OF COLLISIONS ON RAILWAYS."
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Frederick Lackersteen, of 7, Young Street,
Kensington Square, for the Invention of
OF COLLISIONS ON RAILWAYS."
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PREVENTION
Sealed the 24th June 1856, and dated the 3rd January 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Frederick Lackersteen
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
3rd January 1856.
1. JAMES FREDERICK LACKERSTEEN, of, Young Street. Kensington Square, do
hereby declare the nature of the Invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PREVENTION
OF COLLISIONS ON RAILWAYS." to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in laying down pipes along a line of railway to contain
water, which, to prevent freezing, contains a solution of salt. At the end of each
pipe is a piston or instrunient in connection with an incline, which being pressed
down or moved by an instrument on the locomotive or other carriage of a passing
train displaces the water, and drives it to the other end of the pipe, where it acts
on a piston or instrument also connected with an incline.
The apparatus will, after being acted on at one end, remain in position till the
Train passes over the other end of the pipe and acts on the incline at that end,
which will cause the water to be driven back in the pipe, and at the same time, by
arting on the piston or instrument at that end, put the incline at the first-
mentioned end in a.condition to be again similarly acted on by the next train. In
addifion to the inclines or other suitable instruments to be acted on by the passing
trains, there is at each end of a pipe, another instrumient which is moved into a
position to come in contact with an instrument (in connection with the throttle
valve of the locomotive engine) in such manner.as to cut off the steam from the
engine of a train, and also, if desired, to put on the breaks. By which arrangement
of apparatus, and by having such pipes of two. three..or more miles in length, a
second train passing over the same line of, railway will by the apparatus. have the-
steam cut off from the engine, and also. if désired, have the breaks put on unless
the previous train, has passed over or arrived at a distance of two. three. or more
miles, according to the length of the pipes used. By similar arrangements in
connection with the same apparatus, one frain is prevented from coming against
another train from opposite directions on the same line of rails.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed by
the said James Frederick Lackersteen in the tireat Seal Patent Office on the
3rd July 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME. 1, JAMES
FREDERICK LACKERSTEEN, of 7, Young Street, Kensington Square. send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Leiters
Patent, hearing date the Third day of January, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the nineteenth year of ller reign, did,
for Herself. Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said James
Frederick Lackersteen, Her special licence that 1, the said James Frederick
Lackersteen. my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others us 1, the
said James Frederick Lackersteen. 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 THE
PREVENTION OF COLLISIONS ON RAILWAYS," upon the condition (amongst others)
that 1. the said James Frederick Lackersteen, my executors or administrators. hy
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 Frederick Lackersteen, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention and, in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say:-
This Invention consists of laying down pipes along a line of railway to contain
water, which, to prevent freezing, contains a solution of salt. At the end of each
pipe is a piston or instrument in connection with an incline, which being pressed
down or moved by an instrument on the locomotive or other carriage of a passing
train displaces the water, and drives it to the other end of the pipe. where it acts
on a piston or instrument also connected with an incline.
after being acted on at one end, remain in position till the train passes over the
The apparatus will,
other end of the pipe and acts on the incline at that end, which will cause the
water to be driven back in the pipe, and at the same time. hy acting on the piston
or instrument at that end. put the incline at the first-mentioned end in a condition
to be again similarly acted on by the next train.
In addition to the inclines or other suitable instruments to be acted on by the
passing trains, there is at each end of a pipe another instrument, which is moved
into a position to come in contact with an instrument (in connection with the
throttle valve of the locomotive engine) in such manner as to cut off the steam from
the engines of a train, and also, if desired. to put on the brakes.
arrangement of apparatus, and by having such pipes of two, three, or more miles in
By which
length, a second train passing over the same line of railway will, by the apparatus
have the steam cut off from the engine, unless the previous train has passed over
or arrived at a distance of two, three, or more miles, according to the length of the
pipes used.
By similar arrangements in connection with the same apparatus, one frain is
prevented from coming against another train from opposite directions on the same
line of rails.

page_text: And in order that my Invention may be fully understood and readily carried out,
I will proceed to describe the means I propose to adopt.
Figure 1 in Drawing No. 1 shows the elevation of engine and railway, A and 13
representing two cylinders or hydraulic pumps fitted with watertight plungers or
plugs and connected to each end of a tube or pipe of about three miles in length
(section of pump shown at A). The tube or pipe is filled with water, which, to
prevent freezing. contains a solution of salt. The quantity of water is so regulated
as to admit of one plunger being up when the other is down, and the bottom of
both the plungers being always in contact with the water, and consequently one
cylinder always contains water when the plunger of the other cylinder is pressed
down. The plungers or pistons are prevented from being driven oui beyond a
certain distance from the cylinders by any sudden action of the water in the pipe
against them by suitable means. Each of these plungers has a lever attached to it
forming an incline plane, as also shewn in Figure 1, working in fulcrum in bearing H.
These levers are acted upon by another lever or instrument projecting from any
convenient part of the engine or other carriage of a passing train, as shown at D,
Figure 1. The arrow in the Drawing shows the direction of the train, and the
lever D is shown us acting upon the incline plane and plunger B. having in the
passage of the train from A to B previously acied in a similar manner upon the
incline plane and plunger at A. and put them in the position as indicated by
the dotted line at A, when at the same time the action of the plunger A on
the water in the pipe having caused the incline plane and plunger B to be put in
the position as indicated by the dotted line at B. The action of the engine lever D is
now shown in the Drawing as having acted on the incline and plunger B. and which
has caused the water in the pipe to put the plunger and incline A in a condition
to be again similarly acted on by the engine of the next passing train, and so on.
The engine lever D acts in succession on the inclines and plungers at the ends of
pipes placed all along a line of railway at certain distances from each other.
Figure 2 is an end elevation of pump A, showing another lever attached to top
of plunger, which lever has its fulcrum at M, so that when the plunger A is down
the end of the lever L is raised up a certain distance, as shown by the dotted
line, and rier versa.
Figure is an end elevation of pump B. shewing a projecting bar Nattached
horizontally to top of plunger in such manner as to be raised up, so that the end. O
of the horizontal bar & may rise the same height as the end of the lever Lin
pump A. when the plunger A is pressed down, and rice versa. The ends 0, 0, of
the levers 1. and point in opposite directions on each side of the pipe. better
shown in Figure 4. which is a plun showing a portion of a single line of railway, and
the pumps A and B., with pipes and levers attached, and in which is also shown the
pipe C. which is a branch from the main pipe to any convenient distance, either
between or outside the rails, and provided with suitable apparatus to make up for
any deficiency of water that may be in the pipe between the pumps, and which
branch Call a compensating pipe. Two lines of pipes are shown side by side in
this plan, the object of which double line of pipes will be described hereafter.
I will now explain the action of a passing train on the apparatus already
described. Suppose by any accident a train was stopped on any portion of the line.
say, for instance, between A and B: The incline and plunger A. having been
pressed down by the lever D of the engine, which has just passed over it has raised
the end of the lever L, and brought it into such a position as to come in contact
with the stopping gear or lever E of a following train, as shown in engine. Figure 1.
This stopping gear is merely an arrangement of levers to act on the stop or throttle
valve, to shut off the steam from the engines. and is shewn in such a position as to
come in contact with the end of the lever L. and the dotted lines show the
position of stopping gear of the shutting off the steam. The action of the stop
valve is communicated by the rod P. as shewn in Figure 1, which may also be
made to act at the same time on the lever G of four-way cock of the steam brake.

page_text: to more effectually stop the train by applying the brakes at the same time when
the steam is shut off from the cylinders, as shown in Figure S, Drawing No. 2.
I prefer this stop valve being an independent one, and placed between the one the
engine driver uses and the cylinders. By this arrangement it will be plainly scen
that the engine of a following train will have its steam shut off from the cylinders,
and the brukes applied, by its stopping gear E coming in contact with the end
of the lever L on plunger and incline A, and thereby a collision will be prevented.
In the same manner collision will also be prevented from one train coming against
another train from opposite directions on the same line of rails, by the stopping
gear of the engine of one of the trains coming in contact with the end of the
horizontal bar Non plunger and incline B. But if a train should happen to break
down, or if by any accident be stopped just after it has passed over the incline and
plunger A, putting the lever L in action; and although the stopping gear E of the
engine of a following train coming in contact with the end of the lever L, and
thereby having its steam shut off, yet a collision might take place by the momentum
of the following train being sufficient to carry it over the short distance between A
and the preceding train.
:
In the same way it will be seen that a collision might take place if a train
happens to break down just after passing the incline and plunger B. In order to
prevent one train from overtaking another, or a collision from taking place on any
portion of the line, I adopt a double line of pipes on each line of railway as shewn
in Drawing No. 2 in Figure 5, which is a plan of a double line of railway, showing
the pipes and pumps with their levers and horizontal bars pointing in opposite
directions on each side of the pipes. These pipes are placed between the rails,
either on the sleepers or otherwise, in lengths of three miles between the pumps,
as before mentioned; and between every two of these lengths of pipes of three
miles each there is a space left of the distance of one mile, as shown in the
Drawing. It will be clearly seen by this arrangement that as all the pipes
employed are of equal length (three miles), they in a manner may be said to break
joint at the distance of every mile, that is to say. there is an incline and plunger,
with its lever or horizontal bar attached, placed at a mile from each other, couse-
quently collision, as above described, cannot however occur when this arrangement
of double pipes is used, when it will be seen the alternate action of the plungers
and connections forms a check at every mile to any engine following another at onc
mile distance. Figure 9 is elevation and plan of lever 1, to be fixed on the engine
as shown in Figure 1. It carries a friction roller of sufficient width to bear on the
inclines and plungers of double line of pipes. This lever D is fixed to the engine
by a joint or hinge, in such manner as to act on the inclines and plungers only
when the engine is going forward, but when the engine is barked the lever D in
coming in contact with the ends of the inclines or plungers will yield or rise
without acting on them. In Figure 5 it will also be seen that the double line of
pipes, with all their connections, are placed at a certain distance from the centre to
one side between the rails of each line of railway, so that should it be necessary
for an engine to pass down the up line, or rice versa. it will pass clear of all
obstructions from the inclines or plungers: but the lever E or the stopping gear of
the engine can only be acted on by the end 0 of the horizontal bar N. when the
plunger B is put in action by a train coming in opposite directions on the same line
of rails.
These
In Figure 6 is represented an elevation of single line of pipes. in order more
clearly to explain the general arrangement of pipes, inclines, plungers, &c., and the
direction of the train." The plan in this Figure shows the arrangement of com-
pensating pipes C. branching out from the pipes between the cylinders.
compensating pipes are fitted with pistons or plungers worked by a screw, for the
purpose of forcing down the water into the pipes between the cylinders, to supply
any deficiency from waste or leakage.
Where inclines or gradients on a railway affect the water in the pipe. I use a

page_text: counterbalance weight W, as shown in Figure 7. or any other simple method for
equalizing the pressure at both ends of the pipe.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Frederick Lackersteen, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Third day of July. in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.