Improvements in Staff System or Signalling in Working Lines of Railways and Pneumatic Apparatus therefor.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Dec., 1892-Accepted, 4th Feb., 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Staff System or Signalling in Working Lines of
Railways and Pneumatic Apparatus therefor.
I, JAMES STEVENS, of 9 Fenchurch Avenue, in the City of London, Consulting
Mining Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention which has been
communicated to me by Claude William Kinder, China Railway, Tientsin, North
China, Engineer in Chief, and Member of the Institution of Civil Engineers, of
London, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
In working single lines of railway on the staff system considerable inconvenience
often arises from the staff not being at that end of the section to which it relates
from which it is desired to start the next train, and means have to be used for trans-
mitting the staff to the part required for the dispatch of the train.
It is found in practice that the native inhabitants of India and other Oriental
countries cannot be trusted to work a systein of telegraphic signalling, a mistake is
almost certain to be made before long and an accident to result, but the staff system
is one which they are able to grasp and which scarcely admits of the possibility of
a mistake and is in fact the only one which can be used with tolerable safety with
native Oriental signalmen and the like. It is to meet these cases that my invention
has been primarily devised, but it is equally applicable to European lines and its
adoption would greatly lessen the number of accidents.
Now my invention provides for sending the staff or signal to the required point
by means of a pneumatic tube laid from station to station or from end to end of each
section of the line.
The staff or signal may conveniently consist of, or comprise, an indicator, the
possession of which will alone permit a train upon a given section of line, or signal
the same, and such indicator may be made of any suitable light material, preferably
aluminium. The indicator is intended to be sent from station to station at high
speed through a pneumatic tube provided for that purpose and such indicator may,
for the purpose of being sent through the tube be held in or attached to a suitable
carrier and when removed from the tube before being handed to the person appointed
to receive it may be locked in or on or be attached to a suitable case staff or the
like. By thus making a small indicator the distinctive feature of the staff or signal
I am able to avoid the necessity of providing for the transport of a bulky staff or
sending other signals, and I am able to employ a much smaller and consequently
cheaper tube than could otherwise be used.
The air pumps may be worked by hand or any available power and particularly
by steam from a locomotive or by weights raised or hauled up by a passing loco-
motive or any local source of power may be utilized, and may be placed at each
station or one pump or set of pumps may be made to serve all the stations on a
considerable length of line.
An illustration of the manner of carrying my invention into practice and of the
apparatus which may be used therefor is described below and shewn in the drawings
but it will be readily understood that the apparatus must differ more or less in every
case according to the circumstances and requirements.
Figs. 1 and 1 (Sheets 1 and 2) are two parts, divided by the line a', a², of the
same plan of two terminal stations on a single line of railway, which stations may
be supposed to be several miles apart and if desired with one or more intermediate
stations between them.

page_text: Figs. 2 and 2 (Sheets 1 and 2) are two parts divided by the line bb, of the
same elevation of the plan shown in Figs. 1 and 14.
Fig. 3, (Sheet 7) is a longitudinal, and Fig. 4 (Sheet 7) a transverse section,
of the pneumatic tube in its wooden casing.
Fig. 5 (Sheet 3) is a front elevation and Fig. 6 (Sheet 4) an end elevation of a
double cylinder air compressing pump the containing tank in both these views being
shewn in section.
Fig. 7 (Sheet 5) is a front elevation (half in section) Fig. 8 (Sheet 6) a side
elevation and Fig. 9 (Sheet 7) a plan of an accumulator with its fittings.
Fig. 10 (Sheet 8) is a plan of a despatching and receiving apparatus.
Fig. 11 (Sheet 9) is a sectional elevation of the same, and
and
Fig. 12 (Sheet 9) is a section of one of the cocks.
Fig. 13 (Sheet 8) is an elevation of the carrier.
Fig. 14 (Sheet 8) is a longitudinal section of the carrier with the staff enclosed
Figs. 15 and 16 (Sheet 8) are elevations of the opposite ends of the carrier.
A, is the railway track: B, B, platforms; C, the station master's room; D, the
machinery room; E is the pneumatic tube, which may conveniently be about three
quarters of an inch, internal diameter and in lengths of about 9 feet each and I
prefer to make such tubes of steel with joints formed by screwing the socket d over
the joint formed by butting the ends of two pieces of tube and to lay such tube in a
trough of triangular section as shewn in Fig. 4 (Sheet 7) F is the compressing air
pump which is shewn on a larger scale and more in detail in Figs. 5 and 6 (Sheets 3
and 4) wherein it is represented as fitted for use by hand power but any available
source of power may be employed and the necessary changes to admit of such
application are such as are common in like cases and need no special description;
a, a, are cast iron standards fixed to a base b; c, c, are the cylinders; e, e, are the
piston rods; f, is a crank shaft; g, g, fly wheels with handles h attached; i, is a
tank containing water surrounding the cylinders.
M is the accumulator shown on a larger scale in Figs. 7, 8 and 9.
Into this air
is compressed by the pump F through the tubej; k, is a pressure guage; 1, a safety
valve; m,
is the outlet cock communicating with the tube E. The air chamber is
surrounded by an outer annular chamber n, which is intended to be filled with
water, the inlet and outlet pipes being carried through such outer chamber as shewn
in Fig. 7 (Sheet 5).
1
The despatching and receiving apparatus shown in detail in Figs. 10 (Sheet 8)
11 and 12 (Sheet 9) as constructed for an intermediate (not terminal) station
provides for the dispatch of the carrier in either direction (i.e. "up" or "down"
the line) for, the reception of the carrier from either direction and for the through
transit of the carrier.
In these figures E is the pneumatic tube; E', the branch leading to the
accumulator or direct to the pump; G, the charging box i.e. the box through which
the carrier is inserted into the tube; H, is a block fitting into and filling the
box G, and having an opening s, through it corresponding in size with the
pneumatic tube, so as, when the block is in the box, to continue the tube through
the box, to the end that the carrier may when desired be sent through or by the
station without being stopped there; I is a cock between the charging box and the
accumulator or pump; J, and K, are cocks one on each side of the charging box.
In order to allow a carrier to pass through any intermediate station the handle of
the cock I, at such intermediate station is placed so that the finger is at "shut "
then the cocks J and K are set with their fingers pointing at "
"
open the door or
lid G', of the charging box G is opened and the block H, is inserted and door
again closed.
To send a carrier in the direction y, shut cocks I and K, open the charging door,
remove the block H, open cock J, insert the carrier in the pneumatic tube
towards close the door of the charging box and then open cock I, thereby
admitting air from the accumulator, and the carrier will travel in the direction of y..

page_text: To send a carrier in the direction z, shut cocks I, and J, and open cock K, insert
carrier into tube towards z, close the door of the charging box and open cock I,
and the carrier will travel in the direction 2.
Messages from either direction may be received into the box G, say, when a
carrier is expected from the direction y shut cocks I and K, and then either close
the door of box G or provide a net or similar cover into which the carrier will be
received. If the carrier is expected from direction, close cocks I and J, open
cock K, and shut the door of box G as above.
Owing to the great speed at which it is contemplated the carriers shall travel it
may generally be preferable to receive the carrier in a receiver such as G², or G³,
which is distinct from and independent of the box G, and is so arranged as to bring
the carrier to rest without a too violent shock. For this purpose I use at J, and K,
two-way cocks a section of one of which is shewn in Fig. 12 (Sheet 9) and 1
provide a tube therefrom to the receiver as shown in Figs. 10 and 11, in which E³
represents the said tube which is curved upwards and near the end of which are
several small holes t adapted to be more or less covered by a sleeve t¹, or a screw
valve or other adjustable orifice through which the air may escape as the carrier
approaches, but such escape is so regulated as to cause considerable and increasing
resistance to be offered to the advancing carrier, so that it may be brought to rest
by the time it reaches the receiving box G2 or G³.
When a carrier is to be received the cock J or K, is set so that the way o, o, will
meet and correspond with the ports p, pl, but when the carrier is to pass through
the station without stopping or when the carrier is being dispatched in that
direction the cocks are turned so that the ways 9, 9, correspond with the
ports pp.
Figs. 13, 14, 15 and 16, (Sheet 8) represent a carrier with a staff enclosed
suitable to be employed in working this invention. The carrier is made in two
parts R and S telescoping the one into the other, the inner one R, being made with a
cylindrical cavity for the reception of the staff W. T is a screw either made in
one with the part B, or tapped into it, which screw serves for the attachment of a
cup U, which may be made of leather, rubber, asbestos or the like and which is
fixed by two nuts, viz.: a main and a check or lock nut which are indicated by the
letter V. This cup U is slightly larger in diameter than the tube in which it is
intended to travel and forms a good joint against the compressed air pressing
behind it, and being cup shaped the pressure behind has a tendency to open it or
force it against the circumferential contact of the tube in which it travels. The
part R, is secured within the part S, by means of a bayonet joint r. The staff
shown within the cylindrical cavity in the part R, may conveniently be about
two inches long and a quarter of an inch in diameter and of any suitable material
such as wood, iron, asbestos or the like, or it may be a light steel tube, in which
case the interior may be utilized for the reception of a message written on a slip
of paper which may be rolled up and pushed into the "staff" which may then be
pushed into the carrier part R, which is in its turn pushed into the other part S,
and secured there by giving it a slight turn so as to bring the bayonet joint
into play.
The tube E, may conveniently be laid in a wooden trough or casing shewn in
Figs. 3 and 4 (Sheet 7). This is intended to be filled in with saw-dust tar and
pitch for the general preservation of the tube, and more particularly for the purpose
of preventing corrosion and protecting it from frost.
Although it is contemplated to have an air pump at the end of each section of
the line, it will be useful in some cases to place a pump at some conveniently
central station, generally where power is easily obtainable and to supply the
accumulators at the other stations when the tube not otherwise required, more
particularly at night, after traffic has ceased, or in some cases a special pipe may be
provided for charging the accumulators from a distance one pipe would suffice to
supply several accumulators at different stations.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is
1. The apparatus for transmitting staff indicators or other signal indicators from
one end to the other of any section of railway constructed and arranged substan-
tially as herein before described and set forth.
2. The method of and apparatus for working railways on the staff system or
other system in which signal indicators are employed with a pneumatic tube for
sending the staff, staff indicator, or signal indicator to the station at which it may
be required substantially as described.
3. The use of staves for working railways on the "staff system" in which the
distinctive portion of the staff consists of a small detachable part adapted to be
sent through a pneumatic tube substantially as and for the purposes described.
Dated this Seventh day of December 1892.
J. STEVENS.