Signals for Railways.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application,, 16th Jan., 1893
"
Complete Specification Left. 16th Oct., 1893-Accepted, 13th, Jan., 1894.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Fog Signals for Railways.
I, ALFRED FLORY, Arden Grove, Knowle near, Birmingham Painter. &c. do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:
That it shall take the place of the now so called fog signal.
That it shall work from the side of the rail to the, engine or tender as specified
at foot.
1. A projecting lever fixed by the side of rail.
2. Agong with lever attached on the side.of engine or tender travels in contact
causing the gong to sound.
Can be under control of the man in signal box, or engine driver..
TAMA. 19th As of Janu 1893
Fog Signals for Railways.
I, ALFRED FLORY, of Arden Grove, Knowle near Birmingham, Painter, 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:-
-
My invention relates primarily to fog signalling on railways, and consists in
providing an engine or a part of a train with audible or other signals which are
automatically operated through the medium of expedients placed or located upon
the sides of the rails, or in close proximity thereto, and operated through or by
imeans attached to the ordinary signalling appliances.
Thus the signalman in his cabin operates his levers for working the arm of an
.ordinary semaphore or other signal, and in the act of,so doing, causes an arm to
come, within the path of another arm or arms, or lever or levers carried by the
engine, by which means either a gong is struck or the whistle sounded, or the
vacuum brake put into operation, either alone or in conjunction with the audible
signals..
By employing such means of signalling, an engine driver has no need to look
out for sight signals in a prevailing fog or during a misty night, as he is aware of
the state of the line before him by the audible signals or means carried on his
engine.
Figure 1.of the accompanying drawings represents.in side elevation, a part of a
railway engine fitted with audible,signalling apparatus, and with the permanent
way provided, with improvements made according to my invention.
It will be seen that the side of the engine or the frame of the carriage of it has
jointedly connected to it. a hanging double-armed lever, with the longer arm
directed downwards and coming at a short distance from the inside of the metals
of the rails and with the same coming in front of an upstand arm of a lever coming
against the inner rail, whilst the shorter arin.comes within the path of a clapper
suspended from the inside of a gong.
Figure 2 represents the other side of the engine, so, that it will be seen that both
sides are provided with similar appliances, so as to be operated whether the engine
is running as ordinarily, or tender, first.

page_text: Figure 3 represents a portion of a permanent way provided with adjuncts to the
signalling means as before referred to, and also the same in conjunction with
semaphore signalling, and with the arm of the signal down indicating the line clear,
and with the permanent way projection also down, and out of the path of one of
the gong levers on the engine.
Figure 4 represents a like view of a permanent way as Figure 3, but with the
projection in the permanent way elevated above the level of the metals, so as to
come within the path of one of the gong levers on the engine.
Figure 5 represents a portion of the permanent way, with the projection naked,
showing its lever construction.
Figure 6 represents the same boxed up, and with the projection protruding
through the hole in the cover.
Figure 7 represents the said permanent way projection naked and out of its
acting position.
Figure 8 represents Figure 7 partly covered up.
The same letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures
of the drawings.
In the engine, a is the frame of the same, and 6 are hanging levers disposed at
the two opposite sides of the engine, and with the same pivoted or centred at 6', to
the side framing, and having long and short arms b³, 3, and with the latter
adapted to operate upon the clapper or striker c¹, of gong c, carried by the
framing or by the engine as aforesaid, so that on the long arm being turned
in the direction of the arrow, by coming against the nose d', of the projection
or bent end of the short arm of the lever d, fulcrumed or jointed at d³, to a
bearer bracket d let within the permanent way the short arm is moved in the
direction of the dotted arrow, hence the striking of the gong by the releasing of
the clapper.
is the long arm of the lever, which is counterpoised at d°, so that on the arm
of the semaphore signals being down, the nose end of the projection lowers itself
out of the path of the levers on the engine.
e are the rails or metals, and is a cover or casing for the projection or lever d,
and is an opening in the top of the same, wherethrough the nose end of the
projection protrudes when the signals are against the train.
The lever or permanent way projection is operated by a chain g, passing over
pulleys g', and connected at one end to the arm d, and at the other end connected
to a counterpoised lever h, pivoted at h', and supported by an upright h
The said lever is worked by a chain h³, passing over pulleys, with the endless
part passing around a pulley h, and with a chain or wire *, connected to the
chain h, and which chain ho, leads to the cabin of a signalman.
The other end of the chain h*, is connected to a counterpoised lever ', to one
arm of which the lever of a semaphore signal rod 1, working within guides, and
connected at its upper end to the arm ³, supported by the mast i, is connected.
OPERATION.
Assuming the signals are required to be against the train, the signalman pulls his
levers as usual and operates the chain or rod 4°, which pulls or operates the
chains, and turns the levers h, and, upon their joint centres, with the one
pulling the chain g, and the other operating the rod, when the arm i is raised,
and also the lever d turned upon its joint end, and the nose end d¹ of the bent
arm d³, raised above the plane of the top of the box or enclosing case f, and above
the plane of the tops of the metals, and within the path of the lower end of one of
the levers b, so that now assuming that the engineman is unable to see the visible
signals he is made aware of the fact that they are against him by the striking of
the lever b, against the projection d', hence the ringing of the gong.
Now immediately that the gong has struck, the driver pulls up, knowing as he
aloes that the semaphore or other signals, are against him, and he remains so until.

page_text: he is advised by immediate audible signalling apparatus to go on and proceed
slowly.
The signalman then directs his levers in a reverse direction and allows both the
semaphore and the engine contact to resume their normal positions by the aid of
the counterpoises attached to them.
Instead of employing gongs I may employ a lever arrangement which sounds the
steam whistle, and these may be arranged in connection with a vacuum brake,
which is automatically put on.
I am aware that attempts have been made to work signals by a passing train, but
these have been impracticable, complicated and fraught with danger.
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 :-
:-
First. In fog signalling on railways, employing upon the sides of the rails, or upon
the side of one of the rails, and at a distance from the same, a lever, with one end
of the same constituting a rising and falling projection, against which the lower end
of an arm or lever carried by the engine or other part of a train impinges or strikes
and works an audible or other signal, on the said engine or train passing over the
said signalling apparatus and the said projection being up, substantially as and for
the purpose described and set forth.
Secondly. In fog signalling on railways, the general construction, arrangement
and combination of the parts substantially as described and set forth.
Thirdly. The improvements in fog signalling, and the means herein described
for operating audible signals on trains, substantially as described and set forth.
Dated this 14th day of October 1902.
ALFRED FLUKI,
By Henry Skerrett,
6, Livery Street, Birmingham, Agent for Applicant.