IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY TELEGRAPHS AND SIGNALS, AND ALSO IN THE PERMANENT WAY AND CARRIAGES FOR PREVENTING RAILWAY ACCIDENTS
Year: 1863

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Wilhelm Adolf von Kanig at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 21st
September 1863..
I, WILHELM ADOLF VON KANIG, of Bedford Place, Russell Square, in the
County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY TELEGRAPHS AND SIGNALS, AND ALSO IN THE PERMANENT
WAY AND CARRIAGES FOR PREVENTING RAILWAY ACCIDENTS," to be as follows,
that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object the prevention of railway accidents, and
consists, first, of a self-acting telegraph and signals, by which the relative
positions and progress of the trains are indicated and regulated; secondly, of
a train telegraph and signals by which a means of communication is provided
between all the carriages and the guards and engine drivers; thirdly of a
guard rail and guide wheel by which the trains are prevented from running off
the line; and, fourthly, of a train guard or fender for removing impediments
in front of the trains.
For effecting the first part of my said Invention I form a covered, open, or
partially open trough or channel between the two lines of rails, or in any other
convenient position, this trough or tube I divide into sections of such lengths
as may be found to answer best in practice. At each end of these sections,
and at such distances intermediately as shall be found necessary, I fix short

page_text: upright standards, and in or upon each of these I hinge a double vane, the
two ends of which are free to move upon the said hinge or joint in the centre
or other position between the two ends thereof; the upper and lower ends of
these vanes are connected by a continuous wire, chain, or cord, so that when
the vane at one end of a section is moved, it communicates motion to the
next, and so on to the vane at the other end of the section. Upon the trough
or tube immediately over the two end standards and vanes I fix hollow pillars,
at the top of which the signals, lamps, and the like for regulating the motion
of the trains are placed, these signals, lamps, and the like, are worked by the
vanes which are connected therewith by a wire, chain, or cord passing down
the pillars before mentioned. The vanes are moved by levers, which levers
are actuated by the wheels of the trains as they pass them, and by this means
the relative positions and progress of the trains are indicated to each other in
the following manner :-Suppose a train is passing the first signal pillar before
mentioned of one of these sections it depresses a lever (resting on a spring)
which actuates the vanes of the whole of that section and puts on the stop
red or danger signal, and this signal remains on until the train passes the
vane at the further end of the section, when the wheels by depressing a lever
as before reverse the signal to "all clear," and thus the following train can
enter the section now left by the preceding train. The second train now
puts on the stop or danger signal at the first pillar to indicate its position to
the third train until the second train also passes out of the section when it
reverses the signal as before described. In order to prevent the wheels of all
the carriages affecting the lever by which the vanes are worked I attach a
spring or catch thereto to hold it in a vertical position so that when the first
wheel passes over it, it is thus held by the spring until the signal is reversed
by the train passing out at the other end of the section, when the vanes recover
their normal position by the back pull of the wire. In the same channel or
trough I also arrange a station, telegraph, or continuous system of vanes and
apparatus to act between station and station, and to be operated by hand. In
this case instead of dividing the vanes and connecting wires into sections as
before described for the line telegraph, I connect the whole of the vanes
between station and station, so that motion imparted at one station is trans-
mitted by the continuous wire to another, and at the stations I
propose to
have a dial or other indicator; the motion of the hands of which shall indicate
to the attendants in charge a signal or message.
The mode in which the telegraph operates is as follows:-Round a suitable
dial I mark letters or numbers and by setting a hand or pointer in any
required position upon this dial at one station it moves a hand upon a

page_text: similar dial to the same relative position at the next station, and by having
a signal dictionary adapted to these letters or numbers, signals or messages
may be transmitted and indicated between station and station for communicating
the arrival and departure of the trains and for other like purposes. In order
to render this apparatus more perfect and certain in its action, when the dial
is used, I give a considerable run to the wire by causing it to actuate the
pointers through a train of wheelwork; by this means I propose to compensate
the expansion of the wire when the distance between station and station is
great. When necessary in order still further to ensure the perfect action of
the dial indicator, I propose to keep the wires in the required state of tension
by the following simple appliance:-At certain distances along the trough I
fix a pair of coupled pullies or drums which are constantly impelled or caused
to rotate in opposite directions by springs or weights; round these springs I
pass the ends of the wire and give it two, three, or more coils so as to take up
the slack between them and keep it in the necessary state of tension. It will
be understood in this case that although the wire is only continuous from one
junction or pair of wheels to another, these wheels being coupled at the
respective junctions, the pull of the wire causes both of the wheels thus coupled
to rotate, so that the unwinding of the wire off or from one pulley winds the
end of the next length of wire on to the next pulley, and the effect of the pull
is continuous. I make this telegraphic apparatus double, so that a message
or telegraphic signal if necessary can be transmitted both ways simultaneously,
or in rapid succession between any two stations so connected.
In case of any
accident or breakage occurring to any of the sections of the line telegraph
before described, I propose that this station telegraphic apparatus shall also
be used as a line telegraph, and in order to render it available for the latter
purpose openings are to be left in the trough at certain intervals for the
guards in charge of the trains to operate the continuous wires, and thus signal
to the stations, between which the motion of their trains may become impeded.
It is not necessary absolutely, however, in order to establish a connection
between station and station and afford a means of communicating signals and
messages between them to make use of the dial apparatus and connections
just described, as similar results may be obtained by merely using a continuous
wire supported upon standards and vanes, as described under the first part of
my Invention between station and station, and by making the simple motion
of an enlarged lever repeated and varied indicate the signal or message in a
similar manner to that of the ordinary indicator.
*
For effecting the second part of my said Invention at each end of the
respective carriages I fix suitable bearings to receive a spring roller, round

page_text: which a sufficient length of cord, chain, or wire is wound to pass from one end
of the train to the other. This cord is passed along over the roof of each
carriage, the roller being fixed at the further end of the carriage most distant
from the engine, and the loose end of the cord or chain threaded through a
number of eyes of short vertical supports standing in tubes and supported by
springs, the lower ends of which supports pass into the compartments of each
carriage, where they terminate in a handle or suitable pull conveniently
accessible to the passengers. The loose end of the cord is attached to a bell
or whistle on the engine, so that when any one of these pulls is actuated in
any compartment of a carriage, the bell or whistle is thereby sounded and the
attention of the guards and engine drivers attracted, and in order that the
particular carriage from which the signal is given may be indicated at the same
time to the end of the support and pull, I hinge a short flag staff and flag; this
flag when the cord is in its normal position lays flat on the top of the carriage,
but when the pillar is drawn into the tube by the pull it carries with it the
end of the flag staff and raises the flag into a vertical position, in which
position it is fixed by a spring catch, and thus indicates the part of the train
where the guard is required.
For effecting the third part of my said Invention for preventing the carriages
of the train from leaving the rails, in the centre of each track I fix a guard or
safety rail, and upon the axles of the wheels I also fix a double flanged guide
wheel, the flanges of which are of such a depth as to effectually prevent this
wheel from leaving the guard rail by the impetus of the train in a lateral
direction; the depth of these flanges may be varied according to the depth of
the flange on the carriage wheels, but in all cases it must be of sufficient
depth to act as a guard wheel; even should the flange of the ordinary wheels
rise over the ordinary rails sufficient space is left between the two guard flanges
of this safety wheel to prevent the flanges from coming into contact with the
sides of the safety rail, except when the ordinary wheels leave the ordinary
rails, or have a tendency to do so. The effect of this guard or safety rail or
guide wheel will be to support the carriage in the event of the wheel or axle
This guard or safety rail
on either side being broken or otherwise injured.
I also propose to use as the break rail by fixing a lever break to each carriage
to be let down into contact therewith for retarding the train.
For effecting the fourth part of my said Invention for removing obstacles
from the rails, I form a fender in the following manner:-I fix at some
distance from the front of the engine over each rail a projecting arm, upon
which a blade, similar in form to that of a plough breast, is securely bolted.
These blades are formed and fixed so as to throw any impeding matter upon

page_text: the rails to the bank side; between these arms I fit a strong catch net in a
rocking or folding frame. This frame is so hinged to the side arms that it
will tip upon meeting any obstacle between the rails, such as cattle and the
like, and either remove or retain the same. The trough or tube in which I
fix the station and line apparatus I also propose to use for containing the
ordinary electric telegraph wires for the transmission of electric or magnetic
telegrams.