Improvements in the Construction and Working of Railway Signals.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Apr., 1899-Accepted, 27th May, 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Construction and Working of Railway Signals.
I, WILLIAM HELLIS, of Napoleon Villa, West Drayton, in the County of
Middlesex, Builder, do hereby 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 relates to the construction and working of railway signals
(particularly for use during a fog) and its object is to warn the engine driver
and call the attention of the signalman to the arrival of a train upon any line
of rail or siding, so as to enable him to block-signal the line and thus prevent
another train following upon the same line or entering a siding already occupied ;
thus preventing accidents arising from points being left in a wrong position.
And in order that my said invention may be particularly described and ascer-
tained, reference is hereby made to the accompanying drawings, in which
similar figures of reference indicate corresponding parts.
Fig. 1 is a plan of the apparatus.
Fig. 2 is an elevation showing the mechanism contained in the box 12.
Fig. 3 is an elevation of the cartridge disc 13, the side shown being that next
to the box.
Fig 4 is a sectional elevation of the box 12 and cartridge disc, at right
angles to Fig. 2.
Fig. 5 is an elevation of the actuating lever fitted by the side of the rail 8,
in what is known as the "six foot way."
The lever 6 is pivoted to a fixed centre at 7. The long end of the lever 6 is fitted
with a weight 9 which raises the short end, carrying the roller 10 to a convenient
position for being acted upon by a plate 11, which is bolted (preferably) to the
step of the foot plate of the engine. 12 is a box fixed in close proximity to the
lever 6, and carrying a cartridge disc 13 which rotates upon a stud 14.
22
The disc 13 is formed with a number of circular openings 15 for carrying
explosive cartridges. 16 is a lever inside the box and pivoted thereto at 17.
18 is a connecting rod pivoted to the lever 16 at 19 and fitted with a stud 20
which passes through a slot in the box 12 and engages the lever G at 21.
is a face ratchet actuated by a pawl 23. 24 is a lever pivoted on the stud 14.
One end of the lever 24 is pivoted at 25 to a link 26 which connects it with the
stud 20. The other end of the lever 24 slides in the guide 27. The pawl 23 is
attached to the lever 24 at 28. 29 is a bent lever pivoted to the stud 14 at 30.
The upper end of the lever 29 passes through a slot in the hammer tube 31,
(integral with the box 12) and also into a slot in the hammer 32. 33 is a link
pivoted to the lever 29 at 34 and to the lever 16 at 35. Suitable cartridges are
inserted in the openings 15 of the disc 13.
When a train passes the plate 11 attached to the engine depresses the short end
of the lever 6, by its contact with the roller 10. The stud 20 is thereby caused
to depress the lever 16. This movement, by means of the intermediate
mechanism, drives forward the hammer 32 and explodes a cartridge. At the
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