Improvements in Apparatus for Signalling between Passengers and Railway Officials in Charge of a Train.
Year: 1888

page_text: Improvements in Apparatus for Signalling between Passengers and
Railway Officials in Charge of a Train.
I FRANCIS BROWN of 63 Bridge Street Warrington, Lancaster, Cotton Mill
Manager do hereby declare the nature of this 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 :-
The object of this invention is to enable the passengers in any compartment of a
railway train to communicate with the officials in charge of the train by means of the
existing cord running along outside the carriage on one side as at present practised
on many railway lines and this without the necessity of putting the hand outside the
carriage window as at present.
On the accompanying drawing Fig. 1. represents a side view of a pair of compart-
ments of a railway carriage shewing my improved signalling apparatus applied
thereto one half the view shewing the interior and the other half the exterior of the
railway carriage. a is the existing signalling cord running along the outside of the
carriage immediately above the door and which communicates either with a bell in
the guard's van or with the whistle on the engine or may be connected to a bell
at both extremities of the train or a bell at one end and to the whistle at the
engine end.
To enable the occupants of each compartment to operate this cord from the inside
I I arrange suitable orifices & through each side wall of the compartment by preference
a little below the signalling cord a and in these orifices I fit suitable metallic or
other sockets c to receive a plug d made of cork, wood, india-rubber or other
suitable substance. The sockets c and plugs d are represented about full size by
sectional view in Figs. 2. and front view Fig. 3. the latter shewing the plug d
withdrawn and the cord e drawn down in the act of signalling. These plugs d are
prevented going too far in to their sockets by arranging to come against an annular
ledge or projection et formed around and at the far end of the socket. Through
the centre of each of these plugs 1 arrange a cord chain or wire e one extremity of
Prine S21

page_text: which
I
which hangs down inside the compartment with a ring or loop at its extremity
and the other extremity is fitted with a metallic eye or hook
signalling cord a.
grasps the
It will now be apparent that if the plugs are in position in their sockets and one
of these is pulled out by a passenger the first effect is to pull down the outside
signalling cord and to cause the same to be pulled through the orifice into the com-
partment as indicated by Fig. 3 and on right hand side of Fig. 1.-a knot formed
upon the communicating cord, chain or wire e having meanwhile come in contact with
the plug and having caused the same to become removed. In this manner and by
seeing that the signalling cord has been drawn down and has entered the orifice of a
compartment the attention of the officials in charge is drawn to that particular compart-
ment as requiring his attention.
In case it is required to operate the signal from the centre or other part of the back
or division of the compartment say above the hat rail 1 continue the socket by means
of a tube to the middle of the compartment and employ a pulley or roller at its
extremity for passing down the operating cord within reach of the passengers under
the hat rail.
I would here observe that it will only be necessary to have one signal on each side
of each compartment and not one over each window as illustrated.
The pulleys which carry the cord a require to be placed over each corner of the
window where the signal is applied and also at regular intervals along the carriage so
as to enable the said communicating cord a to work smoothly.
As the plugs d require 4 or 5 lbs. pressure to pull them out it is advisable that they
should have a good pull towards the centre of the compartment and thus ensure the
communicating cord doing its duty
The knots on the corde (which passes through the plugs d) should be so placed
that the one on the outside the carriage will just touch the plug d when the commu-
nicating cord a is tight. The knot on the inside should be about half an inch from
its plug so that whenever the signal is made use of and the cord a is drawn tight
again outside the plug so withdrawn will not return to its place again and by its
absence from the (plug) hole it will at once indicate to the officials in charge the
precise compartiment from which the signal has been given.
As a modification I similarly employ a metallic casing illustrated by a side sectional
view in Fig. 4. This enables me to mount a pulley or roller h near each extremity
and over which an endless band i passes to the stud . On the upper face of this band
the operating cord is affixed whilst to the other or lower face is affixed a block j
which comes in contact with a semaphore arm or marker k.
It will now be apparent that if the operating cord e is drawn down by its ringthe
upper face of the endless band with its stud will be drawn in the direction of the
arrow and consequently the block will in proceeding in the reverse direction force
outwards the semaphore arm or marker k to the position indicated in dotted lines and
thus a distinctly visible indication will be afforded outside the carriage of the precise
compartment from which the signal has emanated.
This casing shews how the operating cord e can be continued say into the centre
of a compartment and then be led down over a guide pulley to within easy reach
of the passengers.
It will be obvious that the plugs & serve to prevent all draughts entering through
the sockets or orifices and that such plugs may be dispensed with by employing
smaller orifices.
Having thus particularly described and ascertained the nature of this my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1st. The improved apparatus for signalling botween passengers and railway official:
in charge of a train substantially as herein before described.
2nd. As a means of operating the cord of a railway signal from the inside of
compartment the employing of sockets provided with plugs and operating cords

page_text: wires, or bands substantially as and for the purposes described and illustrated on the
accompanying drawing.
3rd. In combination with my improved operating cord, wire, or band so mounted
as aforesaid the employment of a metallic casing containing a pair of rollers carrying
an endless band and adapted to push out a semaphore arm or marker simultaneously
with the pulling down of the operating cord substantially as and for the purposes
hereinbefore described and illustrated.