IMPROVEMENTS IN COM- MUNICATING SIGNALS ON RAILWAY TRAINS BETWEEN GUARD, ENGINE DRIVER, AND PASSENGERS, ALSO OBSERVING LINE SIGNALS AND OBSTRUCTIONS, AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREFOR.”
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Ellis Marsden, of Liverpool, in the County of
Lancaster, Civil Engineer, formerly Manager of the Glasgow and
Greenock Railway, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN COM-
MUNICATING SIGNALS ON RAILWAY TRAINS BETWEEN GUARD, ENGINE DRIVER,
AND PASSENGERS, ALSO OBSERVING LINE SIGNALS AND OBSTRUCTIONS, AND IN
APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREFOR.”
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Ellis Marsden at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
3rd November 1873.
I, ELLIS MARSDEN, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Civil
Engineer, formerly Manager of the Glasgow and Greenock Railway, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
COMMUNICATING SIGNALS ON RAILWAY TRAINS BETWEEN GUARD, ENGINE DRIVER,
AND PASSENGERS, ALSO OBSERVING LINE SIGNALS AND OBSTRUCTIONS, AND IN APPA-
RATUS EMPLOYED THEREFOR," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to a system of communication and observation

page_text: locomotives with a sensitive reflector, such as silvered glass, facing rear-
wards, the usual clear glass sights being left in the wind screen or
guard.
There may be also fitted on the tender and front carriage a reflector
facing in front, and so arranged that whatever is reflected in this is t
immediately transferred to the reflector on the wind screen or guard of
the engine..
There is also fitted on the engine or tender an arrangement of sema-
These
phore arms and a signal light with changeable coloured screens.
semaphore arms and the signal lamp are used to transmit signals to the
guard's van at the rear end of the train upon any code which may be
agreed upon.
The guard's van at the rear end of the train may be fitted with a
double set of reflectors, namely, the projecting hood at the top may be
fitted with clear glass in front and a reflector behind, and immediately
below with a reflector in front and a clear glass behind, so that the
guard sitting in the van can instantaneously observe the front of the
train and the line behind the same. The guard's van may be also
fitted with semaphore arms and signal lamp similar to that on the
engine.
In some instances the wings or projections on the sides of the guard's
van may be fitted with like reflectors to the hood and the wind screen;
or the wind guard of the engine may be made to project, so that the
length of the train and sides thereof are reflected on the wind screen,
so that passengers requiring to communicate may do so by waving any
signal, such as a handkerchief tied on the end of an umbrella, or a stick,
or other like means, or by a mechanical semaphore fitted to each carriage
and communicating by means of a suitable system of levers and rods
with each compartment.
The reflectors on the wind screen of the engine and the tender serve
not only as a means for communicating between guard and engine driver,
but also as a general observatory, as any line signals, danger, or other-
wise, and obstructions, whether behind or in front, will be immediately
reflected therein, and caution the driver. The guard's van also becomes
a general observatory of all that is passing round, and no signal can
escape being seen.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Ellis Marsden in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 1st May 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ELLIS
MARSDEN, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Civil Engineer,
formerly Manager of the Glasgow and Greenock Railway, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Third day of November, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the
thirty-seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Ellis Marsden, Her special
licence that I, the said Ellis Marsden, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Ellis Marsden, my 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 COMMUNICATING SIGNALS ON RAILWAY TRAINS BETWEEN GUARD, ENGINE DRIVER,
AND PASSENGERS, ALSO OBSERVING LINE SIGNALS AND OBSTRUCTIONS, AND IN APPA-
RATUS EMPLOYED THEREFOR," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said Ellis Marsden, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, 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 I, the said Ellis Marsden, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement :-
This Invention relates to a system of communication and observation
on railway trains, and consists of fitting the wind screen or guard on
locomotives with a sensitive reflector, such as silvered glass, facing
rearwards, the usual clear glass sights being left in the wind screen or
guard.

page_text: There may be also fitted on the tender and front carriage a reflector
facing in front, and so arranged that whatever is reflected in this is
immediately transferred to the reflector on the wind screen or guard of
the engine.
There is also fitted on the engine or tender an arrangement of sema-
phore arms and a signal light with changeable coloured screens. These
semaphore arms and the signal lamp are used to transmit signals to the
guard's van at the rear end of the train upon any code which may be
agreed upon.
The guard's van at the rear end of the train may be fitted with a
double set of reflectors, namely, the projecting hood at the top may be
fitted with clear glass in front and a reflector behind, and immediately
below with a reflector in front and a clear glass behind, so that the
guard sitting in the van can instantaneously observe the front of the
train and the line behind the same. The guard's van may be also 1
fitted with semaphore arms and signal lamp similar to that on the
engine.
In some instances the wings or projections on the sides of the guard's
van may be fitted with like reflectors to the hood and the wind screen;
or the wind guard of the engine may be made to project, so that the 2
length of the train and sides thereof are reflected on the wind screen,
so that passengers requiring to communicate may do so by waving any
signal, such as a handkerchief tied on the end of an umbrella, or a stick,
or other like means, or by a mechanical semaphore fitted to each carriage
and communicating by means of a suitable system of levers and rods a
with each compartment.
The reflectors on the wind screen of the engine and the tender serve
not only as a means for communicating between guard and engine driver,
but also as a general observatory, as any line signals, danger, or other-
wise, and obstructions, whether behind or in front, will be immediately a
reflected therein, and caution the driver. The guard's van also becomes
a general observatory of all that is passing round, and no signal can
escape being seen.
The before-going being the nature, object, and purposes of this my
Invention, I will now proceed to describe more in detail how the same 3
may be carried out into practical effect, and for that purpose I have
hereunto attached a Sheet of Drawings illustrating so much of my

page_text: Invention as will enable any practical engineer to carry the same into
effect. Like letters and figures on the different views. denote similar
parts.
Figure 1 represents an engine, tender, carriage, and guard's van; the
guard's van, carriage, and tender are broken through for convenience of
space on the Sheet; Figure 2 is an end view of engine; Figures 3, 4,
and 5 are elevations of semaphore.
Referring to Figure 1, A. is a sensitive reflector, which may be of
silvered glass or other suitable material, which is fitted to the wind
screen or guard of the engine; B is a sensitive reflector of silvered glass
or other suitable material fitted on the rear of the tender; B¹ is a sen-
sitive reflector of silvered glass or other suitable material fitted on the
front of the first carriage of the train; C is a sensitive reflector of silvered
glass or other suitable material fitted at the back of the projecting hood
of the guard's van, D being a clear glass in front; E is a sensitive
reflector of silvered glass or other suitable material fitted at the front of
the projection in the guard's hood, F being a clear glass behind and
immediately under C; G is a semaphore fitted on the engine, with an
arm for day signalling and a light for night; H is actuating rod and
gear; K is a semaphore fitted on the centre of each carriage, with an
arm for day and a red or other light for night. This semaphore can be
actuated from each compartment of the carriage, as shown at L, by a
suitable handle and attendant gear. M is a semaphore with an arm for
day and a light for night fitted on the guard's van, and actuated by the
handle and attendant gear N.
Referring to Figure 2 it will be seen that the reflector A is shown
between the usual clear glass sights a, a', but the whole of the wind
screen B may be made or filled in with silvered glass or other suitable
reflector, or the wind screen 6 may be extended at the wings c, o, so that
the line of train is always reflected thereon, or the semaphore G may be
fitted with a reflector at d.
Referring to Figure 3 it will be seen that O is a pillar which supports
a lamp P and a semaphore arm R. The semaphore arm R is so made as
to shield the light both in front and behind from reflecting on the wind
screen of the engine and from the hood on the guard's van, unless
actuated by the working gear S, which may be actuated by a handle T,
which is fitted in each compartment of the carriage. This semaphore is

page_text: suitable for carriages. For the guard's van the light may be single, as
at N, Figure 1.
It will be seen that by this system of reflectors and semaphores, as
illustrated at Figure 1, that a perfect means of communication and
observation on railway trains is obtained. The engine driver has reflected 5
on the wind screen or guard A all that is passing around him, as the line
in front is delineated on the reflector B, and transferred therefrom to
the reflector A, also the line and the train behind is delineated on the
reflector A. Any signal from the semaphores K on the carriages is also
transmitted to the reflector A, and instant communication can take 1
place between the engine driver and guard by means of the semaphore G
on the engine and the semaphore M on the guard's van, and the
reflectors A and O on the engine and van respectively. The guard in
the van has also perfect means of observation, as the line in front is
depicted on the reflector C, and the line behind on the reflector E. He 1
can also communicate with the engine driver in manner similar to that
before described. He can also observe any signals from passengers in
the train given by the semaphore K or otherwise.
Having now described and ascertained the nature, object, and pur-
poses of this Invention, and shown how the same may be put into 2
practical operation, what I claim as my Invention and secured to me by
Letters Patent as aforesaid is,―
Firstly. The improvements in communicating signals on railway trains
between guard, engine driver, and passengers, also observing line signals
and obstructions, and the apparatus employed therefor, substantially in 2
the manner and for the purposes herein-before described and set forth in
the before-going Specification and accompanying Drawings.
Secondly. Fitting the hood of the guard's van with a double set of
reflectors, as shown at Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings, enabling
the guard to observe both in front of and behind the train, and to 3
observe signals from the engine driver or passengers, substantially as set
forth.
Thirdly. The semaphore on the guard's van in combination with the
reflector A on the engine, as shown at Figure 1 of the accompanying
Drawings, as a means of transmitting signals from the guard to the 3
engine driver, substantially as shown and set forth.

page_text: Fourthly. The semaphore K on the carriages, capable of being
actuated from each compartment of the carriages, and in combination
with the reflector A on the engine and the reflector C on the guard's
van, as shown at Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings, as a means
of transmitting signals from the passengers to the engine driver and
guard, substantially as shown and set forth.
Fifthly. The semaphore on the engine in combination with the
reflector C on the guard's van, as shown at Figure 1 of the accom-
panying Drawings, as a means of transmitting signals from the engine.
driver to the guard, substantially as set forth.
Sixthly. The reflector B on the tender in combination with the
reflector A on the engine, as shown at Figure 1 of the accompanying
Drawings, as a means of observation for the engine driver, substantially
as set forth.
Seventhly. The reflector B' on the front of the first carriage in com-
bination with the reflector A on the engine, as shown at Figure 1 of the
accompanying Drawings, as a means of observation for the engine driver,
substantially as set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Ellis Marsden, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of April, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four.