Improvements in and in connection with Railway Signalling Apparatus.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 9th May, 1893-Accepted, 17th June, 1893
MPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and in connection with Railway Signalling
Apparatus.
I JOHN HENRY TAYLOR MORRIS of Sinderland, near Altrincham in the
County of Chester, Railway Signalman 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 said invention relates to an improved automatic system of signalling for use
on railways for the purpose of giving audible warning to the driver of the engine
as to the state of the road or the position of the signal when passing or about to
pass a signal post.
In order that my said invention may be more clearly understood I will describe-
the same with reference to the accompanying drawings in which
Fig. 1 is a plan and Figures 2 and 3 elevations illustrating details on a larger
scale.
Referring first to Fig. 1 R R are the rails the large arrow between which.
indicates the direction of the traffic.
At L is the lever for working the distance signal D at the post D' by means of a
chain or wire c. Lying between the rails and near to one side is a catch block k
connected at one side by the chain a' with the distance signal and at the other side
by means of a chain a with a bell at B in the signal cabin. The catch block k
consists essentially of a plate or tongue o (Fig. 3) hinged to a base plate p and
kept in an upright position by a spiral or other spring s.
m is a catch lever pivoted at m¹ to any convenient part of the framework of a
locomotive and connected by a chain n with the handle of the whistle in such a
manner that when the lever m meets the catch block o it will cause the whistle to.
sound and warn the driver that he is about passing a signal set at danger (when
working on the absolute block system the signals are at danger in their normal
position). When the lever m strikes the tongue o of the catch block k the latter
will be driven forward and downward and will tighten the chain a in such a
manner that as the tongue o rebounds under the action of the springs a bell at B
will be rung and the signalman placed there will be warned of the approach of the
train.
At k¹ outside and close to the rails is another catch block exactly like the one
described at k. At one side the tongue of the catch block is connected with the
tongue of the catch block k by means of the chain 6' and at the other side it is
connected with the weight lever w¹ on the signal post by a chain b attached to the
chain c by which the signal is operated.
When by means of the signal lever L the chain c is pulled in the direction the
weight to of the weight lever is raised and the signal D falls by its own weight to
"line clear." At the same time the chain a' is pulled up and the danger catch
block k is pulled over into a flat position. The tongue of the catch block k¹ is at
the same time released from the pull of the chain b and being pulled by the chain 6¹
now rises.
On the side of the locomotive is mounted another catch lever similar to m
connected with a goug so that on the side catch lever meeting the catch block k¹
the
gong will sound and apprise the driver that the line is clear.
When the engine is running in reversed position it is necessary to take the catch
levers off their pivots and reverse them.
In some cases the danger catch lever may be connected with the starting rod of
the vacuum or other brake in such a way that when the lever m meets the catch
block k the brake may be automatically applied.

page_text: By the use of my said invention the use of detonators or hand signalling in foggy
weather may be dispensed with.
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―
The catch blocks k k¹ operated by chains or other flexible connections working in
combination with the ordinary block signalling arrangement and the catch levers
attached to the engine substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore set forth
and shown in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 8th day of May 1893.
EDWARD TURNER WHITELOW,
70, Deansgate, Manchester, Agent for the Applicant.