IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS BY WHICH AN ENGINE OR TRAIN IS MADE TO GIVE AN ALARM OR SIGNAL AT ANY REQUIRED PLACE, ON ARRIVING AT OR PASSING ANY GIVEN POINT ON THE RAILWAY
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Holland, of the City of Manchester, Flour
.Dealer, and George Okell, of Ashton-under-Lyne, Cabinet Maker, both
in the County of Lancaster, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS BY WHICH AN ENGINE OR TRAIN IS MADE TO GIVE AN ALARM OR
SIGNAL AT ANY REQUIRED PLACE, ON ARRIVING AT OR PASSING ANY GIVEN
POINT ON THE RAILWAY."
Sealed the 4th March 1862, and dated the 7th September 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Holland and
George Okell at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 7th September 1861.
We, JOSEPH HOLLAND, of the City of Manchester, Flour Dealer, and GEORGE
OKELL, of Ashton-under-Lyne, Cabinet Maker, both in the County of Lan-
caster, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPARATUS BY WHICH AN ENGINE OR TRAIN IS MADE TO GIVE AN ALARM
OR SIGNAL AT ANY REQUIRED PLACE ON ARRIVING AT OR PASSING ANY GIVEN POINT
ON THE RAILWAY," to be as follows:-
Our Invention consists in arranging a treadle or treadles at any given point.
on a railway, so that the wheels of an engine or train, or some suitable pro-
jection or projections from the engine or train, will in passing act upon this
treadle or treadles (the reaction being produced by springs), and give motion.
to a pair of bellows. pump, or other convenient apparatus, by which air can be

page_text: forced past a valve or valves (by which it is prevented from returning) into a
pipe which extends from this apparatus to the place where the alarm or signal
is required to be heard, the air forced into the pipe sounding a whistle placed
at the end of it, thus giving notice that an engine or train has passed the point
where the treadle or treadles are fixed.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed by
the said Joseph Holland and George Okell in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 6th March 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, wc, JOSEPHI
HOLLAND, of the City of Manchester, Flour Dealer, and GEORGE OKELL, of
Ashton-under-Lyne, Cabinet Maker, both in the County of Lancaster, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-oue, in the twenty-fifth year of Hler
reign, did, for Herselt, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said Joseph Holland and George Okell, Her special licence that we, the
said Joseph Holland and George Okell, our exccutors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as we, the said Joseph Holland and Georgo Okell,
our 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 Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS BY WHICH AN
ENGINE OR TRAIN IS MADE TO GIVE AN ALARM OR SIGNAL AT ANY REQUIRED
PLACE ON ARRIVING AT OR PASSING ANY GIVEN POINT ON THE RAILWAY;” upon
the condition (amongst others) that we, the said Joseph-Holland and Georgo
Okell, by an instrument in writing under our hands and seals, or under
the hand and seal of one of us, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be per-
formed, 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 we, the said Joseph Holland and George Okell,
do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained

page_text: in and by the following statement and accompanying Drawing (that is
to say):
Our Invention consists in arranging a treadle or treadles at any given point
on a railway, so that the wheels of an engine or train, or some suitable pro-
jection or projections from the engine or train will in passing act upon this
treadle or treadles (the reaction being produced by springs), and give motion
to a pair of bellows, pump, or other convenient apparatus, by which air can be
forced past a valve or valves (by which it is prevented from returning) into a
pipe which extends from this apparatus to the place where the alarm or signal.
is required to be heard, the air forced into the pipe sounding one or more
whistles placed at the end of the pipe, or at branches from it, thus giving
notice that an engine or train has passed the point where the treadle or
treadles are fixed.
The manner in which we prefer to carry our Invention into effect is
illustrated by the accompanying Sheet of Drawing, Fig. 1 being a longitudinal
section, Fig. 2 a plan view, and Fig. 3 a plan view of the cylinder of the pump
detached, the cover being removed.
a represents one of the rails; b, a treadle placed on the inside of the rail;
the fulcrum (2) is jointed to a carrier (6') secured to an independent
"sleeper"; this treadle is also jointed witli the upper end of a vertical rod
or link c passing through a suitable guide c', in which it is free to slide
vertically, and its lower end is jointed with a lever d, the axis (d) of which
is carried by bearings in the water-tight box e, to which the guide c¹ is secured.
To the same end of the lever d the upper end of another rod f is jointed, the
lower end passing freely through a hole (forming a guide) in a cross rail (f¹)
fixed on brackets secured to the bottom of the water-tight box (e); upon this
rod, and above the cross rail, a series of india-rubber buffer rings (f)
with separating discs are placed, and one india-rubber ring (f³) is placed
below the cross rail (f¹), the rod (f) being provided with suitable nuts and
lock nuts for the purpose of adjustment. The opposite end of the lever d to
that hitherto referred to is jointed with a link & connecting it with the rod g
of the piston g', which works in the cylinder g* secured to the bottom of the
water-tight box (e). The gland of the piston rod (g) is made air-tight by a
prepared india-rubber packing ring, or by leather, or other suitable material;
the piston (9) is formed by prepared india-rubber rings (secured between
plates attached to the piston rod, as shewn,) or by leather or other suitable
material. We prefer to line the interior of the cylinder or pump with brass,
or other anti-corrosive metal.
The arrangement of the valves will be explained by reference to Fig. 3..

page_text: The valves are all "ball-valves," made of prepared india-rubber, holes being
formed for them in the top of the flange of the cylinder, of such depth as will
give them room to lift properly when the lid or cover (9) is secured upon the
cylinder. The inlet for air to the upper side of the piston is at the orifice
marked 1. It ascends the passage and lifts the ball 2, and then enters the
cylinder by the channel cut in the flange. The inlet for air to the lower side
of the piston is at 3; it ascends, lifts the ball 4, passes along the channels, and
descends the holes 5 to the bottom of the cylinder; the outlet from the top side
of the piston is by a channel leading to a hole 6, which descends and then.
ascends, lifting the ball 7, and then goes along the channel leading to 8, which
conducts to the outlet pipe 9 leading to the whistle or whistles. The outlet
from the bottom side ascends directly, and lifts the ball 10, and then by the-
channel leading to 8 all the channels in the upper flange of the cylinders
are covered, so that there is no leakage when the lid of the cylinder is secured
in its place. The treadle (b) is formed and arranged so that at the points
marked 1 and 2 it is below the surface of the rail to an extent a little greater
than the depth of the flange of any wheel likely to pass over the rail, and from
these points it ascends gradually, so that at the point 3 it is a little, say; a
quarter of an inch below the surface of the rail (a); the flange of every wheel
passing over the rail will thus gradually come upon the surface of the
treadle (6) and depress it, and it will be again lifted by tho action of the
spring (f), which must have sufficient forco to lift the treadle (b), and produce
the return stroke of the piston (91) as rapidly as it is depressed by the wheels
of the passing engine or train. The india-rubber ring (f) on the under side
of the cross rail (f) is intended as a buffer to counteract the effect of the
reaction of the spring, and prevent the treadlo (6) from being lifted too high.
The cylinder or pump (g) shewn, is about six inches in internal diameter, and
the stroke of the piston will be about four and a half inches, and the boro of
the pipe (9) leading from the pump to the whistle or whistles, is about three-
quarters of an inch diameter. The whistle may be of any ordinary con-
struction, but we prefer such as are similar to the ordinary "steam whistle."
Several whistles may be sounded by the same pump or cylinder according to
the capacity of the pump, pipe, and whistles, the dimensions of which must be
modified and adjusted as required. A pipo (a) is made to communicate with
the water-tight box (e) (which is covered by the ballast of the roadway), so as
to supply it with air, the exterior end of the pipe being brought sufficiently
high and covered, so that rain, or water cannot enter it.
It will be readily understood that tho apparatus may be modified in various
ways without departing from the peculiar features of our Invention, for

page_text: instance, other apparatus may be employed instead of the pump or cylinder,
the valves may be arranged differently, and instead of the apparatus being
placed below the roadway, it may be placed at one side of the road, and out of
the way, the motion from the treadle or treadles being communicated by
means of suitable shaft, levers, and connecting rods to the pump, arranged in
any convenient position; and instead of a spring for producing the reaction,
two treadles may be employed, so that the flange of the wheel after passing
over one will immediately pass over the other, the two being connected by a
lever (provided with suitable links) having its fulcrum midway between its two
ends, so that the descent of one treadle will cause the other to ascend, and
thus produce the necessary reciprocating motion for working the pump, bellows,
or other air-forcing apparatus.
We have now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
Invention, and the manner in which it is to be carried into effect, and wish it
to be understood that we claim as our Invention the apparatus herein-before
referred to when used in the manner and for the purpose herein-before
described.
In witness whereof, we, the said Joseph Holland and George Okell,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Third day of March, One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
JOSEPH HOLLAND. (L.8.)
GEORGE OKELL.
t
(L.S.)
JOSEPH HOLLAND. (L.8.)
GEORGE OKELL.
(L.S.)