Year: 1896

page_text: WO WILLIAM BAXENDALE of 156 Shaw Road, Foreman, and EDWIN PLATT of
Higginshaw Gus Works, Assistant Gas Manager, both of Oldham in the County of
Lancaster, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to provide passenger trains with a simple apparatus
by which the occupants of any and every compartment of a train can tell the
station at which the said train is stopping or next about to stop.
Our improved apparatus consists of a long band tapo or strip of steel or other
suitable material, formed in sections passing from the guard's van through every
compartment of each carriage and back around suitable antifriction howls or pulleys
to the said gnard's van in one continuous length, and suitably coupled together
between the carriages and van.
Each end of the band tape or strip in the guard's van is fastened to a suitable
drum or similar device provided with a handle and a break so that the tape band or
strip can be caused (by rotating the handle of one or other of these drums) to
move in either direction through the compartments of the carriages of which the
train is composed.
This tape band or strip may be marked with the names of every station through
which tho train passes, and at which it stops, so that in all the compartments the
same name will appear and show simultaneously through a suitable sight hole or
space, the remainder of the tape being enclosed and hidden from view by a con-
venient casing or covering, a similar arrangement being placed in the guard's van
so that the guard may see what indication or name is being given in the said
compartments.
In some cases a finger may be fixed or adjusted upon the tape band or strip in
oach compartment and move over the names of the stations which are printed or
otherwise arranged in order above or below it.
In case the names are fixed on the tape band or strip and there are more
stations. to be indicated than can be arranged to be shewn by one traverso of the
tape, we make the said tape band or strip longer and arrange the names in groups
of suitable number in such a way that when the last station of the first group has
been passed, the guard winds up the whole length of the tape band or strip upon
which such names appear and the first station of the next group comes into view
and so on.
The length of tape leaving the guard's van preferably passes so close to the
length moving towards the said van that one set of guide pulleys serves for both
lengths.
It will be understood that the break above described is applied to that drum or
device from which the tape band or strip is being unwound.
This invention is most especially applicable to trains which are made up-for some
length of time to travel always over a certain part of a railway line.
1000

page_text: .
.
We WILLIAM BAXENDALE, of Shaw Road, Foreman, and EDWIN PLATT, of
Higginshaw Gas Works, Assistant Gas Manager, both of Oldham, in the County of
Lancaster, 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 this invention is to provide passenger trains with a simple apparatos
by which the occupants of any and every compartment of a train can tell the station
at which the said train is stopping or next about to stop.
Our invention will be readily understood from the following description on
reference to the accompanying two sheets of drawings.
On Sheet 1 Fig. 1 is a partial elevation in section, Fig. 2 is a partial plan in
section of so much of two passenger compartments and a guard's van as is
necessary to illustrate our invention.
On Sheet 2, Figs. 34, and 5 shew parts detached hereafter referred to and
drawn to a larger scale.
Our improved apparatus consists of a long band, tape or strip a of steal or
other suitable material, either in one length or formed in sections, passing from
the guard's van A through every compartment B of each carriage, and back around
suitable antifriction bowls or pulleys a' to the said guard's van in one continuous
length, and suitably coupled together between the carriages and van, or in one
length as shewn.
Each end of the band tape or strip a in the guard's van A is fastened to a
suitable drum bb respectively or similar device, provided with a handle o and c¹
respectively and a break d and d respectively so that the tape baud or strip a
can be caused (by rotating the handle or o' of one or other of these drums) to
move in either direction through the compartments B of the carriages of which
the train is composed.
This tape band or strip a may be marked with the names of every station
through which the train passes, and at which it stops, so that in all the compart-
ments the same name will appear and show simultaneously through a suitable sight
hole or space e, the remainder of the tape being enclosed and hidden from view
by a convenient casing or covering, a similar arrangement being placed in the
guard's van A, so that the guard may see what indication or name is being given
in the said compartments B.
In some cases a finger may be fixed or adjusted upon the tape band or strip in
each compartment and move over the names of the stations which are printed or
otherwise arranged in order above or below it.
In case the names are fixed on the tape band or strip a and there are more
stations to be indicated than can be arranged to be shewn by one traverse of the said tape,
we make the said tape band or strip longer and arrange the names in groups of
suitable number (say four) in such a way that when the last station of the first
group of four has been passed, 'the guard winds up the whole length of the tape
band or strip upon which such names appear and the first station of the next group
(say the 5th from the starting point) comes into view and so on.
The length of tape a leaving the guard's van preferably passes so close to the
length moving towards the said van that one set of guide pulleys a' serves for both
lengths.
It will be understood that the break above described is applied to that drum
or device from which the tape band or strip is being unwound.

page_text: The drawings (Figs. 3 and 4) show the break band d weighted by a weight d+
which is moved to the end of the band d when the tape a is to be reversed, i.e.,
wound from to b, and in this case the ratchet wheel g is held by the pawl h,
instead of the wheel g¹ by the pawl h' as is the case when the tape a is being wound
upon ; and in order to allow for the passing of the train around curves, we arrange
a suitable device, say a tension lever i and i, at each end of the tape a (see also
detached view Fig. 5) to take up any slack in the tape which may be pulled off the
drum from which the tape is unwound, by weighting the lever i ori (or its
equivalent) which is next to the drum b or b¹ from which the tape is unwound."
This invention is most especially applicable to trains which are made up for some
length of time to travel always over a certain part of a railway line.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
An improved station indicator for passenger trains consisting of a band tape or
strip of suitable material each end of which is connected to a drum in the guard's
van, the said tape or strip passing through the whole length of the train and
indicating the stations substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated by the
annexed drawings.
1007
GEO. DAVIES & SON,
4, St. Ann's Square, Manchester, Agents for the Applicants.