AN APPARATUS FOR THE SELF-ADJUSTING OF ALL KINDS OF RAILWAY SIGNAL AND OTHER WIRES."
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Ledbrook and James Henry Mills, both
of Snow Hill Station, Great Western Railway, Birmingham, in the
County of Warwick, Inspectors, for the Invention of "AN APPARATUS
FOR THE SELF-ADJUSTING OF ALL KINDS OF RAILWAY SIGNAL AND OTHER
WIRES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Ledbrook
and James Henry Mills at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 6th February 1874.
We, JOHN LEDBROOK and JAMES HENRY MILLS, both of Snow Hill
Station, Great Western Railway, Birmingham, in the County of.
Warwick, Inspectors, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "AN APPARATUS FOR THE SELF-ADJUSTING OF ALL KINDS OF RAILWAY
SIGNAL AND OTHER WIRES," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object the arrangement and construction of
an apparatus for the self-adjusting of all kinds of railway signal and

page_text: We will describe our Invention as applied to an ordinary signal wire
or chain. The wire or chain is attached to both ends of a metal slide or
bar perforated with closely drilled holes or dentated or notched, into
which a grapnel, which is attached to a lever and furnished with teeth
or with one or more studs drops down an inclined plane, at once securing
the slide or bar by pulling the lever over, thus shewing an "all-right"
signal. After the passing of a train or when the "danger" signal is
required the lever is reversed and the grapnel thus forced along a
groove until it detaches itself from the slide or bar by running on
rollers up an inclined plane; the wire then adjusts itself by a back
weight or spring.
When the wire is not in actual use it is detached from the lever by
which it is worked, during which time should the wire expand or
contract with the variation of the atmosphere it adjusts itself by means
of the back weight or spring.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Ledbrook and James Henry Mills in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 6th August 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOHN
LEDBROOK and JAMES HENRY MILLS, both of Snow Hill Station, Great
Western Railway, Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Inspectors,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of February, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the thirty- 2
seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto us, the said John Ledbrook and James Henry
Mills, Her special license that we, the said John Ledbrook and
James Henry Mills, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as we, the said John Ledbrook and James Henry Mills, our a
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
.

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
The wire or chain A is attached to both ends of a metal slide or bar L
perforated with closely drilled holes or dentated or notched, into which
a grapnel B is made to fit. This grapnel is fastened to one or more
metal rods with or without metal cranks K, and by that means
attached to a lever, fixed either inside or outside the signalman's
cabin.
The grapnel B is made of metal and furnished with metal teeth or
with one or more metal studs. When the lever is moved a little the
grapnel B, which is jointed to the rod or rods K and fitted with rollers,
moves along an inclined plane E and at once drops into the perforated
or notched bar or slide L, and is kept there by means of the rollers
moving in a groove or between two metal guides C cast or fitted to a
metal case or box D. The lever being thus attached is pulled over to
the opposite side of the lever frame and an "all right". or " caution"
semaphore or other signal M is at once shewn. After the passing of a
train or when the "danger" signal is required the lever is reversed and
the grapnel B thus forced along the groove or between the guides C
until it detaches itself from the slide or bar by running on the rollers up
the inclined plane E. The lever being thus detached the signal wire or
chain becomes free, and should the wire or chain expand or contract
with the variations of temperature or from any other cause the wire or
chain adjusts itself by means of a weight or weights F attached to the
other end of the wire or chain A, running over or under or both over
and under one or more wheels H, the weight dropping into a wooden
or metal shoot or well or otherwise, as well understood. Or the
adjustment of the wire may be obtained by means of one or more
weights fastened to one or more cranked levers or by one or more springs
fixed near the signalman's cabin or between the cabin and the signal.
The apparatus can be fixed to any kind of metal, wood, stone, brick-
work, or other matter, either in a horizontal, vertical, or other position,
and on either side, or bottom upwards, as may be required.
Having thus described the nature of our said Invention and the
manner of carrying the same into effect, we would have it understood
that we do not confine ourselves to the precise details herein-before a
described and represented as the same may be varied without departing

page_text: from the nature of our Invention, neither do we claim any of the
mechanical parts separately; but what we claim is, the combined
apparatus herein-before described and represented in the accompanying
Drawing.
In witness whereof, we, the said John Ledbrook and James Henry
Mills, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Fourth day of
August, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and seventy-four.