Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Nov., 1886.
Complete Left, 9th Aug., 1887.
Complete Accepted, 20th Sept., 1887
I, THOMAS TEALE POWELL, of 23, James Street, Harrogate, in the County of York,
Glass and China Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to means for producing audible signals, (otherwise than by
detonators), to inform those in charge of trains at night or during snowy or foggy
weather when the ordinary danger signal cannot be seen.
One part of the apparatus is to be attached to the locomotive or tender under the
control of the driver or his attendant, and the other part to be fixed alongside of the
railway.
In apparatus heretofore proposed for the abovementioned purpose, the parts by
contact of which with each other the signal is caused to be sounded have usually been
of metal, and liable to rapid destruction by repeated percussive action.
In apparatus according to my present invention, the portions of the apparatus
where blows occur are of dissimilar material such as to obviate excessive rigidity and
thus by providing slight elasticity, to preserve the mechanism, at the same time
ensuring correct action. To this end I provide in the first mentioned part of the
apparatus a magazine in which are carried a number of wooden rods of suitable
length, one above the other or alongside of each other, an outlet being provided
through which one at a time of the rods can be pushed by suitable mechanism put in
motion by the engine driver or person in charge, but without entirely leaving the
magazine; during such movement the outer end of the rod comes into contact with
a sliding bar controlled in the opposite direction by means of a spring or otherwise ;
the wooden rod is thus held elastically by its ends between the sliding bar and the
pusher out in suchwise that on its striking against the abovementioned part fixed at
the side of the railway, the wooden rod will be broken or removed with a soft or
somewhat elastic blow, causing no injury to the apparatus. On the wooden rod being
thus displaced the beforementioned sliding bar will be caused to spring back to its
normal position, and being in connection with either a whistle or other means for

page_text: producing an audible signal will put the same in operation. Where a whistle is used
it will continue to sound until stopped by the attendant who must then move back the
pusher and advance another rod for the next signal.
The part of the apparatus above referred to as being fixed at the side of the railway
comprises a finger or lever capable of being placed at right angles or thereabout to
the wooden rod, and of being actuated from the signal box in a usual manner, and is
provided with means for automatically moving it to the position for being struck by
the wooden rod so as to give the required signal in the event of the pull-wire or rod
being broken. It may also be worked in connection with the ordinary signal.
Dated this 12th day of November 1886.
Improved Apparatus for Signalling on Railways.
1, THOMAS TEALE POWELL, of 23 James Street, Harrogate, in the County of York
Glass and China Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of my said 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 means for producing audible signals, (otherwise than by
detonators) to inform those in charge of trains at night or during snowy or foggy
weather when the ordinary danger signal cannot be seen.
One part of the apparatus is to be attached to the locomotive or tender under the
control of the driver or his attendant, and the other part to be fixed alongside of the
railway.
In apparatus heretofore proposed for the above mentioned purpose, the parts by
contact of which with each other the signal is caused to be sounded, have usually been
of metal, and liable to rapid destruction by repeated percussive action.
In apparatus according to my present invention the portions of the apparatus where
blows occur, are of dissimilar material, such as to obviate excessive rigidity and thus
by providing slight elasticity to preserve the mechanism, at the same time ensuring
correct action. To this end I provide in the first mentioned part of the apparatus, a
magazine in which are carried a number of wooden rods of suitable length, one above
the other when the apparatus is arranged for carrying such rods horizontally, or
alongside of each other when the rods are in the vertical position, an outlet being
provided in each case through which one at time of the rods can be pushed by
suitable mechanism operated by the engine driver or person in charge, but without
entirely leaving the magazine, during such movement the outer end of the rod comes

page_text: into contact with a sliding bar controlled in the opposite direction by means of a
spring or weighted lever; the wooden rod is thus held elastically by its ends between
the sliding bar and the pusher-out in suchwise that on its striking against the above-
mentioned part fixed at the side of the railway, the wooden rod will be broken or
removed with a soft or somewhat elastic blow, causing no injury to the apparatus.
On the wooden rod being thus displaced the before mentioned sliding bar will be
caused to assume its normal position either by the action of a spring, or lever and
weight, and the said sliding bar or lever being in connection with either a whistle or
other means for producing an audible signal will put the same in operation. In the
case of a whistle being used it will continue to sound until stopped by the attendant
causing the pusher to be moved back and another wooden rod to be advanced for the
next signal.
The part of the apparatus above referred to as being fixed at the side of the railway,
comprises a finger or lever capable of being placed at right angles or thereabout to
the wooden rod and in the direct path thereof so as to be acted upon thereby, and of
being actuated from the signal box in a usual or convenient manner, and is provided
with means for automatically moving it to the position for being struck by the wooden
rod so as to give the required signal in the event of the pull wire or rod being
broken.
It may also be worked in connection with the ordinary signal.
The manner in which this invention is carried out will be fully understood by
reference to the annexed sheets of drawings in which similar letters refer to similar
parts wherever they occur.
Fig. 1. shews in side elevation, the magazine containing wooden rods and the
pushing out mechanism attached to a locomotive, also the striking apparatus fixed on
the side of the railway.
Fig. 2. is an end elevation of the same.
Fig. 3, shews in side elevation the magazine attached to a tender.
Fig. 4, is an end elevation of the same.
Fig. 5. is a sectional plan at line 1. 1. of Figs. 4, and 5, shewing the wooden rod
and sliding bar, and a plan of the striking apparatus fixed on the side of the railway,
a, is the magazine, b, the wooden rods, (a door with which the magazine is furnished
being removed so as to shew the rods), part c, and lever d, and weight e, are for
moving the rods b, consecutively into the path of and under the pusher out as
required., is the pusher provided with a rack f', pinion g, and handle and lock h, or
equivalent mechanism for moving the same. i, is the sliding bar cranked as shewn in
Figs. 2, 4, and 7, having a projecting foot for the rod to bear against and by which
and the magazine it is carried.
During the pushing out of a rod the bar i, is also pushed a short distance outward,
raising the lever j, and weight k, so that the rod is held firmly but somewhat elastically
between the end of the pusher out f, and the foot of the sliding bar i, and until it is
removed by striking against the projecting finger l, of that part of the apparatus A,
which is fixed on the side of the railway. The projecting finger l, is mounted upon an
axle m, provided with pulley n, guide pulley o, and weight p, so arranged as to cause
the finger l, always to stand at danger unless removed therefrom by an attendant at a
signal box who may have control of the same, but while it remains at "danger" it is
always ready to strike out or remove the wooden rod carried by the part of the
apparatus fixed to the engine. When the said wooden rod is struck out or removed,
the sliding bar i, is caused to return quickly to its normal position by the action of
the weight k, and lever j, or equivalent means, a signal cord q, being attached to a
convenient part of the lever, or other suitable part of the mechanism causes an
audible signal to be made as by starting the engine whistle which will continue to be
sounded until the attention of the driver or his attendant is called thereto and stops
it, or a bell or gong r, may be sounded in like manner by the movement of the lever,
as shewn in the drawings, or both whistle and gong may be actuated simultaneously.
Figs. 6, and 7, shew a modification in the manner of working the pusher-out, in
both directions by means of a metallic cord s, the ends of which are attached to an

page_text: arm t, in connection with the pusher, this arm is guided by and slides upon a bar u
fixed to the magazine a, and which carries a guide pulley v, for the metallic cord
which is attached to a pulley to, provided with means for taking up slackness thereof,
and which is actuated when required by means of the gear wheels b¹, shaft a 1, and
handle h, brought to a convenient position for the engine driver or attendant to
operate the same.
In the signalling apparatus as above described and shewn, the wooden rods b, are
in a vertical position, but the apparatus may be so arranged that they may take any
other desired position without departing from the nature of my invention.
It is evident that according to the nature of this invention, modifications may be
adopted in the means for conveying the indications of the apparatus to the person in
charge of it, as for example, the necessary movements of some of the parts of the
apparatus may be made conspicuously visible.
It is also evident that the same or similar apparatus may be mounted in any other
part of the train, as for example, on the Guard's van or other convenient part, and
the same may in such case actuate the signals by electrical or other suitable
connections.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I would have it understood that I
do not confine myself to the exact details represented by the drawings, but declare
that what I claim is
The use for giving audible signals to those in charge of a Railway train, of
apparatus mounted on the train comprising a magazine of wooden rods, mechanism
for pushing them out and holding them, one at a time; a finger mounted at the side
of the railway, capable of being placed automatically in position for striking out said
bar of wood so carried on the train, and means whereby when such bar is struck
out, the engine whistle will be operated upon, or other suitable audible signal will be
made, substantially as described and illustrated.
Dated this 8th day of August 1887.