IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR FIRING FOO SIGNALS ON LINES OF RAILWAY
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederick George Myers, Engineer and Machinist, of the
Town of Kettering, in the County of Northamptonshire, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR FIRING FOO SIGNALS ON LINES OF
RAILWAY"
Sealed the 27th April 1877, and dated the 9th February 1877
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederick George Myers at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 9th February 1877
FREDERICK GEORGE MYERS, Engineer and Machinist, of the Town of Kettering,
in the County of Northamptonshue "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR FIRING
FOG SIGNALS ON LINES OF RAILWAY"
This Invention consists,―
Firstly Of an automatic hopper placed on a post or in any other convenient
position, and is so constructed as to contain the fireworks or ordinary fog signals in
a vertical tube or shaft, the lowest firework drops into a shoot, and a suitable slide
or piston which traverses in the said shoot in a horizontal direction carries the fire-
work before it to the required position for firing, when it is struck or squeezed by a
plunger, level, o hammer, which works vertically or horizontally so as to effect
combustion The said plunger, lever, or hammer being connected to a shaft passing
underneath the rail or metal, to which is attached a lever acted upon by the flange
of the wheel of the passing train
Secondly In applying the above-described hopper directly to the rail or metal,
I construct the firework or cartridge so as to be partially held by a spring in the
mouth of the shoot, to prevent displacement by vibration.
The above-mentioned slide or piston is worked from the cabin or signal box by
the ordinary wire attachments used in the present system of signalling

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Frederick George Myers in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 8th
August 1877
FREDERICK GEORGE MYERS, Engineer and Machinist, of the Town of Kettering,
in the County of Northamptonshire "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR FIRING
FOG SIGNALS ON LINES OF RAILWAY'
This Invention consists,―
Firstly Of an automatic hopper placed on a post or in any other convenient
position, and is so.constructed as to contain the fireworks or ordinary fog signals in
a vertical tube or shaft, the lowest firework drops into a shoot, and a suitable slide-
oi piston which traverses the said shoot in a horizontal duection carries the fire-
work before it to the requined position for filing, when it is struck or squeezed by a
plunger, lever, oi hammer, which works vertically or horizontally so as to effect
combustion The said plunger, lever, or hammer being connected to a shaft passing
underneath the rail or metal, to which is attached a lever acted upon by the flange
of the wheel of the passing train
Secondly In applying the above-described hopper directly to the rail oi metal, I
construct the firework or cartridge so as to be partially held by a spring in the
mouth of the shoot, to prevent displacement by vibiation.
The above-mentioned slide or piston is worked from the cabin or signal box by
the ordinary we attachments in the present system of signalling
Having thus described my Invention, I will now proceed to mention the modus
operandi of the apparatus by aid of the accompanying Diawings, which represent
the mechanism as applied to a telegraph post, as shown by Figs 1 and 2 in vertical
elevation.
'
The hopper A is here represented as supported on the post near its upper end, it
consists of a vertical tube or shaft wherein me placed a number of cartridges or
oidinary fog signals In close proximity to this hopper is a plunger or hammer B
contained in a case C, this plunger or hammer is actuated by the levers and
rod D, E, F, by means of the lever G, which is itself acted on by the flange of the
.wheel of a passing train pressing it down in its passage over it A shaft G¹ of
suitable strength passes under the rail H and connects the levers D, E, which have
then bearing or fulcrum at I. Beneath the hopper is a slide J for conveying the
cartridges from the hopper to the firing point in the following manner
The slide Jis capable of moving backwards and forwards, so that the point x
can be brought from duectly under the hopper A to immediately beneath the
plunger B The front of the slide J is 1ecessed for the reception of a single
cartridge at a time, so that when the slide is brought under the hopper A, a
caitiidge or fog signal falls into the recess, and the slide bearing the caitidge is
then carried for waid by the level K (which is worked by the wie L from the cabin
or station) to a position under the plunger or hammer, where it is fired as before
mentioned by the action of the passage of the wheel of the tram passing over and
pressing down the lever G which brings into operation the levers and rods D, E, F,
thus causing the descent of a hammer B, and consequent explosion of the signal or
cartridge M, N, are counterweights to the levers D and K, to bing them back to
then normal position
In witness whereof, I, the said Frederick George Myers, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Sixth day of August, in the year of our Loid