Improvements in connection with Signalling on Railways in Foggy Weather.
Year: 1897

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in connection with Signalling on Railways in Foggy
Weather.
I, FRANK WYNDHAM, 12, Norland Square, Notting Hill, London, W. No
Occupation, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to an improved method of and means for placing detonators
on the "metals" of railways, the objects being to perform the operation mechani-
cally and to obviate the loss of life which so frequently occurs amongst those
employed to place the detonators by hand.
In carrying my invention into effect, I proceed in or in about the following
manner. Adjacent to the rails I provide a base plate or board on which is
pivotted an arm working on a circular rail, on which it can be caused to move
to and fro by levers and rods operated from the signal box. At one extremity
of its movement the arm is at right angles to the rail (as seen in plan) and at
the other extremity of its movement it is at an angle thereto. At the outer end
of the arm is a socket for holding a detonator. On the board or plate is a
vertical cylinder for holding the detonator one above the other, the bottom of
the cylinder being open, and the top closed by a suitable cover.
Below the open
end is a slide which can move to and fro beneath it. In this slide is an opening
somewhat larger than a detonator, and the opening is kept from being immediately
below the open end of the cylinder, by a spring which pushes the slide towards
the rails. Thus, the detonators cannot fall out of the cylinder, until the opening
in the slide is immediately below it. On the end of the arm above referred to,
I provide a projection so placed that when the arm (by means of the lever operated
from the signal box) is brought below the slide and the socket comes directly
under the opening in the slide, the projection will come in contact with the
slide and force it back until the opening in the slide comes directly under the
open end of the cylinder. When this happens, a detonator will fall out of
the cylinder, through the opening in the slide and be deposited on the socket at the
end of the arm. On operating the levers so that the arm is moved back again,
the slide will also be pushed back to its normal position by the action of the
spring, and so cover the end of the cylinder. The arm, continuing its movement
towards the rail and just before reaching it, passes under a sloping guide by
which the socket end of the arm is depressed, so as to place a portion of the
detonator on the rail, where it remains until the train passes over and explodes it.
The arm can then be moved back to obtain another detonator in the same manner,
and so on till the supply is exhausted.
Dated this 20th day of Tahmi
1007
HUGHES & YOUNG,
23, Coleman Street, London, E.C., Agents for Applicant.

page_text: Improvements in connection with Signalling on Railways in Foggy
Weather.
I, FRANK WYNDHAM, 12, Norland Square, Notting Hill, London, W. No
Occupation, 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 an improved method of and means for placing detonators 5
on the "metals" of railways, the objects being to perform the operation mechani-
cally, and to obviate the loss of life which so frequently occurs among those
employed in placing the detonators by hand. In carrying my invention into
effect, I proceed in or in about the following manner, making reference to the
accompanying sheet of drawings in which, Fig. 1, is a plan, and Fig. 2, a part 1
sectional elevation, and Fig. 3a section through z z Fig. 1. Adjacent to the
rails a, I provide a base plate or board b' on which is pivotted an arm c working
on a curved rail d on which it can be caused to move to and fro by levers and
rods e and operated from the signal box. At one extremity of its movement
the arm is at right angles to the rail as seen in plan (Fig. 1), and at the other
extremity of its movement it is at an angle thereto. At the outer end of the
arm is a partly rimmed disc or socket g for holding a detonator. On the board
or plate 6 and supported in any suitable manner, I provide a vertical cylinder h
for holding the detonators i one above the other, the bottom of the cylinder being
open, and the top being closed by any suitable cover j. Below the open end of
the cylinder is a slide k which can move to and fro beneath it. In this slide
is an opening somewhat larger than a detonator, and this opening is kept from
being immediately below the open end of the cylinder h by a spring or by
springs m which tends or tend to push the slide k towards the rails. Thus the
detonator cannot fall out of the cylinder until the opening in the slide is immedi-
ately below it. At the end of the arm c or on the socket g, I provide a projection n
so placed that when the arm c is brought (by operation of the levers and wires
from the signal box) below the slide k and the socket comes directly under the
opening in k, the projection n. will come in contact with a catch o on the slide k,
and force along until the opening comes directly under the open end of the
cylinder h. When this happens, a detonator will fall out of the cylinder h,
through the opening in k, and be deposited in the socket g
c is moved back
end of arm C. On so operating the levers that arm
its normal position by the
again, slide k will also be pushed towards
action of the springs m and' SO cover the end of cylinder h.
arm continues its movement towards the rail a, and just before reaching it,
passes under a sloping guide p by which the socket end of the arm is depressed
so as to place the detonator over the rail, where it remains until exploded by a
passing train, the detonator being dispersed by the explosion. The arm c can then
be moved back to obtain another detonator in the same manner, and so on till
the supply is exhausted. To lessen any liability of the detonators i to fall off the
socket g, a guide q may be provided. This guide 9 may be of two curved strips
of metal suitably supported at a distance apart to permit of the outer part of the
detonator freely passing between them, as it is moved along by the arm c.
slide is kept in position during its movement by being supported between
The detonator may be
the rollers r and s which are carried by pillars t and u.
kept down within cylinder h, by a weight. It may be desirable to place card
board or other discs between the detonators in cylinder h, so as to prevent the
l
at the
The
The

page_text: premature explosion of the detonators by the friction of the slide k. Arrange-
ment might be made to electrically notify the signalman when a detonator is
over the rail. The whole apparatus may be covered in by a metal or other cover.
I do not restrict myself to the precise shape, relative proportion or disposition
of parts as shewn in the drawings or mentioned in the above specification, as
any or all of them can be considerably varied without departing from the spirit
of my invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
CLAIMS.
1. In apparatus for signalling on railways in foggy weather, a pivotted arm
operated by the signal wires or levers, the said arm moving along a quadrant
and having at its outer end a socket or receptacle for containing a detonator, the
said socket or receptacle coming in contact with a slide having in it an opening,
the said slide (when the socket is below the said opening) moving with the
socket until its opening comes immediately under the open end of a vertical
cylinder containing detonators placed one above another, and separated or not
by cardboard or other discs, whereupon a detonator falls from the said cylinder,
through the opening in the slide and on to the socket, the direction of the move-
ment of the arm being then reversed so as to be in the direction of the rails, the
end of the cylinder being closed by the slide acted on by a spring or by
springs, the detonator being brought close over the rail by the arm
passing beneath
a suitable guide, in which position the detonator re-
mains until exploded by a passing train or engine, the whole substantially as
described in the above specification, and exemplified in the accompanying
drawings.
2. Improvements in connection with signalling on railways in foggy weather,
the said improvement being provided for and operating substantially as described
in the above specification, and exemplified in the accompanying drawings.
Dead this 19th day of tumust 1897
HUGHES & YOUNG,
23, Coleman Street, London, E.C., Agents for Applicant.