IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR WORKING RAILWAY SIGNALS
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Blinkhorn, of Chorley, in the County of Lan-
caster, Accountant, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
OR APPARATUS FOR WORKING RAILWAY SIGNALS."
Sealed the 11th January 1862, and dated the 16th July 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Blinkhorn at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 16th
July 1861.
I, JOHN BLINKHORN, of Chorley, in the County of Lancaster, Accountant,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR WORKING RAILWAY SIGNALS," to be as follows:-
I arrange a number of levers, partly under the permanent way or rails, and
partly on one side at a little distance from them, but in connection by a
transverse shaft, so that when an engine, train, or carriage passes over the rails
opposite to or nearly opposite the semaphore, the rails which are raised a little
over the apparatus descend, and by means of levers which are attached to the
raised part of the rails, in their descent act upon two projecting pieces with
balance weights, and by their action draw a chain, wire, or other connection
which is attached to a balance lever in connection with the semaphore by a
chain which, acting on the signal, raises the signal as the train passes over
the rails, the levers falling back to their former position by means of the
balance weights. Another chain is connected to another balance lever which

page_text: is worked by a catch, and at any suitable distance is placed another apparatus
consisting of balanced levers and catches with a quadrant, to which is attached
the other end of the second chain, wire, or connection, so that when the engine,
train, or carriage passes over this second apparatus, the signal is released and
falls. For better protection in cases of trains following each other closely, if
a train or carriage shall pass the semaphore before the first one shall have past
the quadrant apparatus, the raised rails, acting on levers, work a supplementary
catch which prevents the signal falling before the second train or carriage has
passed the quadrant apparatus, or, in fact, holding the signal in the same
position until that or any number of carriages or trains have passed over.
It is evident that the action of the semaphore may ring a bell or give any
other signal that may be found requisite.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Blinkhorn in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
16th January 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, J, JOHN
BLINKHORN, of Chorley, in the County of Lancaster, Accountant, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fifth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said John Blinkhorn, Her special licence that I, the said John Blinkhorn, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John
Blinkhorn, my 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 MACHINERY OR
APPARATUS FOR WORKING RAILWAY SIGNALS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said John Blinkhorn, my executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and
seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same
to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next
and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.

page_text: nature of
my
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Blinkhorn, do hereby declare 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
(that is to say):
:-
I joint to the permanent way or rails at any desired positions, a number of
levers in connection with other levers partly under the said permanent way or
rails, and partly on one side at a little distance from them. The levers jointed to
the rails are inclined upwards, so that when an engine, train, or carriage-
passes over them they will descend and act upon two projecting arms, which
acting on other levers cause the release of a chain, wire, or other connection
fixed to a balance lever attached to the semaphore, and cause the signal to be
raised, which is afterwards held as long as required by a catch. At any suitable
distance from the aforesaid levers I joint other levers to the permanent way or
rails for giving motion to a chain wheel, connected by a chain, wire, or other
means with another chain wheel employed for operating upon the catch, which
holds the signal in its raised position, so that when an engine, train, or carriage,
passes over this second apparatus the signal is released and falls. For better
protection in cases of engines or trains closely following each other, I employ
a supplementary catch, so that if an engine or train passes the semaphore
before the first one shall have passed the releasing apparatus, the supplementary
catch shall prevent the signal from falling before the second engine or train
has arrived at the releasing apparatus, or, in fact, holding the signal in the
same position until any number of carriages or trains have arrived at the
releasing apparatus..
It is evident that when working the signal a bell may be struck at the same
time, or the apparatus may ring a bell or give any other signal that may be
found requisite.
These improvements will be clearly understood by referring to the figures
and letters on the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, in which Figs. 1 and 3
are longitudinal elevations, and Fig. 2, a plan of my improved machinery
or apparatus for working railway signals; and Figs. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10
are detached views of some of the parts.
The rails of the permanent way are shewn at a, to which are jointed the
levers b, c, connected by links d, e, to short arms or levers f, fixed to the
transverse shaft g, which carries the balance weight h, and has also fixed to it
the bent lever i, carrying at its end the antifriction bowl or pulley j; whi h
when the signal is down is in contact with the crooked arm or lever k fixed to
the shaft 1, working in the bearings or pedestals m on the framework n, shewn
only in Fig. 2, it being left out in Figs. 1 and 3, in order to shew the

page_text: working parts more clearly. The shaft carries the balance weight o, and has
also fixed to it the chain wheel p, communicating by means of the chain, wire,
or other connection 9 with the balance lever r, connected by the rod t and
crank u with the signal arm v of the semaphore. Fixed to the shaft 7 is the
projecting catch w, and, when desired, the supplementary slotted catch a, also
shewn in Figs. 8, 9, and 10, which catches have in line with them hooked
levers y, z, working on the stationary shaft a'. The hooked ends of the levers
,, are weighted, so that they fall upon the catches w, a, unless prevented.
The end of the lever y, opposite to the hook, has a tongue b', which gives way
when it is struck on the under side, but when pressed on the top, raises the
hooked end of the lever from the catch w. The end of the lever z opposite to
the hook is connected by a chain c', Figs. 9 and 10, to the lever d', Figs. 1
and 3, on one end of which is a balance weight e¹, and on the other end a flat
surface or table f¹, on which rests the catch lever g¹, working on a round boss
on the square sliding shaft ', which is made to move to and fro by the cam k¹
working in a diagonal slot in the block A, fixed to the sliding shaft h³. The
table f and parts connected with it, are also represented in the transverse view,
Fig. 4. The catch lever is shewn detached in Fig. 5, and the slotted block,
in Figs. 6 and 7. To the said cam k¹ is fixed the lever m³, connected by the
rod n¹ to the lever o¹, fixed to the shaft 1. To the transverse shaft g is fixed a
vertical arm or lever p', employed for operating upon the catch lever g', when
it has been placed before it by the action of the cam k² and slotted block . On
the boss of the hooked lever z, Figs. 2, 9, and 10, there is a catch or projection,
and working loose on the shaft l, there is a lever q', having upon it a hook or
projection for locking with the catch on the boss of the lever, and holding
down the hooked end of the said lever z. At the end of the arm or lever q¹ there
is a tongue r¹, which gives way to a downward pressure, but, when struck
'underneath, causes the lever q₁ to be raised and releases the lever z. The
pressure upon the tongues b¹, ¹ is given by the pins s¹, one on each side of the
chain wheel t¹, fixed to the shaft u', which works in bearings or pedestals on
the framework n. To the shaft u¹ is fixed the lever v³, carrying the balance
weight w¹.
At any suitable distance from this first apparatus I joint to the permanent
'way or rails a, two pairs of levers a, b, connected by links c, d, to short
arms or levers e³, fixed to the transverse shaft f', to which shaft is also fixed
in a diagonal position, the arm or lever 9³, carrying at one end the balance
'weight h. The other end of the lever gå is connected by links, to the short
'end of the angular lever, at the other end of which is the balance weight k².
"The lever is fixed to the shaft working in pedestals or bearings on the

page_text: framework m², to which shaft is fixed the chain wheel n³, connected by a chain,
wire, or other connection o², with the chain wheel t¹ of the first apparatus.
The operations of raising and lowering the signal are performed as follows:-
As the first wheel of the engine or carriage passes on to the levers b they are
depressed, and by means of the links d, e, and short arms f, give motion to
the transverse shaft g and bent lever i, the bowl of which, acting against the
crooked lever on the shaft l, raises the balance weight o, as shewn in Fig. 3,
and turns back the shaft land chain wheel p, so as to slacken the chain or
wire 'g,
connected to the balance lever r, attached to the signal post, and thereby
enable the balance lever r to operate upon the crank w, and raise the signal
arm or semaphore v, which is held in that position by the hook of the hooked
lever y seizing the catch w, on the shaft 1, and retaining it until released.
The wheels of the engine or train on passing over the levers b, also depress the
levers c by means of the links e, and as the weight of the train passes over the
levers c, the short arms f and bent lever i aré kept depressed until the entire
train has passed over, thereby overcoming the action of the balance weight h,
preventing any recoil and maintaining all the parts steady. After the train has
passed the balance weight h falls, and by its action places the bent lever i, the
short arms f, and levers b, c, in their original raised positions, as shewn in
Fig. 1, ready to be acted upon by any following engine, train, or carriage.
As the shaft turns back and brings the catch w to a vertical position, it also
brings the slotted catch a to a horizontal position, and at the same time, by
the action of the levers m', o¹, and rod n', working the cam k¹ in the slot of
the block, causes the sliding shaft h¹ to be shifted, and thus place the
catch lever g' in line with the vertical arm or lever p³, which bad been raised
by the passage of the first engine or train, and afterwards returned to its
vertical position by the falling of the balance weight h and movement of the
shaft 9.
The action of one train in raising the signal and holding it having been
described, I now proceed to explain the operation of releasing or putting off
the signal. When the engine or carriage arrives at the levers a² be of the
second apparatus the said levers are depressed, as shewn in Fig. 3, and by
their action depress the short arms e² and short end of the lever 9%, and raises
its other end and the weight h², which lever by means of the links i depresses
the short end of the angular lever 1, and raises the balance weight k on the
long end of the said lever, and at the same time turns back the shaft land
chain wheel n, so as to release the chain, wire, or other connection o³ con-
nected to the chain wheel t¹ of the first apparatus, and thereby enables the
balance weight w' to fall and bring down the chain wheel t, and cause one of

page_text: the pins or studs s¹ to press upon the tongue end of the hooked lever y, and
raise the hook from the catch w, and release the shaft and balance weight o,
which in its fall tightens the chain q, raises the weighted end of the balance
lever r, attached to the signal post, and thus puts off the signal. When the
catch w is in a vertical position the book of the weighted end of the lever y is
sure to seize and hold the shaft 7 and signal unless removed by the action of the
stud s' on the chain wheel t, which stud in its downward motion presses the
tongue of the lever y, and passing it, enables the hooked end to fall quickly
back upon the boss of the catch w.
When a second engine or train passes over the first apparatus before the train
preceding it has arrived at the releasing apparatus the supplementary catch is
put in action in the following manner:-The levers b, c, the short levers f,
and the bent lever i are all depressed as before, but there is no effect upon the
signal, as that is held in its raised position by means of the hooked lever y
holding the catch won the shaft l, and preventing the crooked lever k from
rising, so that it cannot be acted upon by the beut lever i. At the same time
that the aforesaid levers are depressed the vertical arm or lever p¹ is raised, and
comes in contact with the catch end of the catch lever g', thereby depressing
the table f¹ at one end of the lever d', and by raising its other weighted end
slackens the chain c¹ connected to the tail end of the hooked lever, and
thereby enables the weighted and hooked end of the said lever to seize the
slotted catch a, hold the shaft l, and retain the signal in its raised position,
the hooked lever z being maintained in that position by means of the projection
on its boss being held by the projection or catch on the lever q', the tongue
giving way when pressed from above.
Having before described the action of releasing the catch w I will now
describe the action of releasing the supplementary catch x. The engine or
train which put up the signal having arrived at the releasing apparatus and
depressed the levers a, b, and raised the weight 2, has enabled the balance
weight w' to fall and turn down the shaft u' and chain wheel t, and cause the
studs s¹ on the said chain wheel to strike the tongued ends b, r, of the
levers y¹ and q¹, thus raising the lever y from the catch w on the shaft l, but
quickly passing the tongued end of the said lever y, it allows it immediately to
drop back and again seize the catch won the shaft l. Immediately the engine
or train has passed over the releasing apparatus, the balance weight k falls
and draws back the wire, chain, or other connection o², and raises the balance
weight w', by which action the shaft u¹ and chain wheel t' are drawn back and
the studs s on the said chain wheel are caused to strike in an upward direction
the tongued ends b', ¹, of the levers y, q', thus lifting the catch lever q' from

page_text: the projection on the boss of the lever, and causing the hook of the lever =
to be lifted out of the slotted catch by the falling of the weighted end of the
lever d', to which the tail end of the lever is connected by the chain c. The
hook of the lever z is thus removed from the supplementary catch without
disturbing the semaphore, and leaves the hooked lever y still hold of the
catch w, from which it is released by the passage of the second train over the
releasing apparatus, and the signal thereby taken off. At the same time the
signal is being put on, a wire or chain is slackened for the purpose of releasing
a hammer and striking a bell placed at any desired position. The said wire or
chain is shewn at p²; one end of it encircles a rim on the chain wheel p on the
shaft l, and the other end encircles a pulley 9, on the shaft of which is the
L-lever, one arm carrying the balance weights and the other the hammer t².
When the balance weight o is raised the balance weight s on the L-lever falls,
and allows the hammer to strike the bell, and when the weight o is lowered
the L-lever and hammer return to their original positions.
Having now described the nature and particulars of my said Invention and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, I desire it to be understood
that I claim the general arrangement and combination of machinery or
apparatus for working railway signals, as herein described and illustrated in
the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, or any modification thereof.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Blinkhorn, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
Signed, sealed, and delivered by the
within-named John Blinkhorn, in the
presence of
JOHN BLINKHORN. (L.S.)
Signed, sealed, and delivered by the
within-named John Blinkhorn, in the
presence of
E. J. HUGHES,
JOHN BLINKHORN. (L.S.)
Patent Agent,
Manchester.