Automatic Apparatus for Indicating in a Railway Train the Successive Stations.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Sept., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 8th July, 1893-Accepted, 19th Aug., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Automatic Apparatus for Indicating in a Railway Train the
Successive Stations.
I, FREDERICK VERNON RUSSELL, of No. 64 Bolton Road, Romford Road,
Stratford, in the County of Essex, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows: :-
My invention relates to apparatus whereby as a railway train proceeds, the name
of the station towards which it is proceeding is automatically displayed in a
compartment or in several compartments of the train. For this purpose, in the
wall or partition of the compartment preferably near the ceiling I provide a frame
in which can slide a plate bearing on its face or on both faces the names of
successive stations, it may be with advertisements or other matter.
Through an opening; which may be glazed, passengers, in the one compartment
or in both of the compartments separated by a partition, can see the name of a
station and the other matter on that part of the sliding plate which faces the
opening, the other station names being hidden. For automatically moving the
plate so as to present the name of the station towards which the train is proceeding,
I employ mechanism of the following kind.
Near each station, preferably a little in advance of it, I mount on a wall or on
an upright a frame which presents its face towards the carriages as they pass, this
frame being mounted on springs so that it can accommodate itself horizontally and
This mechanism
vertically to mechanism on the carriage on which this frame acts.
consists of bars which, engaging with the frame, set it in correct position so that
an incline on the fixed frame moves to a certain extent a sliding rod connected to a
lever linked to the sliding plate in the carriage. The inclines on the fixed frames
at the several stations are of various degrees of inclination, so that as the train
passes them successively the lever and sliding plate in the carriage are moved by
successive steps, and thus the plate is made to present the names of the successive
stations. After the plate has been thus moved its whole stroke, or it might be
after each partial stroke, it is brought back to its initial position by the action of
an opposite incline on one of the stationary frames, or several of these.
When there is a considerable number of stations, I provide a number of the
sliding plates each with its operating lever and sliding rod, and in the frames fixed
at the stations I provide a corresponding number of inclines, at different levels of
the frame, cach giving more or less motion to one set of the rods levers and plates.
In order to prevent any plate from shaking out of the position to which it is thus
automatically set, I provide it with inclined spring pieces engaging in recesses of
the frame in which the plate slides, these pieces holding the plate with sufficient
firmness, but yielding when the plate is moved by the automatic mechanism.
The indicator in a carriage may be provided with a bell or gong, which, being
sounded when the plate is moved, gives notice to the passengers that the name of
another station appears.
When there are many plates in the carriage frame, 1 prefer to provide screens
between which the plates slide, so that passengers looking obliquely whether
towards the nearest or towards the farthest plate shall see only the station name
and other matter then presented through openings of the screens.
Dated this 8th day of September 1892.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Automatic Apparatus for Indicating in a Railway Train the
Successive Stations.
I, FREDERICK VERNON RUSSELL, of No. 64 Bolton Road, Romford Road,
Stratford in the County of Essex, Engineer, 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 apparatus whereby as a railway train proceeds, the name
of the station towards which it is proceeding is automatically displayed in a
compartment or in several compartments of the train. For this purpose, in the
wall or partition of the compartment preferably near the ceiling or over a low
partition I provide a frame in which can slide vertically a plate bearing on its face
or on both faces the names of successive stations, it may be with advertisements or
other matter.
Through an opening, which may be glazed, passengers in the one compartment
or in both of the compartments separated by a partition, can see the name of a
station and the other matter on that part of the sliding plate which faces the
opening, the other station names being hidden. For automatically moving the
"plate so as to present the name of the station towards which the train is proceeding,
employ mechanism of the following kind.
Near each station, preferably a little beyond it, I mount on a wall or on an
upright a frame which presents its face towards the carriages as they pass, this
"frame being mounted on springs so that it can accommodate itself horizontally and
vertically to mechanism on the carriage on which this frame acts. This mechanism
consists of bars which, engaging with the frame, set it in correct position so that
an incline on the fixed frame moves to a certain extent a sliding rod connected to
the sliding plate in the carriage. The inclines on the fixed frames at the several
stations are of various degrees of inclination, so that as the train passes them
successively the sliding plate in the carriage is moved by successive steps, and
thus the plate is made to present the names of the successive stations.
plate has been thus moved its whole stroke, or it might be after each partial
stroke, it is brought back to its initial position by the action of an opposite incline
on one of the stationary frames or several of these.
'
After the
i
When there is a considerable number of stations, I provide a number of the
sliding plates each with its sliding rod, and in the frames fixed at the stations I
provide inclines, at different levels of the frame, each giving more or less motion
to one set of the rods and plates.
When there are many plates in the carriage frame, I prefer to provide screens
between which the plates slide, these screens being moved by the plates in such
"manner that passengers looking obliquely towards the nearest or farthest plate
shall see only the station name and other matter then presented clear of the
screens.
The accompanying drawings represent apparatus according to my invention
applicable in a case where there may be as many as 30 successive stations to be
indicated. It is to be understood however, that this is only given as an example,
as the number'may be obviously altered according to circumstances.
Fig. 1 is a part transverse section and Fig. 2 is a part plan of a railway carriage
with my apparatus applied thereto.
Fig. 3 is a front view of the appliance at the side of the line which actuates
the indicator.
Fig. 4 is a front view and Fig. 5 is a vertical section of one of the indicating
plates.
Fig. 6 is a part vertical section of the casing and screens for the indicating
plates, and Fig. 7 is a part elevation of the same.

page_text: a
In a casing A on the top of the carriage I accommodate a number of plates B,
in the case shewn, 6 such plates, which can slide vertically in a corresponding
number of grooves formed at the sides of the casing as shewn in Fig. 6. Each
of the plates B is made double of thin sheet metal which may be folded at the
middle as shewn in Fig. 5 so as to form the two sides of the plate with a
narrow space between them, in which there are accommodated the end of the
actuating lever B' and two side links B connecting the lever to a pin B³ joining
the two sides of the plate, the parts B' and B2 being of thin sheet metal so
that they can freely move within the double plate B, in which there are also
fitted spring rubbers B which bear against the sides of the casing producing
certain degree of friction, and also springing into recesses so as to prevent the
plate from sliding out of the position in which it is placed. When there are
only a small number of plates such as two or three in the casing, there is a
simple opening B at cach side of the casing through which is seen part of the
plate which is presented to the opening. But when there is a greater number
such as six of the plates, some of them necessarily present themselves farther
back from the opening than others of them; a passenger in the compartment,
having his eye above the level of the opening B would see lower parts of the
plates which are some distances behind the opening B³, and thus might read a
wrong station name.
:
To provide against this I apply within the casing as shewn in Figs. 6 and 7
a pair of screens B which have pins at their upper edges linked together;
these pins being guided in horizontal slots B' at the sides of the casing, and
being engaged in slots of two pendent arms B. When one of the plates such
as that marked B in Fig. 6 descends, so as to present itself at the opening B,.
its lower edge bearing against the inclined edge of one of the arms B pushes these
arms and with them the screens Be into such a position that the plate descends
between them. These screens then conceal all of the plate that is below the lower
edge of the opening B³. When the line of sight of the passenger is directed
upwards, he cannot see any part of the plate above the upper edge of the opening B
because it is in the dark.
Each of the levers B¹ which is pivotted at 13" has jointed to it a rod C which is
jointed to an arm projecting up from a rocking shaft C. As in the case shewn
there are in each of the casings A six plates, there are 6 rocking shafts C¹ each
having an arm linked to one of the 6 levers B Arms on the rocking shafts have
also jointed to them rods C2 one to each. When it happens as shewn in Fig. 2 that
one of the casings A is in line with the actuating apparatus, the same arms of the
rocking shafts that are linked to the levers B' are jointed also to the rods C³. But
when, as at A in Fig. 2 the casing is not in line with the actuating apparatus, there
are on each of the rocking shafts C' besides the arms to which the rods C' are
jointed other arms, one for each casing A' (of which there may be several at different
parts of the carriage) linked to the levers B' of that casing. Thus from one set of
the actuating apparatus, which will presently be described, the rocking shafts C'
transmit along the carriage corresponding motions to the plates in each of the
casings A A.
The 6 rods C extend to a guide frame D fixed near the edge of the carriage
roof. Here the rods are turned at right angles and arranged one over the other as
shewn at C so as to present 6 flat bars C³ between the upper and lower cheeks of
the guide frame D. These cheeks project somewhat beyond the ends of the bars C*
and terminate in parts thickened outwards so as to present external shoulders D'
which might be furnished with antifriction rollers. On a bracket E projecting from
any convenient structure at the side of the line, such as the wall of a tunnel or of
an office or warehouse, or it might be a post, is mounted a grooved piece E', which
being held by sliding bolts E, and vertical and horizontal pins E³, E, all provided
with springs has certain freedom to be moved to or fro horizontally or up or down,
or to take a position somewhat inclined horizontally or vertically. At each end
the slot of E' is trumpet mouthed so that the ends D' of the guide frame. D,

page_text: As
which is fixed on the carriage, can enter the slot as the carriage passes
along, these ends serving to bring the piece E' into correct position so that
their shouldered parts are engaged in grooves in the upper and lower sides of the
slot holding the piece E' in correct position until they issue from the slot. On the
face of E' at a level corresponding with one or other of the bars C³ is fixed an
inclined piece F which, as the bar C³ facing it passes along its slope in the direction
of the arrow Fig. 2, pushes that bar and its continuation C², partly turning one of
the rocking shafts Cand partly lowering one of the plates B in each casing A.
the piece F can be fixed at a level corresponding to any of the 6 bars C³, any of the
6 plates in each casing A can be moved. Moreover the piece F may be made to
project more or less from E¹ so as to give more or less motion to the plate. By
making pieces I for example of 5 different degrees of projection and fixing these
pieces at the 6 different levels every one of the plates B can be moved down by
5 successive stages showing at each stage the name of a station; and thus the names
of 30 successive stages can be indicated. Besides carrying the pieces F, changed in
level for each plate and in prominence for each stage of the plates movement, the
piece E' carries also in each case an inclined piece G which has a lip projecting
downwards to engage the upper end of a key G₁ which passes down through slots of
all the 6 bars C³.
When by means of the piece F any one of the bars C³ is pushed more or less
back as described, the key G¹ is carried back with it, the slots of the other bars (³
allowing it to move along them without disturbing these bars, but when the upper
end of the key G¹ becomes engaged behind the downwardly projecting lip of G, the
key is drawn forward bringing with it the bar C³ which had moved it. Like the
pieces F, the pieces G are changed for each station to suit the pieces their slope
being such that while F is acting to push one of the bars C³ the lip of G is confining
the key G so that the bar C³ cannot be pushed too far. When one of the bars C³
has been moved through all its stages by pieces F at successive stations acting on
it, the piece G at the next succeeding station is so shaped as to draw quite back
the bar that had been acted on and the piece Facts on a fresh bar. The bars C³
and the key G' may be furnished with antifriction rollers.
In some cases I provide each of the plates B with a series of projecting studs,
one of which, when the plate is moved, pushes aside a spring lever carrying the
hammer of a bell or gong, which when the stud has passed gives an audible signal
to the passengers that a new station is announced.
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 apparatus for indicating in a railway train, successive stations, the com-
bination of sliding plates having names of successive stations marked thereon, a
lever rod and a guided bar connected directly or through a rocking shaft to each
plate, a piece fixed adjustably near each station with an incline on it arranged to
push more or less one or other of the bars and with a contrary incline arranged to
draw back a key passing through slots of all the bars, substantially as described.
2. In apparatus for indicating in a railway train, successive stations, the com-
bination of several casings on each carriage of a train, each casing having lateral
grooves in which are guided several vertically sliding plates, each plate being
linked to a lever which is linked to the arm of a rocking shaft, the said rocking
shaft extending along the carriage and having an arm for a plate in each casing,
whereby corresponding plates in all the casings are simultaneously moved, substan-
tially as described.
3. In apparatus for indicating in a railway train, successive stations, in com-
bination with each casing A and the plates sliding therein, a pair of screens B with
linked and guided pin and pendant arms B substantially as and for the purpose set
forth.
4. In apparatus for indicating in a railway train, successive stations, in

page_text: combination with the guide frame D fixed on a carriage roof and its shouldered
ends D', a piece E' mounted by springs on a stationary bracket E, the piece E'
having a trumpet mouthed groove and lips to engage the shoulders D', whereby it
is retained in suitable position relatively to the guide frame D, substantially as
described.
5. In apparatus for indicating in a railway train, successive stations, in com-
bination with each of the grooved pieces E a sloped projecting piece Fand
sloping lipped piece G fixed thereon, one of the bars C3 in the guide frame and the
key G passing through slots of all the bars, substantially as and for the purpose
set forth.
Dated thin th of Tul. 1000
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.