A New or Improved Detonating Fog Signalling Apparatus, and Detonators for use therewith, for Signalling on Railways.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Oct., 1891
Complete Specification Left. 10th Dec., 1891-Accepted, 12th Mar., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Detonating Fog Signalling Apparatus, and
Detonators for use therewith, for Signalling on Railways.
WILLIAM EDWARD FIDLER, Norton-in-Hales, Market Drayton, Salop, Station
Master, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This my invention has reference to a new or improved detonating fog signalling
apparatus and detonators for use therewith for signalling on railways, and the
object of my said invention is the production of an efficient apparatus and detonators
for that purpose.
To carry my said invention into practice, I attach to one side of one of the rails
of each line of railway in a suitable position or positions at suitable distances apart,
and by any suitable means, a metallic treadle bar of suitable shape and size, which
treadle bar is capable of being vibrated and depressed by the flanges of the wheels
of an engine, carriage, truck or other similar vehicle whilst passing over same, and
which will be held in its depressed position until the last wheel of the vehicle or
train of vehicles has passed over the said treadle bar, when a balance weight or
weights attached to the outer end of a lever mounted on a horizontal shaft supported
in suitable bearings, and situated at about right angles to and below the line of rails,
causes the inner end of the said lever to force the said treadle bar upward into its
highest position. The inner end of the said lever which is mounted on the horizontal
shaft having a roller or wheel of suitable shape and size fitted thereto, which roller
or wheel is caused to press or bear against the under side of the treadle bar, the
tendency of the said lever, the outer end of which is weighted being to force or press
the aforesaid treadle bar upward into its highest position so that the top of the said
treadle bar will be about level with, or a short distance below the top of the rail to
which it is attached.
When the inner end of the said lever is depressed by the said treadle bar during
the passage of a railway engine or other railway vehicle over same, the aforesaid
horizontal bar on which the said lever is fixed is vibrated, and causes an arm fitted
to a lever fixed on a horizontal shaft sliding into and engaging with the aforesaid
horizontal vibrating shaft to place or move a suitably shaped trigger into a striking
position, the said trigger is caused by a spring or other suitable means to strike and
(explode a cartridge or detonator contained in an aperture or orifice formed in a
suitably shaped vertically mounted wheel in front of the said trigger. After each
discharge a chamber or orifice in the magazine wheel containing a detonator or
charge is brought into proper position in front of the trigger, by means of a ratchet
action worked by the trigger action. The wheel for containing the detonators or
charges being fitted a suitable distance in front of the horizontal vibrating and
sliding shafts, the said magazine wheel and horizontal shafts being situated below
and as close to the rail as the apparatus will permit.
A sliding horizontal bar, one end of which enters a suitable distance into one end
of the aforesaid horizontal vibrating shaft, to which motion can be communicated to
the said horizontal shaft by a wire or other suitable means, one end of which wire
is attached to the weighted bar of an ordinary semaphore signal, such as is used on
railways, for the purpose of throwing the trigger out of action.
The metallic magazine wheel for containing the cartridges, detonators or charges
being of any suitable cross-section, shape and size, there being either one or two
rings or rows of apertures or chambers formed in the side of the said magazine
wheel near to its periphery, for containing the cartridges, charges or other suitable
detonators, which charges or detonators consist of a metal tube of suitable shape
and size covered at or made solid at one end, within which tube I place two

page_text: percussion caps, the inner ends of two metal pins or short wires passing through the
side of the said metal tubes into the percussion caps inside the aforesaid metal tube,
the outer ends of which pins or wires project a short distance through the side of
the metal case containing the charge, which pins on receiving a blow from the
trigger cause the charge to explode.
Dated this 10th day of 1061
JOHN NEWTON,
Longport, Staffordshire, Agent for Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Detonating Fog Signalling Apparatus, and
Detonators for use therewith, for Signalling on Railways.
WILLIAM EDWARD FIDLER, Norton-in-Hales, Market Drayton, Salop, Station-
Master, 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 my invention has reference to an improved detonating fog-signalling
apparatus, and detonators for use therewith for signalling on railways, and the
object of my said invention is the production of an efficient apparatus for that
purpose.
One way of carrying my said invention into practice is by attaching to the inside
of one of the rails of each line of railway in a suitable position at suitable distances
apart, and by suitable means a metallic bar of suitable length, shape and size, which
bar is bevelled off nearest the rail at one end and is capable of being vibrated and
depressed or tilted at an angle by the wheels of an engine, railway carriage or truck
whilst the flange of each wheel passes between the inside top edge of the said bar
and the rail, and will be caused to remain in its depressed tilted position until the
flanges of the last wheel of the vehicle, or train of railway vehicles have passed from
between the said bar and the rail, another way is to use a bar having both of its
ends bevelled off, so. that it may be depressed or tilted by an engine, carriage,
truck or train of vehicles whilst running backward on the line to which the bar is
attached, or two bars may be used having their outer ends bevelled, and their inner
ends bevelled off somewhat similar to the outer ends, which inner ends meet or close
together when in their normal position, the tilting or depressing of the first bar will
cause the trigger or striking arm to explode one detonator, and the tilting of the
other bar will cause the said striking arm to explode another detonator. After the
passage of a railway vehicle or the last vehicle of a train of vehicles, a balance
weight or weights attached to the outer end of a metal lever or rod mounted at or
near one end of a horizontal shaft supported in a suitable bearing or bearings and
situated at about right angles to and below the line of rails, causes the inner end of
the said lever to force the said metallic bar or bars back into its or their normal
positions ready for the passing of the next vehicle or train of vehicles.
When the metal bar or bars are depressed or tilted by the wheel or wheels of a
vehicle the said bar or bars also depresses a lever or levers attached at about right
angles to the rail, at the outer end of which lever one end of a rod or bar is jointed
or fixed, the outer end of the said lever being jointed or fixed to a horizontal metal
shaft situated at about right angles to the rail and supported in suitable bearings
below same, and causes the said horizontal shaft engaging with a horizontal
vibrating shaft to place or move a suitably shaped trigger or striking arm or lever
into a striking position, the said trigger being caused by a spring or other suitable
means to strike and explode a cartridge or detonator contained in an aperture or
orifice in the inner or outer row or ring of holes or orifices formed in a suitably
shaped vertically mounted metal wheel in front of and a short distance from the
trigger, the aforesaid horizontal shaft one end of which enters a suitable distance
into the inner or enlarged end of the horizontal vibrating shaft, to which sliding

page_text: Fig. 13 is a sectional elevation taken through the line - on Fig. 12 looking
in the direction indicated by the arrow.
Fig. 14 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of a central fire detonator, made
according to my invention.
Fig. 15 is a back end elevation of Fig. 14 with the cap or wad removed.
Fig. 16 is a front end elevation shewing the position of the percussion caps.
Fig. 17 is an elevation of a spiral or voluted steel gong made according to my
invention, and
Fig. 18 is an enlarged view shewing the shape of cross-section I prefer to use in
constructing such gongs, although the sound rings of such gongs may be of a square,
rectangular, polygonal or other suitable cross-section.
The above figures are not drawn to scale, but are simply given to elucidate the
construction of the aforesaid signalling apparatus.
The tilting bar a at Figures 1, 2 and 3 is shewn with only one of its ends
bevelled, and attached to the rail by means of a metal arm or bracket c.
When the said bar a is depressed or tilted over by the wheel or wheels of a
railway vehicle into a similar position to that shewn by dotted lines at Figure 3,
the said bar a also depresses the lever d to which the cranked arm or levere
attached to the said lever d, the lower end of the said cranked arm e being jointed
or attached to a horizontal metal shaft, and causes the said horizontal shaft which
engages with the horizontal sliding vibrating shaft g to press or force a lever h
fixed on the shaft g down on to a pivotted tongue plate i attached to the outer end
of the pivotted trigger or striking arm j, and cause the said trigger ; at its end
nearest to the magazine wheel to rise into a striking position (as shewn by dotted
lines at Figs. 1 and 3) at the same time actuating the rod or bark and lever l, and
causing the pawl m. to engage with a tooth or notch in the wheel n on the front
face of the magazine wheel o, and place an aperture or orifice containing a
detonator o' in position for the trigger to strike, the said trigger being caused to
descend by the spring p, one end of which spring is attached to the trigger j and
the other end to a bracket g attached to an upright r, a bent metal arm which is
attached or fixed to the trigger or striking arm jand depends therefrom, preventing
the said magazine wheel o from rotating too far each time the bar a is tilted by the
passage of a railway vehicle or vehicles, when the shafts ƒ and gare in gear, by
reason of each partial revolution of the rim of the said magazine wheel o being
limited by the short radial metal arms on the internal periphery of the rim of the
said wheel o, between two of which arms the said bent arm moves or travels
each time the trigger or striking arm is depressed at its back end, thus ensuring
the placing of an aperture or orifice in the magazine wheel o containing a charge or
detonator o' in position for the trigger to strike and explode on its descent, a balance
weights attached to the end of a lever t, nounted on a horizontal shaft u being for
the purpose of keeping the horizontal shaft g in gear with the horizontal vibrating
shaft, and a balance weight attached to one end of a pivotted lever wo being
for the purpose of keeping the tilting arm or bar rin its normal position contiguous
to the rail to which it is attached.
-
น so tha
When the horizontal shaft is moved out of gear with the vibrating shaft by
means of a wire or the like, one end of which wire is attached to the rod or lever
mounted on the horizontal shaft u, the other end of the wire being attached to the
weighted lever of a semaphore signal, or connected to a lever in a signal box, the
bar will be moved aside from off the tongue plate i (as shewn in dotted lines a
Fig. 2) by means of a bar or rod z, and forked lever y mounted on shaft
the bar a when tilted will not actuate the apparatus for operating the trigger j.
In Figs. 12 and 13 it will be seen that the magazine wheel has a metal guar
plate of attached thereto by screws or other suitable means for the purpose
retaining the detonators in the orifices formed in the said wheel, which said guar
plate o may extend round or only partially round the rim of the magazine wheel
as shown, the wires or pins passing through the said guard plate or plates at

page_text: suitable angle so as to bear against the percussion caps fitted into one end of the
detonator cases as shewn at Figs. 14, 15 and 16.
I would have it understood that the guard plate or plates may be fitted to either
form of magazine wheel if desirable.
The detonator shells or cases shewn at Figs. 14, 15 and 16 have the percussion
caps fitted into the detonator at one end, and resemble ordinary breech loading gun
cartridges, with the exception that the cases of these detonators may be made of
sufficient strength so that they may be recharged and used several times, and in
appearance are similar to an Eley 12 bore sporting cartridge without shot, so that
their length is reduced.
The spiral steel gong shewn at Fig. 17 would be mounted on a non-revolving
axis or shaft in a similar position to the magazine wheel shewn at Figs. 1, 2 and 3,
BO that the hammer ; when caused to descend would strike the radial bar of the
gong, and cause the said gong to give a sonorous or loud clear sound, a metallic
hammer head may be substituted for the trigger, the mode of operating the said
hammer being the same as herein described in connection with the metallic trigger.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is-
1st. In combination with a vertically mounted wheel, plate or its equivalent
arranged to carry any suitable number of detonators or charges o² the use of a
tilting bar a, a or bars a³, rail b, metal arm or bracket c, lever d, arm horizontal
shafts f, g, u, lever h, pivotted tongue plate i, striking arm or trigger ; for
exploding the detonators, rod or bar k, lever l, pawl m, wheel n spring p, weight s
and lever t, weight u, and lever w, rod or lever, and forked lever, arranged and
operated as herein substantially described, set forth and illustrated on the drawings
hereunto annexed.
2ndly. In combination with a spiral metallic gong, the use of a tilting bar a, a³
or bars as, rail b, metal arm or bracket c, lever d, arm e, horizontal shafts f, g, u,
lever h, pivotted tongue-plate i, striking arm or its equivalent; for striking the
gong, rod or bar k, lever 1, pawl m, spring p, weights, and levert, weight and
lever w, rod or bar and forked lever y arranged and operated as herein
substantially described and set forth.
3rdly. In combination with apparatus for exploding detonators or fog signals on
railways, the use of a vertically mounted wheel, plate or its equivalent », arranged
to contain any suitable number of detonators or charges, having a toothed or
notched wheel n formed on or fixed to one of its sides or faces, an 1 ralial arms
formed on or fitted to the internal periphery of the rim of the said wheel o, arranged
and operated as herein substantially described set forth and illa-tated on the
drawings hereunto annexed.
4thly. The use with a machine or apparatus such as herein described of
detonators consisting of a metal casing closed at one or both of its on is, and fitted
with one or more percussion caps, for containing an explosive charge. and exploded
by a striking arm or trigger, as herein substantially described forth and
illustrated on the drawings hereunto annexed.
Dated this 9th day of December 1901.
•
JOHN NEWTON.
Longport, Staffordshire, Agent for Applicant.