IMPROVED APPARATUS
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Richard Hodson, of Blackwall, in the County of
Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVED APPARATUS
Sealed the 16th January 1872, and dated the 4th August 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard Hodson at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 4th August 1871.
I, RICHARD HODSON, of Blackwall, in the County of Middlesex,
Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR INDICATING THE NAMES OF STATIONS IN RAILWAY
TRAINS," to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is by means of visible signals to indicate
to the passengers in a railway train the name of the station which the
train is approaching.
The apparatus whereby this is effected consists of an endless or con-
tinuous chain of metal or other plates in which the names of the places
or stations are printed, painted, or otherwise marked, and are connected

page_text: together in any convenient manner so that they may be exhibited in
regular succession through an opening provided for the purpose in the
case enclosing the apparatus. This chain of names is supported by a
roller or cylinder to which an intermittent motion is given by tappets
which act on a wheel or wheels mounted on the axle of the roller.
These tappets are adapted to the rods of pistons which work in
cylinders to which compressed air is admitted from pipes connected
with a compressed air reservoir, situated by preference in the guard's
van. This reservoir is supplied with compressed air by means of a
pump worked by a crank or excentric on one of the axles of the running
wheels of the carriage.
When it is required to alter the name so as to indicate the next
or approaching station, the guard opens a cock on the air tubes so
as to allow air from the compressed air vessel to rush into the air
cylinder of the indicating apparatus. This will drive down the piston
in this cylinder and by means of the tappets will move round the in-
dicator roller part of a revolution, and thus bring forward a fresh name
of a station. On opening another valve the compressed air will be
allowed to escape from the cylinder, and the piston will be allowed
to move back to its original position and may be assisted in so doing
by a spring or otherwise.
Instead of depending on the guard for working the signalling appa-
ratus this may be rendered automatic by fixing at any convenient part
of the railway track tappets, arms, or strikers, which may be made to
act on and open and close cocks on the tubes communicating with the
compressed air reservoir. Instead of a continuous chain of names strung
together and supported on a roller or cylinder as above described, the
names may be painted or otherwise marked on the sides of a disc or
discs to which an intermittent rotary motion may be imparted when
required by the pistons of the air cylinders.
If desired each apparatus may be made complete with its compressed
air vessel and connections and air pumps worked from one of the axles
of the running wheels so that the indicating apparatus of each carriage
may be independent of the others.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Richard Hodson in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 3rd February 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, RICHARD
HODSON, of Blackwall, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of August, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-
fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Richard Hodson, Her special licence that I,
the said Richard Hodson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said Richard Hodson, 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, use, exercise, and vend, within the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands,
and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR INDICATING
THE NAMES OF STATIONS IN RAILWAY TRAINS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Richard Hodson, my executors or adminis-
trators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of
their hands and scals, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, 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 Richard Hodson, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, reference being had to the Drawings here-
unto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that
is to say)
The object of this Invention is by means of visible signals to indicate
to the passengers in a railway train immediately it leaves a station the
name of the station at which the next stoppage will take place.

page_text: The apparatus whereby this is effected consists of an endless or
continuous chain or band of metal or other suitable substance, on the
links or plates of which are fixed the names of the places or stations at
which the train is intended to stop; these names are arranged and
connected to the chain in such a manner that they may be exhibited in
regular succession through an opening provided for the purpose in the
case enclosing the apparatus.
In the accompanying Drawing I have shewn various views of the
apparatus as adapted to a railway carriage, and the means of actuating
the same. Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the apparatus drawn full size,
and Fig. 2 is an edge view of the same, and Fig. 3 is a horizontal section
taken in the line 1, 2, of Fig. 1, and Figs. 4 and 5, Sheets II. and III.,
are longitudinal and cross sections of a guard's carriage or break van
fitted with the air compressing apparatus.
The chain of names a, a, is supported on the hexagonal roller A
shewn by dots in Fig. 1, and to which an intermittent motion is given
by the tappets b, b, hinged to the lower ends of the piston rods c, c, the
points of the tappets b, b, being made to act on pins d, d, fixed on
the wheel d✶ which is keyed on the axle a¹ of the roller A. The
cylinders e in which the pistons c', c', work are connected by means of a
small pipef, Fig. 2, with a reservoir of compressed air placed in the
guard's van, shewn at Figures 4 and 5, Sheets II. and III., and hereafter
more particularly referred to. This pipe is connected with the several
indicating apparatus throughout the entire length of the train. When
the tappet wheel a has been moved round one-sixth of a revolution by
the descent of one of the tappets b; the wheel is prevented by a catch,
locking bolt, or tumbler g from rotating any further until it is released.
A second wheel h* running loose upon the axle a¹ of the roller A and
provided with pins h, h, is also acted upon by the points b² of the
tappets b immediately before the wheel d* is put in motion. The object
of this wheel is to lift up the catch g which locks the wheel d* and
thus prevent the endless chain of names from being moved by any
accidental means, such as the vibration of carriages, &c.
The reservoir of compressed air for working the indicating apparatus
is composed of two chambers j and j*, Figures 4 and 5, the upper
one j* is of small capacity, so that it may be very quickly charged, and
the lower one j is much larger, so that it will contain air enough to
work all the apparatus throughout the train for some time. These

page_text: reservoirs are supplied by one or more small air pumps i, i, the piston
rods of which are connected by the rods a, i, to the cranks k, k, one on
each end of a shaft m mounted in a rocking frame suspended in
bearings secured to the framework of the carriage. A wheel n is
mounted on the shaft or axle m, and its periphery is made to bear
against the periphery of a wheel o fixed on the axle of the running
wheels of the carriages, so that as the train proceeds the running
wheels by their rotation drive the wheel n on the crank shaft m, and
thus work the air pumps i, i, and compress air into the reservoirs j, j*.
When it is required to alter the name of a station the guard has
merely to open one of the cocks p, p, in the air tubes p¹, p¹, and this
allows the compressed air in the reservoir to pass along the horizontal
air tube into one of the cylinders of each indicator. The air on
expanding in the cylinder will cause the piston therein to descend, and
by means of its tappet 6 to move round the tappet wheel d*, Figures 1
and 2, and with it the roller A a part of a revolution, thus bringing into
view the name of a fresh station, as shewn at Figures 2 and 5, Sheets I.
and III. Upon the guard moving back the handle of the cock P, which
is a three-way cock, the compressed air from the pipes p' and f will be
liberated and allowed to pass away through an outlet in the cock, and
escape into the atmosphere. The pistons in the cylinders e will then
by means of the coiled springs e¹ (Figure 1) under them be forced back
and made to return to their former position at the top of their stroke in
readiness for their next operation.
"
"
The object of employing two cylinders is to enable the indicator to be
worked in either direction, so as to be applied for the "up" or down
journey, as the case may be.
The two compressed air reservoirs ; and j¹ may be used together or
separately. Thus supposing them to be empty at the starting, the
smaller one may be used alone and almost immediately, so as to exhibit
the name of the next stopping station, as a few strokes only of the
pumps are needed to give sufficient pressure of air to work the indicators.
The larger reservoir is so arranged that when charged the smaller
reservoir can be shut off. The large reservoir may be made to contain
sufficient compressed air to work all the indicating apparatus thoughout
the train during the whole journey without any additional working of
the pumps. The hand wheel 2 on the top of the reservoir is for the
purpose of throwing the pumps in and out of gear when desired, to do

page_text: which the guard has merely to turn the hand wheel q round one or two
revolutions, rotating the screw q*, which works in a nut carried by the
upper end of the bar q', which is attached by its lower end to the axle of
the rocking frame 1. According to the direction of rotation of the
hand wheel g the bar q¹ and rocking frame will be rocked so as to
bring the peripheries of the wheels n and o into or out of contact with
cach other, so as to throw the pneumatic apparatus into or out of action
as desired.
The front of the indicator is made to open so that the names of the
stations can be readily altered by the railway officials when necessary,
to which end the tappet wheel d* must be released by lifting a small
bolt fixed in the inside of the case of the indicator, so that the
catch g can be raised out of gear and the endless chain moved round as
'desired.
The names of the stations are painted or otherwise marked on slips of 1
metal or other suitable material (shewn detached in plan and edge
view at Figure 6, Sheet I.) which are slipped into grooves s¹, s¹, in the
frame plates s (shewn detached at Figure 7, Sheet I.), of which the
chain a Figure I. is composed.
It will be obvious to any intelligent mechanic that the indicators may 2
be worked cither by compressed air above the atmospheric pressure or
by a vacuum.
Instead of depending on the guard for working the signalling
apparatus this may be rendered automatic by fixing at any convenient
part of the railway track tappets, arms, or strikers, which may be made 2
to act on and open and close cocks on the compressed air tubes
communicating with the compressed air reservoir.
If desired the indicating apparatus for cach carriage may be made
complete with its compressed air vessel and connections, and air pumps,
which may be worked from one of the axles of the running wheels 3
precisely in the manner shown in Figures 4 and 5, Sheets II. and III.,
where the box B is the indicating apparatus, so that the indicating
apparatus of each carriage may be independent of the others and also of
the guard.
Instead of a continuous chain of names strung together and supported 3
on a roller or cylinder, as above described, the names may be painted
or otherwise marked on the sides of a disc or discs, to which an

page_text: intermittent rotary motion may be imparted when required by the
pistons of air cylinders e, e.
Having now described my Invention of " Improved Apparatus for
Indicating the Names of Stations in Railway Trains," and having
explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, I claim, as the
Invention secured to me by Letters Patent, as aforesaid, the arrange-
ment or combination herein set forth, or any mere modification thereof,
consisting of an endless chain or series of names so mounted and
arranged that it may be moved round at intervals by means of tappets,
or equivalent contrivances, operated by pistons actuated by the pressure
of air as herein set forth.
I also claim the above described mode of constructing the endless
chain (for carrying the names of the stations) so that the names may
be altered when required.
In witness whereof, I, the said Richard Hodson, have hereunto
ant me
and cool the Thind day of Dahmia
in the
RICHARD HODSON. (L.S.)