IMPROVED MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR INSTANTANEOUSLY COMMUNICATING BETWEEN THE PASSENGERS AND GUARD OR ENGINE DRIVER OF A RAILWAY TRAIN
Year: 1872

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Edward Richard Charles Morgan
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 13th April 1872.
I, EDWARD RICHARD CHARLES MORGAN, of Swansea, in the County
of Glamorgan, do hereby declare the naturo of the said Invention for
"IMPROVED MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR INSTANTANEOUSLY COMMUNICATING BETWEEN
THE PASSENGERS AND GUARD OR ENGINE DRIVER OF A RAILWAY TRAIN," to be as
follows:-
This Invention relates to certain improved and simple means or
apparatus for effecting instantaneous or immediate communication
between the passengers and guard or engine driver of a railway train
whenever the stoppage of the train or assistance in any carriage or
carriages should become necessary or be immediately required.
The improved means or apparatus consists essentially of two parts,
one of which is placed in each carriage or compartment of a carriage,
and the other in the guard's van or in a conspicuous position on the
engine, or in both places. •
The first part, that placed in the carriages or in the divisions forming
the compartments thereof for the use of the passengers, when occasion

page_text: arises is constructed and arranged substantially as follows:-For sim--
plicity of description I will describe this part of the apparatus as
applied to a carriage formed into compartments by vertical divisions. At
about the centre of each division is placed a vertical casing of square
or other suitable cross section. In this casing a vertical rod or shaft is t
placed, so as to be capable of moving up and down therein. The rod
at its upper part is provided with a danger signal, placed outside the
carriage, and held in position and out of view by means of two covers
forming signal guards, and to which are attached four arms supporting
two grooved pulleys. The top of the rod is provided with another
grooved pulley, and its bottom with a double or other catch. The rod
is encircled by a spiral spring, which bears at the lower end against
a cross piece fixed to the casing, and at its upper end against a
flange attached to the rod, so as continually to tend to press the same
upwards. The rod is held down, however, by a catch, operated when 1
assistance or attention is required by the passengers, and until then
the latter catch engages with the former and by such means causes
the detention of the rod so as to keep the signal out of view.
When assistance or attention is required all that is necessary is to
press a button or other suitable means placed within easy reach of the
passengers, which causes the latter catch to be released from the one
on the rod, so as to allow the upward pressure of the spiral spring to
force the rod up and elevate the signal to view above the signal guards,
which operation at the same time communicates with the guard or
engine driver or both as.hercin-after described.
At night time the danger signals when clevated are easily distinguish-
able by having the light of a lamp placed at the side of the carriage
thrown on them. When desired to reset the signal so let off all that
is necessary is for the guard to open a door at the upper part of the
casing and by means of a forked key pull the rod down, and cause
the two catches to again engage, the door being so attached and secured
as not to allow of its being tampered with by the passengers.
The second part of the apparatus is placed in the guard's van or on
the engine or both in conspicuous positions, and is actuated when the
danger signal is raised as above described in such a manner as to effect
the immediate acquaintance of the guard or driver or both with the
necessity for a stoppage of the train, or of the required assistance, also
he or they is or are at the same time made aware of the particular

page_text: carriage or carriages from which the communication was made, by
means of the danger signals, which are by the above operation elevated
above the signal guards on the top of the carriage.
:
Placed in any convenient position in the guard's or on the engine
is a support, provided at its top with a grooved pulley, and also with
two downwardly projecting arms, which by means of a spring catch
lever pivotted to the support serve to hold in position and support one of
two signal hammer levers. When the apparatus is all adjusted and con-
nected together and there are not any signals up, this lever (which is
provided at its outer end with a hook) is caused by the spring to assume
a position (say) at about right angles to its support. Placed in such a
position as that the end of one of the signal hammer levers shall enter
and be supported in the downwardly projecting arms of the support
when the apparatus is all adjusted, is a bell support which has fixed
at its upper part a tongueless bell, and pivotted above that the signal
hammer levers above mentioned, one on either side of the bell, and
which when they are released by a danger signal being up and are
fallen down, by the constant vibration or oscillation of the train are
caused to strike against and sound the bell. The upper ends of these
levers are so formed as to render the levers self-supporting, so that when
one is held up by the spring catch lever the one so held up also
supports the other, so that when a danger signal is let off both hammers
fall at once, and strike the bell and display their signals to the guard
or driver.
Or as another modification for these two supports, I substitute
a single one carrying a loosely hung bell and a spring hammer
lever, which is operated by a revolving signal wheel suitably held, in
such a manner as to cause the bell to be sounded as cach signal is let
off. This wheel is provided with arms, to each of which a signal is
attached and with a suitable number of outward projections, in such a
manner that each time a danger signal is let off in a carriage as above
described one of these arms bears outwards and releases the spring
hammer lever, which thus sounds the bell, and the after vibration or
oscillation of the train causing the bell to continually vibrate against
the spring hammer lever the attention of the guard or engine driver
must of a necessity be instantly attracted, but even if not by the addition
of the signals to the hammer levers or to the revolving wheel, bis or
their attention will be drawn by seeing the signals, which are otherwise
hid from vicw.

page_text: The communication is made from the passengers to the guard or
driver by means of a cord or cable having a copper wire running
through its centre, which is guided through the pulleys and secured
.to the hook above mentioned, and which at each end of each carriage
is provided with an easily detachable spring catch or hook. It will
therefor be seen that every time a danger signal is let off or hoisted
in a carriage, the spring catch lever is drawn up or the signal wheel
partially rotated, so that the bell is sounded and a signal exposed to
the guard or driver or both.