IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS TO BE USED IN SIGNALLING IN AND. FROM BAILWAY TRAINS
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Samuel Hancock, of Friar Lane, Nottingham, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS TO BE USED IN SIGNALLING
IN AND. FROM BAILWAY TRAINS."
Sealed the 25th October 1867, and dated the 13th June 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Samuel Hancock at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 18th
June 1867.
I, SAMUEL HANCOCK, of Friar Lane, Nottingham, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS TO BE USED IN
SIGNALLING IN AND FROM RAILWAY TRAINS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus to be used in
signalling in and from railway trains.
In order to enable the guard or other person on a railway train to com-
municate with the engine driver, I mount in the guard's van or in other
convenient part of the train an apparatus consisting of bellows and air vessel,
and the bellows are worked when required by power taken from one of the axles
of the running wheels of the train; they force air into the air vessel, from which
it passes to a large bell whistle which it causes to sound, and within the bell
is a piston which can be raised or lowered by means of a handle so as to vary
the note of the whistle and so convey any pre-arranged signals. The air vessel
is of a cylidrical form, and the bellows are at its two ends; they are of circular
form and the flexible parts are made in strong leather blocked to form; flap

page_text: valves open out of the bellows into the air vessel, and there are similar inlet
valves in the moveable ends of the bellows which are linked together and
receive motion simultaneously from a crank, which by a driving band and
pulleys, and it may be spur gear, is driven when required from one of the axles
of the train. The apparatus is thrown out of action by passing the driving
band on to a loose pulley.
In order to enable the passengers to give an alarm in case of danger one of
the axles of each of the carriages has a cam fixed upon it, which in revolving
acts on the end of an arm mounted on a centre and thrusts it outwards, away
from the axle as soon as the cam has passed, a spring causes the sudden
return of the arm, and in this motion the other end of the arm which is
furnished with a hammer head strikes a bell, and as these motions are rapidly
repeated the bell is loudly sounded, more especially as I use, by preference,
two such hammer arms striking on opposite sides of the bell. When the bell
is not desired to sound a stop holds the ends of the arms out of the reach of
the cams and keeps the springs distended; the stop can be set free at any
time by means of a bell pull within the carriage, but when it has once been
set free it can only be replaced so as to prevent the sounding of the bell by
the guard or other person from the outside of the carriage.
In order to lay fog signals on the rails from a train in motion I employ a
holder which receives the fog signal, and which when the fog signal is to be
laid brings it down so rapidly on to the rail that the forward motion of the
train, during the time required for the operation, may not be sufficient to
interfere with its success. The fog signal is made with steel springs to clip
the flange of the rail, and these springs are bent over at their ends so as at
once to increase their elasticity, and to form as it were barbs to prevent the
fog signal twisting sideways in its endeavour to rebound on being thrown
violently against the rail. The holder I employ has gripping springs which
hold the fog signal, and horns projecting from it at the bottom which bear
against lugs on the sides of the fog signal. There is a tube fixed on the
guard's van at the tail of the train, and down this tube the holder is dropped
or propelled by springs or otherwise so that it comes violently on to the rail,
its horns bearing on the lugs of the fog signal and thrusting it home so that
its springs may seize the flange of the rail; suitable tackle is provided for
raising the holder again up the tube as soon as it has placed the fog signal on
the rail.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Samuel Hancock in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
13th December 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, SAMUEL
HANCOCK, of Friar Lane, Nottingham, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirtieth year of Her reign,
did; for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Samuel Hancock, Her special licence that I, the said Samuel Hancock, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Samuel
Hancock, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend,
within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands,
and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS TO BE USED IN
SIGNALLING IN AND FROM RAILWAY TRAINS," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Samuel Hancock, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the
Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Samuel Hancock, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement
thereof, that is to say:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus to be used in
signalling in and from railway trains.
In order to enable the guard or other person on a railway train to com-
municate with the engine driver, I mount in the guard's van or in other
convenient part of the train an apparatus consisting of bellows and an air
vessel, and the bellows are worked when required by power taken from one of
the axles of the running wheels of the train; they force air into the air
vessel, from which it passes to a large bell whistle which it causes to sound,
and within the bell is a piston which can be raised or lowered by means of a
handle so as to vary the note of the whistle and so convey any pre-arranged
signals. The air vessel is of a cylindrical form, and the bellows are at its two

page_text: ends; they are of circular form, and the flexible parts are made in strong
leather blocked to form; flap valves open out of the bellows into the air vessel,
and there are similar inlet valves in the moveable ends of the bellows which are
linked together and receive motion simultaneously from a crank, which by a
driving band and pulleys, and it may be spur gear, is driven when required
from one of the axles of the train. The apparatus is thrown out of action by
passing the driving band on to a loose pulley.
Figure 1 is a side view, and Figure 2 is a plan of apparatus thus arranged,
and suitable to be mounted in the guard's van of a train.
a, a, is the framing of the apparatus; b is a cylindrical air vessel fixed
thereto, and from it a pipe c passes to the whistle; d, d, are circular bellows
mounted on the ends of the air vessel 6; the flexible parts of these bellows
are formed of very stout leather blocked to the shape which the Drawings
represent. In the ends of the bellows are valves of the ordinary description
for the admission of the air, and there are similar valves in the fixed ends of
the air vessel 6 to allow the compressed air to pass out of the bellows into the
air vessel. e is the driving shaft; it is carried in suitable bearings on the
frame, and is driven by a belt passing over a pulley & upon it, and also around
a drum on the axle of one pair of the carrying wheels of the carriage; is a
loose pulley to which the driving band is shifted when the apparatus is out of
use; f is a fly wheel on the axis e, and 9 is a crank at the end of this axis,
which by a connecting rod h gives motion to the end of the further bellows d,
the connecting rod embracing a stud d' fixed to the bellows. There are
other similar studs d*, d*, one on either side of each of the bellows, and
they pass through guide slots a¹ in the frame; i is a slotted arm which also
embraces the stud d'; it is fixed on the axis i¹ rocking in bearings on the
frame, and the same axis has another slotted arm i fixed upon it, which
embraces the stud d* on the other side of the bellows; k, k, are side rods
connecting the studs d', d', of the one bellows to the studs d*, d*, of the
other; is a crank handle; its axis is carried by the frame, and has a spur
wheel upon it gearing with a pinion on the main axis e; by means of this
handle the machine may be worked when the carriage is stationary. The
pipe c has at its upper end outside the carriage a large bell whistle about ten
inches high and five inches diameter; it is mounted like an ordinary steam
whistle, except that its stem is hollow and is slotted within the bell. There
is a rod capable of sliding within the hollow stem, and by a pin passing
through it and also the slot in the stem it is connected with a metal piston
loosely fitting the bell, so that by raising and lowering the rod the position of
the piston in the bell may be varied, and so the note of the whistle changed

page_text: as-may be required to give any desired signal. The rod is connected by a
wire or in any convenient manner to a handle conveniently placed within the
carriage.
In order to enable the passengers to give an alarm in case of danger, one.
of the axles of each of the carriages has a cam fixed upon it, which in revolving
acts on the end of an arm mounted on a centre, and thrusts it outwards away
from the axle. As soon as the cam has passed a spring causes the sudden
return of the arm, and in this motion the other end of the arm which is furnished
with a hammer head strikes a bell, and as these motions are rapidly repeated
the bell is loudly sounded, more especially as I use by preference two such
hammer arms striking on opposite sides of the bell. When the bell is not
desired to sound a stop holds the ends of the arms out of the reach of the
cams and keeps the springs distended; the stop can be set free at any time
by means of a bell pull within the carriage, but when it has once been set
free it can only be replaced so as to prevent the sounding of the bell by the
guard or other person from the outside of the carriage.
Figure 3 is a side view, and Figure 4 an under side view of this apparatus ;
a is a portion of the frame of the carriage, b is a stud fixed therein, on it the
two levers c, c, are able to turn. The levers c each carry at one end a head c'
to strike upon a bell d carried on a stud fixed in the carriage frame; c³ are
friction pulleys mounted on the levers c, and which are acted upon by the
projections e of the came as the cam is carried round by the axle f of the
carriage wheels on which it is fixed. The cam as will be seen acts to move
the hammer beads away from the bell, and the return of the levers to
strike the blow is obtained by means of the spiral springs 9, 9. At their
further ends the levers c have other friction pulleys cupon them, which when
the bell is not required to sound bear upon a stop piece h capable of turning
on a centre on the carriage frame, this stop piece is however at this time
bolted by a spring bolt i, and so the levers e are kept apart against the action
of their springs g. The bolt i is connected with bell pulls in the several
compartments of the carriage, and when by means of these the bolt i is with-
drawn, immediately the springs g bring the levers c within the province of the
cane and at once the bell is violently sounded; k, k, are chains by means of
which the guard on coming to the carriage can throw the apparatus again
out of action.
A modification of the above arrangement is shown in front view at
Figure 5 and in end view at Figure 6. The principle of employing the axle
of the supporting wheels of the carriage to give motion to a hammer. which as
the axle revolves strikes repeatedly on a bell is still retained, but the details of.

page_text: the mechanism are varied. a is the frame of the carriage, it carries a socket
in which the stem b is able to slide up and down, c is a bell fixed to this stem;
cis a chain, also fixed to the stem at one end, and at the other to the
pulley d, which is bolted in the position in which the Drawing represents it by
means of a spring bolt e like that already referred to in respect to Figures 8
and 4, and like it capable of being withdrawn by bell pulls within the com-
partments of the carriage. When the spring bolt is thus withdrawn the bell
descends until it is stopped by the collar on the upper end of the stem; f is
the axle of one pair of the supporting wheels of the carriage, upon it a
clip 9
is fixed, and to this clip the clapper or hammer h is jointed at h¹; the clapper
is not left free to oscillate, it can move only upon the guide i, and on these are
coiled springs which tend to hold it in the radial position in which it is
shewn. When the bell is lowered the clapper strikes it at each revolution
of the axle and so loudly sounds an alarm, the springs ¹ yield to allow the
clapper to pass the bell, and there are stops on the guides i to prevent the
clapper being thrown further back than is necessary for it freely to clear the
bell. k, k, are chains by means of which the guard when he comes to the
carriage can raise the bell out of the reach of the clapper. The clip g should
be balanced around the axle.
In order to lay fog signals on the rails from a train in motion I employ a
holder which receives the fog signal, and which when the fog signal is to be
laid brings it down so rapidly on to the rail that the forward motion of the
train during the time required for the operation may not be sufficient to
interfere with its success. The fog signal is made with steel springs to clip
the flange of the rail, and these springs are bent over at their ends so as at
once to increase their elasticity and to form as it were barbs to prevent the
fog signal twisting sideways in its endeavour to rebound on being thrown
violently against the rail. The holder I employ has gripping springs which
hold the fog signal and horns projecting from it at the bottom which bear against
lugs on the sides of the fog signal. There is a tube fixed on the guard's van at
the tail of the train, and down this tube the bolder is dropped or propelled by
springs or otherwise so that it comes violently on to the rail, its horns bearing
on the lugs of the fog signal and thrusting it home so that its springs may
seize the flange of the rail. Suitable tackle is provided for raising the
holder again up the tube as soon as it has placed the fog signal on the rail.
Figure 7 is a side view, partly in section, of a portion of a railway van with
apparatus applied to it for laying fog signals on to the rails whilst the train is
in motion. a, a, are parts of the van; b is a guide tube made of metal and
true on the inside; it has fixed upon it studs or axes 61, 6, by which it is

page_text: carried; these studs are held by a frame c in such manner that the tube b can
rock upon them. c, c, are sockets on the frame capable of sliding up and
down guide rods d', d', held in the cast bracket d, which is bolted to the frame
of the van; d*, d*, are coiled springs, tending constantly.to slide the sockets c³
with the frame c and tube b down to their lowest positions, which positions
they occupy when at work; at other times they are held up by means of a
lever not shown in the Drawing.
A front view of a part of the tube b, the frame c, and the bracket d is shown
at Figure 8; side views of the same are shown at Figures 9 and 10, and a
plan at Figure 11. On the lower end of the guide tube 6 a flanged wheel e is
carried on a suitable bracket; it is intended to guide the lower end of the
tube 6 when it is let down for use, and ensure its being correctly over the rail.
When the tube is up out of use the wheel e is off the rails. f. f, are small
guide pulleys on the side of the guide tube 6; they bear against cam surfaces
d', ds, on the bracket d being caused to do so by a spring attached to the
upper end of the tube b; these pulleys and cam surfaces ensure the tube as it
descends carrying the guide wheel e down with its flange well inside the rail,
and this done they allow the spring at the upper end of the tube to bear its
lower end outwards until it is stopped by the flange of the wheel e.
The holder for the fog signal is shown separately in side view at Figure 12;
it is a block fitting the tube b, and capable of sliding freely within it; to its
lower end are fixed the two horns g, 9, with the bar h passing through them
in slots. The bar 6 is represented in the Drawing in its lowest position; it is
able to rise until it comes against the plate on which the horns are formed;
it is prevented moving laterally by pins h', h¹; i, i, are spring clips fixed to
the bar h. The fog signal which is to be laid is placed in these clips, which
embrace its side or nip against stops formed for them on the foundation plate
of the fog signal, whilst the ends of the horns 9, 9, bear upon lugs on either
side of the same.
Figures 18, 14, 15, 16, 17, and 18, show front views of fog signals, such as
I employ; Figure 16 is a very good pattern, and easy of manufacture;
Figure 19 is a plan thereof; Figure 20 is a plan of the fog signal, shown in
front view at Figure 13. In all these Figures a is the case containing the
explosive materials as heretofore; b is a foundation plate on which it is fixed,
with lugs b', b, on either side for the horns 9, Figure 12, to bear upon; c, c,
are the springs to embrace the rail and hold the signal firmly to it when once
it has been applied. In Figures 13 and 20, d, d, are stops for the spring
clips i, i, to press against; when these stops are employed the size and form
of the case a is immaterial, otherwise it must be made suitably to be held by

page_text: tbe clips. The action is as follows:-A fog signal, having been adjusted in the
clips i, the holder or block so armed is dropped or thrown down the tube b,
the said tube having previously been lowered into its working position. When
the hold or block gets almost to the bottom of the tube, and when the
springs of the fog signal are on the point of coming in contact with the rail,
the bar is stopped by coming against the sole plate 6**, fixed at the
bottom of the tube b, and the horns 9, 9, continuing to move down push the
fog signal out of the spring clips i, and strike it down with great rapidity on
to the rail. The horns 9, 9, are arranged so as just to clear the rails. The
bolder or block, Figure 12, as it descends unwinds a strap off a small roller,
Figure 21, fixed in the van, at the same time winding up another strap upon
the axis of the roller, and by pulling upon this latter strap the holder or block
is again raised after applying a signal. A convenient way of propelling the
holder or block down the guide tube to increase the rapidity with which the
signal is applied to the rail, as is desirable if the carriage is travelling rapidly,
is by means of an india-rubber spring or strap drawn across the upper end of
the guide tube after the block or holder has been placed into it; then by
drawing back the holder or block the spring is strained, and the holder or
block is suddenly let go. Where the line of railway is well laid, and there is
little oscillation in travelling, the guide tube need not carry the wheel e, and
the tube may be fixed to the frame of the van. I would remark that the
form of the guide and of the fog signal holder may be much varied without
departing from my Invention, so long as the arrangement is such that the
signal is carried rapidly and truly down on to the rail, and when applied is
instantly released by the holder.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that I do not confine myself
to the exact details; but what I claim is the general arrangement of the
apparatus as described in respect to Figures 1 and 2.
I also claim the general arrangement of the apparatus as described in respect
to Figures 3 and 4.
I also claim the producing signals in railway trains by means of a hammer
or hammers actuated by one of the axles striking on a bell or similar sounding
instrument.
I also claim the general arrangement of the apparatus described in respect
to Figure 7 and the following Figures.
I also claim the combining with a railway carriage a guide and a holder to
receive a fog signal and deliver it rapidly and truly on to the rail whilst the
carriage is in motion.

page_text: I also claim the constructing fog signals suitable to be delivered from a
carriage in motion; that is to say, with lugs at the side and with springs, the
ends of which act as barbs to prevent the signal moving round on the rail or
rebounding from it.
In witness whereof, I, the said Samuel Hancock, have hereunto set my.
hand and seal, this Eleventh day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
S. HANCOCK. (L.S.)