IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR WORKING SIGNALS
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Augustus Haghe, Civil Engineer, of Stockwell,
in the County of Surrey, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR WORKING SIGNALS."
Sealed the 10th October 1874, and dated the 21st April 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Augustus Haghe at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
21st April 1874.
I, AUGUSTUS HAGHE, Civil Engineer, of Stockwell, in the County of
Surrey do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR WORKING SIGNALS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has reference more particularly to the working of
signals upon railways, or in other situations where a long length of wire
or other rope is used as a medium for raising or lowering the arms of a
semaphore, changing the position of or actuating other signals, and
consists in dividing the rope at some convenient part intermediate to its
two ends, and inserting a length of chain which is arranged to pass over

page_text: two grooved wheels or pulleys fixed to the edges of an iron or wooden
box or well. That part of the chain situated between the two pulleys
aforesaid is sufficiently slack to dip down in the well and form part of a
loop. This loop or depressed part of the chain is made to pass under a
sheave or pulley working in a fork which is provided with a rod or
pendant whereon moveable weights are hung, the said rod, bar, or
pendant being furnished with a stop and kept in proper position by a
fixed guide through which it slides; or the loop or depressed part of the
chain is made to pass under and is attached to a sheave or pulley
which has its axis placed eccentrically, and is connected by means of
a fork or otherwise to a suitable weight or weights or to a weighted
lever.
In cither of the foregoing arrangements the lower sheave or pulley
may be attached to a lever pivotted at one end and provided with a
suitable weight or weights at or near the other extremity.
The action of the apparatus, as at first described, is as follows :--In
raising the signal to danger or otherwise, the pull on the wire rope first
extends the signal arm until it reaches the stop fixed to prevent its
further rising, when any extra pull raises the wheel and weights off the
guide bar and support, thus keeping a suitable strain on the wire
rope. In this position any expansion or contraction of the rope will be
compensated for by the lowering or rising of the pulley from which the
weights depend. When the signal is to be lowered the pulley just
alluded to is first lowered on to the guide bar and then the further
slacking of the wire rope will lower the signal.
When the arrangement is adopted wherein an eccentric pulley is used,
the action of the apparatus may be described as follows:-By reason of
the eccentricty of the axis of the pulley or its equivalent to which the
weight is attached, one half or portion of the wire rope will be strained
with a tension greater than the other half, and this variation of tension
is so arranged that the arm being up the strain on the rope shall be less
than is required to lower it, whereas, when the rope or chain is tightened
the tension shall be thrown on that half or portion of the rope situate
between the apparatus and the signal sufficient to lower the arm, and
greater than will allow it to rise.
By placing the box or well at the foot of the signal post and making
the chain which passes under the lower pulley act directly upon the

page_text: signal arm, one of the pulleys before referred to may be dispensed with
and the apparatus simplified.
In addition to the foregoing, the principle may be applied by means
of similar apparatus to that described, to the rope or cord used for
communication between the guard and engine driver, or in other like
position.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Augustus Haghe in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 21st October 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, Augustus
HAGHE, Civil Engineer, of Stockwell, in the County of Surrey, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of April, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the thirty-
seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Augustus Haghe, Her special license,
that I, the said Augustus Haghe, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Augustus Haghe, 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, tho
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR WORKING SIGNALS," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Augustus Haghe, 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 Augustus Haghe, do hereby declare

page_text: performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thercon, that is
to say:-
This Invention has reference more particularly to the working of
signals upon railways, or in other situations where a long length of wire
or other rope is used as a medium for raising or lowering the arms of a
semaphore, changing the position of or actuating other signals, and
consists in dividing the rope at some convenient part intermediate to
its two ends, and inserting a length of chain which is arranged to pass
over two grooved wheels or pulleys fixed to the edges of an iron or
wooden box or well. That part of the chain situated between the two
pulleys aforesaid is sufficiently slack to dip down in the well and form
part of a loop. This loop or depressed part of the chain is made to
pass
under a sheave or pulley working in a fork, which is provided with
a rod or pendant whereon moveable weights are hung, the said rod, bar,
or pendant being furnished with a stop and kept in proper position by a
fixed guide through which it slides; or the loop or depressed part of
the chain is made to pass under and is attached to a sheave or pulley,
which has its axis placed eccentrically and is connected by means of
a fork or otherwise to a suitable weight or weights or to a weighted
lever.
In either of the foregoing arrangements the lower sheave or pulloy
may be attached to a lever pivotted at one end, and provided with a
suitable weight or weights at or near the other extremity.
In order that the foregoing may be more casily understood, Drawings
are attached hereto, of which the following is a description.
Fig. 1 is an elevation of the box or case with one side removed in
order to expose the arrangement of pulleys and lever; Fig. 2 is a
transverse section of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a plan of Fig. 1 with cover
removed.
Figs. 4, 5, 6, and 7 are modifications of the same apparatus, weights
being substituted for a lever.
Fig. 8 represents in elevation, with a portion of the weight in
section, the arrangement which is preferred and is drawn to a larger
scale,

page_text: In Fig. 1 A is the case or box; B, B, B, the pulleys; C, the lever;
and D the weight, which may be shifted up and down the lever as
required.
In Fig. 4, which exhibits the arrangement for a circular case, and
Fig. 5, that suitable for a square case, E, E, represents the weights sub-
stituted for the lever O in Fig. 1.
In Fig. 8, F is a framework supporting pullies G, G, over which the
chain passes and partially encircles the eccentric pulley I which is
pivotted to the weight J, the chain being fixed to the pulley at or about
the point K.
In raising the signal to danger or otherwise, the pull on the wire rope
first extends the signal arm until it reaches the stop fixed to prevent its
further rising, when any extra pull raises the wheel and weights off the
guide bar and support, thus keeping a suitable strain on the wire rope.
In this position any expansion or contraction of the rope will be com-
pensated for by the lowering or rising of the pulley from which the
weights depend. When the signal is to be lowered the pulley just
alluded to is first lowered on to the guide bar, and then the further
slacking of the wire rope will lower the signal.
When the arrangement shown in Fig. 8 is adopted, wherein an
eccentric pulley is used, the action of the apparatus may be described
as follows: By reason of the eccentricity of the axis of the pulley or
its equivalent to which the weight is attached,. one-half or portion of the
wire rope will be strained with a tension greater than the other half,
and this variation of tension is so arranged, that the arm being up the
strain on the rope shall be less than is required to lower it, whereas,
when the rope or chain is tightened the tension shall be thrown on
that half or portion of the rope situate between the apparatus and the
signal sufficient to lower the arm, and greater than will allow it to
rise.
The first arrangement described may be modified by placing the box
or well at the foot of the signal post, and making the chain which
passes under the lower pulley act directly upon the signal arm; one of
the pulleys before referred to may be dispensed with and the apparatus
simplified.
In addition to the foregoing the principle may be applied by
means of similar apparatus to that described, to the rope or cord used

page_text: for communication between the guard and engine driver, or in other
like position.
Having now described and particularly set forth the nature of this
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or
carried into effect, I would observe in conclusion, that I do not confine à
or restrict myself to the precise details or arrangements which I have
described or referred to, as variations may be made therefrom without
deviating from the principles or main features of this Invention, but
what I consider to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the
Invention secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters
Patent is, the construction and arrangement of apparatus as herein
described and shown on the Drawings, whereby the adjustment for
allowance for expansion or contraction of wire ropes by which
semaphore arms are raised or lowered or signals are conveyed, is
automatic.
In witness whereof, I, the said Augustus Haghe, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-first of October, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four.