AN APPARATUS FOR AVOIDING COLLISIONS OF TRAINS ON RAILWAYS
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Cornelius Nicholson, of 3, New Broad Street,
in the County of Middlesex, Esquire, Superintending Director of
the Great Indian Peninsular Railway Company, for the Invention
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Cornelius Nicholson
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 18th October 1853.
I, CORNELIUS NICHOLSON, of 3, New Broad Street, in the County of
Middlesex, Esquire, Superintending Director of the Great Indian
Peninsular Railway Company, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "AN APPARATUS FOR AVOIDING COLLISIONS OF TRAINS ON
RAILWAYS to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to a mode of avoiding collisions on railways
by giving a notice to the officers in charge of trains in motion, and to
others in such trains, of any obstruction or impediment upon the rail-
way. This object is effected by placing at convenient and stated'

page_text: intervals upon each side of the line of railway, and from one end of it
to the other, a series of posts with arms or levers attached, and also
affixing to the engines, tenders, carriages, trucks, or otherwise an
apparatus consisting of a gong, bell, sounding-board, whistle, or other
alarum, in connection with which a hammer or trigger is so placed that
when occasion requires it upon any part of the line of railway the arm
or lever upon the posts will be brought into contact with the gong.
bell, sounding-board, whistle, or other alarum, and thus give a loud
warning and repetition of warnings that the line is out of order.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Cornelius Nicholson in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 18th April 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME;
CORNELIUS NICHOLSON, of 3. New Broad Street, in the County of
Middlesex, Esquire, Superintending Director of the Great Indian
Peninsular Railway Company, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria,,by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of October, in the
year of our Lord One thousand-eight -hundred- and fifty-three, in the
seventeenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and succes-
sors, give and grant unto me, the said Cornelius Nicholson. Her special
license that I, the said Cornelius Nicholson, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Cornelius Nicholson,
my executors, administrators, or 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
"AN APPARATUS FOR AVOIDING COLLISIONS OF. TRAINS ON RAILWAYS,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Cornelius
Nicholson, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
d In-

page_text: vention, 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 Cornelius Nicholson, 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, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:
My said Invention relates to a mode of preventing collisions on
railways by giving a notice to the officers in charge of trains in motion,
and to others in such trains, of any obstruction or impediment in
advanice upon the railway. This object is effected by placing at con-
venient and stated intervals upon each side of the line of railway, and
from one end of it to the other; a series of posts with arms or levers
attached; and also affixing to the engines, tenders, carriages, trucks, or
otherwise an apparatus consisting of a wheel or levers, and a gong,
bell, sounding-board, whistle, or other alarum, in connection with which
a hammer or trigger is so placed that when occasion requires it upon
any part of the line of railway the ari or lever upon the posts will le
brought into contact with the wheel, levers, and gong, 'bell, sounding
board, whistle, or other alarm, and thus give a loud warning and
repetition of warnings that the line is not clear.
Figure 1, on the accompanying Sheet of Drawings represents a side
elevation of one of a series of safety.posts, which are fitted along the side
of the rail; and Figure 2, is a corresponding view at right angles to the
same; Figure 3, is à side elevation of the alarm.mechanism attached to
the side of the tender or other portion of the train; and Figure 4, is a
corresponding edge view of the same. The posts A, are driven firmly
into the ground near the outside rail 'of each line, at every quarter of a
niile, half mile, or other distance. An iron head B, is fitted on to the
top of each post, and into each head is fitted a lever-arm C, working
on a centre at D; and capable of being brought into a horizontal or
perpendicular position by the lever-handle E, and fod F, the latter of
which is formed with a loop-handle G, which is held down by the
spring-catch, H; when the:arm C, is to be retained in a horizontal

page_text: position for the purpose of actuating the alarum apparatus attached to
the train, as will be herein-after described. The alarum apparatus, as
illustrated in Figures 3 and 4, may be attached by the support or
standard A, to tlie side of the tender or carriage; a second standard
B, is fitted to the standard A, and on these two standards work the
bearings of the spindles C, on to which is fitted the star-wheel D.
Near the end of the spindle. which works into the standard B, is fitted
a number of tappets E, E, which (on the rotation of the spindle by the
star-wheel being struck by the horizontal safety-ari above described)
actuate the hammers F, F, and cause them to vibrate on their centres
at G, G, by striking the short heads H, H. When the head of either
hammer is depressed it is brought up again suddenly by the action of
the bow spring I, secured at J, to the upper end of the standard B.
The free ends of this spring are connected by the links K, K, to the
tail pieces H, H, of the haminers, which are thereby drawn upwards,
and cause the weighted ends of the hammers to strike the gong'or bell
I, which is secured at M, to the standard B. N, N, are two stops to
retain the hammers just out of contact with the bell, and allow it to
give out its full sound. Supposing any accident or obstruction on the
line to occur, it will be the duty of the attendants to lower the safety-
àrn of the nearest post, which cannot be more than a quarter of a mile
distant, or the lowering of the arm may be more speedily effected by a
lever and wire extending from post to post, which arrangement I
propose adopting on sharp curves, or in the vicinity of stations, and in
other places where extraordinary caution is required. The safety-arm
being set in á horizontal position, as shown in the Drawing, it will
strike against an arm of the star-wheel D, and cause it, with the
spindle C, to turn round a certain distance, and by the action of the
tappets E, as herein-before described, effect the ringing of the bell L
which, if placed on the tender or engine near the driver, will effectually
warn him and the guards of impending danger, and cause them to act
accordingly in cases where the ordinary mode of signalling by flags or
lamps would probably have been useless, through the want of a
sufficiently strict look out. In place of a gong, bell, or sounding-board
being employed, I propose, by a slight modification in the alarm

page_text: apparatus, to open an alarum whistle in connection with the boiler of
the engine. This may be effected by causing tappets on the spindle
C, to pull a trigger or catch in connection with a lever or handle of the
whistle.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my
said 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 con-
fine or restrict myself to the precise details or arrangements which I
have had occasion to describe or refer to, as many variations may be
made therefrom without deviating from the principles or main features
of my said 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 system or mode of conveying danger signals to persons in charge
of a train by means of a series of safety posts with adjustable or move-
able arms, such arms acting upon an alarm apparatus attached to a
portion of such train, substantially as herein-before described and set
forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Cornelius Nicholson, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, the Eighteenth day of April, One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-four.
CORN NICHOLSON. (L.S.)