Improvements in Railway Signals.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 13th June, 1896
Complete Specification Left, 10th Mar., 1897-4ccepter, 17th Apr., 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Railway Signals.
WILLIAM HENRY JOSEPH LANCE of Pinner in the County of Middlesex,
retired Colonel in the Army do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
My invention relates to improvements in railway signals and consists of a
mechanical construction whereby an engine-driver is informed of the period
elapsed since the line has been used, and is essentially an automatic signal.
It is constructed in the following manner:-1 provide a hollow support of such
a height that the signal indicator may be on a level with the engine-driver.
Inside this support near the top 1 fix a cylinder vertically of about eight inches
diameter and about fifteen inches in length. This cylinder must be suspended,
that is, it must be fixed by its top, leaving the sides and bottom perfectly clear.
I close each of its ends, and in the bottom I fix a valve of large capacity. working
inwards. I now obtain a cylinder of similar length that will work easily on the
outside of the first cylinder, and close in the bottom. with a strong plate to, which
1 attach a vertical rod extending to the ground, and which is worked by the
weight of the engine acting through an arrangement of levers. Above the
cylinders is a space to contain the indicator which is. attached to the piston rod of
a piston working in the fixed cylinder. This. piston. need not be as large as the
bore of the cylinder, but may be more of the nature of a float as it floats on the
surface of a fluid contained in the cylinder.
Let us now imagine the outside cylinder to be drawn down by the weight of
the vertical rod till its top. edge is almost level with the bottom of the fixed
cylinder. The outside cylinder is then filled with a fluid that will not readily
evaporate.
The working is as follows:-On the passing of a train. the weight of the engine
presses down a lever which communicates motion to the vertical rod in the signal.
This rod on being raised also raises the cylinder containing the fluid, forcing the
fluid through the valve into the fixed cylinder containing the float or piston which
is also raised by it. When the rod is released the outer cylinder falls leaving the
fluid in the fixed cylinder out of which it is prevented from flowing by the closing
of the valve. The position of the float will show the indicator at its highest
point. In the centre of the valve at the bottom of the fixed cylinder I make a
small hole of such a size that it will empty the cylinder of the fluid in a fixed time
say fifteen minutes.
The working will now be apparent. When the rod is raised the fixed cylinder
is filled, with the result that the float and indicator are raised.
After the passing of the train and consequent fall of the outer cylinder the fluid
commences to run through the hole and the indicator concurrently. sinks.
By its being arranged to fall one inch per minute a driver could tell at a glance
from the height of the indicator the time up to fifteen minutes that had elapsed
since the line had been used. Should it be near the top it will show that a train
is but a short distance in front. By adjusting the size of the upper cylinder and
the hole in the valve, the signal can be made to note up to any desired length of
elapsed time.
Dated this 13th day of June 1896.

page_text: Improvements in Railway Signals.
I, WILLIAM HENRY JOSEPH LANCE, of Pinner, Middlesex, late Colonel in
Her Majesty's Army, 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 :-
This invention relates to railway signals, and the object is to provide an
apparatus by means of which the time which has elapsed since a train has passed
or left the point where the apparatus is placed, can be definitely and easily
determined. In carrying my invention into effect, I proceed in orain about the
following manner, making reference to the accompanying sheet of drawings, in
which, Fig. 1. is a sectional side view of the apparatus and an adjoining line of
rail, and Fig. 2. a plan of the line and the connecting parts between it and the
apparatus. I place at any required spot a suitable post a which is provided at the
upper end with a casing mounted thereon, and secured thereto in any suitable
manner. This casing is preferably cylindrical in form. The top is provided with
a circular opening at c and at the bottom with another opening d. Mounted
within and at each side thereof are vertical guides or standards e and within the
casing is a vertically movable cylindrical receptacle f which is closed at its lower
end and open at top, and which is provided at its opposite sides with sleeves or
runners g free to pass along the guides e. Within is another cylindrical casing h
secured to the top of b, the upper end of being provided with a tubular
upwardly directed extension i which passes through the opening c in the top of b,
its lower end being provided with a central opening in the centre of which is a
guide frame k. Another guide frame is secured in the casing a little higher up
than k. Placed vertically and free to move in the guide frames k and l, is a
spindle to which is secured a valve m free to move with the spindle up and down
in, and thus opening and closing, the aperture at the bottom of h. In this valve is
a small vertical opening n of any desired form. The rod, spindle or pointer o is
fixed in a float through which it passes into the tubular extension i of the casing h.
The tubular extension i is provided on opposite sides with vertical openings p and
on the side of one of these openings is a scale g which represents portions of time
as may be arranged. The openings p are glazed or otherwise protected. In
practice the receptacle is wholly or partly filled with a fluid which does not freeze
nor easily evaporate at the temperature usually experienced. Pivotally connected
with the lower end of f is a red r the lower end of which is pivotally connected
at s with a levert which itself is pivoted at or near the lower end of the post a
as at u. Pivotally connected with t at a point slightly above and parallel with
the sleepers of the railway line, is a rod w which passes tbrcugh the adjacent
rail and which is connected in any suitable manner at y with the bars z, the outer
ends of which slide along the body part of the rails a through the adjacent one of
which w passes, the inner ends of being inclined in the direction of, and towards
the opposite rail. The bars z are adapted to be forced outwards against the body
part of the rails by the action of the carriage wheel flanges as they pass and
they (2) are made of such length that the first arriving wheel does not leave them
till the following wheel has engaged with them and so on to the end of the train.
A weight A is attached to t as also a chain B or other device to prevent the
lever going too far. The other end of the chain is fastened to a.
The action of the apparatus is as follows:-As the train passes, the bars z are
forced against the side of the rail and push out the rod w; this straightens the
lever t which in its time pushes up the casing f driving the fluid therein into
casing through the opening ; by raising the valve m.
The fluid carries the float

page_text: up and brings the top of the poiuter o to the zero of the scale g. The apparatus
remains in this position until the train has passed, when the last wheel having left
the bars 2, the weight A bears down the lever t which then presses the bars z back
to their normal position. At the same time the receptacle f fall to its original
place and acts as a receiver for the fluid which begins to ruu from h through the
small opening in the valve m; the valve m falling by its own weight into its seat
immediately after the injection of the fluid is accomplished. The float, rising
when the fluid has carried the top of o to the zero of the scale g, whence it
gradually sinks as the escaping fluid lowers the float, thus indicates by the marks
on the scale, the time which has elapsed since the departure or passing of the
train.
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 :-
CLAIMS.
1. The noting of the lapse of time since the passing of a train by the immediate
injection in bulk of a body of fluid from one vessel into another from which it
can only return at a permitted rate, the fall of its surface being notified on an
appropriate scale, and the apparatus being automatically set in motion by
mechanism acted on by the passing train, the whole substantially as described
in the above specification and exemplified in the accompanying drawings.
2. The improvements in railway signals, the said improvements operating by
means substantially the same as those described in the above specification, and
exemplified in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 8th day of March 1897.
HUGHES & YOUNG,
23, Coleman Street, London, E.C., Agents for Applicant.