Improvements in or relating to Alarms or Signals for Railway Crossing Gates.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Mar., 1895
Complete Specification. Left, 4th Dec., 1895-4ccepted, 4th Jan., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Alarms or Signals for Railway
Crossing Gates.
1, SAMUEL TELFORD DUTTON of Marl Bank in the City and County of
Worcester, Civil Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
At level crossings on railways whero gates are mechanically worked I fix a bell
or gong and connect the same to the gates or to some part of their mechanism so
as to give warning to persons crossing previous to aud during the movement of the
gates. In cases where gate stops are worked by a lever the movement of this
lever makes electrical contact thereby setting up a current between a local battery
and the hell which rings until the lever is again moved or the current broken
elsewhere by the closing of the gates. Or the stop lever may alternately raise aud
release a weight which by its descent will move clockwork and cause a number of
strokes to be given on a gong. The turning of the gate wheel may also be inade
to sound an electrical or mechanical gong. The movement of the gates themselves
may make electrical contact between a battery and the hell which will continue
ringing until the gates are closed.
Dated this 6th day of March 1895.
Improvements in or relating to Alarms or Signals for Railway.
Crossing Gates.
I SAMUEL TELFORD DUTTON of Marl Bank in the City of the County of
Worcester Civil 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 :-
At level crossings on railways where gates are mechanically worked I fix a bell
or goug and connect the samo to the gates or to some part of their mechanism so
ns to give warning to persons crossing previous to and during the movement of
the gates.
In cases where gato stops are worked by a lever the movement of this lever
makes electrical contact thereby setting up a current between a local battery and
a bell which rings until the lever is again moved or the current broken clsewhere
by the closing of tho gates.
Or the stop lever may alternately raise and release a weight which by its
descent will move "clockwork" and cause a number of strokes to be given OD a
gong.
The turning of the gate wheel may also be made to sound an electrical or
mechanical gong.
The movement of the gates themselves may make electrical contact between a
battery and the bell which will continue ringing until the gates are closed.

page_text: I will now describe my apparatus, reference being made for that purpose to the
accompanying drawings.
The letters of reference which are repeated in the various figures of the same
apparatus refer to the same parts.
In cases where one lever is used to lock as well as to move the gate stops that
lever stands consecutively in four positions as shown at A. D. B. C. in Fig. 1.
When in the normal position at A. the road stops are up and locked with the
gates across the road.
At B the road stops are down and the rail stops up (the gates are then
opened). At C the rail stops are locked. At D the rail stops are down and the
road stops up (the gates are then closed). At A. the road stops are again locked.
The lowering of this lever's catch rod into its notch at D presses down a button
making electrical contact between the wires E and F and sending a current from
a battery which rings an electric bell or bells fixed close to the gates. The bell
continues to ring until the gates are closed and contact broken by moving the stop
lover from D to A.
Figs. 2 and 3. show an electrical contact apparatus G fixed to a gate post H
actuated by a quadrant I on the gate heel post Jin such a manner that while the
gates are being closed a current is maintained between a battery and a boll which
rings until the gates are quite shut.
This is done without the intervention of the stop lever.
The quadrant is of such a length that it is clear of the contact spring K when
the gates are quite open or quite shut, contact only being made when the incline L
has raised the coutaet spring K and the gates are closing.
Figs. 4. 5. 6 and 7 show the appliances for ringing an electric bell while the
gates are being closed; the preliminary movement of the stop lever being utilised
for starting the bell which continues to ring until the gates are closed.
A is a spindle of an ordinary hand wheel for working a set of gates. The end
of this spindle has a screw thread B upon which a contact maker C is carried.
Contact is broken at D D by the final movement of the wheel in closing the gates
across the rond.
The stop lever E in Figs. 4 and 5 is also provided with an electrical contact F
normally closed but broken when the lever is pulled over from G to H.
This lever must be pulled over in order to put the stops right before the gates
can be opened and must be put back before the gates can be closed.
The operation will be as follows..
(1) Stop lever pulled over, contact F broken, bell silent.
(2) Wheel turned, gates open, contact D made, bell silent.
(3) Stop lever put back contact F made, bell rings.
(4) Wheel turned, gates closed, contact D maintained until gates are all but
closed when the bell stops.
Figs. 8 and show a method of working a mechanical gong by the atop lever.
Fig. 9 is a plan of the gates and gate stops, the Intter being worked by the stop
lever in the usual manuer by the rod A. A lever B attached to this rod increases
the stroke and moves a rack C to and fro simultaneously with the gate stops.
A vertical tappet rod D rests on the rack C rising aud falling over the inclined
teeth and giving a beat on the gong for each tooth by the action of the lever E.
The tappet rod is fitted with a pawl F which allows the rack to move in one
direction without raising the rod or ringing the gong. By this means it can bo
arranged to give warning only when the stops are moved before closing the gates
and not when they are opened.
The mechanical gong fittings I prefer are shown in Figs. 14 and 15. L is a bolt
with a hammer head for striking the bell. It slides freely through the brackets M
and N but is kept clear of the bell in the position shown by the pressure of a spiral
spring O bearing against the shoulder of the bolt at P the square nut R and the
inner faces of the brackets M and N.
$ is the working rod connected to the trigger T by a crank U. When the rod

page_text: is pushed up the trigger draws the bolt back and compresses the spring until the
trigger is lifted off the catch V and the bolt released by the bevel W being drawn
up to the top of the bracket.
When the bolt has struck the bell the spring draws it back to the position shown
in Fig. 15 clear of the bell ready for the next stroke.
Figs. 10 and 11 show parts added to an ordinary gate wheel or crab to make the
turning of the wheel without the intervention of the stop lover, ring a mechanical
gong of the description already specified.
Gis a small crank keyed ou the wheel shaft.
His a rod for working the gong which may be fixed in a convenient position
near the gates.
When the wheel is turned in the direction of the dotted arrow the rod H gives
way at the joints of the link I. I., the upper joint passing to and fro along the
slotted arm J as shown by dotted lines without moving the rod to the gong.
When the wheel is turned in the direction of the dark arrow the upper joint of
the link is kept at the inner end of the slot by the alternate push and pull of the
connecting rod E s. that the rod and link, are in lino and convey the motion of the
crank G to the gong apparatus.
Fig. 12 shows another method of ringing a mechanical gong by the turning of
the gate wheel without the intervention of the stop lever. K is a cam with two
projectious koyed on the wheel shaft. Lis a lover placed above the cam.
The fulcrum end M is carried by a bracket on the standard of the wheel tho
other end works a vertical rod N connected to the gong. The lever is raised by
the action of the cam upon the pawl O but only when the wheel is turned in the
direction shown by the arrow.
The lever L falls by gravity and a guard P is fixed to the standard and has a
suitable slot or stops for controlling its movements.
If necessary a weight or spring may be attached to the rod N to ensure the fall
of the lever.
Fig. 13 shows an arrangement for working a mechanical gong by "clockwork"
shown to an enlarged scale in Figs. 14 and 15.
The apparatus is set in motion by a weight alternately raised and lowered by the
stop lever, which has to be moved before the gates can be worked.
A is a section of a signal box and B a lever for working the gate stops in the
usual way. This lever also raises the weight C by means of the wire or chain D.
The chain passes over a "sprocket" wheel E fitted with ratchet gear which allows
the weight to be drawn up without moving the "clockwork."
When the stop lever is put back the weight descends and sets the train of
wheels F. G. H. in motion.
Attached to H is nu eccentric J which works a vertical rod connected to the
trigger of the gong K by a crank etc. in the manner before described and shown
in Figs. 9 and 10 or by any other auitable mechanism for giving beats on the
bell. The apparatus may be fixed on the gate post or in any convenient position.
H has a flywheel I which at first prevents the too rapid action of the weight, but
afterwards when tho weight -stops, continues to ring the gong until its motion
censes.
Figs. 16, 17 aud 18 show a method of working a mechanical gong by the
movenient of the gates.
The gong is fixed to the gate post as shown in Fig. 16 and worked by suitable
rods and cranks which are moved to and fro by the detent A. and the teeth of the
quadrant B attached to the heel post of a gate C.
The weight of the rod D keeps the detent pressed against the quadrant so that
each tooth gives a beat on the gong whichever way the gate moves.
Instead of detent A a pawl may be fitted to the end of the lever as shown in
Fig. 18. This pawl allows the gate to move in one direction without ringing the
gong.

page_text: 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
.claim is-
1st. The electrical contact apparatus shown in Fig. 1 operated by a lever used
for locking as well as working gate stops for causing an electric bell to ring nt a
level crossing previous to and during the closing of the gates.
2nd. The electrical contact apparatus shown in Figs. 2 and 3 operated by the
movement of a gate for causing an electric boll to ring at a level crossing during
the closing of the gates.
3rd. The electrical contact apparatus shown in Figs. 4, 5, 6 and 7 operated
partly by a lever used for working but not locking the gate stops and partly by a
gute wheel for causing an electric bell to ring at a level crossing previous to and
during the closing of the gates.
4th. The apparatus shown in Figs. 8 and 9 operated by the gate stop connection
for ringing a gong previous to the closing of the gates.
5th. The apparatus shown in Figs. 10 and 11 or as shown in Fig. 12 operated
by the gate wheel for ringing a gong during the closing of the gates.
6th. The apparatus shown in Figs. 13, 14 and 15 by the gate stop lever and a
weight for ringing a gong previous to the closing of the gates.
7th. The apparatus shown in Figs. 16, 17 and 18 operated by the movement of a
gate for ringing a gong during the opening or closing of a gate.
Dated this Third day of December 1895,
SAMUEL TELFORD UTTON.