IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR WORKING RAIL- WAY SIGNALS
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Halford, of Walsall, and Frederick
Bloomer, of Pelsall, both in the County of Stafford, for the Inven-
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Halford and
Frederick Bloomer at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 30th March 1874.
We, THOMAS HALFORD, of Walsall, and FREDERICK BLOOMER, of
Pelsall, both in the County of Stafford, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR WORKING RAIL-
WAY SIGNALS," to be as follows:—
The object of this Invention is to provide a means for keeping the
wires used for working railway signals constantly at full stretch and to
prevent the expansion or contraction of the wire from interfering with
the proper working of the signal.
To keep the wire uniformly taut its end is passed over a pulley and
has a weight or series of weights attached to it. At the place where the
wire is to be acted upon by the signal lever the wire has attached to it a

page_text: toothed rack, and the signal lever carries a catch or pawl to engage with
the tooth of this rack.
When the signal man grasps the handle of the signal lever the catch
or pawl is pulled into connection with the toothed bar, and as he throws
over the signal lever the wire is moved along with it and the signal
placed into any desired position.
The lever may be hold over by a locking bolt, as is usual, taking into
a notch in a quadrant concentric with the axis of the lover.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by. the said Thomas Halford and Frederick Bloomer in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 30th September 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, THOMAS
HALFORD, of Walsall, and FREDERICK BLOOMER, of Pelsall, both in the
County of Stafford, send greeting.
:
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent bearing date the Thirtieth day of March, in the year
of our Lord One thousand cight hundred and seventy-four, in the
thirty-seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto us, the said Thomas Halford and Frederick.
Bloomer, Her special license that we, the said Thomas Halford and
Frederick Bloomer, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as we, the said Thomas Halford and Frederick Bloomer, our
executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with,
and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during
the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
“IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR WORKING RAILWAY SIGNALS," upon the
condition (amongst others) that we, the said Thomas Halford and
Frederick Bloomer, our executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under our or their hands and scals, or under the hand and
seal of one of us or them, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention and in what manner the same was to
be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent

page_text: Office within six calendar months next and immediatly after the date
of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Thomas Halford and Frederick
Bloomer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, that is to say :-
The object of this Invention is to provide a means for keeping the
wires used for working railway signals constantly at full stretch and to
prevent the expansion or contraction of the wire from interfering with
the proper working of the signal.
To keep the wire uniformly taut its cnd is passed over a pulley and
has a weight or series of weights attached to it. At the place where the
wire is to be acted upon by the signal lever the wire has attached to it a
toothed rack, and the signal lever carries a catch or pawl to engage with
the teeth of this rack.
When the signalman grasps the handle of the signal lever the catch
or pawl is pulled into connection with the toothed bar, and as he throws
over the signal lever the wire is moved along with it and the signal
placed into any desired position.
The lever may be held over by a locking bolt, as is usual, taking into
a notch in a quadrant concentric with the axis of the lever.
Figure 1 is a side elevation, and Figure 2 a plan partly in section of,
this arrangement.
A double sided rack B is actuated by means of tecth C, C, placed in
guides at the lower end of the lever A. Tho teeth are provided with
springs d, d, at the top to allow them to give in case of catching on the
points of teeth on the rack.
The lever A can be pushed in the position as shown so as to be out of
gear with the rack, but cannot be pushed out of gear in the other
direction. The lever A projects through the rack, as shewn, and acts as
a steady to keep it in position.
A chain is fastened to each extremity of the rack; one chain passing
in one direction over a pulley F is connected at its extremity G to the
wire passing to the signal post, and the other chain passing in the other
direction over another pulley F is connected at its extremity H to a
weight J. This weight J is sufficiently heavy to tighten up the wiro
when the racks B are not held by the teeth C, C, but is not heavy

page_text: The Drawings are made to a scale of one inch to a foot.
Figure 3 is a side clevation, and Figure 4 a plan of another modifi-
cation of our Invention.
The teeth are upon a
A spring D is placed
toothed segment for a
A is a toothed quadrant working on a stud L and moved by a handle
arranged similarly to an ordinary signal handle.
hinged segment B. The hinge is shewn at C.
between the main body of the quadrant and the
purpose presently to be described. E is a wheel working on a stud M,
and having teeth for such a distance round its circumference as may be
required, and having also at the side of the teeth and extending com-
pletely round the circumference a groove N to receive a chain of the
description ordinarily used in connection with signal wires. A chain of
this description is passed round the groove in the wheel and round the
small pulleys F; F, F, F, in the manner shewn, and is connected at the
extremity G to the wire passing to the signal post and at the extremity H
to a weight J. The weight J is sufficiently heavy to tighten up the wire
when the wheel E is not held by the quadrant A; but it is not heavy.
enough to raise the weight K at the signal post. It will now be seen
that when the quadrant A is pulled up the teeth on the segment B are
clear of the teeth on the wheel E, and thus when the signal is at
"danger" the weight J is pulled up by any contraction of the signal
wire, or itself pulls up any slack in the wire occasioned by expansion.
The quadrant in being pulled into gear with the wheel will commence
to act on a tight (or taut) wire and the signal will always be correct.
The spring D allows the segment B to give backwards in case of a tooth
on the segment coming with its point on the point of one of the teeth
on the wheel and causing a lock. The teeth will slip into gear as soon
as the points are clear of each other.
Figure 5 is a side elevation and Figure 6 a plan of another modi-
fication of our Invention.
In this case a similar quadrant A with toothed segment B, hinge C,
and spring D are shewn as for the modification last described, but a
vertical toothed rack E working in guides K, K, is used instead of a
wheel. The arrangement will be readily understood. A chain is passed
round the pulleys F, F, and connected at the extremity G to the wire;

page_text: passing to the signal post, and at the extremity H to the rack E.
A weight J is hung at the bottom of the rack. When the segment is
out of gear with the rack and the signal at "danger" the weight J kccps
the signal wire tight, and the action is similar to that of the modification
last described.
Friction gearing may be used instead of toothed gearing, and one
handle by being provided with double quadrant or equivalent may be
used to work two signals where they have to be worked in conjunction
with cach other.
Apparatus such as above described may be used for working any
means of communication, such as bells or gongs, or as means of com-
munication between the passengers of a train and the guard or driver or
between the guard and the driver.
onc.
Various modifications and alterations in detail will be readily suggested
by the Drawings and the description, as for instance the use of a hori-
zontal rack and quadrant instead of the modification shown by Figures 1
and 2, or the use of friction rollers or guides under the rack, shewn in
the same modification, and the use of a single rack instead of a double
We therefore do not limit ourselves to the particular arrangements
as shewn, but claim such arrangements and modifications as follow
obviously from and are in harmony with the general description of this
our Invention; and especially we claim for working railway signals the
use, substantially as described, of a. rack or toothed wheel or are, which
is left free to move in either direction when the signal is not required to
be moved.
We also claim the arrangement of the apparatus with a spring to
allow the teeth to pass into gear, substantially as described.
In witness whereof, we, the said Thomas Halford and Frederick
Bloomer, have hereunto set our hands and scals, this Twenty-
eighth day of September, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-four.
THOS. HALFORD. (L.S.)
FRED. BLOOMER.
(L.S.)