IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS EMPLOYED FOR PRE- VENTING RAILWAY ACCIDENTS, RESULTING FROM ONE TRAIN OVERTAKING ANOTHER
Year: 1840

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, Joun
ILAUGHTON, of Liverpool, Clerk, M.A., send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Twenty-fourth day of November, in the fourth year of Iler
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said John Haughton, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that I, the said John Haughton, my exors, adññors, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said John Haughton, my exors, adññiors, or assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
during the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick
upon Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS EMPLOYED FOR PRE-
VENTING RAILWAY ACCIDENTS, RESULTING FROM ONE TRAIN OVERTAKING ANOTHER;
in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso, that I, the said John
Haughton, shall cause a particular description of the nature of my said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in Her
said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and
by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
John Haughton, do hereby declare the nature of my Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the
Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon:
(that is to say):-
The times at which railway trains leave the different stations, and their
respective rates of travelling, are generally so arranged that if all goes on in
right order no train will overtake another, yet collisions are frequent, and it is
manifest that whenever occurring, it must be through accidental circumstances
retarding or entirely stopping the first of two trains, or through the want of
punctuality of divers of trains; in the case of the first of two trains, the
driver going too slow; in the case of the last of two trains, the driver going
too fast, or from both of these causes. Hence, a remedy for the kind of
accidents mentioned in the title of the Patent, in order to be effectual, must
render it certain, that whenever the last of two trains is approaching, the train
proceding too nearly, from whatever cause this results, the driver of the latter
train shall be made aware of the fact in sufficient time to prevent a collision;
and the remedy to be satisfactory, should also provide some check on the want
of punctuality in drivers and other responsible persons. The prevention of
collisions on railways has been attempted by the employment of signals, which
have been often omitted by those who ought to have exhibited them, and when
exhibited, it has been sometimes done too late. As a check on the want of
punctuality in drivers and others, men have been employed at the different
stations on a railway to write or mark down the times of the arrivals and the
departure of trains. This occasions great trouble, while obviously punctuality
in the person marking is not more to be depended on than punctuality in the
driver; and even if that duty is not omitted, there is still no security that their
report shall be strictly accurate.
Now, the general object of my Invention is to prevent the kind of railway
accidents mentioned in the title, by substituting for the uncertainty of human
agency the comparative certainty of mechanical operation; and this, firstly, by
enabling the driver of every train at all times during his journey to know the
rate of travelling of the preceding train, where its speed has been diminished
and where increased, so that if a train is gradually losing ground, through want
of power in the engine or any other cause, the driver of the succeeding train
shall be made aware of the fact, and be able afterwards to ascertain whether
and in what degree that train has continued to lose or is regaining its speed.

page_text: Secondly, if an accident, suddenly retarding or stopping a train, should take
place, by providing the driver of the succeeding train with means of knowing
it in ample time to stop his train.
Lastly, by enabling the directors of a railway at the end of every week or
other determined period to know the place or situation on the line of any given
train travelling night or day at any given time during its journey.
The mechanical means of carrying out this my Invention are, first, the
employment of an accurate measurer of time (and, as the cheapest and best
for the purpose, I take a common eight-day clock), and next, the bringing into
relation with it the action of an apparatus so applied at certain points on cach
line of rails on a railway as to be necessarily acted on by every train in passing
those points respectively; the relation of this apparatus to the clock assuming
three simple modifications, according to the particular end to be served in each
individual case.
I will now proceed to describe the various modifications which the means of
mechanical operations mentioned above assume, in order to adapt themselves
to the three cases which I have particularised.
On each side of a railway, at distances of about two miles apart, clocks are
fixed on cast-iron hollow posts, which posts are placed opposite to each other,
and as near as conveniently may be to the "up" and "down" lines of railway
respectively, the planes of the clock faces not being parallel with the
lines of rail, but set diagonally, as shewn in the Drawing, so that the
indications on the clock dials may be more easily seen by the drivers of trains
approaching the clocks on each side. The flanges of those wheels of every
carriage passing along a line of a railway, which wheels are nearest to the
outside of that line, so act on an apparatus fixed at the side of that line, that
the apparatus acts on apparatus connected with a clock at the side of that line,
so as to cause the hands of the clock to leave the places at which they respec-
tively where before the action of the clock commenced, and to assume a vertical
position, as if it were twelve o'clock. When the action of the train on the
clock has ceased, the train having passed on, the hands begin to move round
the dial as clock hands ought to move after twelve o'clock, and continue
so to move on till again acted on by the next train, in manner similar to that
just described. Thus, when a train passes one of the clocks the driver of the
train will know what length of time has elapsed since the preceding train
passed that spot, provided the preceding train has passed that spot within the
last twelve hours. Next, at distances of about a quarter of a mile beyond each
clock post, as a train moves on a line of railway, and to the left of that line, is
fixed a reservoir of condensed air, kept continually sufficiently supplied. The

page_text: flanges of the wheels of passing trains act, in a manner similar to that already
described, on an apparatus, by which action a valve is opened, allowing a portion
of condensed air to pass out of the reservoir and to pass into a pipe, which pipe
branches in opposite directions on the one side to the nearest clock post, which
is distant about a quarter of a mile, as described above, and on the other side
to the clock post, distant from the reservoir about a mile and three-quarters;
the effect of which action of the condensed air is to force up the pistons of the
two. cylinders, one of which cylinders is connected by its piston rod with a
lever working a disc painted black in the lower part of the dial of the
nearest clock, and the other cylinder connected by its piston rod with a lever
working the square disc, also painted black on the upper part of the dial of the
clock farthest from the reservoir. When the piston rods are thus forced up in
the two cy'inders, the round black disc and the square black disc appear on
the lower part, and on the upper part of the dials of the nearest and farthest
clocks respectively. The air pipe, which is a common gas pipe, of about one
inch diameter inside, and jointed air-tight, does not terminate at the farthest
of the two clock posts, but is continued for a quarter of a mile farther to the
place where the next reservoir, connected in a similar manner to that described
above, with the two clock posts on each side of it is placed; at this point the
air pipe terminates in a valve, necessarily opened by means of an apparatus
described below, by the same action of the passing train, which serves to open
the valve connected with the adjoining reservoir. The valve at the ter-
mination of the pipe is for the escape of the condensed air which bas forced up
the pistons described above, and thus, when the condensed air escapes by the
opening of the valve, the two discs mentioned above disappear from their
respective clock faces; thus it will be seen that the air tube or pipe connected
with each reservoir is also connected with the two clocks which are on either
side of the reservoir, causing two clises to appear on the lower and upper parts
of the dials of the nearest and farthest clock respectively, and the tube
extends also a quarter of a mile beyond the clock farthest from the reservoir
to the escape valve, the apparatus working which is connected with the next
reservoir. Thus each air tube is about two miles and a quarter long, and
each clock, except for obvious reasons, the first and last clocks on each line
of railway, has two discs connected with two distinct lengths of tubes, both
passing up its post, yet entirely unconnected with each other, each having its
own reservoir and its own escape valve. Thus, when the driver of a train on
approaching a clock sees a round black disc on the lower part of the dial he
knows that the preceding train has passed the reservoir, which is a quarter of
nonward, it has
reached the escape valve belonging to the air

page_text: pipe connected with that round disc, which valve is about two miles and a
quarter beyond, otherwise that round disc would have disappeared; the
preceding train is therefore within two miles and a quarter. If on reaching a
clock he observes only a square black disc on the upper part of the dial he
knows that the preceding train has not yet reached the next reservoir, other-
wise there would have been also a round black disc on the lower part of its
dial, nor the escape valve belonging to the air tube connected with the square
disc, which valve is adjoining to the said reservoir, otherwise the square disc
would have disappeared, that is, he knows that the preceding train is within a
quarter of a mile, and that he must therefore stop his train immediately.
Now, if the driver finds, by the situation of the clock hands, that the preceding
train has passed that spot a much longer time than amply to allow for its being
far more distant from him than he finds from the discs that it really is, he is
assured that some accident has occurred. If the driver, on approaching a
clock, finds no discs on the dial, he knows that the line is clear for at least
two miles and a quarter. Again, the same action by the flange of the wheels,
which causes the clock hands to assume a vertical position, causes also a steel
point to make a puncture in a ruled paper, wrapped round and fastened by
paste or otherwise to a barrel, which barrel has a rotatory and also a horizontal.
motion, the barrel being so connected with the fusee of the clock as to revolve
once in twelve hours; the situations on the ruled paper of the punctures of
the steel point shewing the times at which the punctures were respectively
made, that is, the time at which each train passed; this paper will be
removed weekly, and replaced by another similar paper. The clocks are to be

page_text: the bar g will gradually sink that bar, and the bar will be held down during
the passing of a train, owing to the bar g being of such a length as to ensure
two succeeding wheels of a train to be at all times on the bar till the lust
carriage passes therefrom, when the weighted levers h will, by their pressure
acting on the inclined surfaces of the plates d', in order to enter the recesses e, e,
therein, cause the bar g again to rise, and will hold up that bar till it is again
depressed by the next train. On the axis bis affixed an arm i, to which a
rod jis attached, and by means of motion so communicated the requisite
apparatus is actuated for producing the various effects in relation to a time-
keeper. before mentioned.
I will first describe how the hands of a clock are operated on, in order to
indicate to persons in a passing train what length of time has intervened since
the passing of the preceding train. I will then describe how a similar appa-
ratus to that above described brings into operation the discs at the upper and
lower part of the clock, and then I will describe how a register is to be kept
of the times of all trains passing points where the time-keepers or clocks are
placed. The rod j is connected at its other end to a bell crank ³, such crank
being connected to another crank k by a connecting rod 1, and to the crank k is
attached the rod m, which rod at its upper end is attached to the arm n, which
is affixed on the axis o; there being a spiral spring pin the length of the rod
m, in order to prevent any strain upon the parts, and there are springs attached
to the bell cranks j and k to place them in a proper position for working; or in
place of having a spring on the rod m, that rod may be complete in its length,
as is shown at Figure 4, the rod m passing through the arm or crank k*, and
sliding freely therein, there being a spring applied, which tends at all times to
force the arm or crank k* to the end of the rod m. The arm or crank
not fixed to the axis o, but moves freely thereon, and motion is communicated
to the axis o by means of the arın or crank ¹ affixed to the axis o, there being
a curved end to the arm or crank ¹ at its outer end, having a notch to receive
the catch, by which means, when a train is passing, the rod m will be
dépressed, carrying with it the arms k and k³, but the catch 2 will be lifted
out of the notch in the arm k' by the inclined plane. This arrangement is
made in order that the exact quantity of motion necessary to the axis o may
be applied, and shocks thereto be prevented, notwithstanding any extra motion
of the rod m. On the axis o is affixed an arm q, such arm by a rod r being
attached to the arms on the axis s, such axis s having a forked arm t, which
embraces the spindle v, whereby that spindle will be forced outwards whenever
a train is passing on the bar g, before described, and thus set the hands of the
clock at liberty to move independently of the works of the clock, as will be
is

page_text: bereafter described. And in order that the persons travelling with a railway
train may have a full opportunity of seeing the length of time that the previous
train had preceded such passing train, I placo the apparatus on the railway
sonic distance beyond the clock, so that the clock will not be operated on till
the train or most of the train has passed the clock, and the person therein shall
have had full opportunity of observing the indications of the clock, and of the
discs applied thereto. Figure 5 shews a front view of a clock and part of
the post; Figure 6 shews a transverse section thereof; and the Drawing also
shews other detail views, the nature of each of which is written on the Drawing,
and need not be repeated here. The spindle has two pins v', v³, passing
through it, as shewn, by which, when the spindle is forced outwards, it moves
the hands from being connected with the driving power and leaves them free,
but the spindle v is at all times borne back by the spring w when not inter-
fered with by the working of the apparatus, consequently the hands will at all
times be moved by the works of the clock, when not acted on by a passing
train, (but in the mode of connecting the rod m to the arm *, shewn at
Figure 4, the spring w will not be required, the spring on the rod m acting to
force the spindle backward.) There are two hands, the hour hand and the
minute hand, and each of them is weighted in such manner as not to be at rest
(when left to themselves) in any other than the vertical position, and pointing
to 12 o'clock. The weight at the lower end of each hand is hung on an axis
(8), the centre of which is a little to the right of the central line of the hand, in
order that the centre of gravity of the whole hand may have a tendency to be
in such a position as to cause the hands to point to 12 o'clock when separated
from the works of the clocks, and left to take their own position by their
weights; and it will be seen that there is a pin to each weight of the hands,
which respectively move in slits or slots (9) formed through the lower ends of
the hands, which control the distance through which the weight may move in
respect to its hand. And in order to ensure the hands being in the vertical
position before the train of carriages shall have passed off the bar, 9. I apply
a spring catch (10) on the minute hand, and form a notch in the boss or cap-3
of the hour hand, and in such a position that the catch will be in the notch
when the hands are pointing to twelve o'clock on the dial. By this arrange-
ment I am enabled to counteract the vibration of the hands, by opposing the
vibration of one to act in some degree against the other; they will, therefore, at
all times return to the vertical position, or indicate twelve o'clock, and the
distance that the hands may appear from that point on the coming up of the
train will indicate the longth of time the previous train has preceded the present
passing train; thus, the Drawing shows the hour, and the minute hand to be

page_text: at quarter-past one o'clock, showing that the previous train had passed one
hour and a quarter before the coming up of the present passing train, and the
passing train will depress the bar g, and thus cause the spindle v to force the
hands away from the action of the driving power of the clock, and the hands
by their weights will again assume the vertical position, and will again be
moved by the clockwork, and continue moving and indicating the time till the
next train reaches the bar g. The minute hand is driven by its wheel, being
affixed on the hollow axis a, which turns within the hollow axis y, which drives
the hour hand; the ends of the two pins ³, v², respectively resting against the
ends of these axes when no train is passing, thus keeping them in a position to
be acted on by the clockwork. z, z, are two caps, which screw on the portions
of the axes .x, y, as is shown, against which caps the ends of the pins v¹, v²,
press when the spindle v is forced outwards; and it will be seen that each of
the hollow axes x and y are of two parts, one part of each being driven by its
wheel, and the other part being attached to its hind, and the two parts of each
axis x, y, work together as one axis when brought together, by having a surface
of leather affixed to that part of the axis to which the driving wheel is affixed,
and a series of short points applied to the other part of the axis; by which
arrangement it will be evident that so long as the spindle is borne back by
its spring the two hands will be moved by the clockwork, but so long as a
train is acting on the bar g, the hands of the clock will be separated from the
driving power, and thus allow of the hands assuming the vertical position.
I do not consider it necessary to describe the parts of the clock, they being
well understood, and are partly shown in the Drawng.
I will now describe how the discs are to be brought into use on the clock to
make the other indications, before mentioned:-1 he rod j of the apparatus,
such as has been described, is to be in connection with an apparatus shown at
Figures 6, 7, and 8; the rod j being attached to the lever A, which lever is
connected by a rod to the lever B, which moves freely on the axis C; on the
lever B is applied the catch D, which takes into the notch or recess in the
sector E, affixed on the axis C, such axis passing into the chamber F through
a stuffing box. This chamber F is in connexion by valves with another
chamber G, such chamber G being in connexion with a pipe II, which is at
all times full of condensed air, it being in connexion with a reservoir of con-
densed air, which is kept supplied from time to time, in order that when
brought into action the air may have power sufficient to move the apparatus
and discs applied to clocks, as before mentioned. I, J, are two valves, carried
by arms affixed to the axis C, one valve opening into the chamber F and the
other opening into the chamber G, as is shown. To one end of the sector E

page_text: is attached a connecting rod K, its other end being attached to a beam L,
which moves upon a fulcrum at M, as is shown. To the other end of the
beam the piston rod of the cylinder N is connected, by there being a cap at
the upper part of the piston rod, having a slit or slot in which the circular end
of the beam works.; and it will be seen that the lower part of the cylinder N is
open to the chamber F, and from the chamber F there proceeds a pipe or tube
to the pipes O, P, leading to the apparatus of two clocks, as above explained;
and it will readily be understood, that a train passing on the bar g, the rod j
will be moved, which will move round the axis C, and cause the piston in the
cylinder N to descend, by which means the valves I, J, will be opened, and
condensed air will rush into the chamber F, so long as those valves remain
open; and it will be seen, that the catch D, attached to the lever B, will
continue to open the valves till it arrives at the fixed inclined plane Q, when
in its further movement the catch will be lifted out of the recess or notch
in the sector, and leave the sector and the axis to be operated on by the
piston in the cylinder N, and the piston will move so soon as the density of the
air in the chamber F, and consequently in the pipes or tubes O, P, is sufficient
to effect the moving of the discs, when the increased pressure of the air in the
chamber F will cause the piston of the cylinder N to ascend, and thus to close
the valves I, J, and the catch on the lever B will be caused to enter the notch
or recess in the sector so soon as the train shall have passed off the bar g by
springs attached to the levers A and B. The air in the pipes O, P, acts in the
following manner: At the end of the pipes O, P, respectively, near the two
clocks with which they are connected, there are applied cylinders with pistons
and piston rods to the said pipes O, P, respectively, as shewn, which piston rods
work the levers R, S, respectively, such levers carrying the discs T, V,
respectively, and according as the pistons move in the cylinders of the pipes
O, P, so will be the movement of the discs, the upward movement of the pistons
in the cylinders 0¹, P¹, being caused by the pressure of air coming by two
separate pipes from different reservoirs, and these pistons are allowed to descend
by opening the condensed air escape valves or plugs, which are connected with
the two pipes respectively. By these arrangements it will be seen that the
discs will be worked and give the indications in the manner before described.
In order to obtain a constant register of the times at which the various trains
have passed the various time-keepers along the line of railway, I apply a
cylinder X, the periphery of which is covered with a paper, which is ruled into
livisions in the following manner :-The periphery of the barrel, thus covered
by paper smoothy affixed to it, is divided into twelve parts by lines parallel to
the axis, and the cylinder or barrel X is caused by the clock to move onco

page_text: round in twelve hours, the power of the clock being equal to the additional
work to be done, and the cylinder or barrel is caused to move along hori
zontally with its axis by means of a screw at a rate equal to th its width in
twenty-four hours, the twelve divisions of the paper being again subdivided into
half-hours and quarters, or into minutes, in order by means of a point pro-
ducing a puncture or mark each time when the hands of the clock are acted
on by a passing train, and thus to register the time each train passes. (1) is
that part of the hollow axis of the barrel X which is next to the clock, and
which receives motion from the clockwork at the rate of one revolution in
twelve hours; the other part of the axis of the barrel or cylinder X being a
screw, as is shewn, there being a slit in the axis (1), in which a projecting stud
affixed in the axis (2) moves, the axis (2) passing within the hollow axis (1),
and by means of the screw portion of the axis (1) the barrel is moved about
one-eighth of its width each twenty-four hours. Y is a steel point, worked by
the forked arm Y' on the axis o, as is shown, consequently when that axis is
moved the point Y will puncture the paper each time a train passes.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I would remark, that I make no claim to
any of the parts separately, and it will be evident that the details of the
mechanical apparatus, both in respect to the clock or other convenient time-
keeper, and the apparatus connected therewith, may be varied without depart-
ing from my Invention; but what I claim is, the mode of employing a time-
keeper, suitably acted on by each passing train, to indicate the length of time
which has expired between the passing of one train and the coming up of
another train; and I also claim, combined therewith, the using of apparatus
to indicate whether the preceding train has passed certain distant points; and
1 further claim the combing therewith apparatus to register the time of each
train passing; and I further claim the mode of working discs or other similar
instruments as signals or indications on railways by condensed air, as herein
loscribed; and, lastly, I claim the mode of registering the times of passing
trains on railways, whether in combination with time-keepers used for the
purposes above described or otherwise.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Haughton, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of May, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-one.
JOHN (L.S.) ПAUGHTON.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-fourth day of May, in
the year of our Lord 1841, the aforesaid John Haughton came before our
said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form above
written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the
tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Inrolled the Twenty-fourth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-one.