Improvements in Railway Signalling Apparatus.
Year: 1894

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Railway Signalling Apparatus.
I, ARTHUR GREGORY. of 67, Appian Road, Old Ford, London, Gentleman,
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:-
This invention relates to improvements in railway signalling apparatus of the
kind wherein a horizontal bar is raised or lowered so as to act upon a pivoted roller
carried by the locomotive thereby causing an audible signal to be sounded, and has
for its object to dispense with the use of ordinary fog-signals and to actuate the
signals in a more efficient and reliable manner. For this purpose I fix upon one
side of the line, contiguous to the signal post, a series of boxes containing frames
to which are pivoted counterweighted levers connected at their outer ends to a long
horizontal bar or bearing rail, upon which travels a roller carried by a lever pivoted
to each side of the locomotive, when the said bar is raised by means of outside
levers and chains or wires actuated from the signal box. The roller levers are.
connected by rods and arms to a horizontal shaft supported in bearings across the
front plate of the cab or shelter of the locomotive, and this shaft carries an arm
whose free end enters a slot formed in a vertical slide connected by a lever to.
the whistle, so as to cause the latter to sound when the vertical slide is drawn
down.
The lower end of the slide carries a pivoted lever one arm of which bears against
the lower edge of the arm carried by the shaft so that when the latter is operated
it causes the arm to force down the pivoted lever and consequently the slide. As
long as the slide is down the whistle is sounding but should it be desired to stop the
whistle, the pivoted lever is turned on its axis so as to free it from the aforesaid 'arm
thus permitting the slide to rise by means of a spring attached thereto, and shutting
off steam from the whistle. I also fix three separate boxes containing frames to the
side of the line, one close to the long horizontal bar, the second about 50 yards in
front of the first and the third about 10 yards in front of the second. To the fixed
frames of these boxes are pivoted counterbalanced levers connected to a short
horizontal bar which latter is operated in a similar manner to the long horizontal
bar but in their normal or "danger" position they are raised whilst the latter is in
its lowest position.
Referring to the accompanying two sheets of drawings
Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view in side elevation of my improved signalling
apparatus and Fig. 2 is a plan thereof.
Figs. 3, 4, & 5, are respectively an end view partly in section, a side elevation
and a plan of my improved apparatus for operating the long horizontal bar.
Fig. 6 is a side elevation and Fig. 7 a cross section showing the mechanism for
operating one of the short horizontal bars.
Fig. 8 is a side view of the fixed frame of the box containing said mechanism,
Fig. 9 is a cross section thereof on line of Fig. 8 and Fig. 10 is a plan of the
said box.
Figs. 11, 12, and 13 are views showing the whistle operating mechanism.
a is an ordinary signal post and the lines or permanent way. c is a series of
boxes supported by the plate or frame c' and containing fixed frames the frames c¹
being secured to the sleepers on the side of the line and contiguous to the signal
post a. The levers d are pivoted at d to the fixed frames which form the upper
part of the frame c' and are provided with counterweights as shown in Fig. 4 in
which one side of two of the boxes is removed. The levers d are each pivoted at

page_text: с
their outer ends to the long horizontal bar e and they are operated by means of the
counterbalanced levers f from the signal box, the mechanism for effecting which is
carried in two of the boxes e made larger for this purpose as shown. The levers f
are each fixed to a shaft fl which actuates a lever connected by a short arm or
link to the counterweight d', the said levers, wires &c. being to the outside of
the line so as to be clear of the trains. The signal wire w is connected to the
lever g pivoted to the bracket g' and this lever actuates the double armed lever g*
the upper arm of which is connected by the wire to the levers f. The
locomotive his provided with two levers i pivoted one on each side thereof at i¹ to
the frame and each carrying a roller ². The other end of each lever is connected
by a rod to a pivoted arm i for actuating the whistle k.
The mechanism for actuating the short horizontal bars placed by the side of the
line at various distances in advance of the long horizontal bar as shown in Figs. 6
& 7 consists of two levers m pivoted at m' to the fixed frame of the box land
provided with counterweights m² m². The counterbalanced levers o actuate the
mechanism in a similar manner to the levers f being connected to a shaft o' which
actuates the lever o' attached to the counterweight m² by the link o³, the lever o
being connected to the lower end of the lever g' by the wire w². The upper ends
of the levers m are pivoted to the short horizontal bars p to raise or lower them
as required. The box is constructed in a similar manner to the boxes C, viz.:
being composed of removable sides and 1, the latter being fixed by means of
tongues or catches bearing against the inside of the frames and turned by
handles, the said sides forming a box or cover for protecting the mechanism
from snow, dirt or the like. The mechanism for operating the whistle shown in
Figs. 11 to 13 consists of a horizontal shaft carried in brackets q' fixed to the
front plate of the locomotive cab. To the shaft q is fixed an arm r the free end
of which enters the slot s¹ formed in the vertical slides supported in bearings s
and provided with a spring . The slide actuates a lever t connected to the
whistle and to the lower end thereof is pivoted at u' a double armed lever u the
upper arm of which bears, in its operating position, against the lower edge of
the arm r.
"
In the normal position of the apparatus that is when the signal is in its "danger
position each of the short horizontal bars p is in its raised position, as shown in
Figs. 1, 6, & 7, in which position it is kept by the weights m³, m³ whilst the long
horizontal bar e is in its lowest position, being kept in such position by its own
weight. If now a train comes along in the direction of the arrow Figs. 1 & 2,
the roller will come into contact with and travel over the bar p until the said
roller leaves it, the bar being formed with an incline at each end for this purpose.
The roller being thereby raised draws down the rod and actuates the shaft g so
as to depress the outer end of the arm r which bearing upon the top of the lever u
pushes it and consequently the slides down thus actuating the lever t and causing
the whistle to sound. As soon as the roller leaves the bar p it reverses the action
of the mechanism, permitting of the slides being raised by the spring & and so
allowing the steam to be shut off from the whistle. Upon a train approaching
when the signal is at danger, the engine driver hearing two reports in quick
succession caused by the two raised bars pl p³ (Fig. 2) immediately slows down
until reaching the raised bar p when the whistle is again sounded, upon which he
stops the train, the roller being at this time immediately over the long bar e but
as soon as the signal is lowered the said long bar is raised which action likewise
raises the roller and so causes the whistle to sound. This is the signal for the
driver to go on, the whistle continuing to sound until the roller has left the long
bar e, or should the driver wish to cut short the whistle when travelling over the
bar e or disconnect it for any reason, he pulls the lever u into the position shown in
dotted lines in Fig. 12 thus permitting the slides to rise and to shut off the whistle;
If the
the driver can then operate the whistle himself by pulling down the slide s.
signal should be in the "safety" or lowered position when the train arrives at the
first bar p, the latter, as well as the two succeeding ones, being in their lowered

page_text: position as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 6 the whistle will not be sounded and the
driver knows he may proceed, but the long bar e being in its raised position will
cause a prolonged whistle as the locomotive passes over it, thus indicating that the
signal is in its "safety" or all-right position, and also telling the driver that he has.
passed the semaphore.
The counter weights m³ & m³ are so arranged as to bring the parts into.
their "danger or normal position should any of the signal wires or connections
break.
"
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 -
1. The improved railway signalling apparatus combined, arranged and operating
substantially as herein described and shown and for the purposes specified.
2. In railway signalling apparatus the combination of the long horizontal
bar e and the short horizontal bars p, p¹ and p³ for sounding an audible signal
substantially as described and shown in the drawings.
3. The combination of the above claimed bar e, boxes c counterbalanced levers d
and f, the lever f' and the link f³ substantially as described and for the purposes.
specified.
4. The combination of the above claimed bars p, p¹ and p², the boxes and
the counterbalanced levers m substantially as described and for the purposes.
specified.
5. In railway signalling apparatus the audible signalling mechanism substantially
as described and shown in Figs, 11, 12, and 13, of the drawings.
ום
1
A1 1
C
1004
F. G. CASSELL,
Of Cassell & Co.,
22, Glasshouse Street, Regent Street, London, W.,
Agent for the Applicant.