Year: 1885

page_text: I, HENRY FROST CLARK of N° 13 Liberty Street, Poughkeepsie in the State
of New York, United States of America Mechanical Engineer do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
British Letters Patent N° 437 granted T. G. Palmer, January 13th 1885, contains
a signal apparatus in which the exploder is raised by the action of levers and cams
upon a pin that crosses through the exploder. This is efficient in placing the
torpedo in position and in removing the same when the danger signal is lowered
or removed. It, however sometimes happens that the attendant lowers the danger
signal while a train is passing along at the place where the torpedo signal is
located. Under these circumstances there is a risk of injury to the apparatus in
consequence of a car wheel running over the exploder at the time the same is
raised by the forked levers o, and cams 8 7 on the slide m, in the aforesaid patent,
the result of which is that the levers are bent or broken.
To overcome this difficulty I make the exploder with a central recess, containing
an expansive spring above, and acting upon the cross pin, said spring being
sufficiently strong to sustain the weight of the exploder, hence if a wheel passes
over the exploder at the time it is raised the exploder will be forced down, but the
levers for raising the same will not be injured, because the aforesaid spring yields
and allows the cross pin to remain in an elevated position.
Another source of difficulty in torpedo signals arises from the fact that the car
wheels frequently become channelled by rolling upon the rails, so that the outer
portion of the wheel is similar to a flange that extends down below the level of
the rail, hence the torpedo exploder, if lowered sufficiently to be out of the way of
injury from old wheels of this character, would be too low to be acted upon by
the ordinary car or locomotive wheels.
To avoid this difficulty I hang the torpedo signal apparatus in a frame, beneath
which is a stiff but adjustable spring that will yield to the passing of an old wheel
with a projecting flange as aforesaid, so that the torpedo apparatus will not be
injured, but it will be again raised to its normal position where it can be acted
upon by the wheels of the locomotive in passing over the same.
The anvil slide for moving the torpedo, cap for covering the slide, and the forked
levers for lifting the exploder are the same as in the aforesaid patent and a
reference is hereby made to the same for a description of their construction and
mode of operation.

page_text: The exploder and its cross pin are for the same purpose and operate in the same
manner as set forth in said patent. I, however, make the exploder hollow or in
two pieces so as to introduce a spring above the cross pin, I prefer to make the cap
piece which covers the opening containing the spring removable so as to be slipped
into a dove-tailed recess and held by a screw, and the holes through which cross
pin passes are made as vertical slots, so that the pin may remain in an.elevated
position, as raised by the forked levers without interfering with the downward
movement of the exploder should a wheel pass over the same while in this position,
the spring yielding as the exploder is depressed.
It is to be understood that this spring will, only come into action in cases where
the torpedo signal is being moved in one direction or the other, during the passage
of a train, and that it prevents the pin being broken, or the forked levers broken
or bent.
At the rear end of the base of the apparatus a joint piece is cast and this is
united by a pin to a frame, and at the end of this frame adjacent to the rail there
is a U shaped flange or bearing piece between which the anvil portion of the
torpedo signal is received and there is a spring upon which such anvil rests the
said spring being between the anvil and the frame. The bolt that passes up freely
through a hole in the frame is screwed into a hole in the under side of the anvil
and there are nuts upon the lower end of this bolt. The frame is attached to the
rail in a manner herein after described and the adjustment of the nuts upon the
bolt is to be such that the spring will not raise the torpedo signal apparatus too
high and hence the ordinary wheels of an engine or car will not press the exploder
down too far and the strength of the spring is such that it will hold up such
torpedo signal and cause the explosion of a torpedo should there be one beneath
the exploder at the time a train passes, but should an old defective wheel with an
external flange as aforesaid pass over the exploder the whole of the signal
apparatus will be swung upon the joint, and the spring will be compressed
without injury to any of the parts of the apparatus.
The Ushaped bearing piece is to be permanently connected with the rail and
for this purpose I prefer and use bolts passing through holes in the bearing piece
and across beneath the rail and also through clip pieces which are formed with
hooks to grasp the flange of the rail and it is preferable to make the clip pieces
in the form of brackets that extend down in front of the U shaped bearing piece.
By making the bolt holes in the said bearing piece elongated, the parts can be
adjusted for different heights of rails and there should be washers beneath the
heads of the bolts, so as to securely clamp the bearing piece, and the clip pieces
together. Adjusting screws may be applied through the lower portions of the clip
pieces to act against the under side of the rail.
The cover which covers the magazine containing the torpedo is provided with
projections at opposite sides, one of which passes beneath a lug upon the top of the
cap piece, and the other projection passes beneath a notched flange also on the top
of the cap. The cover has also a flange and these flanges are perforated for the
reception of a padlock.
The cover receives a partial turning motion to connect or disconnect the lugs
when being opened or closed.
BREWER & JENSEN,
For the Applicant.

page_text: "
Improvements in Torpedo Railway Signals.
I, HENRY FROST CLARK of N° 13 Liberty Street, Poughkeepsie in the State of
New York, United States of America, Mechanical Engineer 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:—
British Letters Patent No. 437 granted January 13, 1885, to T. G. Palmer, contains
a signal apparatus in which the exploder is raised by the action of levers and cams
upon a pin that crosses through the exploder. This is efficient in placing the torpedo
in position and in removing the same when the danger signal is lowered or
removed. It, however, sometimes happens that the attendant lowers the danger
signal while a train is passing along at the place where the torpedo signal is located.
Under these circumstances there is a risk of injury to the apparatus in consequence
of a car wheel running over the exploder at the time the same is raised by the
levers o; and cams 81 on the slide m. in the aforesaid patent, the result of which is
that the cam levers are bent or broken. To overcome this difficulty I make the
exploder with a central recess containing an expansive spring above and acting
upon the cross-pin, said spring being sufficiently strong to sustain the weight of
the exploder, hence if a wheel passes over the exploder at the time it is raised the
exploder will be forced down, but the levers for raising the same will not be
injured because the aforesaid spring yields and allows the cross-pin to remain in
an elevated position.
Another source of difficulty in torpedo signals arises from the fact that the car
wheels frequently become channeled by rolling upon the rails, so that the outer
portion of the wheel is similar to a flange that extends down below the level of the
rail, hence the torpedo exploder, if lowered sufficiently to be out of the way of
injury from old wheels of this character would be too low to be acted upon by the
ordinary car or locomotive wheels.
To avoid this difficulty I hang the torpedo signal apparatus in a frame beneath
which is a stiff but adjustable spring that will yield to the passing of an old wheel
with a projecting flange as aforesaid, so that the torpedo apparatus will not be
injured, but it will be again raised to its normal position where it can be acted
upon by the wheels of the locomotive in passing over the same.
In the drawing
Fig. 1. is a section of the signal, longitudinally, with my improvements applied
thereto.
Fig. 2. is a plan view of the apparatus with the cover removed, the exploder
being in section.
Fig. 3. is a cross section representing the spring that holds up the torpedo
apparatus and the connecting devices to the rail, and
Fig. 4. is a plan of the cap for the torpedo holder.
The anvil b. slide m. cap or cover c. and levers o., are the same as in the aforesaid
patent and a reference is hereby made to the same for a description of the
construction and mode of operation.
..1
The exploder r. and cross-pin t. are for the same purpose and operate in the same
manner as set forth in said patent. I, however, make the exploder r. hollow or in

page_text: two pieces so as to introduce a spring r¹ above the cross-pin t. I prefer to make
the cap-piece which covers the opening containing the spring removable so as to
be slipped into a dove-tailed recess and held by a screw, and the holes through
which the cross-pin t. passes are made as vertical slots so that the pin t. may
remain in an elevated position as raised by the levers o. without interfering with
the downward movement of the exploder r. should a wheel pass over the same
while in this position, the spring yielding as the exploder is depressed.
It is to be understood that this spring will only come into action in cases where
the torpedo signal is being moved in one direction or the other during the passage
of a train, and that it prevents the pin t. being broken or the levers o. broken or bent.
At the rear end of the base a. a joint piece a¹ is cast and this is united by a pin
to the frame B. and at the end of this frame adjacent to the rail f. there is an
Ushaped flange or bearing piece L. between which the anvil portion b. of the
torpedo signal is received and there is a spring E upon which such anvil rests, the
said spring being between the anvil and the frame B. The bolt H. that passes up
freely through a hole in the frame B. is screwed into a hole in the under side of
the anvil b. and there are nuts.k. upon the lower end of this bolt H. The frame B.
is attached to the rail f. in manner hereafter described and the adjustment of the
nuts K. is to be such that the spring E will not raise the torpedo signal apparatus
too high and hence the ordinary wheels of an engine or car will not press the
exploder down too far and the strength of the spring E. is such that it will hold
up such torpedo signal and cause the explosion of a torpedo should there be one
beneath the exploder r. at the time a train passes, but should an old defective
wheel with an external flange as aforesaid pass over the exploder, the whole of
the signal apparatus will be swung upon the joint a¹ and the spring E. will be
compressed without injury to any of the parts of the apparatus.
The Ushaped bearing piece L. is to be permanently connected with the rail f.
and for this purpose I prefer and use the bolts M passing through holes in the
bearing piece L. and across beneath the rail and also through the clip pieces O
and P. which are formed with hooks to grasp the flange of the rail f. and it is
preferable to make the clip pieces O. in the form of brackets that extend down in
front of the U shaped bearing pieces L.
By making the holes in the said bearing pieces L. elongated, the parts can be
adjusted for different hights of rails f. and there should be washers Qbeneath the
heads of the bolts M. so as to securely clamp the bearing pieces L. and the clip
pieces O. P. together.
Adjusting screws may be applied as at T. through the lower portions of the clip
pieces O. P. to act against the underside of the rail f.
The cover . which covers the magazine containing the torpedoes i. is provided
with projections l' at opposite sides one of which passes beneath a lug 12 upon the
top of the cap-plate c. and the other projection passes beneath a notched flange 19
also on the top of the cap c. The cover l. has also a flange and these flanges 1³
and are perforated for the reception of the hasp of a padlock.
The cover l. receives a partial turning motion to connect or disconnect the lugs
when being opened or closed.
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. The combination with the levers o. slide m. cross-pin t. and exploder r. in
a torpedo railway signal, of the spring within the exploder and acting against 5
the cross-pin t. to sustain the weight of the exploder and to allow the yielding
movement, substantially as set forth.
Second. In combination with the torpedo railway signal, of a frame to which the
rear end of the base of the torpedo signal is hinged, a spring between the said
frame and the anvil of the torpedo signal and clip pieces and bolts for connecting 5
the parts to the rail, substantially as set forth.

page_text: Third. The frame B. having an U shaped bearing piece L. at one end thereof,
in combination with the base A. of the torpedo signal, the spring E. between the
frame and the under side of the anvil, the bolt H. passing through the frame and
into the anvil, and the nuts upon the said bolt for adjusting the parts, substantially
as set forth.
Fourth. The combination with the torpedo signal and the frame to which it is
hinged, of a spring between the frame and the anvil of the torpedo signal, the clip
pieces O. P. and the bolts M. substantially as set forth.
Fifth. In combination with the magazine, the cover l. having the projections l'
and flange and the lugs and 13 upon the cap c. substantially as set forth.
BREWER & SON,
For the Applicant.