IMPROVED MEANS FOR COMMUNICATING BETWEEN PASSENGERS AND THE GUARD AND ENGINE DRIVER OF RAILWAY TRAINS
Year: 1874

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Charles Goldstone, James
Radcliffe, and Matthew Gray at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents with their Petition, on the 3rd October. 1874.
We, CHARLES GOLDSTONE, of Southampton, Telegraph Engineer,
JAMES RADCLIFFE, of Retford, in the County of Nottingham, Telegraphi
Engineer, and MATTHEW GRAY, of Blackheath, in the County of Kent,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVED MEANS FOR COMMUNICATING BETWEEN PASSENGERS AND THE GUARD AND
ENGINE DRIVER OF RAILWAY TRAINS," to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is to provide in an efficient and
inexpensive manner for the transmission of signals by electric currents
to either end of a train or to both ends simultaneously. To attain this
result we fit, say to the roof or upper part of each carriage of the train,
a rope containing as a core two insulated copper wires. These ropes will
be of sufficient length to permit of their being coupled up when the
engine and carriages are attached, to make and maintain metallic

page_text: connection of the insulated wires throughout the train, and they will be
so fitted as to allow of a passenger in any compartment of the several
carriages by pulling at the portion of rope exposed to view, to effect the
severance of the metallic connection, and thereby set a signal apparatus
in action.
We propose to employ a battery at each end of the train, and to keep
the electric wires on the engine and in the guard's van in constant
connection with their respective batteries, so that when the line wires
are coupled up the currents derived from the two sources will neutralize
cach other and prevent any action on the several signal apparatus; when
however the continuity of the rope is broken, the batteries will be
brought into independent action on what may be termed a local circuit,
and set each signal apparatus in operation. The lengths of rope
terminate at each end in a peculiar construction of coupling, the one
being a counterpart of the other to facilitate the coupling up of the
carriages. This coupling has a double object, viz., to bring the insulated
wires of one rope into connection with the insulated wires of the next
adjacent rope, and on an emergency to couple its own wires together, and
thereby establish a local circuit and enable the battery in that circuit to
put the signal apparatus in operation.
Without limiting ourselves to the details of the coupling, we may state
that the double objects above mentioned may be attained by securing to
each end of rope to be coupled, a block of vulcanite or other non-
conductor, and fitting to this non-conductor a pair of elongated clip
springs to which the ends of the insulated wires are to be respectively
soldered. To the inner faces of these springs strips of vulcanite, wedge
shaped at their ends and triangular in cross section and tapering inwards,
are to be attached. On one of their inclined sides in metallic connection
with the clip springs, a metal plate is secured which comes into contact
with a similar plate on the counterpart clip, coupling when the two are
brought together and caused to interlock. These metal plates are each
provided at their outer ends with a lip or stud piece, which in the act of
coupling up the ropes will be forced apart, but which on the continuity
of the line wires being broken will be forced into contact by the closing
of the spring clip, and thereby complete the circuit of the local
battery.

page_text: We propose to provide the couplings with a waterproof tubular
covering of vulcanized rubber or other suitable material, to protect them
from rain and dust. These coverings if made to slide upon their
respective ropes will be always at hand and ready for use when
required.