Improved Apparatus for Signalling on Railways.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Dec., 1889-Accepted, 15th Feb., 1890
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Apparatus for Signalling on Railways.
I, SIDNEY BOLTON KINCAID, Clerk, Woodbridge, Suffolk, 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 :-
This invention consists of a contrivance for signalling from a fixed station to the
driver or other person on a moving train, for use more especially when, on account of
fog or other cause, the ordinary signals cannot be seen.
Whereas other contrivances for this purpose are either uncertain in their operation
or by reason of the percussive action between the part of the apparatus attached to
the ground and that fixed to the train are liable to rapid derangement or destruction,
in this present invention instead of either neglecting or attempting to palliate or
soften or reduce this percussive action it is employed for the intentional destruction of
a tube or bar on the train, by the destruction of which the signal is operated; this
tube or bar, which is easily renewed for each signal at an insignificant cost, being so
fixed that it cannot be struck out except only by being cut or broken or at least
crushed or violently bent. The destructive force of the blow being concentrated onto
this tube or bar, the only parts of the apparatus which are exposed to any excessive
wear are those having contact with it, which can be replaced at small cost and by the
driver or any intelligent workman.
The signalling is by this means made certain-it cannot fail to act when the
signalling arm on the ground is set to danger, and the tube or bar being securely
held it is not liable to give a false alarm by its falling or being knocked out
accidentally.
(The part of the contrivance attached to the train is as a rule best attached to the
engine. It consists of a stout plate A fixed strongly to the engine frame parallel to
the rails. Onto the face of this are screwed three narrow plates B, C, D, their
thickness equalling the diameter of the tubes or bars used for breaking, and onto
these two wider plates, so as to form a one ended box with a slot E along
the centre of the side. The distance of B and D equals the length of
the tubes. F F are slots in the wider plates, through which the tubes are
introduced into this box. G is a slide, forming the other end of the box, drawn
by a spiral spring towards C so as to push the tubes or bars in turn against C.
This spring unhooks to insert tubes or bars.. H is a strong tube with an inside
diameter just large enough to let one of the tubes or bars pass freely through it. It
is flanged, and the edge of the flange is divided, and it turns in a recess in the bottom
of the box and is strongly secured by two bolts bb by loosening which it can be
rotated as it tends to wear oval. This, having to hold the tube or bar firmly against
the cutting or breaking bar R, must be of considerable length, say one third of the
length of the tube or bar. The bore of H is continued through D and B. J is a
slider or piston forced up by a spiral spring against a stop E (not shown) and drawn
down by the chain, cord, band, or wire K passing over the pulley L. M is a lever
working the valve N, by which steam is let from the boiler into the whistle pipe Q;
this M being set back so as to clear R, but having a broad foot projecting at right
angles to it onto which is fixed a steel plate P just under H.
The lower figure shows the part of the apparatus attached to the ground. S is a
firmly fixed box. Into this is strongly pivoted, the line of pivotting being parallel to
the rail, a strong plate of iron T bent at right angles and carrying a steel plate R
with a blunt cutting edge at each end, the weight U drawing T into such a position
that, while T clears P, R encounters a tube or bar held in H against P. The plate R
is fastened to T by-bolts (or otherwise) so as to be easily replaced as it becomes worn

page_text: by the blows of the tubes or bars against it. If the signal is to be worked indepen-
dently of any other signal the wire may be fastened directly to T. By tightening the
wire it will be held off at line clear so that R would not encounter the tube or bar on
a passing train. If it is to be an auxiliary to the ordinary signal, an arm or crank V
is keyed to the pivot of T, and the wire Z is attached to a crank W pivoted to V,
on which is the stop E, a stop X being cast or fixed to the side of the box so that
when W rests against it, which can only happen when the line Z is slack, R is kept
just clear of passing tubes or bars.
The following is the action of the apparatus.
The fireman, having unhooked the spring and drawn back G away from C past F,
fills the box with tubes or bars through the slot F and then hooks G again onto its
spring, the whistle meanwhile sounding through the pressure of steam on the valve N
forcing up P, opening N, and finding passage through Q. The driver now pulls the
lever of the cord K and draws down J so as to push a tube or bar into H and
against P till N is closed, the lever then locking onto a rack or pin, (a screwed rod
and nut in K gives an adjustment for its tension). Should fog come on at the signal
box, the signal man hooks the wire Z onto the ordinary signal wire, thereby
unlocking W and letting the weight U draw R forward to
danger." On the
engine passing, the tube or bar is cut or smashed, or at least violently bent,
by R, and P being released the whistles sounds. The driver, having shut off
steam, then pulls K tightly and forces J down quite through H so as to clear out
the remnant of the tube or bar should it not have fallen out; he then releases it
and J, being raised by its spring against its stop, lets G push another tube up to C;
he then pulls K tight again and so forces the tube or bar through H against P
until he stops the whistle as before.
The tightening of the ordinary signal wire to drop the semaphore or lamp arm
draws with it Z and pulls back T and R to the safety position.
The signal can be made to repeat in the usual way, as by fixing a contact piece so
as to close the electric circuit of the repeater by making contact against the foot of T
when and only when it is in the line clear position.
For the charge of H I prefer thin metal tubes of a circular section not less than
one quarter inch diameter and slightly turned inwards at the ends, but a tube or bar
of any section and fit material may be used; wood or other material liable to swell or
warp by exposure to the weather being however unsuitable. The tube need not be
seamless nor completely closed.
By a bar as distinguished from a rod or wire is meant a length of a solid sufficiently
rigid to be held by a transverse or thrusting instead of a tensile strain.
It is plain that various means of calling attention may be used instead of the
whistle, and the reaction against the tube or bar may be prodnced by other means,
as a spring, instead of by the steam pressure, and that the details of holding and
replacing the tubes or bars, as well as their position and also the arrangement of the
ground arm T, may be varied in many ways while the contrivance remains virtually
and practically the same; therefore
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
The use for signalling to the driver or other person on a moving train of a tube
or bar of metal or other material fixed on the train in such a way as to operate the
signal by the destruction of such tube or bar by its encountering a stationary cutter
or breaker set when required so as to intercept the tube or bar, this tube or bar being
so fixed that it cannot be struck out without being destroyed.
Dated this 9th day of December 1889
SIDNEY BOLTON KINCAID.