IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR SIGNALLING ON RAILWAYS BY DAY. AND NIGHT
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Young, of Knaresboro', in the County of
York, Watchmaker, for the Invention of "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR
SIGNALLING ON RAILWAYS BY DAY. AND NIGHT."
Sealed the 25th September 1858, and dated the 25th March 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Young at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 25th
March 1858.
I, JAMES YOUNG, of Knaresbro', in the County of York, Watchmaker, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR
SIGNALLING ON RAILWAYS BY DAY AND NIGHT," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists of certain ready and efficacious means of warning
the engine driver of a train not to advance to the railway station, or that an
accident has happened to a preceding train on the line, or that it is otherwise
dangerous to proceed further. For this purpose an alarum may be attached
to each engine, and connected to an upright shaft fixed at the outside of the
weather-board, and raised by coming in contact with a vertical lever which is
placed at a suitable distance from a railway station, such lever being elevated
with a wire rope worked by a lever at the station. These vertical levers may
be arranged along the line with wire ropes attached, so that when an accident
occurs the ropes may be drawn and the lever or levers elevated by the guard,
and danger signals be thus given to succeeding trains; a succession of these

page_text: apparatus being fixed all along the line. Instead of actuating the alarum
only, the upright shaft may be caused to operate upon the whistle, or it may
be connected to both alarum and whistle, and fitted on both sides of the
engine, or the upright shaft may be dispensed with, and a crank attached to
the side of the engine, which on being acted upon by the vertical lever at the
side of the line, would cause the whistle and alarum to sound.
I fix the alarum on the side of the weather-board with a suitable bracket;
from the alarum a cross. bar is carried over the top of the weather-board, this
bar being connected to the upright shaft which is attached to the weather-
board by means of two brackets screwed to it, one above the other; the
bottom bracket has a circular hole in it, and the top one a square hole, the
shaft being formed in a similar manner to fit these holes, and through them
it rises or falls; it is also provided with a collar or shoulder, which rests on
the bottom bracket, the portion below the collar working up and down
through the hole which is in the bracket. The upright shaft is fixed so as to
project outside of the line of rails. A piece of iron, oval-shaped at the bottoin
and flat at the top, is fixed to the bottom of this shaft; at its upper end a cross
bar is attached, which keeps down the rod of the alarum and prevents it going
off. The alarum being kept wound up, on the shaft being raised it gives a
signal, the raising of the shaft being effected by its coming in contact with a
lever, which is vertical, or nearly so, placed at the side of the line of rails.
Between the two brackets, parallel with the upright shaft and attached to the
weather-board at its lower surface, a long spring is fixed, which at its top end
has a collar or shoulder; a little way down this spring a groove is cut, which
fits a tooth on the upright shaft; this shaft being down, resting on the bottom
bracket, the cross bar of the alarum is kept down, but on the shaft being
raised the tooth on its surface passes into the notch in the spring, and the
alarum runs down and gives a signal. When the shaft is to be lowered again,
the spring is drawn back, and the upright shaft falls to its original position,
the spring being fixed to the weather-board at its lower part. The vertical
levers which are placed at the side of the line are fitted in a frame; on the
shaft of the lever a pulley is fixed, which has a counterbalance weight attached,
to ensure the lever being down under ordinary circumstances,. when it is
not required to be elevated'; the lever at the railway station or other, part of
the line by which the wire rope is actuated is placed in a quadrant, and a pin
is inserted to keep the quadrant in position. I reserve to myself the right to
vary the details of
my
Invention.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Young in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 25th
September 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
YOUNG, of Knaresboro', in the County of York, Watchmaker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-first year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said James Young, Her special licence that I, the said James Young,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said James
Young, 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 SIGNALLING ON
RAILWAYS BY DAY AND NIGHT," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said James Young, 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 Invention, 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said James Young, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
My Invention.consists of certain ready and efficacious means of warning the
engine driver not to advance to the railway station, or that an accident has
happened to a preceding train on the line, or that it is otherwise dangerous to
proceed further. For this purpose an alarum may be attached to each engine,
and connected to an upright shaft fixed at the outside of the weather-board, and
is raised by coming in contact with a vertical lever which is placed at a suitable
distance from a railway station, such lever being elevated with a wire rope
worked by a lever at the station. These vertical levers may be arranged along
the line with wire ropes attached, so that when an accident occurs the ropes
may be drawn and the lever or levers elevated by the guard, and danger signals
be thus given to succeeding trains; a succession of these apparatus being fixed

page_text: all along the line; instead of actuating the alarum only, the upright shaft may
be caused to operate upon the whistle, or it may be connected to both alarum
and whistle, and fitted on both sides of the engine, or the upright shaft may be
dispensed with, and a crank attached to the side of the engine, which on being
acted upon by the vertical lever at the side of the line, would cause the whistle
and alarum to sound.
I fix the alarum on the inside of the weather-board with a suitable bracket;
from the alarum a cross bar is carried over the top of the weather-board, this
bar being connected to the upright shaft which is attached to the weather-
board by means of two brackets screwed to it, one above the other; the bottom
bracket has a circular hole in it, and the top one a square hole, the shaft being
formed in a similar manner to fit these holes, and through them it rises or
falls; it is also provided with a collar or shoulder which rests on the bottom
bracket, the portion below the collar working up and down through the hole
which is in the bracket. The upright shaft is fixed so as to project outside of
the line of rails. A piece of iron, oval-shaped at the bottom and flat at
the top, is fixed to the bottom of this shaft; at its upper end a cross bar iş
attached, which keeps down the rod of the alarum and prevents it going off.
The alarum being kept wound up, on the shaft being raised it gives a signal;
the raising of the shaft being effected by its coming in contact with a lever,
which is vertical, or nearly so, placed close to the side of the line of rails.
Between the two brackets, parallel with the upright shaft and attached to the
weather-board at its lower surface, a long spring is fixed, which at its top end
has a collar or shoulder; a little way down this spring a groove is cut, which
fits a tooth on the upright shaft; this shaft being down, resting on the bottom
bracket, the cross bar of the alarum is kept down, but on the shaft being raised
the tooth on its surface passes into the notch in the spring, and the alarum
runs down and gives a signal. When the shaft is to be lowered again, the
spring is drawn back and the upright shaft falls to its original position, the
spring being fixed to the weather-board at its lower part. The vertical levers
which are placed at the side of the line are fitted in a frame; on the shaft of
'the lever a pulley is fixed, which has a counterbalance weight attached to
ensure the lever being down: under ordinary circumstances, when it is not
required to be elevated, the lever at the railway station or other part of the
line by which the wire rope is actuated is placed in a quadrant, and a pin is
inserted to keep the quadrant in position.
The side levers may be placed between a double line of rails, and so as to
act by a train travelling on either line. The wire rope for actuating the levers
may be fitted with pieces of chain at a distance of every one or two hundred

page_text: yards, and provided with a ring. To the post near to the chains is fixed a
small hook, which taking or hooking into the ring raises the lever and keeps
it in that position. I fix a lever or crank to the brackets where the wires
work at the other side of the post; the side of the lever may be painted red to
indicate danger when raised.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and how the same is to
be performed, I wish it to be understood that I claim the mode of signalling on
railways herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Young, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this 25 day of Sept', in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and fifty-eight.
(L.S.) JAMES YOUNG.