Improvements in Apparatus for Indicating the Names of Stations to Railway Passengers.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 27th May, 1890
Complete Specification Left, 27th Feb., 1891-Accepted, 28th Mar., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Indicating the Names of Stations
to Railway Passengers.
We, HENRY GRANVILLE DICKSON, of Cheam, in the County of Surrey, Clerk
in Orders, and GEORGE HURDLE, of 31, Adelaide Road, St. Deny's, in the County
of the Town of Southampton, Gas Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to provide simple and efficient means whereby the
passengers in a railway carriage may be informed of the next station at which the
train will stop.
Many attempts have been made to provide a convenience of this kind, but the
more or less complex nature of the apparatus has no doubt prevented their
employment.
In carrying out our invention, we place in every partition, or in alternate
partitions, separating one compartment of a railway carriage from another, or in
any other convenient position in such carriage, a double faced indicator. This
indicator consists of a frame provided with glazed shutters, and containing a pair of
rollers carrying a band, on which is printed, on both faces, the names of stations on
the route.
These rollers are operated by an endless band passing over pulleys fitted at one
end of each roller, and connected thereto by a pawl and ratchet motion, so arranged,
that only one roller can be driven at a time, the other being loose.
At the top, or in any other convenient place, of every carriage throughout the
train, is mounted a shaft carrying, at intervals, pullies which are connected by
bands or cords with the rollers of the indicator. The lengths of shafting on the
several carriages forming the train, are coupled together, between the carriages, by
a special coupling, one part consisting of a barrel or hollow case attached to one
end of the length of shafting to contain a bolt, which is retained in such barrel by
a spiral or other spring, means being provided to prevent the bolt turning in the
barrel. The outer end of the bolt is slotted, and fits into the other part of the
coupling, which consists of a slotted socket carrying a pivotted spring catch or
catches, which take into, and project through the slots.
The socket is attached to its portion of shafting by a flexible connection.
To couple up, the bolt is drawn out from its barrel, and the slotted end is forced
into the socket, by which means the catches are raised, and the slot of the bolt is
brought into position to receive the catches, which spring into it, securing the bolt.
To uncouple, it is only necessary to raise the catches, by which means the bolt is
freed, and it is then automatically withdrawn from the socket by the spring in its
own barrel.
In the guard's van we place a single faced indicator, corresponding to those in
the carriages. This indicator is connected by a chain and chain wheels with the
shafting which actuates the other indicators, and motion is communicated to the
chain wheel of the guard's indicator by a crank handle or other means.
When a train is inade up and shafting coupled, the indicators throughout the
train are in a position to be worked from the guard's van, by the simple turning of
the crank handle above mentioned.
At the end of each carriage, we provide a chain and chain-wheels similar to those
in the guard's van, so that all the indicators in a train can be made to correspond.
This is especially desirable in the case of carriages being added to a train from
another route, coming on to the main route, or in the case of extra carriages, when
required.

page_text: The indicator may be made to open by a key, so that at any time the name band
of one route can be taken out, and that of another route substituted.
The bands may also be driven by means other than those described, such as bevil
gearing, but we believe driving by bands will be found the simplest and most
efficient. Means will also be provided to cover up the driving band, so that they
will not be affected by the weather.
Dated this 27th day of May 1890
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Indicating the Names of Stations
to Railway Passengers.
WE, HENRY GRANVILLE DICKSON, of Cheam, in the County of Surrey, Clerk
in Orders, and GEORGE HURDLE, of 31, Adelaide Road, St. Deny's, in the County
of the Town of Southampton, Gas 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 :-
The object of this invention is to provide simple and efficient means whereby the
passengers in a railway carriage may be informed of the next station at which the
train will stop.
Many attempts have been made to provide a convenience of this kind, but the
more or less complex nature of the apparatus has no doubt prevented their
employment.
In carrying out our invention, we place in every partition, or in alternate
partitions, separating one compartment of a railway carriage from another, or in
any other convenient position in such carriage, a double faced. indicator. This
indicator consists of a frame provided with glazed shutters and containing a pair of
rollers suitably operated from the guard's van, and carrying a band on which is
printed on both sides the names of the stations in their proper order on the route.
In the accompanying drawings,
Fig. 1 shows, in sectional elevation, part of a carriage and part of the guard's
van, with our invention applied thereto.
Fig. 2 shows a mode of coupling the indicating mechanism of two carriages.
Fig. 3 is a front view of the indicator, with the actuating mechanism in dotted
lines.
Fig. 4 is a section on the line aa, looking from below; and
Fig. 5 a section on the line z z, looking from below, both of Fig. 3; and
Fig. 6 is an end view (with the side of the box removed) of the indicator.
Fig. 7 is a front view, and Fig. 8 an end view (with the side of the box removed),
of the indicator, slightly modified, as applied in the guard's van.
A is a passenger carriage, and B the guard's van or compartment. C is the
indicator, which is fixed to, or in the partition between two compartments of the
carriage, and on the wall of the guard's compartment.
The indicator consists of a rectangular box or case C, provided with hinged
glazed shutters on both sides, for exhibiting both sides of the indicating band.
Fitted in this box or casing C, is a frame C, in which are mounted two rollers D,
carrying a band D' on both sides of which the names of the stations on a special
route are printed in their proper order. E is a spring which bears against the ends
of the axles of rollers D, and gives a slight amount of friction. The axles D, at
one end, project beyond the frame C', and carry on their free ends mitre wheels F.
By thus arranging the indicator, the band of one route may be removed, and
replaced by that of another, as occasion may require, by simply withdrawing the
frame C¹ from the box or casing C.
The band D' is driven by mitre wheels G gearing with the mitre wheels F, and

page_text: mounted loosely on a vertical shaft H which projects downwards below the carriage.
This shaft H has, at its lower end, a mitre wheel H', which gears with a
corresponding wheel H' on a horizontal shaft I, carried in brackets or hangers
fixed to the under frame of the carriage.
The connection between the loose mitre wheels G and the shaft H, is by pawl
and ratchet mechanisms G1 G2, which are set in opposite directions, so that only
one wheel G at a time is driven, the other running free. In this way provision is
made for working the name band D₁ in either direction, as required.
The indicator in the guard's van is worked by means of the hand wheel K, which
actuates the shaft H through mitre gearing (see Fig. 1). At the same time this
shaft H communicates motion to the horizontal shaft I of the guard's van, which
shaft, through suitable couplings, actuates the corresponding shafts of all the
carriages making up the train, or it may be a division thereof.
In place of the shaft H, we may use an endless chain L to drive the mitre
wheels G, the said wheels being provided with chain wheels, and mounted on a
stud axle secured to the side of the box C; or the connection may be made between
the shaft H and the rollers by worm and worm wheels.
This modification will be clearly understood by reference to Figs. 7 and 8, the
pawl and ratchet mechanism being used as before.
The coupling between the several lengths of the shaft I which it is preferred to
use, is shown at Fig. 2.
At each end of a length I is a barrel M, formed with one or more internal
feathers or keyways (see the cross section Fig. 2A). In one barrel is a rod N,
provided at its inner end with a block or piston, which is prevented from turning
independently of the barrel by the feathers or key ways. On the rod is mounted a
spiral spring, the tendency of which is to draw the rod within the barrel. In the
other barrel is placed a flexible shaft O, attached at its inner end to a block, which
is prevented from turning by the feathers in the barrel, and having at its outer end
a socket l' to receive the rod N, provided with a spring catch to retain the rod in
the socket, when the parts are coupled.
The spring on the rod N allows for the expansion or contraction of the coupling,
when going round curves, and also keeps the parts at proper tension, to ensure their
working properly.
From the above description it will be seen that the indicators are actuated by
the guard from his van, so that all risk of wrong indications will be avoided.
In making up a train, it will be necessary to adjust the indicators of each carriage
so that all the indicators in a train will correspond. This may be conveniently
effected by means of a key or wrench applied to the square end of the rod N. Such
adjustment is specially needed in the case of extra carriages being added to
the train.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is
1. The apparatus for indicating the names of stations to passengers in railway
carriages, substantially as herein shown and described.
2. The form of coupling as described with reference to Fig. 2 of the drawings.
Dated this 27th day of February 1891.
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicants.
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicants.