A NEW OR IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR SIGNALLING ON RAILWAYS
Year: 1885

page_text: We WILLIAM SANDFORD BURRINGTON KEMPE of Merton Road Wimbledon in
the County of Surrey Station Master on The London and South Western Railway
and WILLIAM FAIRMANER ROWELL of Wimbledon in the said County of Surrey
Civil Engineer do hereby declare the nature of our Invention for "A NEW OR
IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR SIGNALLING ON RAILWAYS" and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement:―
"
.
The Invention consists of "An iron or Metal Box" and A vertical iron or
Metal Rod fitted with a Roller Wheel." The Box is made as follows: Two Plates
of iron or other metal each about 12 feet long with L angled flanges bolted together
about 6 inches apart and parallel to one another so as to form two sides of the
Box. The roof of the Box is made of two plates of iron or other metal jointed
together end wise by a knuckle binge their other ends finishing in curled knobs..
The angled plates are bolted down by their angled flanges parallel to and equi-
distant from the rails and the jointed plates are placed between them so as to form
the roof of the Box with the hinge in the middle the knobs forming the ends of
the Box. A pin is passed through the sides of the Box and each knob of the roof
and one of such two pins is fixed, and the other works to and fro in horizontally
elongated holes in the sides of the Box so as to permit the roof to be raised at its
knuckle hinge to an apex.
A solid cylindrical shaft of iron or other metal fitted
with three Cranks is passed under the rails or one of them and under the Box,
and revolves or rocks in two brackets one of which may depend from the flange of
one side of the Box and the other rest on a block outside the rails-one of such
cranks is short and fixed to the Shaft under the knuckle hinge of the roof and is
fitted at its point with a röller wheel; the other two cranks are longer and fixed
to the Shaft at a point outside the rails-one of them has an adjustable weight at
the point thereof and the other has holes in the point thereof to which the signal
wire is attached-The Cranks should be fitted so that when the weighted Crank is
allowed to fall by the Signal being put at “ danger" the roller Crank is forced
up from nearly a horizontal into nearly a perpendicular position under and.
against the roof and raises it to an apex, and when the signal is put at "line clear"
the holed Crank is pulled forward by the Signal man drawing the Signal wire with
bis lever, the weight on the weight Crank is raised, the roller Crank returns to

page_text: ⚫ nearly a horizontal position and the roof of the Box falls of its own weight to a
level with the top of the sides of the Box.
An Engine used with the Box is fitted with a vertical iron or metal rod having
at its lower end a Roller wheel-Such rod passes through and moves up and down
vertically in guiding loups fixed on a central place on the Engine so that the wheel
in its lowest or normal position is at such a distance from the ground as to clear
the roof of the Box when lying flat, but to hit and run up and over the Roof when
raised to an apex on the Engine passing over the Box-The motion thus given to
the Vertical Rod when the Signal is at "danger" is the force used for sounding
the whistle by proper communications-This may be done in various ways by
means of wires or suitable bars and cranks. A convenient way in the case of most
Engines is to joint the top of the wheeled Rod on to a crank fixed to a horizontal
bar revolving in two brackets fixed to the Engine and attached to a vertical Crank-
rod leading to a special whistle by means of a right angled rod turning at its angle
on a pivot fixed on the Engine the other end of such rod being jointed to a hori-
zontal rod passing along the Engine to the driver's stand-When the Engine passes
over the Box and the signal is at "danger" the wheeled Rod runs up and over the
apex of the Box the horizontal bar is turned, the Vertical crank rod is pushed up
the right angled rod is turned or tilted and the whistle sounded and the horizontal
rod is pushed towards the driver. When the driver wishes to stop the whistling
or prepare for a second signal he pushes the horizontal rod back and the right
angled rod, vertical crank, horizontal bar and wheeled rod are all restored to their
normal positions.
And in order that our said Invention may be clearly understood reference is
hereby made to the accompanying Drawings:-
Figure 1, represents part of an ordinary Railway Line with Sleepers having
Rails affixed "A" is the Box-"b" is the cylindrical Shaft one end of which is
fixed to the Crank under or in the Box-"c" is the Crank or Cranks outside the
Rails "d" is the wire attached to the Crank-The wire passes beyond the signal
posts "e" and "f" and is slotted on to the wire of the ordinary Signal at the
point "g" or carried into the Signal Box and worked by an independent lever.
Figure 2 represents the Box with the lid or cover raised-"g" is the Crank
under the knuckle hinge of the Roof.
دو
Figure 3 is the double Crank-"h" is the Crank with the adjustible weight-
""is the holed crank to which the wire is attached-When the Signalman puts
his signal at danger " the Roller Crank "g" is forced up from its nearly
borizontal into nearly a perpendicular position under and against the Roof of the
Box and raises the roof of the Box to an apex as shewn in fig. 2. The weighted
Crank "h" shewn in fig. 3 is then in a horizontal position and the holed Crank "i'
is in a vertical position-When the Signalman puts the Signal at "Line Clear" the
wire attached to the holed Crank is tightened the weighted Crank is pulled over as
shewn in the dotted Crank "k"-the holed Crank is pulled over as shewn in the
dotted Crank "1" and the Roller Crank in the Box is put in nearly a horizontal
position as shewn by the dotted Crank "g" and the Roof of the Box falls-The
positions of the Box and Cranks are clearly shewn in figures 1, 2. & 3.
Figure 4 is the front Elevation of an ordinary Steam Engine with the Rod
Roller wheel and cranks affixed-"m" is the vertical iron or metal Rod-"n" is
the Roller wheel-"o" is the Box-"o" is the top or lid of the Box when raised-
"p" is the horizontal Bar revolving in two Brackets "q" and "r"-"8" is the
vertical Crank Rod-"t" is the whistle.
Figure 5 is the side Elevation of an ordinary Engine with the Rod Roller wheel
and Cranks affixed-"u "is the Rod Roller wheel and Cranks in their lowest
or normal positions-"v" is the Rod roller wheel and Cranks after they have hit
and run up the Roof of the Box when raised to an apex-"w" is the horizontal
Rod passing to the Driver's stand-An Engine with the vertical Rod and Roller
wheel affixed in passing over the Box when the Signals are at "Line Clear" and
the top or lid of the Box lying Hat produces no result-but if the Signal is at

page_text: danger" and the top or lid of the Box raised as shewn in Figure 2 the Roller
Wheel, would come into contact with the lid of the Box the wheel would run up
and over the Roof the Vertical Rod would be forced up and the whistle sounded-
The sound of the Whistle would continue until the Driver or some person on the
Engine forced the horizontal Rod back which would cause the Cranks the Vertical
Rod and the Roller wheel to return to their lowest or normal positions.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is
The manufacture of the "Iron or metal Box" and "The vertical iron or metal
Rod fitted with a Roller Wheel" and the use of the "New or Improved Apparatus
for signalling on Railways" substantially as hereinbefore described and shewn on
the drawings Figures 1. 2. 3. 4 and 5.