IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR THE, PURPOSE OF PREVENTING ACCIDENTS UPON RAILWAYS, WHICH SAID INVENTION IS INTENDED TO BE PLACED WITHIN THE CONTROUL OF RAILWAY STATION OFFICIALS OR OTHERWISE, AND OUT OF THE CONTROUL OF THE ENGINE DRIVERS
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Edward Skinner, of No. 26, Edward
Square, Kensington, in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR THE,
PURPOSE OF PREVENTING ACCIDENTS UPON RAILWAYS, WHICH SAID INVENTION
IS INTENDED TO BE PLACED WITHIN THE CONTROUL OF RAILWAY STATION
OFFICIALS OR OTHERWISE, AND OUT OF THE CONTROUL OF THE ENGINE
DRIVERS."
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Edward Skinner
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 6th March 1878.
.I, HENRY EDWARD SKINNER, of No. 26, Edward Square, Kensington,
5 in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for “IMPROVEMENTS, IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUSES FOR THE
PURPOSE OF PREVENTING ACCIDENTS UPON RAILWAYS, WHICH SAID INVENTION IS
INTENDED TO BE PLACED WITHIN THE CONTROUL OF RAILWAY STATION OFFICIALS OR

page_text: OTHERWISE, AND OUT OF THE CONTROUL OF THE ENGINE DRIVERS, TO DO AS 10 Ow
that is to say-
My Invention consists of a certain arrangements of wires, rods, levers,
catches, bars, and inclined planes, whereby I obtain a better mode of
communication than as hitherto been known by the ordinary operation
of fog, distance, or danger signals, and for this purpose I make or cause
to be made a certain arrangement of wires, rods, levers, catches, bars,
and inclined planes which can be actuated by either station master,
porter, or other official at any railway station where a train may be
stopping or otherwise; and I also cause certain moveable parts of my
Invention to be actuated by hydraulic pressure when necessary, my
object being to enable the officials at any railway station to turn the
steam whistle on at any distance required of any engine approaching the
station, and also to enable the officials if they deem it necessary to shut
off the steam of any engine approaching the station; and I also make or
cause to be made certain inclined planes which are fixed outside or inside
the line of rails, which can be made permanent, if necessary, so that
they are beyond the controul of any official connected with the line. I
also cause a lever or pendulum to be attached to the engine, that can be
actuated by the aforesaid inclined planes, so that it may be and can be
used for shutting off the steam or blowing the engine whistle, as may be
required, to give the engine drivers notice of his position when approaching
the station or any other part of the line when it may be desirable to give
the engine driver notice of his position as to the distance from one
station to another.
In describing the fog or distance signal I make or cause to be made
certain inclined planes, which I fix or cause to be fixed near to or on
the side of the line at given distances from the station. On the engine
I fix or cause to be fixed a certain shaped lever or pendulum, the lower
end of which is made to suit the curve of the incline; the upper end of
the lever or pendulum has a rod or wire connected to the steam whistle.
As the engine passes the incline the lower end of the lever or pendulum
is brought in contact with the aforesaid incline, thereby giving motion
to the upper end of the lever or pendulum, which causes the steam
whistle on the engine to blow. In describing this arrangement when
used as a danger signal a similar shaped incline is fixed on the opposite
side of the line, which incline is made to rise or fall by a communication
from the station the train is approaching. This incline is made to rise

page_text: or fall by means of a wire or rod which is attached to a lever at the
railway station. When these danger signals are required to be worked
at a great distance from any station hydraulic power will be necessary.
For a station master or any other official to. stop a train when it is
approaching the station he pulls a lever, which at once causes the afore-
said incline to rise. The lever or pendulum is attached to the engine aș
before described, the upper end of which is connected to the steam shut
off. The lever or pendulum of the approaching engine coming in
.contact with the aforesaid incline the steam is at once shut off.
'
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Henry Edward Skinner in the Great Soal Patent
Office on the 6th September 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
EDWARD SKINNER, of No. 26, Edward Square, Kensington, in the County
of Middlesex, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of March, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the
thirty-sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Henry Edward Skinner, Her special
licence that I, the said Henry Edward Skinner, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Henry Edward Skinner,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR THE PURPOSE OF PREVENTING
ACCIDENTS UPON RAILWAYS, WHICH SAID INVENTION IS INTENDED TO BE PLACED
WITHIN THE CONTROUL OF RAILWAY STATION OFFICIALS OR OTHERWISE, AND OUT OF
THE CONTROUL OF THE ENGINE DRIVER," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Henry Edward Skinner, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one
of their hands and seals, should particularly describo and ascertain thọ

page_text: nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be
performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Henry Edward Skinner, do hereby i
declare the nature of 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:-
My Invention consists of certain arrangements of wires, rods, levers,
catches, bars, and inclined planos whereby I obtain a better modo of 1
communication than any hitherto adopted, whether as fog, distance, or
danger signals, and for this purpose I make a certain arrangement of
wires, rods, levers, catches, bars, and inclined planes, which can be
actuated by either station master, porter, or other official at any railway
station where a train may be stopping, or otherwise, and if required I 1
can cause certain moveable parts of my Invention to be actuated by
hydraulic pressure, my object being to enable the officials at any railway
station to turn on (at any distance therefrom) the steam whistle of any
engine approaching the station and also to enable the officials, if they
deem it necessary, to shut off the steam of any engine approaching the 2
station; and I also use certain inclined planes, which are fixed outside or
inside the line of rails (which inclined planes can be made permanent if
necessary, so that they are beyond the tampering of any official connected
with the line). I also have attached to the engine a lever or pendant,
which can be actuated by the aforesaid inclined planes, so that it may be 2
used for shutting off the steam or blowing the engine whistle, as may be
required, to give the engine driver notice of his position when approach→
ing the station or any other part of the line.
For the fog or distance signal I use certain inclined planes, which I
fix near to or on the side of the line at given distances from the station 3
or other predetermined place. On the engine I fix a certain shaped
lever or pendant, the lower end of which is made to suit the curvo of
the incline, the upper end of this lever or pendant has a rod or wiro
connected to the steam whistle. As the engine passes the incline the
lower end of the lever or pendant is brought in contact with the afore- 3
said incline, thereby giving motion to the upper end of the said lever or
pendant, which causes the steam whistle on the engine to sound. When

page_text: inclined plane B the pendant lever D is forced up against the small lever
G, the other end of the lever falling, thereby pulling the chain or cord
with it, and the chain or cord being attached to the pulley the same
is caused to turn and so sounds the whistle. The inclined plane is
worked by the wiro M, which is secured to the lever N. This lever is
secured on spindle, to the other end of such spindle the lever O is secured,
such lever having thereon a small stud P, which runs in the slot Q
formed in the inclined plane, thereby securing the rise and fall of the
inclined plane as desired.
In Fig. 2, instead of a whistlo a gong R is attached to the side of the
engine, such gong being struck by the hammer S when actuated by the
lever D, as herein-before described. In Fig. 4 the means of turning off
steam is shown, the same being actuated in a similar way to the whistle,
the lever D striking the pendant T, which is secured on spindle U. To
the other end of the spindle U the lever W is secured, to the end of which 1
lever W the cord or chain X is attached, such cord or chain running
over pulleys Y and Y. To the pulley Y' is secured the handle Z, to
which the cord or chain is also secured, and this controls the engine.
The action of the different parts is similar to that for sounding the
whistle in Fig. 1.
The inclined plane can be worked in conjunction with the present
signals M', as shown by Fig. 1, where the wire or rod M is attached to
crank a, which works the signals in the ordinary way. And in respect
to working the inclined plane in conjunction with the signals it is to be
understood that when the signal is at danger the inclined plane assumes
the position shown in Fig. 1 and so acts on the mechanism, but when
the line is clear, as shown by signal, the inclined plane will assume
the position of the dotted line 6 and the mechanism will not be acted
A gong with spring for prolonging the sounding can be adopted
if desired.
on.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature and
object of my Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed
or put in practice, I hereby declare that I claim the Invention of
improvements in machinery or apparatus for the purpose of prevent-
ing accidents upon railways, which said Invention is intended to be 8
placed within the controul of railway station officials or otherwise, and
out of the controul of the engine drivers, as the same is herein-before

page_text: set forth and described, in which said Invention the following are
important points or features:-The combination of inclined planes and
levers or pendants, such inclined planes to be placed on one or both sides
of the permanent way, and where deemed necessary to be fixtures or to
be raised or lowered as occasion requires, to lower or raise which when
wanted any suitable means of working danger and other signals may be
used either separately or in conjunction with existing signals, or, if
necessary, hydraulic power may be used. Such levers or pendants to be
so attached on one side or on both sides of of a locomotive that the lower
end of such levers or pendants in passing over the inclined planes when
raised shall be acted on, and thus give action to cranks or other suitable
means of conveying motion to be so fixed as to open a steam whistle,
sound a gong, raise or lower semaphores, or put in operation any suitable
means of giving a signal or drawing attention, and, if necessary, such
signals may be allowed to continue to operate until restored to their
original position by the driver or assistant. Such levers and pendants if
required can be so applied as to shut off the steam.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Edward Skinner, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Fifth day of September, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
three.
HENRY EDWARD SKINNER. (L.S.)
Witness,
T. MORGAN,
Secretary,
Inventors' Patent Right Association, Limited,
21, Cockspur Street,
8.W.