Improvements in and relating to Indicating Mechanism for Railway Carriages and similar purposes.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 27th June, 1896-Accepted, 27th July, 1897
Improvements in and relating to Indicating Mechanism for Railway
Carriages and similar purposes.
A communication from FRÉDÉRIC GUILLAUME AUGUSTE LEENDERS of 153 Boule-
vard du Nord, Brussels in the Kingdom of Belgium, Merchant.
I, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT of 111 Hatton Garden in the County of Middlesex,
Chartered Patent Ageat 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:-
-
The indicating table illustrated in Figures 1 to 4 of the accompanying drawing
in two characteristic modifications, has for its object to inform the travellers dur-
ing travelling of the train of the name of the next station at which the train
stops, of the station where they have to change as well as to convey other infor-
mation necessary to enable the travellers to make their journey without mistakes
or delays and to arrive to their destination without having to seek information
from other travellers, guards, drivers or station-masters.
The indicating table enables the traveller to ascertain his position at any time.
It often happens that travellers fall asleep during the journey, especially at night,
and considerable inconvenience is caused by not being able to know when
awakened where they are and whether they have not already passed their destina-
tion. The indicating table will inform them at once at any time in a very
simple manner where they are and will avoid the above mentioned inconvenience.
In case of an accident, or of imminent danger, a push button of an ordinary ringing
device may be provided at the indicating table, and can be made use of to stop the
train at once.
The arrangement and the mode of working of the apparatus is as follows:-
An opening or window, round or of any other suitable shape, is placed at the
top of the apparatus-Figs. 1 and 3-in the middle of the plate and indicates in
the compartment, whether a person has given an alarm-signal to the guard or to
the driver. This alarm-signal consists of a red disc N which appears in the said
window as soon as the knob or handle P of the electric alarm L L has been pressed
whereby the armature L' is withdrawn and releases the disc N. Indication of the
stations in the order in which the train will pass them and the indication of the
next station at which the train will stop is effected by the appearance of a number
in a second window C below the first, the number corresponding to the number of
the station at which the train is going to stop, there being adjacent to that window
a number of movable plates a b c etc., with the names of the stations corresponding.
to numbers given to them (Fig. 3).
On these movable plates a b c etc., can be written various useful information

page_text: for the traveller concerning the changing of trains, time of stoppage, whether there
is a refreshment or dining room, telegraphic office etc.
This table can be easily put together for each train the small movable tablets,
are simply removed and replaced by others corresponding to stations which the
train has to pass. It is therefore not at all complicated to arrange the table for
any train.
Fig. 1 (Fig. 2 being a side view of the disc driving mechanism) represent the
arrangement of an electro magnet G which, each time that the driver touches the
knob of his switch P and completes the electric circuit, which is arranged in
the ordinary manner, thereby attracting the armature H, and when the current is
again interrupted, the armature is released and withdrawn by a spring H', there-
by allowing by means of the hook escapement K K' the toothed wheel J of the
indicating disc D to rotate to the extent of one tooth at each attraction of the
armature, thereb bringing the next number under the window C.
In Fig. 4 is represented a second construction of the same arrangement of the
indicating disc, the difference being that the names of the stations and other
information are arranged on the disc itself.
For that purpose the indicating disc is divided into several radial spaces and
the window which was at the top in Figs. 1 and 3, is here on the horizontal line
passing through the centre of the disc; this window is indicated at C C and the
names of stations a¹ b c etc.
The indicating table is in both modifications enclosed in a frame or box E
which is closed in front by one or more transparent doors F.
The magneto-electric mechanism for causing the indicating disc 1) to be
advanced is the same in both cases-see Fig. 1. Projections points or pins Jou
the disc J' constitute a toothed wheel, which is alternately released and arrested by
the movements of the escapement on the armature H, which movements are pro-
duced through ordinary connections when a contact knob P" is pressed by the
driver. A peculiarity and a great advantage of the arrangement is that the indi-
cating disc is provided with a sleeve of a square internal section so that when the
disc with its sleeve is placed on the square spindle of any suitable clockwork
mechanism employed for rotating the dise the dise itself can be used to wind up
the latter by rotating the dise in a backward direction; so that, however the frain
be composed, it is easy to ascertain whether the apparatus is wound up and in
working condition.
The electrical connections of the apparatus are as follows:-Each of the three
terminals 1, 2 and 3, is connected by a wire with apparatus in the engine or guard's
van, Nos. 1 and 2 being connected to the lead and return wires respectively of an
ordinary push Pi place say on the engine, the battery Rheing interposed between
terminal 2 and the push. Terminal 3 is connected by a wire to a bell S placed on
the engine the return wire of the bell being connected to that pole of the battery
which is remote from the terminal 2.
From this it will be seen that when the driver depresses the key P¹ the current
will flow through the terminal 1, electro magnet G, hack contact P of push P
(with which it is normally in contact) thence to terminal 2 and so to battery.
When the passenger presses the push he breaks the circuit of the electro-
magnet G and makes circuit through the first contact P2 electro magnet L
terminal 3 bell S battery R terminal 2 thence back to push P, thus calling the
driver's attention and releasing the indicator N.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said in-
vention as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent and in what manner
the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is:-
1. An indicating-table for railway carriages and the like characterised by an
indicating disc the rotation of which is controlled magneto-electrically by the
guard or the driver completing an electric circuit whereby the disc is allowed to
rotate one step the said disc being mounted upon a square ended spindle of clock-

page_text: work driving mechanism so that it can be rewound when necessary by revolving
the disc in a backward direction substantially as described.
Dated this 27th day of June 1896.
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.