IMPROVEMENTS IN AND APPARATUS FOR SIGNALLING ON RAILWAYS
Year: 1872

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Edward Umbers and Arthur
George Fenn at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 5th July 1872.
We, EDWARD UMBERS, of Weston Hall, near Leamington Spa, in
the County of Warwick, Farmer, and ARTHUR GEORGE FENN, of
Beccles, in the County of Suffolk, Engineer, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, for "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND APPARATUS FOR
SIGNALLING ON RAILWAYS," to be as follows:-
:-
Our Invention consists of an improved system of signalling upon
railways and apparatus or mechanism to be used therein.
The object of our Invention is to signal from one train to another on
the same line of rails in such a manner that the leading train shlal
intimate its position to the engine driver and guard of the next suc-
ceeding train at a distance of three-quarters of a mile or other suitable
distance, by means of red and green lights or discs exhibited to such
driver and guard from lamps carried on the engine and in the break van
of such succeeding train. For this purpose we furnish the engine and

page_text: break van of each train with apparatus for exhibiting the red and green
lights or discs aforesaid, which apparatus is worked, as required, by other
apparatus set in the six foot way, the latter apparatus being worked
either by apparatus carried by the break van of a preceding train or by
the railway officials on the line.
The apparatus constituting our Invention is constructed and arranged
and acts as follows:-The first portion of the said apparatus consists of
two bell crank settling levers or cams which are mounted one behind
the other at different elevations in the six foot way, and which, being
acted upon by apparatus carried by the break vans of passing trains,
pull main chains, which, by means of short connecting chains, raise tappet
levers mounted on a post three-quarters of a mile or other suitable dis-
tance in the rear of the said "setting levers " inclined tappets, on which
tappet levers act on the apparatus carried by the break van and engine of
the succeeding train for the purpose of exhibiting the red and green lights
or discs as aforesaid. One of the "setting levers" works the chains for
raising the red light or disc tappet lever, and the other "setting lever"
works the chains for raising the green light or disc tappet lever; each
setting lever is affixed to an axis which turns in a bearing in a standard,
one end of which axis is squared to receive a lever or key when it is
wished to set the signal by hand. The long arm of cach bell crank
lever (to which arm one of the main chains is attached) when not in
action lies in a horizontal position, the short arm (by means of which
the long arm is worked) being then in a vertical position in which it
remains until acted upon by the apparatus carried by the train for that
purpose, when the said short arm is depressed into a nearly horizontal
position and the long arm is thereby raised so as to pull the chain.
This action takes place only when the passing train is going forward.
When the said train is going in the reverse direction on the same line of
rails, the apparatus carried by the train does not act upon the said
setting levers, which are then to be worked by hand if it is deemed
desirable to signal the succeeding train.
The main chains pass over friction pulleys and are kept in a state o
tension, and brought to their normal position after action by counter
poises or otherwise.
Instead of working the chains, by means of the apparatus herein-befor
described. they may be worked by means of two slotted "setting levers

page_text: jointed to two sliding blocks furnished with friction wheels, which blocks
slide in guide blocks fixed in the six foot way, one of the said guide
blocks being bigher than the other. Each lever is counterbalanced so
as to stand in a vertical position when out of action. The chain passes
through the slot in the lever, and when the upper end thereof is depressed
by the apparatus carried by the passing train, the said chain is gripped
between the said lever and the sliding block aforesaid, which is caused
to slide along its guide block by means of the apparatus carried by the
train as aforesaid, and the necessary pull is thus given to the said chain.
When the sliding block arrives at the fore part of its guide block, which
is inclined, it travels down the incline and thereby lowers the slotted
lever out of the path of the actuating apparatus carried by the train,
after which the sliding block is drawn back to its normal position by a
weighted chain passing over a pulley.
Instead of working the chains by means of either of the arrangements
of apparatus herein-before described, the said chains may be worked by
means of two levers carried by the same axis. One of these levers which
is acted upon by the apparatus carried by the train is counterbalanced,
so that when not so acted upon the said lever remains in a vertical
position. That portion of the said lever which is affixed to the axis
aforesaid is forked, so as to allow of the other lever (which when not in
action lies in a horizontal position) working within the forked portion,
there being sufficient space between the the said levers for the main chain
to pass through, and the horizontal lever having at its free end an eye
through which also the said chain passes, the said chain is kept in a
state of tension by counterpoises. When the vertical lever is depressed
by the apparatus carried by a passing train, the main chain is gripped
between the said lever and the horizontal lever, and the latter rises and
gives the necessary pull, which done the levers return to their normal
positions and release the said chain which is tightened by the counter-
poises aforesaid.
The next portion of our apparatus is that which being worked by the
"setting levers," herein-before described, delivers the signal to the passing
train, and which apparatus we therefore term the delivery apparatus.
This consists of a post set in the six foot way, on which post are mounted
two pairs of tappet levers, one pair for the up line and the other pair for
the down line. One lever of each pair is for working the red light or
disc, and the other lever is for working the green light or disc. The
·

page_text: The next portion of our apparatus is that which is applied to the
engine and break van respectively for the purpose of exhibiting the red
and green lights or discs to the engine driver and guard. This apparatus
consists of red or green glasses or discs which work in front of a lamp,
and are carried by separate sliding rods which are raised, as required, by
means of two pairs of inclined elevating levers, one pair of which works
the red glass or disc and the other the green glass or disc; such levers
being mounted outside the engine and the break van, and their free
ends being connected by links to the connecting rods which raise the
rods carrying the said glasses. The inclined clevating levers are raised
by the inclined tappets, hercin-before referred to, as the train passes the
said tappets. At the rear of the arm is fixed an incline, which comes
into action as that end of the van passes the tappets (i.e. after the
inclined elevating levers have transmitted the signal from one of the
tappets to the red or the green glass or disc), and depresses the releasing
lever on the tappet lever, and thereby causes the latter to fall into its
normal position. The inclined elevating levers which work the red glass
or disc in the guard's van are connected by suitable levers and connecting
rods to the unlocking mechanism of the bar, which works the "setting
lever" of the red light or disc signal, so that when the said clevating
levers are raised they not only exhibit the red light, but also lower
the said bar and cause it to act on the next setting lever which the train
passes, and thereby set on the red light or disc tappet three-quarters of a
mile or other suitable distance in the rear of the said setting lever so as
to warn the driver and guard of the next train. The inclined elevating
levers which work the red glass or disc may also be connected to the
striking mechanism of a gong.
We would observe that the only portion of our apparatus which is
applied to the engine is that which receives the signal and exhibits the
red or the green light or disc to the driver, the guard being the only
person who has any control over the signalling apparatus.
$6
The mode of using our improved signalling apparatus is as follows:-
When the guard of a train deems it necessary to give the "caution" or
danger" signal to the engine driver and guard of the next succeeding
train, he lowers the arm which works the "setting lever" of the red or
green light or disc tappet, or in case of a sudden break down which
prevents his train from getting up to such lever he gets out and works
the said lever by hand with a suitable key. The said lever being worked

page_text: in either of these ways raises the red or green light or disc tappet, and
when the next succeeding train passes such tappet, the inclined elevating
levers, mounted outside the engine and the guard's van, are raised
and caused to exhibit the red or the green light or disc to the
engine driver and guard. When the red light or disc is exhibited, the
arm carried by the said van for working the red light or disc "setting
levers" is lowered automatically, so that the train as it passes the next
setting lever acts thereon, and causes it to set the red light or disc
tappet three-quarters of a mile or other suitable distance in the rear of
the said lever, and thus transmits the danger signal to the next succeeding
train.
From this description it will be seen that if necessary, each succeeding
train of a series of trains can be successively signalled so as to block the
whole line.