IMPROVEMENTS IN FOG SIGNALS FOR ANDARANG ANAKED THEREWITH.
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Barrow, of Rock Ferry, in the County
of Chester, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN FOG SIGNALS FOR
ANDARANG ANAKED THEREWITH.
"
Sealed the 17th March 1874, and dated the 23rd December 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Barrow at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
23rd December 1873.
I, THOMAS BARROW, of Rock Ferry, in the County of Chester, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
FOG SIGNALS FOR RAILWAYS, AND IN APPARATUS CONNECTED THEREWITH," to be
as follows:-
This Invention relates to improvements in explosive or detonating fog
signals for railways, and in apparatus for mechanically placing such
explosive fog signals upon the metals or rails.
The present practice of placing fog signals consists in putting the
explosive signal in position on the rails by hand, the signals being

page_text: kept in position by soft metal clamps, which are attached to the signals
and are easily bent round the rails. This practice of placing signals by
hand on the line of rails is very uncertain in its action, and also very
dangerous to the men employed.
This Invention consists in fixing to the base of the usual circular
percussion explosive signal a flange or projection of soft metal in lieu of
the clamps now used. The explosive signals so arranged are fixed on a
horizontal revolving wheel or wheels, which may be encased and so
placed as to revolve inside the rails, and so arranged that an explosive
signal is alternately placed upon one rail or the other.
The explosive signals may be attached to the revolving wheel by the
flange or projection from their base, and fixed there easily by means of a
thumb-screw and slot, or otherwise, as will be readily understood.
The wheel or disc carrying the signals may be worked and caused to
rotate by suitable wheel gearing, which gearing may be actuated by the
same lever or mechanical means that actuates the ordinary semaphore or
light signals, and the wheel may be placed to work in unison with such
semaphore or light signals. The wheel may be also caused to rotate by
means of a wire actuated from a station, or the wheel may be made to
rotate by the action of the train itself passing over the line, as is under-
stood.
In some instances it will be advisable to fix two or more revolving
wheels with explosive signals attached. These wheels may be set to
revolve on the outside of the rails, instead of within the guage, or one
or more wheels may be made to revolve outside the rails, as will be
understood.
A modification of this Invention may consist in fixing tlie explosive
signals to an endless band or chain passing over pulleys, and so arranged
that a signal is alternately placed on each rail.
The advantages attendant upon the improvements in fog signals to
which this Invention relates are that by mechanically placing the
explosive signals on the rails certainty of action is the result; also the
signals can work in unison with semaphore or other signals, and danger
attendant upon hand placing is obviated.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Thomas Barrow in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 19th June 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
BARROW, of Rock Ferry, in the County of Chester, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of December, in tho
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 Thomas Barrow, Her special
licence that I, the said Thomas Barrow, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas Barrow, my exccutors,
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 FOG
SIGNALS FOR RAILWAYS, AND IN APPARATUS CONNECTED THEREWITH," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Thomas Barrow, my executors
or administrators, by an instrument 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 Thomas Barrow, 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 improvements in explosive or detonating fog
signals for railways, and in apparatus for mechanically placing such
explosive fog signals upon the metals or rails.
The present nunotion of placine for signals consists in nutting the

page_text: kept in position by soft metal clamps, which are attached to the signals,
and are easily bent round the rails. This practice of placing signals by
hand on the line of rails is very uncertain in its action, and also very
dangerous to the men employed.
This Invention consists in fixing to the base of the usual circular
percussion explosive signal a flange or projection of soft metal in licu of
the clamps now used. The explosive signals so arranged are fixed on a
horizontal revolving wheel or wheels, which may be encased and so
arranged as to revolve inside the rails, and so arranged that an explosive
signal is alternately placed upon one rail or the other.
. The explosive signals may be attached to the revolving wheel by the
flange or projection from their base, and fixed there easily by means of
a thumb screw and slot, or otherwise, as will be readily understood.
The wheel or disc carrying the signals may be worked and caused to
rotate by suitable wheel gearing, which gearing may be actuated by the
same lever or mechanical means that actuates the ordinary semaphore or
light signals, and the wheel may be placed to work in unison with such
semaphore or light signals. The wheel may be also caused to rotate by
means of a wire actuated from a station, or the wheel may be made to
rotate by the action of the train itself passing over the line, as is under-
stood.
In some instances it will be advisable to fix two or more revolving
wheels with explosive signals attached. These wheels may be set to
revolve on the outside of the rails, instead of within the guage, or one
or more wheels may be made to revolve outside the rails, as will be
understood.
A modification of this Invention may consist in fixing the explosive
signals to an endless band or chain passing over pulleys, and so arranged
that a signal is alternately placed on each rail.
The advantages attendant upon the improvements in fog signals to
which this Invention relates are, that by mechanically placing the
explosive signals on the rails certainty of action is the result; also the
signals can work is unison with semaphore or other signals, and danger
attendant upon hand placing is obviated.
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

page_text: may be carried out into practical effect, and for that purpose I have
hereunto attached two Sheets of Drawings sufficiently illustrative of my
Invention as will enable any engineer to carry the same into practical
effect. Like letters and figures marked on the Drawings denote similar
parts throughout the various views:
Figure 1, Sheet 1, is a part sectional elevation showing a fog signal
constructed according to this Invention; Figure 2, Sheet 1, is a plan of
same; Figure 3, Sheet 1, is a section through a, b, Figure 2.
Figures 4 and 5, Sheet 1, show chain arrangement for attaching the
signals to.
Figure 6, Sheet 1, is a plan showing a double explosive signal.
Figure 7, Sheet 1, is a plan of an apparatus constructed according to
this Invention, arranged for use as a distance signal; Figure 8 is an
clevation of same; Figure 9, an end view.
'
Figure 10 illustrates a method of compensating or allowing for con-
traction and expansion of actuating rods or chains.
Figure 11 shows a method of working three signals according to this
Invention, applicable as a home signal.
Figure 12 shows a method of arranging explosive signals to an endless
band or chain passing over pulleys.
Figure 13 shows an apparatus constructed according to this Invention,
placed inside the rails.
Referring to the Drawings it will be seen that A is a circular percus-
sion explosive signal, having a flange or projection B, and fixed on to a
horizontal revolving wheel, arms, or chain by means of a thumb-screw C,
a slot D, pin E, and held in position by the spring F. G is a wheel,
arms, or a disc, carrying the signals, and caused to rotate by suitable
gearing. In Figures 7, 8, and 9, the wheel G is caused to rotate by
means of the rack and pinion H, which is actuated by the rod I, the
lever J, and the rope or chain K. The apparatus is so arranged that the
signals A can be successively placed on the rail L. To compensate for
expansion and contraction in the working rope or chain K a lever and
sliding pulley or pulleys can be used, as shown at Figure 10.
Referring to Figure 11, the wheels G, G³, G², are worked by the worms
and wheels M, M', M³, which are actuated by the rod N. The rod N iş

page_text: fitted with couplings at N¹ to allow for contraction and expansion. The
rod N may be actuated from the signal box by means of an endless band
or chain, or by toothed gearing, or other suitable mechanical means, as
will be understood.
Referring to Figure 12, the signals A may be attached to an endless
band or chain O passing over pulleys P, and worked by any suitable
mechanical means. The chain may be of the ordinary description, or
made with flat links, as shown at Figures 4 and 5; but on the links
where it is intended to attach the signals there is a projection Q,
Figure 4 for that purpose.
Apparatus constructed according to this Invention can be fitted with
any number of explosive signals, according to the size of the apparatus,
and may be set to revolve inside the rails between the guage, or on the
outside of the rails, as may be convenient, and they may be placed
singly, or several apparatus may be placed consecutively, as will be
understood.
The apparatus can be actuated or worked by the usual home or
distance signal wires or rods, or they may have independent actuating
wires or rods, and the method of actuating may be varied to suit
circumstances, as will be understood.
Having now fully described and ascertained the nature, object, and
purposes of this my Invention, and shown how the same may be carried
out into practical effect, I would have it understood that I do not confine
myself to any particular proportions or dimensions of apparatus con-
structed according to this Invention, nor to any particular method of
actuating such apparatus, as the same is capable of various alterations,
but what I claim as the Invention secured to me by Letters Patent as
aforesaid is,―
Firstly. The improvements in explosive fog signals, consisting of
attaching the same to a flange or base which is capable of attachment
to a mechanical placer, substantially in the manner and for the purposes
as set forth and illustrated in the before-going Specification and
Drawings.
Secondly. An apparatus consisting of a disc or wheel or radiating
arms arranged with thumb-screws, or other provisions for attaching
explosive fog signals constructed according to this Invention thereto,

page_text: such disc, wheel, or radiating arms being caused to rotate by suitable
mechanical means, the whole substantially in the manner and for the
purposes as set forth and described in the before-going Specification
and Drawings.
Thirdly. An apparatus consisting of an endless band or chain carried
and actuated by suitable wheels or pulleys, and provided with explosive
fog signals, substantially in the manner and for the purpose as set forth
and described in the before-going Specification and Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Barrow, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of June, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four.