Improvements in and connected with Railway Signals.
Year: 1891

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Railway Signals.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS HALL, of the Times Building, in the City and State of
New York, United States of America, President of a Company, 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 :-
My invention relates to improvements in railway signalling apparatus and has
particular reference to the construction of and means for shewing the signals known
as semaphores.
Many railway companies prefer semaphore signals to those which have coloured
discs, as the former convey the desired intelligence by means of the positions of the
arms; but these do not convey signals at night, and lanterns shewing coloured
lights are then necessary. The object of my invention is to provide a semaphore
that signals the same at night as by day, and by means of the position of the arm
will always indicate danger or safety at any period of the twenty-four hours.
To this end, my invention consists in the combination with a semaphore arm of a
certain colour, of a background therefor of contrasting colour, and means for
illuminating one or the other of them.
In the drawings which accompany and form part of this Specification;
Figure 1 is a front elevation of my signal mounted on a post, and
Figure 2 is a section of Figure 1 taken on lines 2-2.
On the post A is mounted a case B having preferably a front of transparent
glass and a back of translucent material, as ground glass, b. To one side of the
case at c is hinged the semaphore arm C which may be operated by any suitable
means as a magnet in the small case c', or a system of rods and levers.
The arm C is composed of a light frame of wire having red silk stretched over
it, or it may be constructed in any suitable way and of any desired material and
colour, but I consider red silk preferable. The two positions of the arm C are
indicated in Figure 1 by solid and dotted lines respectively.
The background is of white or light coloured material and I find means for
illuminating this background. As indicated in the drawing, the material is ground
glass and at the back of it is a bracket d for supporting at night a lantern D, the
light from which illuminates the ground glass and shews the colour as well as
the position of the arm C to the driver of a train approaching the signal., The
lantern is provided with a condenser or a diffusing reflector to throw the light as
equally as possible over the background imparting to it a white appearance against
which the position, shape and colour of the semaphore are clearly discernible.
While prefering the construction above described I do not limit myself thereto;
as the background might be opaque and have a white surface which would reflect
light thrown upon it by a lamp placed in front and to one side of the said
background.
Again, the background might be dark and the arm be of light coloured material;
in this case, if the material of the arm is opaque, the lamp should be placed in front
of both the arm and the background and shine or reflect light upon both.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In a railway signal, the combination with a semaphore arm or
signal banner,

page_text: or banner and background having contrasting colours, and of means for artificially
illuminating one or both of said elements, substantially as described.
2. In a railway signal, the combination with a coloured semaphore arm or signal
banner through which light may pass and a contrasting coloured background upon
which the position of the same is indicated, of means for artificially illuminating
one or both of said elements, substantially as described.
3. In a railway signal, the combination with a semaphore arm or signal banner,
of a translucent background upon which the position of the same is indicated, and
means for illuminating said background, substantially as described.
4. In a railway signal, the combination with a translucent semaphore arm or
signal banner, of a translucent background therefor upon which the position of the
same is indicated, and a lamp placed behind said background, substantially as and
for the purpose set forth.
5. In a railway signal, the combination with a semaphore arm or signal banner,
of an illuminated background or screen upon which the position of the semaphore
arm or banner is indicated.
WILLIAM E. HEYS,
Agent for the Applicant.