IMPROVEMENTS IN COM- MUNICATION BETWEEN PASSENGERS, GUARD, AND ENGINE DRIVER OR EITHER. OF THEM
Year: 1870

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by John Bowrah at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 3rd March
1870.
I, JOHN BOWRAH, of Portsmouth, in the County of Hants, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN COM-
MUNICATION BETWEEN PASSENGERS, GUARD, AND ENGINE DRIVER OR EITHER. OF
THEM," to be as follows:-
:-
My improvements consist in mechanical means of intercommuni-
cation whereby the passengers in any compartment of the train
may communicate with either guard, or engine driver, or both, while
at the same time guard and engine driver may communicate by the
same means.
The principal feature of my Invention is a cord, wire, or rope
extending the whole length of the outside top of the carriages out of
reach of the passengers with means of attachment between carriage

page_text: and carriage by spring hooks or other suitable means. A bell or
alarum is placed on the engine, and in the brake van or on the engine
only, so as to be acted upon by a hammer or other striking apparatus
pulled by the cord or wire. In each compartment or between each
two compartments of the carriages is fitted an apparatus for the
passengers to act upon the said cord when unlocked for use by pulling
or drawing vertically a bolt or knob protruding on the inside of the
roof of the carriage.
The apparatus is arranged in a-box-on-the-top-of the carriage, and
consists of the said bolt, which by preference is round, and has a loop of
wire attached to its upper end; this loop passes over and lays hold of
one arm of a bell crank, the opposite arm of which is connected to a
spring by preference of india-rubber, the tendency of which is to keep
the bolt in its raised position. An outer continuation of the spindle on
which the bell crank is fixed carries a disc serving as a signal to indicate
the compartment from whence the apparatus has been actuated. The
communication cord or rope passes freely through a hole in the aforesaid
bolt, so that the same may be pulled by the guard independent of the
apparatus at each compartment or between each two compartments for
the use of the passengers. A small guide pulley is fixed against the
bolt, fore and aft, serving to carry the communication cord. These
pulleys run in suitable brackets. A ring or socket fits round the bolt,
passing through the roof of the carriage; this ring being raised above
the same keeps any wet or dirt from entering the carriage through
the bolt hole, the box containing the apparatus having a cover. for
the same purpose. The bolt should be prevented from turning in
its socket. I prefer to make it round and groove it out on each
side, and letting the said guide pulleys fit with their flanges in the
said grooves.
The locking of the apparatus so as to prevent its
being used by the passengers (without at the same time preventing
its use by the guard) is effected by suitable arrangement for pre-
venting the spindle of the bell crank and signal from turning, such as a
bolt or staple.
The action of the apparatus is as follows:-The passenger pulling
down the knob end of the bolt pulls the one arm of the bell crank
down so far that the wire loop slips off the same, the action of
the spring keeping it in a position vertical to that before, thus turning

page_text: the signal half round. At the same time the communication rope
passing through the bolt is pulled so as to act upon one or more
alarums, or gongs, or other suitable means of attracting the attention
of guard, driver, or both. To set the apparatus again the bell crank has
to be turned back to its former position, and the wire loop slipped over
its end again.