IMPROVED MEANS FOR ELECTRICAL INTER-COMMUNICATION BETWEEN PASSENGER AND Guard, Guard and Guard, and Guard and ENGINE DRIVER
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Owen, of 46 and 48, City Road,
London, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVED
MEANS FOR ELECTRICAL INTER-COMMUNICATION BETWEEN PASSENGER AND
Guard, Guard and Guard, and Guard and ENGINE DRIVER."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Owen at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
28rd November 1872.
I, CHARLES OWEN, of 46 and 48, City Road, London, in the County
of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVED MEANS FOR ExECTRICAL INTER-COMMUNICATION BETWEEN PASSENGER
AND GUARD, GUARD AND Guard, AND GUARD AND ENGINE DRIVER," to be as
follows:-
Two wires are run along the top of railway carriage and brought down
about a foot at each end of carriage, the said wires being connected to
two rings or eyes; the coupling of carriage to carriage is effected by two
copper wires coated with gutta percha and cemented between layers of
webbing. At each end of each wire is soldered a hook which drops into

page_text: one of the before mentioned rings or eyes, and the spring pressing
against the same ensures perfect contact and completes metallic com-
munication. In each guard's van is a battery of any given form, and an
ordinary electric bell; one terminal of each bell is connected to one pole
of battery, the other terminal of each bell is connected to one of train |
wires running along top of carriages, the other train wire is connected
with the second pole of battery, so that no current of electricity passes
until the two train wires are connected together; to effect this, when
alarm is required to be given by passengers to guard, I arrange in each
compartment a push which I construct as follows:-Mounted in a square
box is a lever indicator working on a centre, at one end I fasten a spring so
as to draw the lever against the stop when the push is released; I connect
one of the train wires with the spring of indicator lever, and the other
train wire with the stop against which the lever falls, so that whilst the
lever remains up the wires are disconnected and no current passes, but as
soon as the stud is pushed the indicator lever falls against the stop, thus
completing the circuit of electricity, and causing bells in guard's vans to
(ring; a hole being cut in front part of box shows indicator to guard
from which compartment the signalling proceeds.
To show guard from which carriage the alarm has been given I carry
a rod of iron under eave of carriage, and wherever a push occurs I
fasten to the said rod a stud. At the end of each carriage I mount a
signal which falls when push is touched.
The means employed by me for inter-communication between guard
and engine driver are very simple; an electric bell is fixed on engine,
and by connecting wires of same with battery in guard's van, and by
means of a lever spring make or break contract and signal at pleasure,
thus preventing the bell from ringing on engine when the passenger
*requires to communicate with guard.
:
For night signalling I fix a red lamp with two shutters shutting out :
all light until the shutters are removed. When signal falls it touches a
spring removing the shutters and exposing the red light to guard; where
it is preferred to have a signal outside each compartment I place a
spring behind the push, which on being pressed releases a metal vane,
and allows it to fall outside through a small vertical slit in the upper
part of the carriage. This vane cannot be replaced from the inside.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patents
filed by the said Charles Owen in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 22nd May 1878.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
OWEN, of 46 and 48, City Road, London, in the County of Middlesex,
send greeting.
--
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the
thirty-sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Charles Owen, Her special licence
that I, the said Charles Owen, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Charles Owen, 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, shoulḍ 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 “IMPROVED MEANS
FOR ELECTRICAL INTER-COMMUNICATION BETWEEN PASSENGERS AND Guard, Guard
and Guard, and Guard and ENGINE DRIVER," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Charles Owen, my executors or administrators,
by an instrument 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 Charles Owen, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement.
Two wires running along the top of railway carriage, and brought down
about a foot at each end of each carriage, are connected to twō rings

page_text: cemented between two layers of webbing; at each end of said wires is
soldered a hook which drops into rings or eyes at the end of each
carriage, and the spring pressing against the same insures perfect contact
and completes metallic communication from end to end of train. In
each guard's van is provided a battery, of any given form, and an
ordinary electric bell; one terminal of each bell is connnected to one
pole of battery, the other terminal of each bell is connected to one of
the train wires running along the top of carriages; the other train wire
is connected with the second pole of battery, so that no current of
electricity passes until the two train wires are connected together. To
effect this when alarm is required to be given by passengers to guard,
there is arranged in each compartment a push, the construction of which
is as follows:-I mount in a square box a lever indicator working on a
centre; at one end is fastened a spring so as to draw down the lever
against the stop when the push is released; one of the train wires is
connected with spring of indicator lever and the other train wire
with the stop against which the lever falls, so that whilst the lever
remains up the wires are disconnected and no current passes, but as
soon as the stud is pushed the indicator lever falls against the stop, thus
completing the circuit of electricity and causing bells in guard's vans to
ring. A hole being in front part of the box shows indicator lever to
guard from which compartment the signalling proceeds.
To show guard from which carriage the alarm has been given I
carry a rod of iron under the eave of carriage, and wherever a push
occurs I fasten to the said rod a stud. At the end of each carriage. I
mount a signal which falls when push is touched.
The means I employ for inter-communication between guard and
engine driver are very simple. I fix an electric bell on engine and
connect the wires of same with battery in guard's van; contact is made
or broken by means of a lever spring, and by this arrangement the
bell on the engine is prevented from ringing when the signalling is
going on between the passengers and guards. When one guard desires
to communicate with another, he merely presses a stud upon the front of
his bell case, thus dispensing with armatures.
For night signalling I arrange a lamp, which lamp is furnished with
two moveable shutters and placed beneath the signals, so that when the

page_text: signals fall they release a spring catch which displaces the shutters and
exposes a red light to front and rear guards.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Owen, have hereunto set
my hand and seal.
CHARLES OWEN