Improvements in Station Indicator and Advertising Apparatus for Carriages Running on Rails.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Feb., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 24th Nov., 1894-Accepted, 29th Dec., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Station Indicator and Advertising Apparatus for
Carriages Running on Rails.
We, CHARLES EDWARD VERNON, of Victoria Docks, in the County of Essex,
Engineer, and WILLIAM SAMUEL PAGE, of 4 St. Helen's Place, in the City
of London, Clerk, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:
The invention relates to a novel combination and arrangement of means for
automatically working station indicating and advertising apparatus in carriages
running on rails.
In carrying our invention into effect we make use of compressed air and vacuum
either combined or separately.
Our improved apparatus is constructed and arranged as follows:-
An air cylinder is fixed to the under part of the carriage and its piston is worked
by a convenient arrangement of levers and connecting rod or rods. The first
motion is given by one of the levers coming into contact, in the motion of the
carriage, with a cam or incline placed at the side of, or on or between, the line of
rails. With the movement of the piston the air is compressed on the one side
thereof and a partial vacuum is formed on the other. Small pipes connect the end
of this cylinder to the ends of a second cylinder fixed in a suitable position at the
end or on the roof of the carriage. The piston of the second cylinder is operated
by the compressed air and vacuum created by the piston of the first cylinder, and
has a corresponding movement to said first piston and gives the necessary and exact
travel required to turn a double ratchet wheel in either direction, according to the
direction in which the carriage is running. The said ratchet wheel gives rotary
motion to a shaft which is common to and is geared with all the indicators in the
carriage. Suitable means are provided to return the first motion lever and the
pistons to their central position after each motion.
By the use of compressed air to operate the indicators, any sudden shock to the
gearing is avoided when the carriage is travelling at a high speed.
The first or compression cylinder can be dispensed with when compressed air or
vacuum can be obtained from the brake service or from a separate compressor or
ejector on the engine, and in this case the second cylinders are coupled throughout
the length of the train by two small services of pipes, and the indicator worked by
a three-way valve in the guard's van (either by hand or automatically) in either
direction, suitable means being provided to return the piston to a central position
after each motion.
Dated this 28th day of February 1894.

page_text: Improvements in Station Indicator and Advertising Apparatus for
Carriages Running on Rails.
We, CHARLES EDWARD VERNON, of Victoria Docks, in the County of Essex,
Engineer, and WILLIAM SAMUEL PAGE, of 4 St. Helen's Place, in the City of
London, Clerk, 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 invention relates more particularly to a novel combination and arrangement
of means for automatically working station indicating and advertising apparatus in
carriages running on rails.
In carrying our invention into effect we make use of compressed air and vacuum,
either combined or separately.
Our improved apparatus is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in
which :-
Fig. 1 is an end view and Fig. 2 is a partial side view of a railway carriage
fitted with our improvements, and Fig. 3 is a partial plan of the under carriage.
a is the body of the carriage and b is the under carriage. c is an air cylinder
fixed to the under carriage, the piston of which is worked in the following
manner.
d is an incline fixed at the side of the permanent way; el is a lever fixed to the
lower end of an upright shaft e mounted in bearings carried by the under framing b
and by the cross bar 61; on the upper part of such shaft e is fixed a lever e³, which,
by a connecting rod e³ and piston rod e', is connected with the piston of the
cylinder c. Thus, as the lever e', in the running of the carriage, comes into contact
with the incline d, it receives motion and, through the shaft e, lever e², connecting
rode and piston rod c¹, gives motion to the piston of the cylinder c.
The cylinder c is connected at its ends, by pipes ff, with the corresponding ends
of a cylinder g fixed on the end of the carriage body a. The piston of this cylinder g
is, by the piston rod g¹ and connecting rod h, connected with a double ratchet
lever i giving partial rotary motion to a double acting ratchet wheel; and consequently
to a shaft k, which is common to, and is geared by bevel pinions k¹ with, all the
indicators in the carriage.
The lever e', and consequently the pistons of the cylinders c and 9, are kept
normally in their central positions and are returned to such positions after each
motion, by a spring m around the shaft e, which is connected at one end to
such shaft and at the other end to a suitable fixture. Other suitable means
may however be employed for retaining such parts in, and returning them to, their
normally central position.
The indicators represented in the drawings are of a similar character to those
shown and described in the Specifications of Patents, Nos. 11170 of the year 1890
and 13166 of the year 1893, and the ratchet gear longitudinal shaft on carriage top
and bevel gear herein referred to, are of similar character to those described in the
latter mentioned Specification, but other suitable construction of indicator and
driving gear may be employed.
By the arrangement of parts hereinbefore described, on the lever el being moved
by an incline d, the piston of the cylinder c will be moved, thereby compressing
the air in such cylinder on one side of the piston and producing a partial vacuum
on the other side of such piston; the piston of the cylinder g is operated by the
compressed air and vacuum created by the piston of the cylinder c and receives a
corresponding movement to such first piston and gives the necessary and exact
travel required to turn the double ratchet wheel j and consequently the

page_text: indicators in either direction according to the direction in which the carriage is
travelling.
As a modification, the first or compression cylinder c can be dispensed with,
when compressed air or vacuum can be obtained from the brake service or from a
separate compressor or ejector on the engine, and in this case the second cylinders g
are coupled throughout the length of the train by two small services of pipes and
the indicators worked by a three-way valve in the guard's van (either by hand or
automatically) in either direction, suitable means being provided to return the
pistons to a central position after each motion. We have not thought it necessary
to give drawings of the above modification, as such will be readily understood from
the foregoing description.
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. The novel combination and arrangement of apparatus for communicating
motion to station indicator and advertising apparatus for carriages running on rails
substantially as herein shown and described.
2. The combination with a stationary cam or incline and a lever on the carriage
acted upon by said cam or incline, of a piston working in a cylinder and operated
by such lever to produce compressed air on one side and a partial vacuum on the
other side of said piston, a second cylinder connected at its ends by pipes to the
first cylinder, and a piston in said second cylinder connected with and operating
the indicator driving gear, substantially as herein shown and described.
3. The combination with station indicator and advertising apparatus, of a piston
and cylinder for giving motion to the same, said pistou being normally kept in and
returned to the central position in said cylinder and receiving motion in either
direction from a suitable source of pressure or vacuum placed in communication
with said cylinder either manually or automatically, substantially as herein shown
and described.
DAVE WAY OF
TOGINIOT
ACCA
C. E. VERNON,
W. S. PAGE,
By Harris & Mills,
23, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents.