Improvements in or relating to Railway Signalling.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Feb., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 5th Nov., 1892-Accepted, 31st Dec., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Railway Signalling.
I JOHN JAMES BOYLE, of Bundoran Junction Railway Station Kilskeery
Post Office, Coy. Tyrone, Ireland, Station Master, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in or relating to railway signalling and
has for its object to prevent an engine driver leaving a station with a train on
a single set of rails, and a signalman taking off the starting signal, until both
are in possession of the "train staff" or key for the section on to which the train
is proceeding.
The system of locking the points hitherto in use, consisted of attaching to
each starting signal a pair of run off points and the lever for setting the starting
signal to "all right," closed these points, so that when this signal was at "danger
the points would be open to run the train in to a siding or other place of safety.
The lever working the apparatus would be locked in the signal box, with a lock,
the key of which constituted the "staff" for the section to which the "starting
signal" applied.
Upon the train passing over the said points, the signalman had to pull the
lever home where it remained locked, with the points left open, until the "staff"
or key was procured to release the lever, a proceeding which had to be accom-
plished before any other work was done at the station. The objection to this
arrangement was that shunting could not be proceeded with owing to these points
being always open, but by my invention I provide a second lever to work the
"catch point," placed outside the signal box and worked by the shunter inde-
pendently of the lever, there in but controlled by a locking bar attached to a
lever inside the box.
This arrangement will enable the shunter to close the point for shunting
purposes, without interfering with the starting signal, but he must first obtain
leave from the signalman in the signal box; to do so, by the latter withdrawing the
locking-bar.
When the shunter has released his lever, it falls into its normal position, and
automatically opens the point, and not until then can the signalman place his
locking-bar lever in its normal position. By this arrangement it will be readily
seen that while shunting operations are in progress, no train can enter or leave
the station, because of the locking-bar lever being out of its normal position, and
all the signals in consequence being locked at "danger."
"staff"
At small stations intervening between two staff stations, and where no
is kept or crossing of trains allowed the facing points at such minor stations can
be locked on this principle, making the "staff," the real key of the line, as nothing
can be wrong on the line and no train can get on to it without the "staff."
My invention can be adapted to any
"staff" system.
Dated this 5th day of February 1892.
•

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Railway Signalling.
I JOHN JAMES BOYLE, of Bundoran Junction Railway Station, Kilskeery
Post Office, Coy. Tyrone, Ireland, Station Master, 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: -
My invention relates to improvements in the means for controlling trains on
railway lines and consists in providing a "run off" switch .attached to every
starting signal at every "staff" station on single lines and at every block station on
double lines, and operated from the signal cabin by the same lever which controls
the starting signal and which acts on this switch without being rivetted thereto.
A weight fixed to the said switch has for its object to keep it normally open.
For shunting purposes the switch is operated by a second lever arranged outside
the signal cabin and controlled by a locking bar in the cabin, thus enabling the
pointsman to close the point when a train is to be shunted without interfering with
the starting signal but only after the signalman has at his request withdrawn the
locking bar.
The above improvements will effectually remove the contingency whereby an
engine driver may leave a station with a train on a single line of rails or a signal-
man may open a starting signal allowing a driver to proceed without the train staff
or key for the section onto which the train is proceeding, being in the signalman's
possession. Moreover, collisions will be entirely avoided, a train not being allowed
to overhaul a preceding train or to meet with another train coming in an opposite
direction on a single line of rails, as well as collisions between trains crossing each
other at stations or junctions, which is a fruitful source of accidents.
In the accompanying drawings
Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4 are diagrammatic views illustrating my invention applied to a
line of rails a between two stations A and B.
Like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the figures.
A and B are two railway stations and S the starting signal for trains proceeding
from A to B. C is the signal cabin for A, fare the run off switches which are
open to the siding b (Figs. 1 and 3) and closed to the same in Figs. 2 and 4. 9 19
the weight fixed to the switches to keep them normally open, and a is a single line
open in Figs. 2 and 4 and closed in Figs. 1 and 3. Referring to Fig. 1a train
cannot proceed from A to B, the requisite staff or unlocking device not having
been delivered by the driver of the advancing train, so that it is clear that if a
driver leaves the station A without a staff or with the wrong staff he cannot
proceed beyond the starting signal S, thereby rendering collisions on single lines
impossible. When however the driver duly hands the train staff to the signalman
the latter can open the line a as shown in Fig. 2 by unlocking the lever e of the
starting signal after which he returns the staff to the driver and sets as usual his
lever to danger when the train has passed over the switches. The lever e runs
underneath the rails and is connected to a clip moving the switches but not rigidly
fastened thereto so that when the signalman relieves the pressure of the lever from
the points, the clip releases the points which are drawn back by the weight y in the
position shown in Fig. 1.
With reference to Figs. 3 and 4, an additional locking bar lever i is provided and
operated at in the cabin C, this lever being supported at its outer end by the iron
ring piece n carried by two posts as shown. is a shunting lever operated at m
and locked (Fig. 3) or unlocked (Fig. 4) by the said locking bar lever i in the
cabin. Fig. 3 shows the line a closed for shunting purposes, no staff having been
supplied. Fig. 4 shows the line a opened for this purpose although no staff is in
the signal cabin, the signalman in this case having unlocked by request the
shunting lever at l' by withdrawing the locking bar lever i, but he cannot lower

page_text: any signal for trains to arrive or depart until the shunter returns this lever to its
normal position, the signals being locked at danger by the locking bar lever i, the
shunting can therefore proceed while the starting signal is at danger.
As an extra precaution the driver of the shunting engine may be required to
carry the train staff for the section ahead.
My improved means may be applied to home as well as distant signals in double
as well as single railway lines. The above mentioned train staff may be of any
suitable construction either unlocking by mechanical or electrical means.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I.
claim is :-
1. In means for controlling trains on single railway lines the combination with
a starting signal operated from a signal cabin of run off switches leading to a
siding and normally held open by a weight and closed by the lever actuating the
said signal whenever a suitable unlocking device is handed to the signalman in
the cabin by the driver of an incoming train, substantially as herein described
and shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings.
2. In means for controlling trains on railway lines such as above claimed the
combination for shunting purposes of a locking bar lever for locking and unlocking
the switches of a siding operated from the signal cabin with a starting signal, while
the signal remains at danger on the line, substantially as herein described and
shown in Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawings.
Dated this 5th day of November 1892.
HUGHES, SON & Co.,
38, Chancery Lane, London, Agents for the Applicant.