Improvements in Fog Signalling for Railways.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 6th Feb., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 1st May, 1895-Accepted, 24th Aug., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Fog Signalling for Railways.
I GEORGE BOWMAN of No. 25 Adelaide Street The Knavesmire in the City
of York Mechanic do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in the system of fog signalling on railways
and has for its object improveing the present method of placing & removing fog
signals or detonators on railways. In order to do this I construct a machine for
the said purpose this machine or apparatus consists of a face plate with a cylinder
for storing fog signals made secure to the rails and worked by crank or otherwise
also a motion bar that works in a slot and attached to a lever and at the same time
works a movement in the said machine that places & removes the fog signals, or
detonators, on or off the rails when required, when signals are placed at danger,
or detonators or fog signalls can be instantly placed & removed on rails by the
signalman in his cabin without coming out. For the said purpose when the signal
is lowered for a train to proceed the said machine places and replaces, if required.
If a detonator or fog signal is destroyed or exploded, a fresh one can be instantly
put on rails by the signalman in his cabin at any distance this machine instantly
removes exploded fog signals from rails and replaces fresh supply from the
cylinder which is charged with detonators for the said purpose the said machine
as dividers and connected with the signal cabin, and can be worked with the
ordinary semaphore signal and lever, also the said machine can be worked with a.
dolly signal as required at any distance.
Dated this day 5th February 1895.
GEORGE BOWMAN,
25 Adelaide Street, The Knavesmire, in the City of York, Applicant.
improvements in Fog Signalling for Kallways.
I GEORGE BOWMAN 25 Adelaide Street in the City of York Mechanic 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 improvements in the method of carrying out the usual
system of fog signalling on railways.
For this purpose a machine is to be used which moves a detonator on or off the
rail according to the position of the signal arm.
Means are also provided for replacing an exploded detonator by a fresh one
taken from a store within the machine.
The machine is constructed & worked in the following manner :-
A bell-crank (E. Fig. 1) is moved in accordance with the signal arm, (in
opposition to the pull due to the controlling weight W 3, Fig. 1) by a wire (d)
connected to the lever at the foot of the signal post. This bell-crank (E) is

page_text: supported by the pedestal (G), and communicates its motion to a motion-
bar (B. Figs. 1 & 4). The motion-bar (B) works a scissors movement, one-half
of which (A) turns about a stud on the face-plate (J, Figs. 2 & 3), the other
half (C) at the same time sliding in a slot cut in the said face-plate (J).
The ordinary "fogs," or detonators, are used, each being attached to a short
wire arm, the other end of which is curled into an eye.
The detonators thus fitted are stored in a cylinder (F), the wire eyes being
threaded upon a vertical rod (N Figs. 1 & 4). The detonators are pressed upwards
in the cylinder by means of the weight (W 2, Fig. 4) which is connected to a
piston (Y, Fig. 4) beneath the pile of detonators. The detonators are kept within
the cylinder, until required, by a knife-edged divider (U. Figs. 1, 3 & 4).
When a detonator is to be taken out of the cylinder for use the signal board
must be "pulled off" thus opening the scissors (A, C); the divider (U) must then
be moved back by means of the wheel (H, Fig. 4) worked by the chain (a) which
receives its motion from a wire (f, Fig. 4) communicating with the signal cabin.
On the removal of the knife edge (U) the detonators (O), (of which only two
are fully shown in Figure 4), move upwards in the cylinder, by the action of the
piston (Y) and weight (W 2), until the uppermost one reaches the stop (V.
Figs. 1, 3 & 4). The divider (U) must now be allowed to return to its original
position by the action of the weight (W 1) attached to the end of the chain (a).
If the board be now put at "danger" the scissors (A, C.) will be closed by the
action of the motion-bar (B) which at the same time swings the radius bar (Z, Fig. 4)
about its pivot at the foot of the cylinder (F). This radius bar (Z) carries the
vertical rod, or fog-pin, (N), on which the wire eyes are threaded.
The movement of this fog pin (N), combined with the action of the half
scissor (A), closing, swings the wire arm, to which the detonator is attached, into
the position shown dotted at O, Figure 1, where the detonator is in working
position upon the rail and will be exploded by any vehicle approaching the signal.
If the signal board be now "pulled off" the motion-bar (B Figs. 1 & 4) swings
back the radius bar (Z) and its fog pin (N) and at the same time causes the
scissors (A. C.) to open. These two movements withdraw the detonator (0) from
the rail and swing it back into position above the cylinder, as shown by full lines,
Figure 1. In this way the same detonator is worked on, or off, the rail in
accordance with the position of the signal arm, until it is exploded by a vehicle
approaching the spot while the signal is at danger.
When the wheel of the vehicle has passed over and exploded the detonator it
meets with the curved end of the lever (I, Fig. 4) and depresses it, thus causing
the other flattened end to suddenly rise through a slit in the faceplate (J) under
the wire arm, to which the detonator is attached, thereby throwing the exploded
detonator off the machine. The lever (I) then drops back into its original position:
this condition is shown in Figure 4.
After the vehicle has passed away the signalman can cause a second detonator
to be brought into action by the same process as has been described for the 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 :-
1. The combination of a cylinder, for storing detonators, and a dividing knife,
as, and for the purpose, substantially herein before described.
2. The combination of a scissors motion and a vertical rod, carried by a radius
bar, as, and for the purpose, substantially herein before described.
3. The use of a lever to form a rail treadle, as, and for the purpose, substantially
herein before described.
4. The attachment of a wire arm to the ordinary form of detonator, as, and for
the purpose, substantially herein before described.
5. The use of a weight and piston, as, and for the purpose, substantially herein
before described.

page_text: 6. The general arrangement of the above mentioned mechanical devices, as, & for
the purpose, substantially herein before described.
Dated this 30th day of April 1895.
GEORGE BOWMAN,
25 Adelaide Street, in the City of York, Mechanic, Applicant.