IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR SIGNALLING ON RAILWAYS; AND ALSO FOR FACILITATING THE STOPPING OF TRAINS IN ORDER TO PREVENT ACCIDENTS
Year: 1878

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Robert George Coveney at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 13th March 1878.
ROBERT GEORGE COVENEY, of No. 1, Addington Cottages, Addington Square,
Camberwell, in the County of Surrey. " IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS OR
APPARATUS FOR SIGNALLING ON RAILWAYS; AND ALSO FOR FACILITATING THE
STOPPING OF TRAINS IN ORDER TO PREVENT ACCIDENTS."
In place of the form of signal now in use I have a signal apparatus which stands
parallel with the railway constructed as follows:-A weighted disc revolves upon
a centre fastened to an upright post. In the face of the disc are two holes. This
disc is attached to the end of a wire, and the wire runs along the railway embank-
ment and is attached at the other end to a lever in the signal cabin, where
the signalman works the signal. On an exact level with the centre of this disc
is an axis working upon two bearings placed in the footway. On this axis
opposite to the disc with two holes is a disc without any weight attached to it,
having two points projecting from its face, and this disc is attached to a flat plate
of iron (projecting beyond the disc) placed so as to form an inclined plane to the
plane of the railway.
The two points are thrown into the two holes on the face of the disc worked by
the signalman by means of a counter-balance weight, and so long as a train does
not pass the two discs remain connected.
When a train is passing the signal apparatus whilst the signal denotes "line
clear," the wheels of the train by running over a lever working in a slot in the
rails pull over a rod acting upon a lever placed underneath and attached to the
axis, and cause the disc with two points to be disconnected from the disc with two
holes, and the discs being disconnected causes the inclined plane of iron to fall by
its own weight to a position denoting "danger." Supposing a second train to pass
while the signal remains in this position, an arm from the engine (ns hereafter
described) comes in contact with and runs along the flat surface, ascending the
inclined plane, and the result of this contact is to shut off the steam and sound the
whistle, and to bring the train to a standstill until such time as the engine driver
starts the train again.

page_text: The arm from the engine above-mentioned is placed in a perpendicular position
at the side of the engine at such a distance therefrom as to come into contact with
the inclined plane when, but only when the signal denotes "danger," and as the
arm runs along the inclined plane the effect is to push the arm in the opposite
direction to the inclined plane; and as the arm is pushed over it simultaneously
pulls over with it the steam and whistle levers to which it is attached, the result
being that the steam is shut-off as above described.
The manner of working the signal apparatus from the signal cabin is as
follows: When the signal denotes "line clear," the arm from the engine does not
come into contact with the inclined plane in any way, and therefore the steam and
whistle levers are not affected by that position of the signal.
When the signalman wishes to put the signal to shew "line clear" (after a train
bas placed the inclined plane in the danger position) he has simply to raise the
lover in his cabin, and by so doing, the points of the disc to which the inclined
plane is attached, are thrown by the counter-balance weight into the holes of the
disc fixed to the upright post, and thereby the two discs become connected. The
signalman then pulls the lever down, and the inclined plane assumes the "line
clear" position.
If the inclined plane is in the "danger" position, it is not thrown out of that
position by means of a train passing the signal apparatus.
The working of the signal apparatus to denote when a train has run off from one
line and has fouled another line is as follows:--In a direct line with the before-
mentioned lever, working underneath the inclined plane, is fixed a lever weighted
at the top. At the bottom of this weighted lever a wire is fastened and runs
underneath the inclined plane and is attached to the lever working underneath the
axis.
"
The weight at the top of the lever is held up by a wire running between the
up" and "down" lines and terminates with another lover fixed about two hundred
yards from the signal cabin. This wire is raised about two feet from the ground,
so that should a train run off the line it must come into contact with this raised
wire, and then the probability would be that the wire would be broken. If it were
broken it would release tho weighted lever, and this lever falling would disconnect
the disc to which the inclined plane is attached from the disc with two holes, the
result of which would be that the inclined plane would fall by its own weight to
the "danger" position, thereby preventing any train from running into the
obstruction ahead.
If the wire were not broken by the train coming in contact with it, the guard (or
any other person) would have to unhook the wire and by so doing release the
weighted lever.
The wire would be joined in lengths. Each joint would be a hook and eye.