IMPROVEMENTS IN EDWARD COLLIER of Holborn in the County of Middlesex MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR INDICATING THE NAMES OF STATIONS TO PASSENGERS IN THE CARRIAGES OR COMPARTMENTS OF RAILWAY TRAINS
Year: 1883

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Edward Collier at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents on the 17th April 1883.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN
EDWARD COLLIER of Holborn in the County of Middlesex
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR INDICATING THE NAMES OF STATIONS TO PASSENGERS
IN THE CARRIAGES OR COMPARTMENTS OF RAILWAY TRAINS
"
Attempts have heretofore been made to produce indicating apparatus for showing
to the passengers of the train in the carriages, the names of the stations along the
line as the train approaches or arrives at same but I believe that bitherto the
attempts have been unsuccessful to produce or provide such a satisfactory appliance.
Now by my Invention I have produced simple and effective machinery or apparatus
whereby I believe the difficulties have been overcome and the operation of the
apparatus is effective, while such apparatus or machinery is of simple construction.
A convenient way of carrying my Invention into effect is by the use of an
indicating apparatus consisting of a cylinder or drum having arranged on its
circumference the names of the several stations at which the train is intended to
stop and for convenience of changing the names, when necessary, the cylinder is or
may be fitted or provided with recesses or panellings to receive the boards or frames
on which the names are written, engraved, enamelled or otherwise attached. This
cylinder or drum is mounted on an axis or two or more cylinders on one shaft or
one axis and has an intermittent rotary motion communicated to it for changing
the position of its surface and for thereby exposing to view another name to that
previously exhibited.
For this purpose I fit round the end of the cylinder or drum a series of pins or I
fit a pin wheel on the end of drum or cylinder and into this pin wheel a worm or a
divided worm wheel gears on a shaft at right angles to the cylinder shaft. There
is a spring pawl which takes into and between two of the teeth of the pin and
maintains the drum steady and keeps the indicators in position; the normal
position of the spring pawl is between two of the pins but when the worm rotates
and operates on the pin wheel the spring pawl is raised by the pins out of the teeth
or from between the pins, and the cylinder or drum is free or is allowed to advance
one tooth when the spring again brings the pawl into and between the adjacent

page_text: two pins and arrests the cylinder and holds it in position; on the worm wheel axle
there is a toothed wheel into which a rack bar or equivalent lever or other
appliance takes as hereafter more fully explained. To be able to reverse the
action of the main cylinder when necessary I provide means whereby the worm
wheel shaft may with facility be removed and also when it is not required to
revolve the cylinder for indicating the various stations during shunting or other-
wise for throwing the cylinder out of gear; this may be done in many ways, one
for example is by fitting the face plate of the worm wheel with studs which enter
apertures in the worm wheel cylinder when the same is to be driven by the outside
ratchet wheel but when not the face plate can be removed and the cylinder
revolved a spring keeps the face plate and worm wheel cylinder or shaft together.
The rack bar before referred to and in gear with the toothed wheel on the worm
wheel drum is connected by rods or cords at the top of carriage and outside thereof
and guided by grooved pulleys to the end of carriage where it passes over another
guide pulley and descending is passed round a grooved wheel or pulley which is
suspended from some convenient part of the waggon say below the longitudinal
step or in some other adjacent convenient position.
This wheel is mounted loosely on a spindle and has connected to it a rod or lever
depending from the said wheel and reaching down to near the permanent way at
the side of which there is what I may call a striking plate made of say an
elongated form upon which the lever depending from the wheel comes in
contact and easily slides over same no sudden jerk being caused when the lever
comes to the plate as the train travels along and by the side of same and in so
doing motion is imparted to the grooved pulley round which the before mentioned
cord is passed, but of course other striking appliances might be used. This cord is
passed just round the pulley and secured above to the cord leading to the roof as
before mentioned. The striking plates before mentioned are placed along the line
in any desired position where it is thought advisable to show the name of the
station the train may be approaching. The action of the apparatus would then be
as follows: As the lever goes over the striking plate the grooved pulley is moved
and the cord pulled which communicates motion to the rack and this rack to the
wheel and the latter to the worm and thence to the indicating cylinder or drum
carrying the names to be exhibited to view, the spring pawl is raised as before
described and as soon as it passes over the pin its spring brings the pawl between
the two adjacent pins as before described and the indicating drum or cylinder is
again at rest until the lever passes over the next striking plate and so on.
The end of rack is connected to a helical or other suitable spring to bring the
rack back to its normal position and ready for the next operation and so on.
The indicating drum or cylinder may be placed in any convenient part of the
compartment of the carriage but preferably by the side of the window and not in
the centre where any luggage on the hat rail might hide the indicator from view.
The names of the stations are preferably placed on strips or plates and slid into
position on the drum for this purpose grooves or slides are fitted to the periphery
of the indicating drum or cylinder so that the plates bearing the names may be
slipped in and out with facility when necessary. There is a bell in connection
with the indicating drum or cylinder operated by the mechanism to call the
attention of the passengers when the name of a station is changed. It is immaterial
in which direction the carriage travels provided the position of the cylinder is
adjusted before starting to exhibit the names of the respective stations in proper
order.