IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR COMMUNICATING OR SIGNALLING BETWEEN PASSENGERS AND GUARD AND ENGINE DRIVER OF RAILWAY TRAINB
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William John Blinkhorn, of St. Helens, in the
County of Lancaster, for the Invention of "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR
COMMUNICATING OR SIGNALLING BETWEEN PASSENGERS AND GUARD AND ENGINE
DRIVER OF RAILWAY TRAINB."
Sealed the 31st July 1866, and dated the 2nd February 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William John Blinkhorn
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 2nd February 1866.
I, WILLIAM JOHN BLINKHORN, of St. Helens, in the County of Lancaster,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVED APPARATUS.
FOR COMMUNICATING OR SIGNALLING BETWEEN PASSENGERS AND GUARD AND ENGINE
DRIVER OF RAILWAY TRAINS," to be as follows (that is to say):
.
This Invention has for its object a simple and inexpensive arrangement of
apparatus whereby any passenger in any carriage or compartment of a
carriage of a railway train may signal to the guard of the train or engine
driver, or both, and at the same time on the guard or engine driver looking
down the side of the train he or they will at once see from which carriage
or compartment of the carriage the signal has been made. The apparatus
consists simply of a vertical rod working within guides on the side or end of

page_text: the carriage, the lower end of which is formed with a loop or eye, or it may
be fitted with a small pulley for receiving the cord which is now usually
made use of for communicating between the guard and engine driver. This
rod is suspended by a cord, strap, or its mechanical equivalent, which passes
over a pulley in the side or top of the carriage, and is carried internally across
the carriage or compartment of the carriage where it is made fast. On each
side of the lower end of the rod is fixed on the body of the carriage an anti-
friction pulley; one side of the rod near the upper end is provided with a
horizontal lateral arm, which takes into a notch or slot formed in the end of
a semaphore arm, which is jointed to the body of the carriage or the case
enclosing the vertical rods or guides.
The action of the apparatus is as follows:-Upon the passenger wishing
to communicate with, say, the guard or engine driver, he takes hold of the
strap or cord and draws it down, by which the rod is elevated, drawing up
the cord between the two anti-friction pulleys, and the lateral arm being
elevated out of the notch on the end of the semaphore arm allows it to fall
from a vertical to a horizontal position, and at the same time causing the
steam whistle on the engine to whistle and a bell in the guard's van to ring,
which is done by drawing the horizontal cord from both ends simultaneously,
the said horizontal cord being attached at one end to the steam whistle gear
as now practised, and the other to a gong or bell in the guard's van, which
arrangement is well understood, thus communicating simultaneously with both
guard and driver, and at the same time enabling the guard and driver
immediately to see the carriage or compartment from which the signal has
been made by means of the semaphore arm. The apparatus may be fixed
at one or both sides of the train. Under some circumstances it may be
found desirable to use a spring or springs, a weight, or their mechanical
equivalent, to keep the rod in position, but in ordinary cases it is believed
they will not be required. It will be observed that the. semaphore arm can
only be returned to its normal position from the exterior of the carriage, thus
effectually preventing false alarms being given without detection. Additional
straps or cords may be arranged in the interior of the carriages, so as to
facilitate the communication from any part of the carriages or compartment
thereof. If desirable, when the signal is being acted upon, the cords or straps
can be so arranged, as will be readily understood, that the whole of the occupants
of the carriage may be aware that a signal has been communicated. In some
'cases the rigid vertical rod, which is connected to the horizontal cords which
run from the engine to the guard's van along the side of the train, may be with
benefit displaced by a stiff strap of leather or other suitable material, having

page_text: riveted thereto a metal T piece, so that the lower limb of the T piece, which
is in an horizontal direction, may take in the locking or notch slot in the
semaphore arm; in which case it is preferred that the vertical strap piece
should be held in position by means of anti-friction rollers arranged in pairs
riveted thereto a metal T piece, so that the lower limb of the T piece, which
is in an horizontal direction, may take in the locking or notch slot in the
semaphore arm; in which case it is preferred that the vertical strap piece
should be held in position by means of anti-friction rollers arranged in pairs
horizontal to each other, between which the strap works.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William John Blinkhorn in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 2nd August 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAMS
JONN BLINKHORN; of St. Helens, in the County of Lancaster, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Second day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the twenty-ninth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said William John Blinkhorn, Her special licence that I, the said
William John Blinkhorn, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said William John Blinkhorn, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to
time and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should
and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an In-
vention for "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR COMMUNICATING OR SIGNALLING BETWEEN
PASSENGERS AND GUARD AND ENGINE DRIVER OF RAILWAY TRAINS," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said William John Blinkhorn, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their,
or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be
performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William John Blinkhorn, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement (that is to say):-
This my said Invention has for its object a simple and inexpensive arrange-
ment of apparatus whereby any passenger in any carriage or compartment of

page_text: a carriage of a railway train may signal to the guard of the train or the engine
driver, or both, and at the same time on the guard or engine driver looking down
'the side of the train he or they will at once see from which carriage or compart-
ment of the carriage the signal has been made. The apparatus consists
simply of a vertical rod working within guides on the side or end of the carriage,
the lower end of which is formed with a loop or eye, or it may be fitted with
a small pulley for receiving the cord which is now usually made use of for
communicating between the guard and engine driver. This rod is suspended
by a cord or strap, or its mechanical equivalent, which passes over a pulley in
the side or top of the carriage, and is carried internally across the carriage or
compartment of a carriage where it is made fast. On each side of the lower
end of the rod is fixed on the body of the carriage an anti-friction pulley; one
side of the rod near the upper end is provided with a horizontal lateral arm,
which takes into a notch or slot formed into the end of a semaphore arm,
which is jointed to the body of the carriage or the case enclosing the vertical
rods and guides.
The action of this my improved apparatus is as follows:-Upon the
passenger wishing to communicate with, say, the guard or engine driver,
he takes hold of the strap or cord and draws it down, by which the rod is
elevated, drawing up the cord between the two anti-friction pulleys, and the
lateral arm being elevated out of the notch on the end of the semaphore arm
allows it to fall from a vertical to an horizontal position, and at the same
time causing the steam whistle on the engine to whistle and a bell in the
guard's van to ring, and which is done by drawing the horizontal cord from
both ends simultaneously, the said horizontal cord being attached at one end
to the steam whistle gear as now practised, and the other to a gong or bell
alarm gear in the guard's van, which arrangement is well understood, thus
communicating simultaneously with both guard and driver, and at the same
time enabling the guard and driver immediately to see the carriage or com-
partment from whieh the signal has been made by means of the semaphore
arm. The apparatus may be fixed on one or both sides of the train. Under
some circumstances it may be found desirable to use a spring or springs, a weight,
or their mechanical equivalent, to keep the rod in position, but in ordinary
cases it is believed they will not be required. It will be observed that the
semaphore arm can only be returned to its normal position from the exterior
of the carriage, thus effectually preventing false alarms being given without
detection. Additional straps or cords may be arranged in the interior or
exterior of the carriages, so as to facilitate the communication from any part
of the carriages or compartment thereof. If desirable, when the signal is

page_text: being acted upon, the cords or straps can be so arranged, as will be readily
understood, that the whole of the occupants of the carriage may be aware that
a signal has been communicated. In some cases the rigid vertical rod, which
is connected to the horizontal cords which runs from the engine to the guard's
van along the side of the train, may with benefit be displaced by a stiff strap of
leather or other suitable material having rivetted thereto a metal T piece, so
that the lower limb of the T piece, which is in an. horizontal direction, may
take in the locking slot or notch in the semaphore arm, in which case it is
preferred that the vertical strap piece should be held in position by means of
anti-friction rollers arranged in pairs horizontal to each other, between which
the straps works.
Figure 1 in the annexed Drawings is a partial side elevation of the body of
a railway carriage, showing my improved apparatus applied thereto out of
action, and Figure 2 is a like elevation (showing the apparatus. as it would
appear when acted upon by passengers from within; Figure 3 is a sectional
elevation of the body of a carriage, showing the strap by which the vertical
rod is suspended, colored. red; Figure 4 is a plan of the strap with its
metal clip hook and lateral arm, which in some cases I prefer to use in placo
of the vertical metal rod shown in Figures 1, 2, and 3; Figure 5 is an edgo
view of the same.
A is a metallic rod working within a and a' guides, and is fitted with B, a
clip hook for receiving C, the cord which is now commonly used to commu-
nicate from the guard to the engine driver, connected at the ends to the
alarms, say a steam whistle.on the engine and bell in the guard's van, as is
well understood. D, a strap or cord, by which the vertical rod A is suspended,
and which passes over e, an anti-friction pulley fitted in a small hole in the
side of the carriage, and over f, anti-friction pulleys on or below the roof of
the carriage to the staple g, to. which it is attached. h, lateral arm on the
vertical rod, which takes into a notch in the end of H, a semaphore arm
jointed to the body of the carriage; k, anti-friction pulleys over which the
cord C. works when a signal is being communicated from the passenger; 1, a
leather strap, to the lower end of which is rivetted m, a metallic clip hook
for receiving the cord C; n, a metal T piece rivetted on to the strap 1 for
the purpose of forming the lateral arm for holding up the semaphore blade.
The action of this my improved apparatus is as follows:-Upon a passenger
in any of the carriages to which the same is fitted wishing to communicate
with the guard or engine driver, or both, they simply take hold of the strap
or cord D which runs across the under side of the roof of the carriage and
draws it downwards, by which means the vertical rod A is elevated, drawing

page_text: up the cord C between the two anti-friction pulleys K, thus acting upon the
signals connected with the engine and guard's van at the same time, the
lateral arm 'h being elevated out of the notch on the end of the semaphore
arm H allows it to fall from a vertical to a horizontal position, by which the
guard and driver may immediately see from which carriage or compartment
of a carriage the signal has been made by means of the semaphore arm; and
it would be observed that as the semaphore arm can only be returned to its
normal position from the exterior of the carriage it effectually prevents false
alarms being given without detection.
:
In some cases it may be found desirable to use a spring and weight or their
mechanical equivalents to keep the vertical rod or pendant strap in position,
but in ordinary cases they will not be required.
Additional straps or cords may be. arranged within the interior or exterior
of the carriage to facilitate the communication from any part of the
carriage or compartment thereof, which any ordinary machanist will readily
understand.
Having now fully described and ascertained the nature of this my said
Invention, and how I believe the same may be best carried into practical
effect, I desire it to be understood that I do not confine myself to the precise
details, relative proportions, or dimensions herein-before described and set forth,
as it will be readily seen the same may be considerably varied without depart-
ing from the Invention; I also wish it to be understood that I make no
claim for the use of the steam whistle or other signal on the engine, nor to
the bell or other signal in the guard's van, nor to the cord connecting the
same, as these are old and well understood; but what I claim as new and my
Invention is,
Firstly, shortening the cord now used for signalling between the guard's
van and engine driver by means of the vertical rod fitted with the clip hook
or. eye at the bottom, and a lateral arm for holding up a semaphore arm, and
suspending the said rod by a strap, cord, or their mechanical equivalent over
pulleys or eyes, substantially in the manner and for the purposes herein-before
described and set forth.
.Secondly, the use of a pendant leathern strap or thin metal band, or its
mechanical equivalent, fitted on its lower end with a clip hook or eye, and
above with the lateral arm for locking the semaphore arm, substantially in
the manner and for the purposes herein-before described and set forth.
Thirdly, fitting anti-friction guide pulleys or their mechanical equivalents
on the body of the carriage at each side of the clip hoop, substantially in the
manner and for the purpose herein-before described and set forth.

page_text: Lastly, the general arrangement and combination of the various parts of
the apparatus herein-before described and set forth for shortening the cord
attached to the signal apparatus on the engine and in the guard's van,
substantially in the manner and for the purposes herein-before described and
set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William John Blinkhorn, have hereunto
set my hand and affixed my seal, this First day of August, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
WILLIAM JOHN (L.S.) BLINKHORN.
10 Witness,
WILLIAM WALKER,
of 44, Castle Street,
Liverpool.