Improved Apparatus for Signalling on Railways.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Feb., 1896
Complete Specification Left. 15th May, 1896-Accepted, 20th June, 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Apparatus for Signalling on Railways.
I THOMAS HORROX of Bank Vale, Hayfield in the County of Derby, Paper
Mill Manager, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:
This invention relates to that class of apparatus for fog-signalling upon railways
which consists of adjustable levers fixed at the side of the permanent rails, which
when set, come into contact with hanging levers or projections on a passing engine
or tender in such a way as to cause the said lever or projection to put into action a
bell, gong or steam whistle on the engine or tender so as to warn the engine driver
of danger ahead.
Upon longitudinal sleepers or on other convenient foundation outside the near
rail of the permanent way, I mount in suitable slides or bearings a longitudinal bar
provided on one side with (say) three projecting cam-surfaces .at suitable distances
apart, and at corresponding distances I mount three short cranked levers which are
so weighted that in their normal position when not acted upon by the cam surfaces,
they are held by the weights in such a position as to be out of reach of the hanging
lever or other projection on the corresponding side of the engine or tender, but when
the bar with the cam surfaces is moved longitudinally the action of the latter will
raise the weights and cause the levers to be thrown over or tilted in such a position
that they will be struck by the hanging lever or other projection on the engine or
tender and thus an audible signal will be given to the engine driver.
The longitudinal sliding bar will be connected to and moved by a handle or lever
in the signal box, or it may be so connected to the wire which moves the ordinary
semaphore signal that when the latter is set to "danger" the cranked fog signal
levers will be set "on" and when the semaphore is put to "line clear" the fog
signal levers will be set free.
The position and the length of the three cam surfaces on the longitudinal bar and
the relative position of the three fog-signal cranked levers will be so arranged that
the signal-man can set the bar so as to give either one, two, or three signals to the
engine driver according to the information which he may desire to communicate.
The bell, gong, whistle or signal is connected to a hanging. lever or projection.at
either side of the said engine or tender so that the signal will be given whether the
engine is running first or the tender first.
Dated this 19th day of February 1896.
GEO. DAVIES & SON,
4, St. Ann's Square, Manchester, Agents for the Applicant.
Improved Apparatus for Signalling on Railways.
THOMAS HORROX of Bank Vale, Hayfield, in the County of Derby, Paper
Mill Manager, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement:-
This invention relates to that class of apparatus for fog-signalling upon railways
which consists of adjustable levers fixed at the side of the permanent rails, which,

page_text: when set, come in contact with hanging levers or projections on a passing engine or
tender in such a way as to cause the said lever or projection to put into action
a bell, gong, or steam whistle on the engine or tender so as to warn the engine driver
of danger ahead.
The construction of my improved apparatus and the manner in which the same is
to be carried into practical effect will be readily understood on reference to the
annexed sheet of drawings and the following explanation thereof.
Fig. 1 on the drawing is a side elevation and Fig. 2 an end view of a loco-
motive engine and part of permanent way showing the application of my invention
thereto, a being the body of the engine, 6 the wheels, and c part of the permanent
way. Fig. 3 is a side elevation, Fig. + an end view and Fig. 5 and 54 plan views
of my improved apparatus detached and drawn to a larger scale.
Upon longitudinal sleepers d or on other convenient foundation outside the
near rail of the permanent way 1 mount in suitable slides or bearings a longi-
tudinal bar e provided at one side with (say) three projecting cam surfaces e¹, e, ell
at suitable distances apart, and at corresponding distances I mount in fixed
brackets three short cranked levers f, ", and f, which are so weighted that in
their normal position, when not acted upon by the cam surfaces e¹, e", ell, they
are held by the weights g in such a position as to be out of the reach of the
hanging levers or other projection on the corresponding side of the engine,
or tender, (see Figs. 4 and 5) but when the bar e with the cam surfaces is moved
longitudinally in the direction of the arrow (see Fig. 54) the action of the cam
surfaces will raise the weights and cause the levers ff", f, to be thrown
over or tilted in such a position (see also dotted lines on Fig. 4) that they will be
struck by the hanging lever or other projection on the engine or tender and
thus by means of the gong i (or otherwise) an audible signal will be given to the
engine driver.
The longitudinal sliding har e will be connected to, and moved by a handle
or lever k in the signal box (see Fig. 3) or it may be so connected to the wire
which moves the ordinary semaphore signal that when the latter is set to "danger"
the cranked fog signal levers fi fl, fi will be set "on
"and when the semaphore
is put to "line clear" the said fog signal levers will be set free.
The positions and the lengths of the three cam surfaces el ell el on the longi-
tudinal bar e and the relative positions of the three fog signal cranked levers f',
will be so arranged that the signalman can set the bar e in such a
position as to give either one, two, or three signals to the engine driver according
to the information which he may desire to cominunicate.
With the bar e in the position shewn at Fig. 5, the catches f¹ƒ", and f¹ would
all be out of action and no signal would be given when the engine passed but
upon moving the bar e in the direction of the arrow a sufficient distance to raise f¹
up the incline e' neither would be put in action as they would not have
reached their respective inclines e", e, and therefore only one signal would be
given. A further movement of the bar sufficient to raise up f" (f¹ still remaining
up) would give two signals, and a further movement (see Fig. 54) raising the third
catch up its incline without lowering the first or second would cause three signals to
be given.
The bell, gong, whistle or other signal is so connected to the hanging levers / or
other projections at either side and at both ends of the engine or tender, and these
levers are so curved (see Fig. 1) that the signal will be given whether the engine or
the tender is running first.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in, what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
In railway signalling apparatus of the indicated nature,
First, the improved combination of apparatus substantially as herein before

page_text: Secondly, I claim in combination with hanging levers or similar projections on
the engine or tender in connection with a gong or other audible signal thereon;
weighted catch levers carried by brackets attached to a sleeper or other fixed
foundation close to the near side rail of the permanent way, and actuated by a
sliding bar provided with cam surfaces for putting one two, or more of the said
catch levers into a position to be caught by the aforesaid hanging levers or
projections, such sliding bar being moved either by a lever worked by hand from
the signal box, or connected to the wire or rod which works the semaphore or other
visible signal.
Dated this 4th day of May 1896.
GEO. DAVIES & SON,
4, St. Ann's Square, Manchester, Agents for the Applicant.