Improvements in Railway Signalling Appliances.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Jan., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 10th May, 1895--Accepted, 31st Aug., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Railway Signalling Appliances.
I, WILLIAM ATKINSON, of 5 Rudd Street, Hoylake, in the County of Chester
Plasterer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of my invention is to provide means whereby an engine driver may be
automatically warned of signals standing at danger.
In carrying out my invention I adopt substantially the following arrangements.
Adjacent to the metals and in such position as to come in contact with the flange
of the wheels of rolling stock I place a strong steel spring which may be mounted
upon metallic or wood blocks bolted or fastened in any convenient manner to the
sleepers.
The aforesaid steel spring is preferably curved so that its highest point is in the
centre and on a level with the rails. A rocking lever is pivotted or jointed to an
iron standard or frame connected with and supporting the spring and to this frame
or standard is fixed one end of a rocking lever, the other extremity of such lever
being pivotted to the end of a piston rod, the piston of which works to and fro in a
small cylinder filled with compressed air or other fluid. To this cylinder is
attached a pipe terminating in a whistle. When a train passes over the spring the
flange of the engine wheel presses it down forcing the piston into the air cylinder
by means of the rocking lever above mentioned when the air forced out through
the pipe will cause the whistle to sound and give the necessary alarm. The
apparatus may be so arranged in connection with interlocking or other signalling
appliances that it will only come into action when the signal is standing at
danger.
Dated this 29th day of January 1895.
HUGHES & YOUNG,
23 Coleman Street, London, E.C., Agents for Applicant.
I, WILLIAM ATKINSON, of 5 Rudd Street, Hoylake, in the County of Chester,
Plasterer, 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:―
The object of my invention is to provide means whereby an engine driver may be
automatically warned of signals standing at danger.
My invention is illustrated on the accompanying drawing, which is an elevation.
Adjacent to the metals and in such position as to come in contact with the flange
of the wheels of rolling stock, I place a strong steel spring a which may be mounted
upon metallic or wood blocks b, bolted or fastened in any convenient manner to the
sleepers c.
A rocking lever d is pivotted or similarly jointed at d¹ to an iron standard or
frame e fastened to the side of the rail. At a² the lever is pivotted to the spring a.

page_text: The other extremity of d is pivotted to the ends of the rod f and f¹ of the
pistons g and g', which are free to work.to and fro in the cylinder and h¹. To
the cylinders and A' are attached the pipes i and 2, terminating in whistles, horns,
or the like i and 23. When a train passes over the spring a the flange ; of the
engine wheel presses it down, and as the rocking lever d is pivotted to the rail at d¹,
the lowering of the spring a turns the point a² on the fixed point d¹ and causes the
lower end of the rocking lever to move towards the cylinder ', moving the piston
into it, and so forcing out the air and sounding the horn 3. When the train has
passed, the spring resumes its former position, and in doing so, moves the end of d
back into its original position, thus propelling the piston g into ','forcing the air
out and so sounding the horn.i.
Thus at each passage of a wheel, each horn sounds once.
The apparatus may be so arranged in connection with interlocking or other
signalling appliances that it will only come into action when the signal is standing
at danger.
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.:
1. The hereinbefore described .improvements in railway signalling apparatus,
comprising a rocking lever operated by a spring adjacent to the rail and pressed
down by the wheel of a passing engine or the like and actuating the pistons of air
tight cylinders for sounding an alarm substantially as shewn upon the accompanying
drawings.
Dated this 10th day of Mov 1903
HUGHES & YOUNG,
23 Coleman Street, London, E.C. Agents for Applicant.