RAILWAY PASSENGERS SELF ACTING STATION INDICATOR
Year: 1885

page_text: I DUNCAN M°KELLAR, 28 Ladbroke Grove Road, Notting Hill in the Parish of
Kensington, Florist do hereby declare the nature of my Invention for "RAILWAY
PASSENGERS SELF ACTING STATION INDICATOR" to be as follows:
This Invention is intended to be applied to Railway Carriages to denote to the
Passengers the name of the next Station the Train arrives at, which result is
caused by an arm to be fixed above the Carriages which works against a stay to be
fixed outside the Station at a convenient point, and the system can be applied to
existing Carriages.
This Invention is intended to be used in Railway Carriages and consists of an
hexagon shaped roller with double ratchet wheels and axle at each end fitted to a
frame to turn freely and is to be fixed to the top and in the contre of the partition
and around the roller is placed an endless band which is composed of a double set
of labels or two for every Station on the Route.
"
On each label two names are printed one in the ordinary way the other upside
down to read correctly on the other side of the partition these labels are made of
cardboard, zine or other suitable materials of a size to allow the two names to be.
printed with large letters and will correspond with the size of each face of the
hexagon roller.
The above frame and roller complete will require a small opening to be made
at the top of the partition in the centre and inside to receive it, the band to be.
passed round the roller down each and close to inside of the partition passing-
through a small opening under the seat.
When the journey is long and there are a great number of Stations on the Route,
which will necessitate a long band, a small box is to be placed under the seats to
receive the surplus where they will lie one above the other in their respective
places.
The frame with the roller to be enclosed in a box as shewn on the drawings at
the top of the partition and close under the roof, the band also on each side will
require to be encased which can be done with a projection of not more than one
inch on each side.
The names of the Stations are to be read from openings at the bottom of roller
box and directly in the centre. One arm or apparatus serving two or more
compartments according to the construction of the Carriages and their divisions.

page_text: Lower down and on each side of the centre are openings for Local Advertisements
which are printed on the labels and will only be applicable to the approaching
Station.
The above roller and labels are put in motion from the outside as follows viz. —
A light arm of iron and a little longer than the width of the roof of the Carriage
shaped like the letter S and having a hole in the centre to that it may turn on a
pivot which is securely fixed to (and nearly over the partition in question) the
centre of the roof of the Carriage, on this arm and at equal distance from the centre
are fixed two pins which pass through the roof and are connected by a thin plate
close under the roof of the Carriage, the length of said plate is made to correspond
to the length of the roller and labels, to this plate and directly over the notched
wheels are two small brass or iron floats with two joints, these joints move one
across the other up and down between the double sides of ratchet and each has
fixed a cross pin which falls into and fits the teeth of ratchets.
When the arm outside is moved or slightly turned on its centre one of the floats
draws the ratchet forward half a tooth (the greatest distance allowed) the roller
and labels are of course moved the same while the float at other end has moved
backwards and dropped into its place in ratchet and as the outside arm has two
spiral springs which get compressed by contact with stay at Station they press
the arm back to its original position across the Carriage, acting on the other end of
ratchet brings the roller and labels forward, the other half tooth making a whole
tooth on one face of the hexagonal roller every time the arm comes in. contact
with fixed stay at Station.
The stays are to be permanently fixed at the various Stations as follows one on
each side.
They consist of a thin plate of iron nine or twelve inches wide ten or twelve
feet long shaped as shewn on plan to be fixed to Signal Box, Bridge, Post or other
convenient place near the Station, they are to be hung similar to the hinges of a
gate and at a height to correspond to the height of the Carriages above the metals,
they will be placed so that the hinged end is next to the approaching train and
sloping slightly outwards, its outer end is to be supported on a strong bracket as
shewn and has a strong spring which keeps it out to its full extent or as far as
necessary, its use is to act on the arms fixed on the top of the Carriages as the
train is leaving the Station, these arms which project a little over each side of
the Carriages and present the convex end to the stay glide gently along and
receive the pressure requisite to move the arm with the floats of the roller as
before described.
Provision is also made by a pulley chain and iron handle fixed with the stays to
pull the sloping plate clear of the arms in caso a train has at any time to be backed
so that no contact takes place.
When two or more rollers with labels, and all complete are required according to
the number of divisions in a Carriage, they can one or all be worked from the
one centre arm or 8 by fixing a brass or iron plate or plates over the roller in the
same relative position as the arm already described and connected by two light
parrallel rods as shewn on plan of roof.
I nicht hundred and sight

page_text: "I DUNCAN MCKELLAR 28 Ladbroke Grove Road, Notting Hill, in the Parish of
Kensington Florist, 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 is intended to be applied to Railway Carriages to denote to the
Passengers the name of the next Station the Train arrives at which result is caused
by an arm to be fixed above the Carriages which works against a stay to be fixed
outside the Station at a convenient point and the system can be applied to existing
Carriages.
My Invention consists of a system of Mechanical Appliances to be fixed to
Railway Carriages to denote to the Passengers the name of the next Station the
Train arrives at, and the manner in which this is arranged to be done is described
in the following statement and explained by the drawings accompanying my
provisional specification.
The S bar on top of Carriage F.F. Fig. 4 may be made of light iron (its shape is
somewhat like the letter S) its length a little more than the width of the roof of
the Carriage and when placed in its working position is at a slight angle across the
roof and the convex side towards the Station to be approached, and has a square
hole in its centre.
The cross plate G. G. Fig. 2. which works under the roof is made of iron or brass,
its length the same as the drum hereafter described, it has also a square hole in its
centre the same as the 8 bar with which it is to be connected by a bolt and nuts
which bolt passes through and is near to the centre of the roof, this bolt is screwed
at both ends and has squared shoulders, their planes parrallel, the space between
these shoulders round to fit and turn in an iron socket H. H. Fig. 1. which passes
through and is fixed to the roof. When the S bar outside the roof and the cross
plate under are tightly connected parrallel the one with the other they work as one,
at each end of the cross plate are to be connected by bolt and nuts or rivetted a
short rod left free to move horizontally, these short rods are to have a round hole
at their loose ends to receive the pivots fixed to the parrallel rods.
The parrallel rods may be made of either brass or iron rod, tube or gas barrel a
pivot is to be fixed in each at a convenient place to receive the short rods above
described these parrallel rods will have (when worked) a short movement backwards
and forwards, and should be confined and travel on pulleys, their position is
directly over the ratchet wheels at each end of the drum and parrallel with the
sides of the Carriage, they can be lengthened out on each side to suit the length of
Carriage or the number of the Compartments enclosing the moveable parts in
larger barrel as the work proceeds.
The drags one for each end of the drum are thin pieces of iron or brass attached
to the parrallel rods M. Fig. 3 so that they have a free motion perpendicularly up
and down, between the double ratchet wheels at the outer end a pin is fixed
permanently across and projects on each side sufficient to catch the teeth of the
ratchet, when the S bar is moved the cross plate G. Fig. 2 and short rods (which
act on the parrallel rods) M Fig. 3, are put in motion at the same time.

page_text: The drum I. Fig. 1. which carries the endless band of labels with names of
Stations and Advertisements may be made of wood brass or zinc and of any length
according to the space allowed for the names of the Stations, its diameter may also
slightly vary as the radius will generally be the width of the space allowed for the
names of the Stations or other printed matter, this drum has a double ratchet wheel
at each end, these double ratchet wheels are made so that a space is left between
the teeth for the drags to rise and fall without getting out of their allotted place,
the drum has six conical points on its circumference, three at equal distances on
each side from the centre as may be required to prevent the endless band from
slipping.
The width of the band will be just the same as length of drum between the
ratchets its length will be proportionate to the number of Stations on the various
routes, the height of an ordinary Carriage from floor to roof will give a length of
belt of about fourteen feet which will be ample for most journeys, when more is
required the length can be doubled by adding two small rollers at the top and one
at the bottom as shewn at J. in Fig. 1. The endless band to be made of strong
cloth or other suitable material that will shew clearly the names of Stations and
Advertisements. Two sets of names are to be shewn on each band and on each set
two separate names are to be shewn, the one in the ordinary way the other upside
down so that names of Station and Advertisements will read correctly on each side
of partition, one roller serving two or more compartments according to their
division.
The stays and slides K. Fig. 4. which are essential to the working of the above
are two in number at each Station one for the up and one for the down side of the
line, they should be so placed to act on the S bar as the train is moving slowly out
of the Station and when fitted up the slides will resemble an angle sign board
hinged together in the middle and partly looking up and down the line, the slides
consist of two thin plates of iron about twelve inches wide the longer the better, to
connect and support these slides in the middle strong hotwater barrel is used to
form the pin, to hinge, a T piece is fixed in the middle of the pin and to this
is screwed the necessary length of iron rod or barrel which passes through the
central stay or support and has more or less of its length screwed with a nut or
handle to fit, as this rod is allowed to move in a horizontal direction and at a right
angle from the Train it will require a strong bracket as additional support, the
outer ends of the slides are curved slightly inwards from the line and then a sharp
bend parrallel with the rails, these ends are to have strong supports and pass
through slot holes and as they are left free to move on their supports small castors
or pulleys may be advantageously used.
To put in working order with the pin T piece and double slides hinged together
take the necessary length of rod or barrel and screw to T piece, a strong spiral
spring L. Fig. 4. is put on and butts against the slides, the bracket is then put on
the rod or barrel, the end of which is passed through the support provided at or
near the Station, the outer ends of the slides can now be adjusted to their slot
holes, the centre rod or barrel with the spring and bracket can now be screwed up
to the exact point required to move the $ bar as the Train passes the outer ends of
the slides are to remain in their relative positions to the Train that is to come in
contact with the convex shoulder of the $ bar at the end of the wedge as it were
and glide along the first slide towards the apex or centre, before that point is
reached the S bar las received the necessary pressure to move the drum I. Fig. 1.
and band half the distance required and is stopped at this point, if the apex
of slides should project slightly beyond what is required or the passing Train lean
towards the slide the centre support is left free, only kept out in its place by the
strong spiral spring L. Fig. 4. already described which will now yield till the S bar
is passed, when passed the S bar which is acted on by the two spiral springs
attached to the roof of the Carriage is inclined to fly back to its original position
across the roof, this is prevented by the 'S bar having to pass along the other slide.

page_text: An opening is to be made in the partition between two compartments close
under the roof large enough to admit the frame with the above working parts and
there securely fixed, the whole to be enclosed with a box C. Fig. 1. with doors on
each side, this box need not exceed one foot in width or less than six inches on each
side of partitions.
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,
First. A simple inexpensive Mechanical appliance which can be fixed to existing
or applied to new Railway Carriages to denote to the Passengers directly a Train
leaves the Station the name of the next.
Second. This arrangement provides for the display of Local and other advertise-
ments simultaneous with the names of the Stations as they appear.