IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR SIGNALLING BETWEEN THE PARTS OF A TRAIN OF CARRIAGES
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Ingram, of Bradford, in the County of
York, Foreman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OR
APPARATUS FOR SIGNALLING BETWEEN THE PARTS OF A TRAIN OF CARRIAGES."
Sealed the 29th March 1859, and dated the 14th October 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Ingram at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
14th October 1858.
I, THOMAS INGRAM, of Bradford, in the County of York, Foreman, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS
OR APPARATUS FOR SIGNALLING BETWEEN THE PARTS OF A TRAIN OF CARRIAGES," to
be as follows
The indicator used as a signal may be a bell or other means by which to
attract attention, and is operated by a suitable cord, band; or chain continued
from the part or parts of the train carrying the signal to the part or parts
where it may be desired to operate such signal. For the convenience of
altering the length of a train, by adding to or removing from it any of the
carriages, the operating band or chain is formed in parts adapted to each
carriage, with suitable hook or other connecting means at the ends, by which,
when the carriages are connected, the connecting means to the signal may be
formed continuous. And in order that the band or other connecting means
may be alike effective under different states of compression of the buffers, and

page_text: consequent variations at different times of the length of the train composed
of the same carriages, the portion of band or other connecting means to the
signal adapted to each carriage is according to these improvements formed in
two parts, and these separate parts pass under pulleys carried by the lower
end of a pendant lever carried by the carriages, and are then connected
to the buffer apparatus, so as to be drawn up with the compression of the
buffers.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Ingram in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
13th April 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
INGRAM, of Bradford, in the County of York, Foreman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-cight, in the twenty-second year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Thomas Ingram, Her special licence that I, the said Thomas
Ingram, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Thomas Ingram, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 "IMPROVE-
BIENTS IN MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR SIGNALLING BETWEEN THE PARTS OF A TRAIN
OF CARRIAGES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Thomas
Ingram, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, 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 Scal
Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the
date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Thomas Ingram, 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 :-
The indicator used as a signal may be a bell, or other means by which to

page_text: attract attention, and is operated by a suitable cord, wire, rope, or other band
or chain continued from the part or parts of the train carrying the signal to
the part or parts where it may be desired to operate such signal. For the
convenience of altering the length of a train by adding to or removing from
it any of the carriages, the operating band or chain is formed in parts adapted
to each carriage, with suitable hook or other connecting means at the ends, by
which, when the carriages are connected, the connecting means to the signal
may be formed continuous. And in order that the band or other connecting
means may be alike effective under different states of compression of the
buffers, and consequent variations at different times of the length of the train,
composed of the same carriages, the portion of band or other connecting
means to the signal adapted to each carriage is, according to these improve-
ments, formed in two parts, and these separate parts pass under pulleys carried
by the lower end of a pendant lever carried by the carriage, and are then
connected to the buffer apparatus so as to be drawn up with the compression
of the buffers, and they are also connected to the traction springs in such
manner as to be lengthened by the extension of the draw bar.
But that the nature of these my improvements, and by what means I carry
the same into effect may be fully understood, I will proceed to describe the
Drawings annexed, in each of the Figures of which the same letters are
employed to indicate like parts.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 shows a side view of the lower framing of a guard's van, with my
improvements applied to it; Figure 2 is an under side view of the same.
a, a, is the framing; b, b, the carrying wheels; c, c, the buffers; and c', c', the
buffer rods, connected at their inner ends to the buffing and traction springs d,
all which is of the ordinary kind, and forms no part of my Invention. The
indicator may, as stated, be a bell or other alarum in connection with a band e,
which for each carriage is formed in two parts, each of which, from the hook
or other means f, employed for facilitating connection to like bands of the
next of the train of carriages, passes under and partly around pulleys g¹ and
92, carried by the pendant lever g, which is suspended by a pin joint g³ from
the main frame a; each band e thence passes partly around a pulley h to the
link i, which, by rods i, , is connected to the ends of the buffer and traction
springs d, by which means when from any cause the buffers become com-
pressed, and the length of the train is reduced, any slack to the bands e will
be uniformly taken up. Each pulley h is connected by a chain h' to the lower
end of a lever j, which turns upon an axis j', and at its upper end is, by a

page_text: band k, connected to the middle of the traction spring d, by which, when by
strain upon the train of carriages the traction rods or draw bars are extended,
and the centre parts of the two traction springs & consequently separated, the
bands e will be permitted to extend to the extent desired.
Apparatus of the character thus far described will be applied to each of a
train of carriages between the parts in communication, and it will be operated
upon by the guard or other person in the guard's van or other of the carriages
determined upon, or by the engine man when the apparatus is to be operated
from the engine, by such carriage or engine being provided with a small hand
windlass, or other suitable means adapted to draw the band or cord m con-
nected to one end of the lever n, which turns upon a fixed stud n', and at
its other end is by a cord or band o connected to the pendant lever g of that
carriage.
I would state that, although I have only shown the pendant lever g con-
nected with the lever n, so that it may be pulled in one direction, it will
readily be understood that, when desired to have the facility for pulling that
lever g in either direction, that the connections thereto will be applied on
each side thereof. The other end of the series of cords e, or such of them
as may be desired, will be connected to a bell or bells, or other means of
alarm or signalling, as may be determined upon, by which means great
facility will be given for signalling from any one part to any other part of
a train.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner I carry the same into effect, I would have it understood, that I do
not confine myself to the precise details as shown and described, so long as
the peculiar character of the Invention be retained substantially as explained.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Ingram have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twelfth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
Witness,
A. PFEILSCHMIDT,
Bradford,
Yorksh.
THOMAS INGRAM. (L.S.)