IMPROVE- MENTS IN SIGNALLING ON RAILWAYS
Year: 1867

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Reginald Foster Chapman at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
27th April 1867.
I, REGINALD FOSTER CHAPMAN, of Preston, in the County of Lancaster,
Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN SIGNALLING ON RAILWAYS," to be as follows:-
The object of my Invention is to construct a self-acting signal that at the
entrance of a train into a tunnel a signal shall be lifted at one or both ends
shewing that a train is in the tunnel and on which side, and on its passage
out by another coresponding action the signals fall, shewing thereby whenever
the signals are down the tunnel is clear; it will likewise apply to sharp curves
or in positions of many changes and danger. To effect the aforesaid desireable
object I fix into the ground at the entrance and termination of tunnel a deep
plate of iron on which to fix my pivots and centres, such plate may come
inside or outside the rails, as convenience and position may dictate; I then
take two long flat bars of iron with a ballance weight at one end and jointed
at the other, together with a rod that drops down; at a distance from these
ballance weights is cut an oblong hole, in which is a pivot pin to keep them in
position and yet to allow them to work up and down in the centre joints; these
bars when at rest are somwhat above the rail, and when the wheel passes
over them at centre giving a downward motion to the centre rod, likewise
underneath, and nearly joining at the ends are two levers fixed at certain posi-
tions by pivots, and with ballance weights on each at the outer end to keep

page_text: them in position while at rest and ballance them back; there is likewise on
each side near the bottom end of this centre rod a diagonal rod jointed to
centre rod; this rod passes through the ground projecting above the rail and
has at top a convex plate forged, this is pressed down by the wheel before it
comes to the aforesaid centre raised bars, but bears on the two at one and the
same time; this centre rod when at rest comes within an eight of an inch of
two lever ends rebated out to recieve such rod alternatly; these two diagonal
rods move the bottom end of centre rod moving on to one or other lever end,
according to which way the wheel is going, a chain is secured to the weight
end of these levers passed through or under the plate aforesaid over a pully
and up to ground level taking hold of a crank lever at horizontal end, at the
other end of this lever is secured a chain or wire passing through the tunnel
to a catch lever on the side of signal post; this catch holds the signal up while
the train passes through; there is a similar motion with same action for raising
the signal, acting simultaneously to the end of the signal rod by chain and
pullies. As the train leaves the tunnel it strikes or runs over a small projecting
end of a lever that draws forth the catch lever and down falls the signal. By
these means I can work single or double signals at pleasure at one or both
ends of tunnels or other positions required, without a man to attend to them.