IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR COMMUNICATING AND SIGNALLING BETWEEN PASSENGERS, GUARDS, AND DRIVERS. OF RAILWAY TRAINS
Year: 1865

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Horatio Fletcher and George Gore
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their Petition, on
the 8th August 1865.
We, HORATIO FLETCHER and GEORGE GORE, both of Gateshead, in the
County of Durham, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention. for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR COMMUNICATING AND SIGNALLING BETWEEN
PASSENGERS, GUARDS, AND DRIVERS. OF RAILWAY TRAINS," to be as follows:-
Our Invention consists in the employment of an apparatus constructed as
hereafter described, for causing the contraction of a rope, chain, or wire, and
thereby to communicate motion to a given signal, such as a whistle; bell, or
gong in the guard's van, or on the engine.
The apparatus consists of a simple metal frame bolted or screwed to the
side frames underneath the carriage. At each end of this frame there are
fitted two friction rollers, between which, as will be presently described, a rope,
chain, or wire passes. At or about the central part of the frame we insert a
shaft or rod, which passes through the side frame of the carriage, and carries
or has keyed to it, a grooved pulley, to which two ropes, chains, or cords are
attached, each running in contrary directions. The other or outer end of the
shaft carries what we term the rope contractor; it is keyed to the same shaft
on which the grooved pulley is mounted, and consists of two metal plates
secured together, and divided at their ends by small grooved pulleys. The
rope, chain, or wire is first passed through or between one set of the friction
pulleys under a guide pulley in the contractor over the other guide pulley

page_text: between the other friction pulleys, and thence to the next carriage. When
the apparatus is ready for use, but at the same time in a state of rest, the
contractor lies horizontally, or nearly so, with its plate, the cord, rope, chain,
or wire being in connection with the guard's van or engine, as before stated.
The cords united to the grooved pulley are in communication with each com-
partment thoughout the train. Now to sound or make a signal the cord
united to the grooved pulley is pulled, which, through the shaft on which it is
keyed communicates motion to the contractor, and sets it out of the horizontal
position, by which action the rope, chain, or wire passing through it becomes
tightly and quickly contracted, and so sounds the signal.
We do not limit ourselves to any particular description of apparatus for
communicating motion to the grooved pulley or sheave from the different com-
partments of the carriages, as it is necessary that changes should take place
in the arrangement for every carriage of different construction; however, we
have successfully applied a wheel or segment of a wheel set underneath the
flooring carrying a vertical shaft passing up, by preference, at one end of
the compartment, and terminating in a switch or lever, by turning which the
wheel below is moved, and motion through the rope, chain, or wire commu-
nicated, as before described, to the grooved pulley or sheave, and thence to the
contractor.
Although not necessary to the working of the apparatus, we in some cases
apply to each carriage what we term tell-tales. On each side we swing arms
in communication by levers with the vertical rod for communicating motion
to the grooved pulley, so that as the lever or switch is moved to make a signal
the arms fly out, and at the time the signal is made indicate the carriage from
whence it comes.