Improvements in Apparatus for Fog and other Signalling for Railways and Tramways.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Oct., 1897
Complete Specification Left, 6th Jan., 1898-Accepted, 12th Feb., 1898
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Fog and other Signalling for
Railways and Tramways.
I, WILLIAM SALES GRATWICK, of 19, Mulkern Road, Upper Holloway, in the
County of Middlesex, Laundryman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:
I provide a metal box inside I place shaft running in bearings, on the shaft I
fix pully, attatched to pully is a ratchet wheel, on ratchet wheel, I attatch a com-
pound lever, with balance weight & moving clutch, so that when pully &
ratchet are turned round shaft to catch each tooth on ratchet wheel, at the end of
lever I attatch a rod or chain which passes through a sleave and then through box,
to which is attatched a chain or rod leading to signal box. At one end inside box
I have a recess into which, I place a continuous length of metal, to which is attatch
the signals one end of the metal passes through top of box over the metal rail into
the box, and is fixed to the pully, so that when lever is pulled in signal box or
other place it pulls lever attached to chain or rod, & the clutch pulls the ratchet
round & so winds metal with signals attatched round the pully, which auto-
matically places the signal on the crown of metal rail of railways or tramways
which signal when discharged gives report and displays any coloured light required,
by pulling lever again the signal passes through hole, other side of metal rail into
the box, to which I fix a cutter which removes signal from continuous length of
metal & falls into bottom of hox, on either side of box I place stops so that lever
attatched to ratchet cannot draw the metal with signals attatched only the required
distance.
Dated this 19th day of Suntaihar 1807
Improvements in Apparatus for Fog and other Signalling for
Railways and Tramways.
I, WILLIAM SALES GRATWICK, of 19, Mulkern Road, Upper Holloway, in the
County of Middlesex, Laundryman, 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 invention relates to improvements in apparatus for fog and other signalling,
by means of detonators and mechanism in connection therewith for railways and

page_text: In order that my invention and the manner of operating the same may be the
better understood," I have appended the accompanying sheets of drawings in
which―
Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional section of the apparatus.
Fig. 2 is a sectional part plan through y,y
Similar letters of reference are used to indicate corresponding parts.
In carrying my invention into effect I provide a metal box or other suitable
receptacle A, inside I place a shaft or spindle. B, on which I provide a drum C.
having flanges ), also a ratchet wheel E, which may form part of the drum C, or
may be rigidly fastened thereto, the drum C may be fixed to the shaft or may
rotate thereon, the shaft B being fixed or rotating in bearings in the sides of the
box or receptacle A. I likewise provide a lever . provided with a counterweight G,
and carrying a pawl I which engages with the teeth on ratchet wheel E, the
lever F is free to rotate round shaft B and is connected by means of a rod or chain I
to the signal box or place to where the apparatus is to be worked from.
The top of box or receptacle A is provided with a curved portion J, which fulfils
the purpose of an anvil on which the detonators are exploded. the said anvil J may
form a portion of the box or receptacle A, or may be rigidly fastened thereto, I
provide lids K, K¹, which may be either loose on or hinged to box or receptacle A
so that the inside may he easily accessible, I also provide a receptacle which
may form portion of the box A or may be separately attached therein, I also pro-
vide a wedge or knife M which I fasten inside box A, also stops N, N, to regulate
travel of lever F, and a detent 0, to prevent any recoil of ratchet wheel E. I
provide a metal band P to carry detonators Q, one end of hand P I fasten to drum C
by means of a pin or screw R or by any other suitable method, the band P passes
over and thence to receptacle L, spaces S, S₁, are provided to allow band P with
detonators Q to pass through.
For the striking or discharging apparatus I provide a receptacle T which may
be rigidly attached to or forming part of box or receptacle A or may be placed
in any other desirable position, inside receptacle I provide a hammer or striker U,
and a spring V, the hammer U has a collar U and a top I to catch lip of tyre W
on rail X.
The method of working my invention is as follows.
The chain or wire 1 is pulled from signal station, thus moving lever F and
ratchet wheel E and drum C, carrying hand 1' to which is attached detonators Q, a
detonator is thus placed over crown of I directly under kammer U. when
wheel W of a vehicle passes over and strikes hammer U a detonator is exploded, the
lever can then he pulled again from signal box and a fresh detonator he brought
directly under hammer U. as hand I travels over to drum C a knife or wedge M
removes the detonators or cases from the hand P, a receptacle similar to I may he
provided for the used detonators or they may drop to the bottom of the box or
receptacle A, the counterweight G ensures the return of the lever F to its original
position, and the detent prevents the recoil of the drum C and the ratchet
wheel E.
I may dispense with the striking apparatus here shown, in that case the band P
would pass from L through S, direct over tread of rail X through S and so to
drum C, the detonator would then be exploded by direct contact with tread of
wheel W.
The apparatus may be connected electrically or by any other well known
mechanical means to the signal box to indicate when a detonator is discharged or
a fresh one put in position.
my said
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, T declare that what
1 claim is:
An improved fog or other signalling apparatus, consisting of a metal band P

page_text: carrying detonators Q said band P attached to a drum C fixed to or forming part
of a ratchet wheel E, rotated by a lever F, carrying a pawl H engaging with ratchet
wheel E, substantially as described and shown in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this Gth day of January 1898.
WILLIAM SALES GRATWICK.