Improvements in Compensating Apparatus for Imparting the Required Tension to the Wires of Railway and other Signals.
Year: 1885

page_text: Improvements in Compensating Apparatus for Imparting the
Required Tension to the Wires of Railway and other Signals.
I CHARLES EDWIN GAUNT of 17 Coney Street in the City and County of York,
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of my invention is to provide automatic apparatus or means for
preserving signal wires at one uniform degree of tension in all temperatures and
variations of the atmosphere.
According to my invention the apparatus is constructed as follows:
I provide a cast metal bracket or hanger bolted to the framework in the cabin.
On each side of the hanger and working on a stud are two bell crank levers
which when the signal is at danger rest on a cushion and support a clutch pulley.
At the top and between the bell crank levers and mounted on a stud works
a double ended lever, one end of which carries a clutch and the other end is
connected to the bottom end of a rod and coupled thereby to the signal lever.
The clutch in its normal position is out of gear, leaving the clutch pulley and
another pulley (over which a chain is passed having a suspended weight attached
thereto, and the other end in connection with the signal wire) free to revolve and
allow the weight to act on the signal wire and thus give the required tension to
the same.
When the signal is being pulled off through the operation of the signalling lever,
the clutch is brought in contact with the clutch pulley thus engages with it and
prevents it from revolving.
J. W. HARDING,
Agent.

page_text: Fig. I is a front elevation and Fig. 2 a side elevation.
According to my invention the apparatus is constructed as follows :—
I provide a cast metal bracket or hanger a bolted to the framework 6 in the
cabin.
On each side of the hanger a and working on a stud c are two levers or arms d
which when the signal is at danger rests on a cushion e and support a clutch
pulley f.
At the outer end g of the crank levers d and between them works a double
ended lever mounted on a stud i, oue end of such lever carries a clutch jor
friction piece, and the other end k is connected to the bottom end of a rod and
coupled thereby to the signal lever m.
The clutch piece in its normal position is out of gear as shewn in drawing
Fig. 2 leaving the clutch pulley f and another pulley n (over which a chain o is
passed having a suspended weight p attached thereto, and the other end q of the
chain o is in connection with the signal wire) free to revolve and allow the weight p
to act on the signal wire and thus give the required tension to the same..
When the signal is being pulled off through the operation of the signalling
lever m, the clutch j is brought in contact with the flange of the clutch pulley f
thus engaging with it and preventing it from revolving.
By this arrangement the friction pulley f being held by the clutch j, the chain o
is also prevented from moving, thus by the movement of the signal lever the
operation of signalling can be performed with signal wires at the proper degree of
tension in all temperatures and variations in the atmosphere.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:
.
The general arrangement, construction and application of the apparatus for
preserving signal wires at the proper degree of tension in all temperatures and
variations in the atmosphere, also in combination with the means employed for
operating the same substantially as herein set forth.
L 1000