain connecting it with the present signals, causes the rocking
shaft to turn on its journals or bearings, and in so doing the end of the
projecting lever below the inclined plate is raised and elevates in its turn:
the metal plate, the centre or highest part of said plate being then above
the level of the top or upper side of the rails.
"
On the present signals however being turned to "caution the
rocking shaft will be turned only half as far as in the previous instance,
the projecting lever below the said metal plate and the plate itself will
rise a proportionate distance, that is, half as far as when the present
signals stood at “danger.”
Should the present signals however be lowered altogether, thus
denoting the line to be "all clear," the projecting lever underneath the
inclined plate will by the action of the wire or chain in connection with :
the present signals be brought into a horizontal position, thus lowering
the metal plate between or near the rails below the level of the top or
upper part of said rails.

page_text: To bring these changes in the position of the plate, and therefore the
state of the signals under the direct notice of the engine driver, we
attach to the engine a plate of metal which in shape shall describe an
arc of a circle, more or less according to circumstances, the said
plate being suspended longitudinally underneath the fire-box and
attached thereto by means of a hinge or some similar contrivance fixed
to the lower and front edge of the fire-box, at the other end of the said
plate a slot is formed in and between two cheeks of which works freely
a bowl or roller, the lower edge of said bowl or roller just projecting
) below the bottom side of the said metal plate; attached to this
plate by means of a joint and pin, or some other similar contrivance
is an upright rod or bar moving freely up and down in two or moro
guides or bearings secured to the end of the boiler, the top or upper end
of such rod or bar terminating in a round disc corresponding in size with
the left hand glass in the weather screen of the engine, the said disc
when at rest being below and clear of such glass. Attached to one of
the guides or bearings through which the upright rod or bar passes is a
spring ratchet acting on the said rod or bar, in which suitable notches,
grooves, or teeth are provided.
.
On the existing signals being placed at "danger" the metal plate
between the rails will be raised to its full height, and on an engine
passing over it the bowl or roller attached to the plate suspended under-
neath the fire-box will come in contact therewith, and as the metal plate
between the rails presents an inclined plane the said bowl or roller
will run up the same with the greatest ease, raising the plate to which it
is attached and thereby the upright rod or bar joined to such plate, so that
the round disc at the top end of such rod or bar will entirely cover and
hide from view the glass in the weather screen of the engine, the spring
ratchet before mentioned securing it in such position until released by
the engine driver, who by the noise or sound caused by the said spring
ratchet will have his attention called thereto, and will see at once by the
disc covering the glass in the weather screen that the signals are dead
against him.
Should the signals stand at "caution" however on the engine passing
over the metal plate between the rails the upright rod or shaft on the
engine will be raised only high enough to partially cover the glass in the
weather screen of the engine, thus denoting that the signals stand at
"caution."

page_text: Should the line be absolutely clear, and the signals lowered entirely,
the metal plate between or near the rails will be in its lowest position, so
that on the engine passing over it the bowl or roller in the curved plato
lever under the fire-box of the engine will clear the inclined plate,
consequently the upright rod or bar will remain at rest, and the round
disc at its upper end will be below the glass in the weather screen of the
engine, thus denoting that the line is "all clear."
In the case of tank engines (which run either and foremost) or in the
case of engines running tender first, or running down on the up line, or
vice versa, the effect will still be the same, seeing that the metal plato
between the rails, and also the curved plate on the engine present
inclined planes to each other in whichever direction the engine may be
running.
Again, should a coupling hook accidentally hang down even below the
level of the rails it will glide harmlessly over the inclined plane :
presented to it by the metal plate in either direction, whilst should some
unyielding substance project from a passing train, level or even lower
than the rails on its coming to the metal plate the said plate will become
depressed by the pressure thus applied to it, and allow tho substance to
pass harmlessly over it, the said plate being held in its clevation solely :
by the influence of the balance weight before mentioned.
65
In addition to the disc at the top end of the upright bar or rod, or in
lieu of it, a finger inay be fixed to such bar or rod projecting in such a
manner as to show clearly on a scale board marked at the different
heights with "
danger," caution," and "linc clear" the different
position of the siguals, a gong or other suitable contrivance may
also be placed near the upright bar and caused to sound to excito tho
attention of the driver.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Samuel Moorhouse and William John Kendall in 30
the Great Seal Patent Office on the 13th April 1872.

page_text: WILLIAM JOHN KENDALL, of Heaton Norris, in the County of
Lancaster, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of October, in the year.
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-
fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto us, the said Samuel Moorhouse and William
John Kendall, Her special license that we, the said Samuel Moorhouse
and William John Kendall, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as we, the said Samuel Moorhouse and
William John Kendall, their executors, administrators, and assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and
at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use, excercise, and vend, within the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle
of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVENENTS IN MECHANISH OR APPARATUS TO
BE EMPLOYED FOR SIGNALLING ON RAILWAYS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that we, the said Samuel Moorhouse and William John
Kendall, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under our, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be
filed in the Great Scal Patent Office within six calendar months next
and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Samuel Moorhouse-and William
John Kendall, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement and
accompanying Drawings, that is to say:-
The object of our Invention is primarily to ensure greater safety and
immunity from danger to railway trains in thick or foggy weather, and
to supersede the use of detonating and other arrangements of fog signals
generally by the substitution of an apparatus by means of which the
engine driver at all times and in all weathers would be made aware of
his distance from the present signals, and at the same time would know
if the said signals stood at "danger,” “caution,' or if the line was
clear, and that without the possibility of failure.
"
:

page_text: To carry out the said Invention we place between the rails or metals,
or at a convenient distance from such rails, a plate of metal, which said
plate is at one end attached to a hinge or some other similar contrivance
firmly bolted or fastened to a stone or a piece of timber, or to one of
the ordinary sleepers, the said metal plate being raised in the centre and
depressed at each end, so as to form two inclined planes. Underneath
the above plate, and at right angles thereto, is placed a rocking shaft,
supported by suitable bearings, on this rocking shaft, and placed so as
to be underneath the plate, is secured an arm or lever projecting
horizontally or nearly so therefrom, and connected by means of a short
connecting rod with the before mentioned metal plate; or instead, the
lever and connecting rod, or lever only, or an eccentric, may be used.
At one end of the said rocking shaft is a lever and balance weight
connected with the present signals by means of a wire or chain, or some
similar means of communicating motion thereto, and so arranged that
on the present signals being turned to "danger" the lever being moved
by the wire or chain connecting it with the present signals causes the
rocking shaft to turn on its journals or bearings, and in so doing the end
of the projecting lever below the inclined plate is raised, and elevates in
its turn the metal plate, the centre or highest part of said plate being
then above the level of the top or upper side of the rails.
On the present signals however being turned to "caution" the
rocking shaft will be turned only half as far as in the previous instance,
the projecting lever below the said metal plate and the plate itself will
rise a proportionate distance, that is, half as far as when the present
signals stood at "danger."
Should the present signals however be lowered altogether, thus
denoting the line to be "all clear," the projecting lever underneath the
inclined plate will by the action of the wire or chain in connection with
the present signals be brought into a horizontal position, thus lowering
the metal plate between or near the rails below the level of the top or
upper part of said rails.
To bring these changes in the position of the plate, and therefore the
state of the signals under the direct notice of the engine driver, we
attach to the engine a plate of metal which in shape shall describe an
are of a circle more or less according to circumstances, the said plate
being suspended longitudinally underneath the fire-box and attached

page_text: thereto by means of a hinge or some similar contrivance fixed to the
lower and front edge of the fire-box, at the other end of said plate a
slot is formed, in and between two cheeks of which works freely a bowl
or roller, the lower edge of said bowl or roller just projecting below the
bottom side of the said metal plate; attached to this plate by means of
a joint and pin, or some other suitable contrivance, is an upright rod or
bar moving freely up and down in two or more guides or bearings
secured to the end of the boiler, the top or upper end of such rod or bar
terminating in a round disc corresponding in size with the left hand
glass in the weather screen of the engine, the said disc when at rest
being below and clear of such glass. Attached to one of the guides
or bearings through which the upright rod or bar passes is a spring
ratchet acting on the said rod or bar, in which suitable notches, grooves,
or teeth are provided.
Instead of forming the connection between the metal plate hinged.
underneath the fire-box and the disc by one upright bar or rod, we may
attach to the above described metal plate by means of a joint a short
bar passing through suitable guides on the fire-box. The upper end of
this bar bears against or is connected to a lever at or about the centre
of the same, one end of such lever turning on a pin or hinge fixed to
one side of the fire-box, while the other end is connected to another bar
also supported in suitable guides on the fire-box, and carrying on its
upper extremity the above described disc.
On the existing signals being placed at "danger" the metal plate
between the rails will be raised to its full height, and on an engine
passing over it the bowl or roller attached to the plate suspended
underneath the fire-box will come in contact therewith, and as the
metal plate between the rails presents an inclined plane the said bowl
or roller will run up the same with the greatest ease, raising the plate
to which it is attached and thereby the upright rod or bar joined to
such plate, so that the round disc at the top end of such rod or bar
will entirely cover and hide from view the glass in the weather screen of
the engine, the spring ratchet before mentioned securing it in such
position until released by the engine driver, who by the noise or sound
caused by the said spring ratchet will have his attention called thereto,
and will see at once by the disc covering the glass in the weather screen
that the signals are dead against him.

page_text: Should the signals stand at "caution" however on the engine passing
over the metal plate between the rails the upright rod or bar on the
engine will be raised only high enough to partially cover the glass in
the weather screen of the engine, thus denoting that the signals stand
at "caution."
5
Should the line be absolutely clear, and the signals lowered entirely,
the metal plate between or near the rails will be in its lowest position,
so that on the engine passing over it the bowl or roller in the curved
plate lever under the fire-box of the engine will clear the inclined plate,
consequently the upright rod or bar will remain at rest, and the round 1
disc at its upper end will be below the glass in the weather screen of
the engine, thus denoting that the line is "all clear."
In the case of tank engines (which run either end foremost) or in
the case of engines running tender first, or running down on the up
line, or vice versa, the effect will still be the same, seeing that the 1
metal plate between the rails, and also the curved plate on the engine,
present inclined planes to each other, in whichever direction the engine
may be running.
2
Again, should a coupling hook accidentally hang down even below
the level of the rails it will glide harmlessly over the inclined plane
presented to it by the metal plate in either direction, whilst should some
unyielding substance project from a passing train, level or even lower
than the rails, on its coming to the metal plate the said plate will
become depressed by the pressure thus applied to it, and allow the
substance to pass harmlessly over it, the said plate being held in 2
its elevation solely by the influence of the balance weight before
mentioned.
In addition to a disc on the top end of the upright rod or bar, or in
lieu of it, a finger may be fixed to such rod or bar projecting in such a
manner as to show clearly on a scale board marked at the different 3
heights with "
'danger,” caution," and "linc clear," the different
position of the siguals, a gong or other suitable contrivance may also
be placed near the upright bar, and sounded to excite the attention of
the driver.
$6
In order that our Invention may be better understood and explained 3

page_text: scale of about three-quarters of an inch to one foot, similar letters of
reference being marked upon corresponding parts in all Figures.
Figure 1 represents an elevation of a line of railway and an engine, both
partly in section; Figure 2 represents a transverse section of the line and
5 a back elevation of the engine; Figure 3 is a plan of the line and
apparatus attached thereto; Figure 4 is another back elevation of the
engine.
a represents the double-inclined plate placed longitudinally between
the rails, and attached by the hinge and bracket 6 to one of the sleepers.'
O Below this plate and the rails, and placed at right angles to the latter,
a rocking shaft c is supported in suitable bearings. This shaft extends
from between the rails a convenient distance to the side of the line and
to the said shaft; and at a point just below the plate a is keyed the
curved arm or lever d, and to the end of the said shaft outside the rails
5 is fixed an arm with balance weight e and a lever f; to this lever is
connected the rod, wire, or chain g, which is carried on in any convenient
manner to a suitable distance, say 500 yards, and secured to the lower
end of a hand lever h; to the same lever another wire or chain i is
fastened, which passes over a guide pulley 'j upwards to the well-known
O levers and rods by which the signal / attached to the signal post / is
moved; the lever i works on a notch or ratchet plate m, and is provided.
with a stop rod or a pawl n so as to retain it in any desired position. It
will be clearly understood that by means of the said lever and the
wires or chains 9 and i the signals at present in use are thus connected
5 so that part of the apparatus which is placed on the line, and any
change in the signals will also produce a corresponding change in tho
position of the rocking shaft c, the curved arm d, and the inclined
plate a; the same inclined plate being raised or lowered as required.
To bring these changes, and therefore the state of the signals, under the
▸ direct notice of the engine driver is part and purpose of the apparatus.
attached to the engine where o represents a plate of metal suspended
longitudinally below the fire-box attached thereto at one end by means
of a hinge o³; on the other end of the said plate a slot is formed, in
.which and between two cheeks raised on the plate turns freely a bowl.
½ or roller p on a pin fixed in the said checks. This bowl or roller projects
slightly below the under sido of the plate o, which at that place is bent.
or curved more or less to the arc of a circle or thereabout. To the said
metal plate is jointed the upright rod or bar q supported in suitablo

page_text: on the engine is locked by the spring pawl until released again by the
driver by withdrawing the pawl from the teeth, notches, or grooves. If,
it is required to place the signal at "danger" the hand lever / will be
brought over to position 3, thereby also placing the signal at 3 and
turning the arm & through a still greater angle, raising the plate a to
position 3. An engine now passing the apparatus the bowl or roller p
coming into contact with the plate a, and passing over one or the other
of the inclines, will be forced still higher, thereby lifting the disc by
means of the intervening parts until it entirely covers the glass in the
) weather screen, indicating thereby "danger," the finger pointing to the
same word or sign on the index board.
It will be seen from the foregoing description that however, much
darkness, fog, or any other unfavorable state of the weather may
obscure the present signals from the view of the driver the state of the
signals, and thereby the state of the line, will by means of the position
of the disc with regard to the glass and by the index and pointer be
brought under his immediate notice, the noise caused by the teeth on
the bar & passing under the spring pawl when the apparatus is working
exciting his attention. The apparatus on the line is of course placed
sufficiently far out from the present signals to give the driver time to
slacken the speed of the train or stop the train entirely on or before
arriving at such signals, while, when arriving at the said present signals,
he will be near enough to see from their position the state of the
line.
In Figure 4 the connection between the plate o and disc t is effected
simply by means of the upright bar ; but, as in most cases, the space.
below the fire-box is very limited, and where the glasses are of con-
siderable size, the arrangements shewn in Figures 1 and 2 will be more
suitable.
Having now described the nature and object of our said Invention,
and the manner in which the same may be carried into practical effect,
we wish it to be distinctly understood that we believe to be novel, and
that we claim as secured to us is,-
Firstly. The employment and application of the moveable disc or
plate in front of the glass in the weather screen with or without the
addition of an index board and pointer.

page_text: •
Secondly. The arrangement, construction, and combination of the
whole of the apparatus as and for the purpose herein-before described,
set forth, and fully illustrated in the Drawings or any slight modification
thereof.
In witness whereof, we have hereunto set our hands and seals, the 5
Eleventh day of April, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-two..
SAM¹. MOORHOUSE.
(L8.)
WILLIAM JOHN KENDALL. (L.B.)
Signed, sealed, and delivered by
the said Samuel Moorhouse
and William John Kendall,
in the presence of
WHY DAWSON;
Patent Agent,
Manchester.