IMPROVEMENTS IN AND CONNECTED WITH RAILWAY SIGNALLING
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Morris of Manchester in the County of Lancaster
Gentleman for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND CONNECTED WITH
RAILWAY SIGNALLING"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Morris at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 20th November 1883.
HENRY MORRIS of Manchester in the County of Lancaster Gentleman.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN AND CONNECTED WITH RAILWAY SIGNALLING."
My improvements relate to the Invention for which Letters Patent were granted
to me bearing date the 26th day of April A.D. 1881 N° 1796 and the 29th day of
March 1882 N° 1527 respectively and the objects of my Invention are first, to
supply in a simple and efficient manner a visible signal or a combination of visible
and audible signals on the locomotive that can be actuated in foggy weather or in
snow storms by the signalman in the cabin and thus, avoid the heavy expense of
the present system known as "fogging" which system entails on the platelayers or
fogmen duties that are not only arduous but dangerous as well and which especially
in the neighbourhood of large towns has become a serious nuisance to the public:
and secondly, where it is inconvenient to have an additional or separate lever
in the cabin to work the fogging apparatus by the wire which works the ordinary
signal.
In performing the first part of my Invention I use the tilting rail mentioned in
the Specification to my above named Letters Patent N° 1527 A.D. 1882 which may
be placed either between or outside the rails as found most convenient but with
this difference that the arm which raises the tilting rail instead of having the
counterpoise attached to it and being worked by a chain which passes under the
rail, is fixed on a shaft that is carried under the rail to the side of the line and at
the end of this shaft the counterpoise is fixed on an elbow lever to which the wire
is attached connecting the fogging apparatus to the cabin.
Under the locomotive I place a shaft upon which are fixed two levers or arms
holding antifriction rollers (the tilting rail being placed out of the centre so as to
avoid contact with any loose couplings, two antifriction rollers are necessary that
the signal may also be given when the engine runs with the tender first)
At one end of the shaft is a lever connected by a rod to another rod that has a
vertical movement on the side of the cab of the engine. A spring causes this
vertical rod to instantly resume its normal position when the antifriction roller has
passed over the tilting rail.
Above the glass of the cab nearest the vertical rod a semaphore is fixed
horizontally which by means of a spring catch is held up by the rod until the
B

page_text: antifriction roller comes in contact with the tilting rail, or in other words so long
as the road is clear: but which falls across the glass of the cab immediately the
vertical rod is depressed by the action of the antifriction roller running up the
inclined tilting rail when in the position for giving the danger signal. The
semaphore across the glass of the cab, forms the visible signal, which cannot fail to
be seen night or day but as an additional security I make the extremity of the
semaphore at the pivot end complete an electric circuit by coming in contact with
a stud to which is attached a wire connected with a Leclanché or other simple and
inexpensive battery, the other wire being attached to the pivot on which the
semaphore works. The semaphore being arrested by the stud remains at an angle
of about forty-five degrees across the glass of the cab giving it somewhat the
appearance of a bar sinister on a shield. The battery is contained in a small
box on the outside of which is fixed an electric bell (where a gong is already
in use either on the locomotive or the tender, such gong may be utilized for this
purpose.). The box is placed on the side of the cab or in other convenient position
and when the semaphore has fallen by its own gravity, the bell continues to ring
until the semaphore is moved back to a horizontal position by the driver or stoker.
Instead of a shaft under the locomotive, the apparatus may also be worked by a
shaft under the tender as described in the Specifications to my former Letters
Patent Nos 1796 A.D 1881 and 1527 A.D. 1882 (which provide for the application
of the brake where automatic brakes are used) by means of a chain passing over
pulleys under the bedplate of the engine and connected by a hook with the
vertical rod on the tender or the connection may be made in other suitable
manner.
The second part of my Invention provides a means by which the fogging
apparatus can be instantly connected with or disconnected from the wire that
works the ordinary signal so that where it is found inconvenient to have an
additional or separate lever in the cabin, the one lever may serve for the double
purpose.
:
I accomplish this by fixing a "disengager" or apparatus for connecting and
disconnecting the wire that works the fogging apparatus with or from the wire
which works the ordinary signal. This " disengager" is placed near the signal
post between the signals and the cabin and is formed of a metal frame with one or
more brackets or uprights: part of the wire or chain which works the ordinary
signal is removed and a metal plate, substituted and connected at each end to the
wire or chain this metal plate rests and is free to slide horizontally in the bracket
or brackets: above this metal plate and connected at one end to the fogging
apparatus is another and similar metal plate also free to slide in the bracket or
brackets: near one end of this second plate is hinged a lever terminating in a
hooked end which passes through a slot in the upper plate and into a hole in the
lower plate, thus coupling the upper and lower metal plates which slide together
and may be acted upon by the lever in the cabin connected to the lower metal
plate.
When it is desired to disengage the fogging apparatus I employ a weighted elbow
lever pivoted by preference to the metal frame in line with the centre on which
the hooked lever swings: the vertical arm of the weighted elbow lever is connected
by a wire or chain to the signal cabin.-When the fogging apparatus is not required
the signalman draws the wire or chain and so raises the elbow lever: a recessed
projection on the weighted arm of which comes in contact with a pin secured near
the hooked end of the hinged lever and lifts the hook and holds it out of the hole
in the lower metal plate thus disengaging the fogging apparatus and leaving the
ordinary signal free to be worked alone.
The "disengager "may be worked by a wire connected to a simple and inexpensive
lever which may be placed outside at the foot of the cabin so as to be easily
accessible in case of foo

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Henry Morris in the Patent Office on the 20th May 1884.
HENRY MORRIS of Manchester in the County of Lancaster, Gentleman.
*IMPROVEMENTS IN AND CONNECTED WITH RAILWAY SIGNALLING
"
My improvements relate to the Inventions for which Letters Patent were granted
to me bearing date the 26th day of April A.D. 1881 N° 1796 and the 29th day of
March 1882 N° 1527 respectively, and the objects of my Invention, are first to
supply in a simple and efficient manner a visible signal or a combination of visible
and audible signals on the locomotive that can be actuated in foggy weather or in
snowstorms by the signalman in the cabin and thus avoid the heavy expense of
the present system known as "fogging" which system entails on the platelayers or
fogmen duties that are not only arduous but dangerous as well, and which
especially in the neighbourhood of large towns has become a serious nuisance to the
public, and secondly, where it is inconvenient to have an additional or separate
lever in the cabin to work the fogging apparatus by the wire which works the
ordinary signal:
And in order that my Invention may be fully understood and readily carried
into effect I will proceed to describe the accompanying two Sheets of Drawings
reference being had to the figures and letters marked thereon.
On Sheet 1.-Fig. 1 is a plan of part of the permanent way of a railway
showing the tilting rail and apparatus for operating the same. Fig. 2 is an elevation
of Fig. 1 and Fig. 3 is an end view of part of a locomotive engine with the
improved signalling apparatus.
On Sheet 2.-Fig 4 is an elevation of the mechanism for connecting the fogging
apparatus with or disconnecting it from the ordinary signal, showing them
connected. Fig. 5 is a plan of the same and Fig. 6 is an elevation of the same
but showing the fogging apparatus disconnected from the ordinary` signal.
Figs. 7, 8 and 9 are corresponding views of a modification of this part of my
Invention.
•
In performing the first part of my Invention illustrated on sheet 1 I use the
tilting rail a mentioned in the Specification to my above named Letters Patent
N° 1527 A.D. 1882 which may be placed either between or outside the rails as
found most convenient but with this difference that the arm b which raises the
tilting rail a instead of having the counterpoise attached to it and being worked
by a chain which passes under the rail is fixed on a shaft c that is carried under
the rail to the side of the line and at the end of this shaft c the counterpoise d is.
fixed on an elbow lever to which the wire d¹ is attached connecting the fogging
apparatus to the cabin. Under the locomotive I place a shaft e upon which are
fixed two levers or arms holding antifriction rollers f: (the tilting rail a being
placed out of the centre, so as to avoid contact with any loose couplings, two levers
and antifriction rollers fare necessary that the signal may also be given when the
engine runs with the tender first.)
At one end of the shaft e is a lever e¹ connected by a chain g (or by a rod where
convenient) to another rod h that has a vertical movement on the side of the cab
of the engine. When the antifriction roller fruns up the tilting rail a the lever e¹
draws down the rod h. A spring causes this vertical rod h to instantly resume its
normal position when the antifriction roller f has passed over the tilting rail a.
Above the glass of the cab nearest the vertical rod a semaphore i is fixed
borizontally which by means of a spring catch, is held up out of view in a box or
casing by the rod h until the antifriction roller f comes in contact with the tilting
rail a, or in other words so long as the road is clear; but which falls across the
i

page_text: glass of the cab immediately the vertical rod h is depressed by the action of the
antifriction roller frunning up the inclined tilting rail a, when in the position for
giving the danger signal. The semaphore i across the glass of the cab forms the
visible signal, which cannot fail to be seen night or day; but as an additional
security, I make the extremity of the semaphore i at the pivot end, complete an
electric circuit by coming in contact with a stud k to which is attached a wire
connected with a Leclanché battery / or other simple and inexpensive battery, the
other wire being attached to the pivot on which the semaphore i works. The
semaphore being arrested by the stud k remains at an angle of about 45° (forty five
degrees) across the glass of the cab giving it somewhat the appearance of a bar
sinister on a shield. The battery is contained in a small box on the outside of
which is fixed an electric bell (where a gong is already in use either on the
locomotive or the tender such gong may be utilized for this purpose.) The box is
placed on the side of the cab or in other convenient position, and when the
semaphore has fallen by its own gravity the bell continues to ring until the
semaphore is moved back to a horizontal position by the driver or stoker.
Instead of a shaft under the locomotive the apparatus may also be worked by a
shaft under the tender as described in the Specifications to my former Letters Patent
No 1796 A.D 1881 and 1527 A.D. 1882 (which provide for the application of the
brake where automatic brakes are used, by means of a chain passing over pulleys
under the bed-plate of the engine and connected by a hook with the vertical rod on
the tender, or the connection may be made in other suitable manner.
The second part of my Invention illustrated on Sheet 2 provides a means by
which the fogging apparatus can be instantly connected with or disconnected from
the wire that works the ordinary signal, so that where it is found inconvenient to
have an additional or separate lever in the cabin, the one lever may serve for the
double purpose.
"
I accomplish this by fixing a disengager" or apparatus for connecting and
disconnecting the wire that works the fogging apparatus with or from the wire
which works the ordinary signal. This "disengager" is placed near the signal post
between the signals and the cabin and is formed of a metal frame with one or more
brackets m or uprights: part of the wire or chain n which works the ordinary
signal is removed and a metal plate o substituted and connected at each end to the
wire or chain n this metal plate rests and is free to slide horizontally in the
bracket or brackets m above this metal plate o and connected at one end to
the fogging apparatus is another and similar metal plate p also free to slide in the
bracket or brackets m: near one end of this second plate p is hinged a lever q
terminating in a hooked end which passes through a slot in the upper plate p and
into a hole in the lower plate o see Fig. 4 thus coupling the upper and lower metal
plates which slide together and may be acted upon by the lever in the cabin
connected to the lower metal plate o.
When it is desired to disengage the fogging apparatus I employ a weighted
elbow lever pivoted by preference to the metal frame in line with the centre on
which the hooked lever q swings: the vertical arm of the weighted elbow lever r
is connected by a wire or chains to the signal cabin. When the fogging apparatus
is not required the signalman draws the wire or chain 8 and so raises the elbow
lever into the position shown on Fig. 6, a projection 71 on the weighted arm of
which comes in contact with a pint secured near the hooked end of the hinged
lever q and lifts the hook and holds it out of the hole in the lower metal plate o,
thus disengaging the fogging apparatus and holding the fogging signal at "clear"
while the ordinary signal is free to be worked alone. The "disengager" may be
worked by a wire connected to a simple and inexpensive lever which may be placed
outside at the foot of the cabin so as to be easily accessible in case of fog.
Figs. 7, 8 and 9 illustrate a modification of this part of my Invention in which I
reverse the position of the lever r and instead of employing the hooked lever q and
making slots in the plates o and p I fix blocks or projections on the plates the
block p¹ on the plate p resting against the block o¹ on the plate o when the fogging

page_text: signal and the ordinary signal are at "clear." When the ordinary signal is to be
worked alone the weighted lever is raised into the position shown on Fig. 9 and
a projection on the lever r is brought in front of the block pl so that the fogging
signal will be retained at "clear."
When the fogging signal and the ordinary signal are to be worked simultaneously
the lever is lowered see Fig. 7, and the block p¹ will bear against the block o' and
the plates p and o will move together.
Having stated the nature of my Invention and described the manner of
performing the same.
I declare that I claim
1.-The method of actuating the tilting rail a by the shaft c connected to the arm b
and the weighted elbow lever d, substantially as herein shown and described.
2. The fogging signal or signals consisting of the semaphore i or other similar
visible signal either alone or in combination with a bell or other audible signal,
substantially as and for the purposes herein described and as shown on Fig. 3.
3.-The method of working the fogging apparatus by the wire which works the
ordinary signal and the mechanism herein described and shown on Sheet 2 for
connecting and disconnecting the fogging signalling apparatus with or from the
ordinary signalling apparatus.
In witness whereof I the said Henry Morris have hereunto set my hand and seal
this nineteenth day of May One thousand eight hundred and eighty four.
HENRY MORRIS (L.S.) *