Improvements in Apparatus for Audibly Signalling on Railways and for Automatically Shutting off Steam from Engines thereon when such Signals are Given.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Oct., 1887
Complete Specification Left, 29th June, 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 31st Aug., 1888
Improvements in Apparatus for Audibly Signalling on Railways
and for Automatically Shutting off Steam from Engines thereon
when such Signals are Given.
I, HENRY JAMES PEDDIE, Tynecastle Iron Works, Gorgie Road, Edinburgh in
the County of Midlothian, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows :-
This invention has for its object to enable a railway signal man from his signal
cabin or station to sound the steam whistle-or other audible alarm-on the locomo-
tive engine of an advancing or passing train should the train not stop when the
ordinary semaphore or signal indicates danger, to automatically lock the whistle or
alarm so that it shall continue to sound until or after steam is shut off from the engine;
and also to automatically cut off the steam from the engine cylinders.
In carrying out the invention a "well" or case is laid between the rails opposite
the signal post or semaphore and in such position that when the folding leaf hereinafter
mentioned, is in a vertical position, it stands exactly midway between the rails. The
well is oblong in shape, and on the top, at the inner end, is hinged the before
mentioned folding leaf to which is attached a horizontal balance weight and crank for
raising and depressing it. From this crank a wire or its equivalent passes under and
through the side of the well to one side of the line, and thence to the signal cabin or
station, or the said wire instead of being led separately to the signal cabin may be
attached to the wire working the ordinary signal. When the wire is relieved the
balance weight in the well immediately falls down and raises the folding leaf into a
vertical position, and at the same time it also pushes down and passes over a hinged
and weighted catch, situated at the bottom of the; well and by which the balance
weight is firmly held in position. From the said catch another wire is led over a
pulley to the side of the line and thence to the signal cabin both wires being worked
by the ordinary levers in use for signalling purposes.
Below the foot plate or at other convenient position on the locomotive a lever is
pivotted at right angles to the length of the railway line, the lever.projecting to such

page_text: a depth that its lower or inner end, which is held down by a spring, is a little below
the top of the folding leaf when the latter is in a vertical position. A connecting rod
passes upwards from the outer end of the lever to a case or "lock" secured on the
boiler about the level of the steam valve spindle and a second short connecting rod
passes from the first one, through the lock or case, this second rod having an eye from
which a cord extends to the wheel or handle for sounding the whistle. A crank or
eccentric wheel is placed on the steam valve spindle and from it a third connecting
rod extends to a crank in the lock the function of which is to shoot the bolt of the
lock forwards and backwards, the bolt being back when the steam is shut off, and
forward when the steam is on. The second connecting rod which passes through the
lock has on it a horizontal sliding stud with a spring at the back, and when the steam
is off and the bolt in the lock is back the second connecting rod passes freely up and
down through the lock, clear of the bolt. When however the steam is on and the
bolt is thrown forward the second connecting rod is drawn down and the stud upon it
is pressed back against the spring till it passes the bolt, when the spring will
immediately throw the stud forward below the bolt, and thus prevent the rod rising
again till the bolt is drawn back by the steam being shut off.
If desired the cord which works the whistle can be applied to a special steam
whistle instead of to the ordinary one, or, may be applied to both, or it may be applied
so as to work both a steam whistle and a gong or bell.
To permit of the ordinary cord from the railway carriages being utilized, in
conjunction with the locking arrangement the said cord is run from the carriages
below the tender and attached to the outer end of the pivotted lever, and the pulleys
over which the cord thus runs, are so arranged that when the cord is drawn, the
outer end of the lever is depressed and the connecting rods and cord above, which
operate on the whistle are set in motion and the whistle sounded and locked in the
manner described above.
When it is desired to "block" the line against an advancing train, the signal man
relieves the lever which works the wire connected with the folding leaf of the well.
Thereupon the balance weight in the well falls down, the folding leaf rises up to a
vertical position, and is locked and kept in that position by the action of the weighted
balance catch at the bottom of the well, which keeps the balance weight down.
Should an advancing train pass while the folding leaf is in this vortical position the
pivotted lever below the engine will catch the leaf and pass over it, thus depressing
the outer end of the lever which action draws down the two first mentioned connecting
rods and cords attached to the whistle handle and sounds the whistle. The steam
being on, the bolt in the lock is forward, and the second connecting rod with the
movable stud and the cord to the whistle are held down by the bolt, the whistle being
thus caused to sound continuously and warn the engine driver and signal man until
the steam is shut off. When the signal man wishes to signal the "line clear" he
draws up the second wire which action clears the balance weight from its weighted
catch, and the signalman then drawing up the balance weight to its horizontal position
by means of the first referred to wire the folding leaf is thrown down into a horizontal
position so that the pivotted lever of an advancing locomotive would be quite clear in
passing over it. By relieving the second referred to wire the weighted balance catch
falls into its normal position ready to catch and lock the balance weight when it is
again allowed to drop.
In adapting the apparatus to automatically shut off steam from the engine cylinders
the ordinary throttle valve has an outer or emergency valve applied to it. The
emergency valve is worked from the fire box end of the boiler by connecting rods and
a crank in the same manner as the ordinary valve is operated the horizontal connecting
rod of the emergency valve being situated above the similar rod of the ordinary valve,
and passed through a stuffing box on the end of the boiler. A crank is fixed on the
end of the said connecting rod and from this crank another connecting rod extends
to a crank centred on the boiler in such a position that it will be caught and operated
by the stud projecting from the connecting rod which passes through the lock for
sounding the steam whistle as before described. The normal condition of the
•

page_text: emergency valve is open but when the apparatus for sounding the steam whistle is
drawn down the projecting stud on the rod catches and draws round the crank and
thus sets in motion the whole intermediate apparatus and shuts off the steam by means
of the emergency valve. As the connecting rod with the stud when drawn down
cannot be raised till the steam is shut off in the ordinary manner and the whistle will
continue to sound till that is done so in like manner the emergency valve cannot be
again opened till the steam is shut off in the ordinary way.
"
If therefore a train passes the signalling apparatus herein before described when the
said apparatus is set at "Danger or line blocked" the steam whistle will be
instantly sounded and locked open, the steam will also simultaneously be shut off by
means of the emergency valve which will also be locked and the whistle will continue
to sound warning all concerned of the danger whilst the train will come to a stand for
want of steam.

page_text: Improvements in Apparatus for Audibly Signalling on Rallways
and for Automatically Shutting off Steam from Engines thereon
when such Signals are Given.
HENRY JAMES PEDDIE Engineer Tynecastle Iron Works Gorgie Road Edinburgh
I 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 :-
[
A
Underneath the floor of the locomotive is horizontally pivotted a lever a Fig. I
Sheet No. 1. From the outer end of the lever a. a vertical rod b rises towards the
roof of the cab. This rod passes through a cylinder C, and a lock d. and from the
top of the rod a cord E runs over pulleys to the handle f. of the steam whistle.
little above the ordinary regulator handle there is placed a second regulator handle H.
which is connected by means of ordinary links &c., with an extra steam valve i.
Figs. V & VI Sheet No. 4, termed the "emergency" valve and placed outside of
the ordinary valve j. Fig. V shows both valves open. Fig. VI shows the
emergency" valve shut. From the regulator handle H Fig. I Sheet No. 1 a link K.
runs to a crank L. which crank is connected to the rod b. From the ordinary
regulator handle m. a link n. runs to a crank O. in the lock d. refer also to Fig. IV
Sheet No. 3, which crank works the bolt p. The vertical rod b. has a movable stud r
through it, and there is a spring S near the bottom of the lock; when the steam is off,
the bolt p. is back in the position shown in the drawing and the vertical rod b. can
freely pass up and down but when the steam is turned on the bolt p. is thrown forward
about half an inch and should the vertical rod b. be then drawn down, the stud r. will
be pressed back by the bolt p. till it passes under it, when it will be thrown forward
by the spring S. and will thus prevent the rod b. from being raised until the bolt P.
thrown back by the ordinary regulator handle m. Fig. I Sheet No. 1 which will
permit the rod b to be raised, the whistle stopped from sounding, the emergency valve
to be opened, and the brake thrown off. The Cylinder C Fig. I Sheet No. 1. and
Figs. II & III. Sheet No. 2, is connected by a pipe U. with the air pipe of the
Westinghouse Brake, or the Cylinder of the Vacuum Brake, the pipe being of course
led from the cylinder C. in the direction that is requisite to connect with the Westing-
house air pipe, or the Vacuum cylinder. Opposite the port V. where the pipe U.
connects is another port V. V. The rod b. has a hole W. through it, at such a height
above the ports in the cylinder, that when drawn down the hole W. is opposite the
ports V, & V. V, and will thus permit free passage of air through the cylinder C.
The latter has rubber washers Z. at top & bottom, and there are also rubber strips y.
sunk into the vertical rod b. opposite the ports V. & V. V. to prevent escape or passage
of air. If preferred, instead of the strips y. a collar of rubber may be put round the
rod b. the latter being turned down to receive the collar.
is

page_text: GENERAL OPERATION OF THE APPARATUS.
When the inner end of the lever a. is raised by any suitable apparatus on the line,
worked in connection with the ordinary semaphore it draws down the rod b. and this
draws the cord E. which turns the handle f. & sounds the whistle. Also by means
of the crank L. the link K. the regulator handle H. and the ordinary links &c. from
it the valve i. is closed and the steam shut off.
Further the hole W. in the rod b. is brought opposite the ports V. & V. V. of the
cylinder C. and the compressed air of the Westinghouse Brake escapes, or the air
rushes into the Vacuum Cylinder, in either case applying the brake.
Finally & simultaneously with these three operations, which all occur at one and
the same time, the apparatus is locked by the action in the lock d as before described.
Having now described & ascertained the nature of my said invention, & in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim as features of
novelty is
1st. The use and construction of the lock d, and particularly the utilization of the
ordinary regulator handle m. for unlocking the apparatus after it has been operated.
2nd. The use of the "emergency" (i.e. the extra) valve and the mechanism for
operating it, whereby the steam is cut off, independantly of the ordinary valve j.
3rd. The method of applying the Westinghouse Brake and the Vacuum Brake, by
means of the connecting rod 1, the cylinder C. & the pipe U declaring that the said
method is only intended to be applied in connection with the apparatus hereinbefore
described, for audible signalling on railways, and for automatically shutting off steam
from engines thereon, when such signals are given.
Dated this 27th day of June 1888.