Improved Means for Mechanically Placing and Removing Railway Fog Signals.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Dec., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 26th Sept., 1892-Accepted, 21st Oct., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means for Mechanically Placing and Removing Railway
Fog Signals.
I EDWIN WOODHEAD of 36 King Henry's Road, Primrose Hill, London,
Railway Officer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has reference to that class of fog signalling apparatus for railways
which is described in the Specification filed in connection with the Letters Patent
granted to me and dated 21 January 1891, No. 1103, & the object of the present
application is to more effectually secure and protect certain modifications and
improvements which have been developed in course of the practical working out of
my patented apparatus.
The principle of action of my first form of apparatus is not departed from, that is
to say, the tumbler which carries the detonator, and places it upon and removes it,
when required, from the rail of the permanent way, is still operated upon by a
radial arm fixed to a rotating shaft arranged parallel with the railway rail, but the
Baid tumbler is now caused to present the detonator, by a forward movement, nearly
in a horizontal plane, and to withdraw it, when required, by a backward movement
in a similar manner, instead of, as before, moving it in an arc of a comparatively
small circle.
Thus it is permitted to provide more conveniently a cover for the detonator and
operating mechanism, so that there will be no danger of the former being swept off
the tumblers by anything depending from the engines, trucks, or carriages of a
passing train, and the detonators will be protected from snow or rain.
In carrying the present invention into effect, I may pivot the weighted tumbler
at the base, or some distance below the centre of gravity, the tendency of the
weight (or as a substitute a spring might be employed) being to hold the tumbler
away from the rail. The radial arm strikes and bears against the back of the
tumbler, and pushes it forward toward the rail. The detonator is fixed by a thin
strip of metal to the nose of the tumbler, so that the detonator moves with the nose
of the tumbler in a wide arc, which diverges but little from a horizontal plane.
Suitable stops are provided for preventing the tumbler from over-shooting the rail,
or side guides may be arranged to govern and limit the movement of the detonator
supports.
arm,
Where it is required to operate a single detonator only by a single radial
the former is conveniently supported on the nose of a tumbler, the tail of which is
raised to about a level with the nose, and rests upon a bracket or plate. The
radial arm is permanently connected to this tumbler by a pivot pin, the ends of
which engage with guides curved to an arc struck with the radial arm as a radius.
The rocking forward and back of the radial arm advances and withdraws the
detonator to and from the rail, the guides giving just sufficient lift to the tumbler
to clear the rail, without having the disadvantage of the small circular movement
before mentioned.
The means for working and governing the operation of the apparatus may be the
same as those described in connection with my Patent hereinbefore recited, or, as
an alternative method of governing the working of the lever which operates the
apparatus, I may employ, instead of the spring catch pin and chain, two self-acting
catches fixed one on each side of the lever, and so arranged that when the lever is
pushed forward, the catch will fall by its own weight into suitably formed, and
preferably ramped notches, situated on one side of the frame, and when it
desired
to pull the lever back, in any case, to take off detonators without explosion, the
other catch will fall by its own weight into suitably formed and preferably ramped

page_text: notches situated on the other side of the frame, such notches and catches being so
formed that they will not allow the lever to travel beyond the required distance in
either direction. To allow the lever to be carried beyond the range of any pair of
notches, the catches must be lifted and allowed to fall again.
Dated this 29th day of December 1892,
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.
.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means for Mechanically Placing and Removing Railway
Fog Signals.
I EDWIN WOODHEAD of 36 King Henry's Road, Primrose Hill, London,
Railway Officer, 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 :-
This invention has reference to that class of fog signalling apparatus for railways
which is described in the Specification filed in connection with the Letters Patent
granted to me and dated 21st January 1891, No. 1103, and the object of the present
application is to more effectually secure and protect certain modifications and
improvements which have been developed in course of the practical working out of
my patented apparatus.
The principle of action of my first form of apparatus is not departed from, that is
to say, the tumbler which carries the detonator, and places it upon and removes it,
when required, from the rail of the permanent way, is still operated upon by a
radial arm fixed to a rotating shaft arranged parallel with the railway rail, but the
said tumbler is now caused to present the detonator, by a forward movement, nearly
in a horizontal plane, but sufficiently on the curve to lift the detonator above the
rail before placing it thereon, and to withdraw it, when required, by a backward
movement, in a similar manner, instead of, as before, moving it in an arc of a
comparatively small circle.
Thus, it is permitted to provide more conveniently a cover for the detonators and
operating mechanism, so that there will be no danger of the former being swept off
the tumblers by anything depending from the engines, trucks, or carriages of a
passing train, and the detonators will be protected from snow or rain.
My present improvements I will now describe, referring to the accompanying
drawings, in which
Figs. 1 and 2, Sheet I, are back and side views of what may be called the large
fog signalling machine, which is capable, when arranged in duplicate, of placing on,
and removing from, the rail, two groups of detonators, four detonators in each
group.
Figs. 3 and 4, Sheet II, shew, in side elevation, in two positions, a small machine,
a modification of the above, to be; used where a single detonator, or a pair of
detonators, are to be manipulated, and, where necessary, in conjunction with the
larger machine, or it may be used independently.
Fig. 5, Sheet III, shews diagrammatically means for simultaneously operating a
pair of small fog signal machines situated a distance apart on the same line.
Figs. 6 and 7 are side and end views of a modification of the small fog machines
for one or a pair of detonators, slightly differing from one another.
'
Fig. 8, Sheet IV, shews in side elevation a lever and rack suitable for operating
the two groups, or one group only, if desired, of the fog signal machines of the
large form.
The
Referring to Sheet I, the tumblers or detonator carriers 1, 2, 3, and 4, are pivotted
at their base (not, as formerly, above the centre of their length) to the rod A.
uoses of these tumblers are turned over, and carry the detonators. b, b, b, b, are
four radial arms, respectively engaging with the back of the tumblers 1, 2, 3, & 4,

page_text: and keyed on a shaft B, situated parallel to the rail of the permanent way, and
capable of rotation in suitable bearings. Upon the end of this shaft is keyed a
pinion c, which engages with a rack C, by means of which the shaft B, with the
radial arms, is rotated. The tumblers 1, 2, 3 & 4, except when acted on by the
radial arms, have a tendency to fall away from the rail of the permanent way,
which tendency is preferably derived by means of a rod D (mounted in swinging
arms), which also acts as a stop, and prevents the tumblers from moving too far
forward, so as to overshoot the rail with the detonators, and also assists, by its
weight, the backward movement of the tumblers. A spring may also be added or
substituted, to return the tumblers, when released by the radial arms.
The action of the machine is similar to that described in the Specification of my
former Patent; the different way of pivotting the tumblers, however, in my present
plan, permits a flat or nearly horizontal advance and retiring movement of the
detonators, which allows of the employment of a cover E, and is further a more
convenient movement than that before employed.
I may here remark that the fourth tumbler and its radial arm should be specially
formed to accommodate them neatly to their acting and stationary positions.
In the small machine, Figs. 3 and 4, Sheet II, the tumbler, shaped somewhat as
before, is pivotted at the base, the advancing and retiring movement being effected
by means of a link pivotted to the tumbler, and to a bell crank lever g, the
opposite end of which is pivotted to the operating rod H, worked by means of a
weighted hand lever of ordinary form.
Fig. 3 shows the position of the tumbler at rest, off the rail; and
Fig. 4 shews it in the act of placing the detonator on the rail.
A suitable cover is also provided for this machine.
The diagrammatic Fig. 5, Sheet III, shews how the tumblers of the two small
machines may be simultaneously worked by one continuous rod, although separated
by the usual distance piece which divides the detonators in use. The machines
being single or one-pair detonator machines, there is no rack and rack wheel, but
merely a crank arm attached to a pull and push rod.
Fig. 6 shews the detonator attached to a carrier or tumbler b, the tail of which is
horizontally supported on a bracket attached to a side plate or cheek I, and having
a to and fro movement controlled by the curved guide placed at the proper height
therein.
The movement of the detonator carrier is effected positively in both directions
by the pivotted bar g, the end of which is slotted, and engages with the end of the
rod H, communicating with the operating lever.
As will be seen from the drawings, the curve of the guides i is struck from the
pivot of the bar g, which, by a pin passing through one of the guides, is connected
to the detonator carrier b.
Fig. 7 shews an end view of the arrangement, and the bar g forms a radial arm
pinned onto the shaft B, which extends parallel to the rails. The lever and rack
(Fig. 8, Sheet IV) has its peculiarity in the pawls k k pivotted to the lever K,
which engage with notches in the rack, one in one direction, and one in the other,
acting on different sides of the rack frame. These pawls allow of the lever moving
both ways, just far enough to place and remove one detonator, but to shift the lever
to act on a fresh detonator, it is necessary to raise the pawl by hand, to get over
the notch. Thus, an efficient check as to the number of detonators used is main-
tained, and it is impossible, except intentionally, to go back to an old exploded
detonator, after the lever has been once shifted for a fresh one.
The pin indicated in the lever above the pawls, is to prevent the pawls being
turned over in the wrong direction.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is-
1. The improved means herein described and illustrated in the drawings, for

page_text: operating the tumblers or detonator carriers of fog signal machines, in a nearly flat
or horizontal plane, substantially as set forth.
2. In conjunction with fog signal machines for mechanically placing and removing
detonators on and from the rails in the manner set forth, the employment of the
sector rack, lever, and pawls, hereinbefore described, and illustrated at Sheet IV
of the drawings.
Local T
1
1000
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.