IMPROVE- MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR THE PREVENTION OF ACCIDENTS UPON RAILWAY INCLINES AND OTHER PARTS OF RAILWAYS
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Harry Footner, of the Engineer's Office, Crewe
Station, in the County of Chester, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR THE PREVENTION OF ACCIDENTS UPON RAILWAY
INCLINES AND OTHER PARTS OF RAILWAYS."
Sealed the 6th April 1875, and dated the 26th October 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Harry Footner at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
26th October 1874.
I, HARRY FOOTNER, of the Engineer's Office, Crewe Station, in the
County of Chester, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
.
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR THE PREVENTION OF ACCIDENTS UPON
RAILWAY INCLINES AND OTHER PARTS OF RAILWAYS," to be as follows:-
-
This Invention has mainly for its object to prevent railway trucks or
carriages at the rear part of a train ascending an incline from running
back in case of a coupling breaking and their becoming detached from
the fore part of the train and engine, or when shunting has to be carried
on at the top of an incline to prevent trucks or carriages from running
down the incline in case the break power is insufficient to stop them;
or when shunting near to passenger stations to prevent carriages or

page_text: trucks being impelled on to the main or platform line, unless the lines
are clear and the signals are down to permit carriages or trucks to be
run on to them. For these purposes I employ a long length of chain
laid in a zig-zag manner between the rails or coiled in a locker or pit
between them, and having secured to its end a hook or catch, which
stands up above the line and is formed so that when a train ascending
the incline or passing over it in the direction in which the apparatus is
not required to come into action the hook or catch moves aside and
permits the train to pass freely, but in case of any carriages or trucks
descending the incline (or running in the wrong direction) the hook or
catch lays hold of the axle, or of some other part of the leading carriage
or truck, whereby the chain will gradually be drawn out into a straight
line, and by the resistance it offers will quickly arrest its movement.
The normal position of the hook or catch may either be up, ready to lay
hold of a runaway, or down, and be brought into action either by the
wheel of the train it arrests or with a lever worked by hand.
Upon a long incline apparatus such as above described may be placed
at intervals along it, or may be placed at the upper part only of the
incline, as may be desired.
When the apparatus is applied to the exit from shunting stations, or
in other similar cases, the hook or catch is put into connection with
the signal apparatus in such manner that when the signal is lowered
the hook or catch at the end of the chain is lowered also, so as to be
out of action; but if the signal is at danger the hook or catch is brought
into position to arrest the motion of any passing trucks or carriages.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Harry Footner in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 26th April 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HARRY
FOOTNER, of the Engineer's Office, Crewe Station, in the County of 3
Chester, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of October, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the

page_text: thirty-eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Harry Footner, Her special
license that I, the said Harry Footner, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Harry Footner, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, usc, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR THE PREVENTION OF ACCIDENTS UPON RAILWAY INCLINES AND
OTHER PARTS OF RAILWAYS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said Harry Footner, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause
the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Harry Footner, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement thereof, that is to say:—
This Invention has mainly for its object to prevent railway trucks or
carriages at the rear part of a train ascending an incline from running
back in case of a coupling breaking and their becoming detached from
the fore part of the train and engine, or when shunting has to be carried
on at the top of an incline to prevent trucks or carriages from running
down the incline in case the brake power is insufficient to stop them;
or when shunting near to passenger stations to prevent carriages or
trucks being impelled on to the main or platform line, unless the lines
are clear and the signals are down to permit carriages or trucks to be
run on to them. For these purposes I employ a long length of chain
laid in a zig-zag manner between the rails or coiled in a locker or pit
between them, and having secured to its end a hook or catch carried
in such a manner that when a train ascending the incline or passing
over it in the direction in which the apparatus is not required to come
into action the hook or catch may be moved out of the way and permit
the train to pass freely, but in case of any carriages or trucks descending

page_text: the incline (or running in the wrong direction) the hook or catch may
be brought into position to lay hold of the axle or of some other part of
the leading carriage or truck, whereby the chain will gradually be drawn
out into a straight line, and by the resistance it offers will quickly arrest
its movement. The normal position of the hook or catch may either
be up, ready to lay hold of a runaway, or down, and be brought into
action either by the wheel of the train it arrests or with a lever worked
by hand
the incline (or running in the wrong direction) the hook or catch may
be brought into position to lay hold of the axle or of some other part of
the leading carriage or truck, whereby the chain will gradually be drawn
out into a straight line, and by the resistance it offers will quickly arrest
its movement. The normal position of the hook or catch may either
be up, ready to lay hold of a runaway, or down, and be brought into
action either by the wheel of the train it arrests or with a lever worked
by hand.
Upon a long incline apparatus, such as above described, may be placed
at intervals along it, or may be placed at the upper part only of the
incline, as may be desired.
When the apparatus is applied to the exit from shunting stations, or
in other similar cases, the hook or catch is put into connection with the
signal apparatus in such manner that when the signal is lowered the
hook or catch at the end of the chain is lowered also, so as to be out of
action; but if the signal is at danger the hook or catch is brought into
position to arrest the motion of any passing trucks or carriages.
In order that my Invention may be fully understood, and readily
carried into effect, I have shown in the Drawings hereunto annexed one
arrangement of my chain drag apparatus.
"
Figure 1 is an elevation in section; and Figure 2, a plan view of the
apparatus. In these Figures A is a locker or pit, in which the chain is
to be coiled; the chain should be of a length greater than the length of
any of the trains passing over the line to which the apparatus is applied;
B is a hawse hole at the top of the pit, through which the chain is led;
C is a lid covering over the top of the pit; D is a hook to which the
end of the chain is attached. At D' the stem of the hook is received
into a socket on the lever arm E, to which is connected a weight Ex,
sufficiently heavy to cause the arm E and hook to turn upwards into
the position shown by dotted lines in Figure 1; F is a catch for holding.
down the hook and arm E; this catch is coupled to a bell-crank lever G,
from which a wire H is led to a lever arm in a signal box, so that in
casc a train is observed to be running back along an incline the signal-
man may by pulling this lever release the latch F and allow the hook
to lay hold of one of the axles of the descending train, the hook will
then be drawn out of its socket and be carried along with the train, so.
drawing the chain out from the locker A, and as, the amount of chain

page_text: drawn out from the locker and dragged along the ground by the train
increases the motion of the train will gradually although quickly be
arrested.
In place of the wire H being led to a lever in the signal box it may
be led to a trigger apparatus suitably formed to allow a train to pass
over it in the right direction without altering the position of the catch F,
but so that when a train passes over it in the wrong direction it may be
caused to draw back the catch and releaso the hook, so that the hook
may turn into position to lay hold of the train before the train comes
up to it.
This self-acting releasing apparatus may be formed of a rail similar
to a switch rail with flattened end, which trains running in the proper
direction pass through in the same way as through an ordinary catch
point, but with trains running back the wheels depress and run over the
flattened end of the rail, and this being connected to a bell crank, to
which the wire H is coupled, liberates the hook and causes the train to
be arrested. Or the axis of the lever arm E* may be connected with
the ordinary signal apparatus in such manner that when the signal is
down for a train to pass the hook may be turned down to be out of the
way of the train, but when the signal is set at danger may be brought
into position to lay hold of any train passing over it.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner
of performing the same, I would have it understood that I do not confinc
myself to the precise arrangement of the apparatus, as shown in the
Drawings hereunto annexed, as various modifications may be made in
the way of carrying out my Invention; but what I claim is the employ-
of a length of chain, substantially in the manner herein-before described,
to arrest the motion of runaway trains or trains passing over lines when
the signals are against them.
In witness whereof, I, the said Harry Footner, have hereunto set
hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of April, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five.