IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS USED FOR THE PROTECTION OF TRAINS ON RAILWAYS BY SIGNALLING
Year: 1866

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Joseph Smith at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 17th February 1866.
I, JOSEPH SMITH, of the Electric and International Telegraph Company,
Derby, in the County of Derby, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS USED FOR THE PROTECTION OF TRAINS
ON RAILWAYS BY SIGNALLING," to be as follows:-
My Invention has for its object apparatus for the protection of railway
trains by signalling. For signalling the departure of a train from one point
and its arrival at another, or to indicate whether the section between those
points be occupied or clear, I employ two instruments one at each end of the
section in each of which the following movements, signs, and sounds are
produced and exhibited. I use a dial marked with the words "blocked"
and "clear," or other words of the like meaning. In front of this dial is .a
screen or shield with or without letters or words, which screen or shield is
moved by apparatus afterwards described to exhibit and conceal one or other
of the two sections of the dial containing the words "clear" or "blocked" or
the like, or I employ a moveable disc or dial marked as above described and
moved by the same or similar apparatus to exhibit that part or section of the
dial or disc which is lettered "clear" or "blocked" or with words of similar
import from behind a screen or shield, or I employ a dial or disc, as in instance

page_text: No. 1, and a hand pointer or indicator, or I employ a sign such as a model of
a semaphore or distance signal or other signal such as is used upon railways.
I use a bell or gong or other apparatus for producing sound by the employ-
ment of force or percussion produced by a hammer or other instrument, or I
employ a lever or arm to unlock apparatus whereby a bell may be rung or
sound produced. I use a stylus pencil or other instrument whereby marks
or signs are marked or embossed on paper or other material moved over,
under, or near it, or I employ the apparatus known as Bain's printing
telegraph. I start the machinery for moving the material to be marked or
embossed by electro-magnets with revolving or sliding armatures or with the
ordinary flap armature, or a magnetized needle and electro-magnets, or a
magnetized needle and coils of wire. The armature or needle is connected
mechanically with the disc, dial, pointer, or other instrument employed as an
indicator of the line being "clear" or "blocked," and also with the hammer
or other instrument for producing percussion, and also with the stylus or other
instrument for marking the paper or other material to be marked, and also
with the lock of the machinery whereby such material is moved. These
movements may be accomplished simultaneously, or one, two, or three of them
without the others, or one or other by a different movement before or after
the others, or I use separate electro-magnets to produce part of these effects,
or I employ magnetized needles with coils or with eléctro-magnets and Bain's
printing telegraph by different combinations of the various parts. Each
instrument has a key or other contrivance by which a current of electricity is
made to pass through the electro-magnets, coils, or apparatus to make and
break circuit, or stop or take off the current. At one extremity of the
movement of this key upon the cover or case or attached to a fixed part of
the instrument is a plate colored to correspond with the disc or dial and
lettered line clear," and at the opposite extremity of the movement another
plate is fixed lettered "line blocked," or with words of a similar meaning
Above or at the side or underneath the key is a contrivance for. keeping
down or at the opposite extremity the key which is moved in the reverse
direction by a spring. One battery for both ends of the section, or a battery
at each end, may be employed. When in use the two instruments such a
above described are placed at any desired distance apart and are connected
electrically by a conducting wire. When both keys are in one position
current will pass through both instruments and ring the bells, deflect th
indicators shewing line "clear," start the machine, and mark the paper; whe
one of the keys is in the other position the indicators will exhibit "lin
blocked," and may also be made to start or stop the machines. Train

page_text: may therefore be signalled thus by one of the combinations above mentioned.
The keys of both instruments being down and the dials exhibiting "line
clear," the signalman at A alters the position of his key and breaks the
circuit or takes off the current; he then depresses or moves the key to the
opposite position and this rings the bells, starts the machines, and marks the
papers, (and by arrangements this may be once, twice, thrice, or any other
number of strokes,) and he then secures his key to enable the signalman at B
to return similar signals or such as are arranged to be returned, and leaves
his key in the reverse position or to line" blocked" and the dials or indicators
at each end will exhibit line "blocked." The paper at each end will show
the number of marks or strokes made upon the bell by each station, and the
signalmen will then stop the machines and all the apparatus remains unmoved
until the train passes B, when the signalman at that place moves his key to
make the current pass again and strike the bells once or oftener, as may be
arranged, and secures his key so as to exhibit at both A and B "line clear."
If it should be desired the signalmen may by the use of the Morse or other
printing alphabet transmit messages in the ordinary way to each other, or it
would be possible to "talk" with the indicator. This instrument therefore
exhibits two signals, one "line blocked," the other "line clear," rings a bell
to call attention or indicate the description of train signalled, starts machinery
which registers the trains signalled, and works as an ordinary printing
instrument. As before intimated it may be made to stop the machinery, or each
man may stop his own machine by hand. If one of the signalmen is inattentive
to the instrument the machines will show it, and in case of accident through
neglect of this kind this instrument will tend to fix the blame upon the
culpable person. If the wire along the line should get broken the dials
would exhibit "line blocked" and this would be understood to be an accident,
because the ordinary signal showing the line "blocked" is accompanied with
the ringing and signals above described, while the movement caused by an
accident would be unattended with any other signal.