IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR EFFECTING COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THE PASSENGERS AND GUARD, OR BETWEEN THE GUARD AND DRIVER OF A RAILWAY TRAIN
Year: 1869

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Robert Lake at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
22nd April 1869.-A communication from abroad by Jean Corre,
of Paris, in the Empire of France.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the "International Patent Office,"
No. 8, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of Mid-
dlesex, Consulting Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR EFFECTING COMMUNICATION
BETWEEN THE PASSENGERS AND GUARD, OR BETWEEN THE GUARD AND DRIVER OF
A RAILWAY TRAIN," a communication, to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to a novel system of signal apparatus for railway
trains for putting the passengers in communication with the guard or
with the engine driver in case of any danger. That which distinguishes
and characterizes my Invention is that each vehicle or carriage carries
a complete signalling apparatus which requires no attachment or
fastening between the carriages.
The advantage presented by the said Invention is, that in case of any
danger a passenger has only to pull a handle to operate the apparatus,

page_text: whose movements react and are transmitted from carriage to carriage
with great rapidity to the engine, where by means of a jointed rod or
link it acts upon the whistle and warns the engine driver, who can
immediately stop the train. My system of signalling apparatus, which
is formed with detents and counterweights, may be also employed
advantageously to warn the brakesman, who can act either directly by
means of a pawl upon the brake or on the signals of the road. When
it is desired to know in what carriage an accident has happened, or from
which the alarm has been given, it is only necessary to examine the
last carriage whose signal is raised.
The apparatus is composed of a shaft or axle placed above each
carriage. The same is supported in any convenient manner and
furnished with traction levers, which give it a rotating movement so as
to actuate one of the detents or bent levers which are fixed on its
extremities. Each of these detent levers is bent to act upon the
preceding detent, and they are furnished with adjustable balls or
counterweights which can be moved and regulated at pleasure.
The accompanying Drawing is given as an illustration of my said
Invention.
Figure 1 is an elevation of a railway train provided with my signalling
apparatus. Figure 2 is a plan drawn to an enlarged scale of a carriage.
with its signalling apparatus on the top of the same. In those Figures
the same letters refer to the same parts.
a is the engine, 6 the tender, and c. the carriages forming the train; d
is a longitudinal shaft placed above each carriage, where it is properly
supported. The levers are keyed and fixed upon the shaft d; at the
extremity of these levers f are arranged the pulling handles g, which are
for the purpose of turning the said shaft d, and transmitting the
movement by means of the lever or elbowed cranks h from one apparatus
to the other. One of these levers f is furnished with a pawl ; which
acts on a rathet j and a disk kc, which is seen when the apparatus has
been operated.
It will be readily understood that by acting upon the traction lever
the longitudinal shaft will be caused to oscillate, and that in this
movement the levers placed at each extremity of each carriage act one
upon the other in such a manner that this movement will react from

page_text: carriage to carriage and will reach the whistle of the engine, or the brakes-
man, or will act directly upon the brake. At the same time that the
whistle sounds a signal becomes visible and indicates the carriage
wherein help is required.