Improvements in Co-acting Apparatus for Operating Railway Signals.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Nov., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 21st Aug., 1890-Accepted, 21st Nov., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Co-acting Apparatus for Operating Railway
Signals.
We, JOHN PATRICK O'DONNELL of 2 Great George Street, Westminster in the
County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, WILLIAM SMITH of 8 Geneva Road Brixton
in the County of Surrey, Engineer and ILLIUS AUGUSTUS TIMMIS of 2, Great George
Street, Westminster in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Our invention has reference to apparatus for effecting the joint control of a railway
signal, say a home, stop or starting or advanced starting or any signal at which trains
are required to draw up at if at danger, from two or more signal cabins, and for
effecting the joint control of a railway signal, such as a distant signal (which is
usually controlled by any stop signal on the same post) by the levers in the signal
cabin, to which it (the distant) refers ;-and any other signal which may be on the
same signal post as the said distant signal, or elsewhere.
Preferably above the ordinary balance lever plate, we arrange our apparatus. It
may if desired be placed on the ground, adjacent to the controlled signal. It con-
sists of a metal frame, sufficiently wide to allow of the free working of as many
slot tappets as there are balance levers. To each balance lever is connected a slot
tappet, the upper end of which is in the metal frame. A semi-circular piece is cut
out of the slot tappet at the upper end.
At the upper part of the metal frame a rocking shaft is fixed provided with as
many arms less one as there are signal cabins from which the signal is controlled.
Midway between the tappets is a banging piece, in the lower end of which is fixed a
roller lock of a slightly smaller diameter than the semi-circular pieces cut out of the
tappets. The top of the hanging pieces are formed into slotted joints, which work
about a pin projecting from the end of the rocking shafts. The controlled
signal is connected to any of the rocking shaft arms.
We will describe the action of our apparatus where a stop signal is to be controlled
from three signal cabins, that is to say, worked from one cabin and controlled from
two other cabins.
Balance lever
Balance lever say 1, is actuated by stop signal lever in cabin A.
say 2 is actuated by slot lever in cabin B; and balance lever say 3, is actuated by slot
lever in cabin C.
There are no connections to the upper ends of any of the balance levers.
When the lever 3 is worked, the tappet connected to it is worked upwards, and
the roller lock of the midway hanging piece is forced out of the lock space on
tappet connected to lever 2.
When the lever 2 is worked, the tappet connected to it is forced sideways, thereby
also forcing the roller lock on the midway handle in the lock space, or tappet con-
nected to lever 1. Now when lever 1 is worked, the tappet connected to it is forced
upwards, thereby also forcing upwards the midway hanging piece through the roller
lock.
The midway hanging piece actuates the arm on the rocking shaft and as the con-
trolled signal (stop) is connected to the rocking shaft arm, it is therefore deflected;
any one of the levers being replaced also replaces the controlled signal to danger.
For a more common application of our apparatus, that is to say, where stop and
distant signals are on the same post, the stop to control the distant, slot tappet No. 1
would be omitted, the midway hanging piece next to it also omitted, and the upper
end of slot tappet No. 3 would be connected to the stop arm and actuate the signal.
For a still further application of our invention, where a stop signal and distant

page_text: signal are on the same post the stop signal to be controlled from 2 cabins and the
distant signal from 1 cabin and controlled by the stop signal, we arrange that the
nidway hanging piece of a two-slot tappet apparatus as previously described is con-
nected to the stop signal arm and a separate connection from the third balance lever
terminates above the slot tappets 1 and 2 in a slot tappet. The connection to the
stop or top arm at the same level is widened out into a slot tappet and a midway
hanging piece to the distant arm works between the slot tappet. Thus slot tappets 1
and 2 must be worked before the stop signal can be deflected and that all three balance
levers must be worked before the distant signal can be deflected. It is obvious our
apparatus may be varied to suit the various requirements for slotting signals.
Dated this 21st day of November 1889.
JOHN P. O'DONNELL,
Agent for said Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Co-acting Apparatus for Operating Railway
Signals.
We, JOHN PATRIOK O'DONNELL of 2, Great George Street, Westminster, in the
County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, WILLIAM SMITH of 8 Geneva Road, Brixton in
the County of Surrey Engineer, and ILLUIS AUGUSTUS TIMMIS of 2 Great George
Street, Westminster in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer do hereby declare the
nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be par-
ticularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
Our invention has reference to apparatus for effecting the joint control of a
railway signal, say a home, stop or starting or advanced starting, or any signal
at which trains are required to draw up at, if at danger, from two or more signal
cabins, and for effecting the joint control of a railway signal, such as a distant
signal (which is usually controlled by any stop signal on the same post) by levers in
_ the signal cabin, to which it (the distant) refers; and any other signal which may be
on the same signal post as the said distant signal, or elsewhere.
Preferably above the ordinary balance lever plate, we arrange our apparatus. It
may, if desired be placed on the ground, adjacent to the controlled signal. It consists
of a metal frame, sufficiently wide to allow of the free working of as many slot tappets
as there are balance levers where for instance a stop signal is the subject of joint
control. To each balance lever is connected a slot tappet, the upper end of which
is in the metal frame. A semi-circular piece is cut out of the slot tappet at the
upper end.
At the upper part of the metal frame a rocking shaft is fixed provided with as many
arms less one as there are signal cabins from which the signal is controlled. Midway
between the tappets is a hanging piece, in the lower end of which is fixed a roller
lock of a slightly smaller diameter than the semi-circular pieces cut out of the tappets.
The top of the hanging pieces are formed into slotted joints, which work about a pin
projecting from the end of the rocking shafts. The controlled signal is connected to
any of the rocking shaft arms..
Where a distant signal is the subject of the joint control and it is the lower arm
on a stop signal post (and the stop signal itself is also controlled from two boxes) we
arrange a similar metal frame sufficiently large to allow of the free working of the
two tappets, which latter are connected to the two balance levers actuated by two stop
signal interlocking levers in the signal boxes.
A midway hanging piece works between the said slot tappets, the upper end of the
hanging piece is fixed to a tappet, and the connection from the balance lever actuated
by the distant interlocking lever is also formed into a tappet at its upper end, a mid-
way hanging piece is again fixed between these tappets, its upper end is connected
to and actuates the distant signal arm.
The upper end of the tappet connected to the hauging piece is connected to, and
actuates the stop signal arm.

page_text: In order that our said invention may be better understood and more readily carried
into effect we will proceed to describe the drawing hereunto annexed. The same
letters refer to the same parts in the various figures of the drawings.
The working of our invention is as follows: When the signalman in box, say No. 1
works his stop signal levor the tappet J (the description here has reference to Figure 1)
so that notch K is moved above roller Hof midway piece G, upon signalman in box
No. 2 now working his stop signal lever he forces the midway hanging piece G,
roller H, tappet D, connection Cupwards, thereby deflecting the stop signal arm A.
When A is deflected the notch E of tappet D is above roller F. Now, when the
signliman in cabin No. 3works his distant signal lever, the tappet M forces the midway
piece N, and roller F upwards, thereby deflecting the distant signal arm.
The arrangements illustrated in Figures 2 and 3 are similar in working, except a
rocking shaft has been introduced. When tappet is worked the roller g of midway
piece is forced into notch ¹ of tappet k; when tappet is worked, (by side
movement) roller fl of midway piece fis forced into notch h¹ of tappet h; when
tappet is now worked the roller f, midway piece f, arm e, of rocking shaft d are
moved upwards thereby deflecting stop signal arm a.
It is obvious that no matter what the conditions may be in the order of action of
signalman, our apparatus compels their joint action before the respective signal can
be given "all clear."
On the other hand however either one of the signalmen can set the respective signal
to danger independent of the other. We are aware that various methods of slotting,
co-acting and controlling apparatus have been fixed on the signal post, forming special
balance lever.plates.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, we wish it to be distinctly under-
stood that we do not claim the general principle of controlling, co-acting and slotting
signals that are required to be controlled, co-acted upon and slotted in the manner
before described, but what we do claim is :-
The construction, combination and general arrangement of parts forming our
improved apparatus for controlling railway signals substantially as described with
reference to the drawing annexed.
Dated this 21st day of August 1890.
JOHN P. O'DONNELL,
Agent for the said Applicants.