Improvements in Means for Controlling Railway Signals.”
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Feb., 1897
Complete Specification Left, 2nd Nov., 1897-Accepted, 24th Dec., 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
“Improvements in Means for Controlling Railway Signals.”
We, JOSEPH AMBROISE MEUNIER, Clock Maker, and COUNT MARIE GEORGES DE
BENGY-PUYVALLÉE, Sculptor, both of 15 Rue Cimarosa Paris, in the Republic of
France, Do hereby declare the nature of this Invention to be as follows:-
Our Invention relates to the automatio blocking of lino signals by means of passing
trains and to the subsequent release of the same after they have advanced a certain
distance so that the trains are guardod rearwardly by their own operation and so
provide for their own safety.
According to our Invention we provide adjacent to each line signal or disc and
parallel with one of the rails of the permanent way an inclined plane which when
operated by a passing train acts on the signal so as to put it to "line blocked." By
the same action a stop bar connected to the signal and which may operate any
suitable alarm mechanism on the engine of a train is brought into a position at right
angles to the permanent way. The signal can only be returned to its normal position
by a signalman operating a releasing device which is provided with an electrio
contact so as to notify the fact at the railway station.
In carrying out our Invention the vertical shaft of the stop bar operating the line
signal is provided with a cranked arin or brake under the control of a counterweight
or spring which tends to keep the bar at right angles to the line, n suitably guided
catch block being also connected to the said plate. Situated above the block is a
pawl pivotted to a sliding piece suitably guided and held in position by wires between
its counterweight and an operating lever. Between this lever and the aforesaid
aliding piece is a catch block capable of being locked by a pawl or the like mounted
on the lower end of a vertical rod connected at its upper end through a bell crank
lever to an operating rod which may be caused to form an electric contact for closing
a circuit and so giving notice at a milway station of the operation effected.
When the train passes over the inclined plano the pawl is released from the catch block
and the shaft of the stop bar is then turned on its axis by the counterweight so as to
bring the signal or disc into the position indicating "line blocked " and the stop bar
at right angle to the line.
When the train which has thus protected itself from the rear has advanced a
sufficient distance the signalman working this section of the line pulls the lever in
order to bring the signal or disc and stop bar to indiente "line clear" which can only
be effected after operating the rod which 'oloses the electric circuit. The first move-
ment of the lever displaces the block and the sliding piece so that the latter locks in
its catch block by means of the pawl. This first movement. also causes the pawl on
the lower end of the vertical rod to lock in the block beneath by falling into a suitable
notch formed therein. For the second movement the pawl on the vertical rod must
first be released which is effected by drawing out the electrical contact forming rod.

page_text: This operation makes an electric contact so that due notice of the movement is given
at the railway station and the operation can thus only be effected under proper
control.
Dated thin and 1007
"Improvements in Means for Controlling Railway Signals.”
We, JOSEPH AMBROISE MEUNIER; Olockmaker, and COUNT MARIE GEORGES DE
BENGY-PUYVALLÉE, Sculptor, both of 15 Rue Cimarosa, Paris, in the Republic of
France, 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 :-
Our Invention relates to the automatic blocking of line signals by means of passing
trains and to the subsequent release of the same after they have advanced a certain
distance so that the trains are guarded rearwardly by their own operation and so
provide for their own safety.
According to our invention we provide adjacent to each line signal or disc and
parallel with one of the rails of the permanent way an inclined plane which when
operated by a passing train acts on the signal so as to put it to "line blocked." By
the same action a stop bar connected to the signal and which may operate any
suitable alarm mechanism on the engine of a train is brought into a position at
right angles to the permanent way. The signal can only be returned to its normal
position by a signalman operating a releasing device which is provided with an
electric contact so as to notify the fact at the railway station.
We will describe our invention with reference to the accompanying drawings in
which Figure 1 shows partly in side elevation and partly in section an arrangement
of mechanism according to onr invention placed at the side of the permanent way
near each of the signals or discs, the said arrangement being supposed to be out of
action the disc or signal notifying "line clear." Figure 2 sbews in side elevation the
connection between the aforesaid arrangement and a signal or disc, and Figures 3
and 4 shew two different positions taken by the various parts of the mechanism.
Each line signal or disc is connected by a rod to a vertical shaft a having an arm A
which we term a "stop bar" and which when the signal is adjusted to indicate
"line clear" is parallel with the rails but when the sigual indicates that the line is
blocked is at right angles to the same so that it can come in contact with a finger or
stop on a locomotive as described in the Specification of our prior Patent No. 4781
of 1896, and operate the same so as to work the repeating device or like mechanism
placed thereon.
In carrying out our invention the vertical shaft a of the stop har A is provided
with a second arm a¹ under the control of a counterweight a' or spring which tends
to keep the said bar A at right angles to the line, a suitably guided catch block a³
being also connected to the said plate a¹. Situated above the block a is a pawl q
pivotted to a sliding piece q¹ suitably guided and held in position by wires between
its counterweight 9 and an operating lever Q. Adjacent to the said lever Q is a
catch block e capable of being locked by a bolt or other like pawl & mounted on the
lower end of a vertical rod a' connected at its upper end through a bell crank lever &³
to an operating rod t which may be caused to form an electric contact for closing a
circuit and so giving notice at a railway station of the operation effected as hereinafter
described.

page_text: In proximity to the stop bar A beyond the sliding block a³ is an inclined plane p
for operating the signal to indicate that the line is blocked. The inclined plane is
mounted on an axis of oscillation under the control of a counterweight p' and is
provided with an arm p³ engaging with the aforesaid pawl q.
When a train passes over the inclined plane p the latter is rocked on its axis the
pawl g is released by its counterweight q³ from the block a³ and the shaft a of
the stop bar A is then turned on its axis by the counterweight a³ so as to bring the
signal or disc into the position indicating "line blocked" with the stop bar A at right
angles to the line. The various parts of the mechanism then occupy the position
shewn in Figure 3 where it will be noticed that the positions of sliding piece q¹ and
the block & remain unchanged.
When the train which has thus protected itself from the rear has advanced a
sufficient distance the signalman working this section of the line operates the
lever Qin order to bring the signal or disc and stop bar to indicate "line clear"
which can only be effected after operating the rod t. The first movement of the
lever Q displaces the block 8 and the sliding piece q¹ in the direction indicated by the
arrow (Figure 3) so that the latter locks in its catch block n by means of
the pawl q, Figure 4. This first movement also causes the pawl s on the rod 8 to
lock in the block 8, by falling into a suitable notch formed therein. Before the
second movement bringing the disc and arm to indicate "line clear" can be effected
(which movement is in a direction opposite to that indicated by the arrow 2) the
pawl on the rod 8' must first be released by drawing out the rod t to the position
ahewn in dotted lines in Figure 4. As this operation makes an electric contact at 1¹
due notice of the movement is thus given at the railway station.
It is evident that the operating lever Q must be placed at such a distance with
reference to the inclined plane p that the train which has just passed shall have
cleared a distance sufficient to render further protection unnecessary before it be
operated.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. An arrangement for causing discs or signals to indicate "line blocked" by the
action of a passing train comprising an inclined plane parranged parallel to one of
the rails over which the train runs, a pawl q capable of being operated by the said
inclined plane, a catch block as engaged by the said pawl, a shaft a forming the
connection between the said block and a disc or signal and two counterweights
operating the pawl and the shaft a respectively for retaining the disc or signal in the
position indicating "line clear," all operating substantially as and for the purposes
herein before set forth.
2. In combination with the arrangement described in the preceding claiming
clause, a catch blocks with operating lever Q locked by a bolt 82, a rod t for releasing
the bolt and an electric contact t¹ obtained by displacing the said rod all operating to
replace the line signal or disc to indicate "line clear," which operation can only take
place after the electric contact has been made, substantially as described.
3. In combination with the arrangements described in claims 1 and 2, a stop bar A
carried on the shaft a adapted to operate repeating or like mechanism carried by the
locomotive of a passing train substantially as described.
Dated this and dan of November 1907
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX
47 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.