IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR THE PREVENTION OF ACCIDENTS UPON RAILWAYS."
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Samuel Barlow, of Oldham, in the County of
Lancaster, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR
THE PREVENTION OF ACCIDENTS UPON RAILWAYS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Samuel Barlow at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
17th April 1872.
-
I, SAMUEL BARLOW, of Oldham, in the County of Lancaster, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUB FOR THE PREVENTION OF ACCIDENTS UPON RAILWAYS," to be as
follows:-
•
:-
This Invention is designed for the purpose of preventing the possibility
of the occurrence of any accident from one train following another, and
will act as an automatic "block system" to prevent any train or engine
from passing a given point until the preceding one has passed a given
distance in advance.
The Invention will also stop both parts of a train in the event of
a coupling breaking.
I employ the ordinary breaks, and to the sliding bar which actuates
the break levers I connect one end of a chain (either directly or by

page_text: means of a lever), the other end of the said chain being attached to a
long sliding boss or cylinder placed loosely upon the axle of the engine
or carriage. One end of this boss carries half of a clutch box, the other
half thereof being keyed fast on the axle. When the break is not
required to be applied the clutch on the sliding boss is held out of
contact with the other half by means of a forked lever, the other end of
which is provided with a pin which is held by a notched catch, but as
soon as the latter is raised so as to release the lever, a spring acting
against the same causes it to put the clutch in gear, and the boss being
then locked to the axle winds on the chain and applies the breaks.
The guard or other person in charge of the breaks is provided with a
lever, by means of which he can lift the catch and thus put on the
breaks, and also with another by means of which after the breaks have
been applied (either by hand or automatically) he can throw the clutch
out of gear and secure the pin of the lever in the notch of the catch.
In order to apply the breaks automatically there is a double headed
hanging lever placed beneath a pin on the notched catch, and whenever
the lower end of this lever comes against an arm or projection it swings
against the pin and raises the notched catch. The arm or projection is
fixed on the permanent way and is thrust forward or withdrawn, so as
either to catch or escape the hanging lever by means of a wire to the
other end of which (at any required distance from the arm) is attached
a curved lever, which is depressed by a roller or bowl attached to a
bracket fixed on the engine or carriage.
The action of this apparatus is as follows:-As an engine or train
passes the curved lever it depresses it and causes the wire to throw
forward the arm or projection so as to come in front of the hanging lever
of any engine or train that may be following it. As soon as the second
engine or train reaches the point where the arm or projection is thrown
forward, the latter comes against its hanging lever and applies the breaks
so as to bring it to a stand. The hanging lever is also connected to the
steam valve (and to the whistle if desired), so that the same movement
cuts off the steam and whistles. The engineer in charge of the second
train or engine can now take off his breaks and go on with caution, or
wait till the signal is given that the line is clear.
When the preceding engine or train has passed a certain distance
ahead, it sets a second arm or projection and then by depressing another
curved lever withdraws the first one, leaving the line clear. By

page_text: repeating this arrangement at the necessary intervals it will act as a
perfect automatic block system.
To render this break self-acting at any point of the line in case of the
breaking of a coupling, I provide each carriage with a rod capable of
sliding endwise and provided on the guards van (or other carriage having
a break) with a double inclined notch immediately beneath the pin on
the catch lever, so that if the rod is pulled in either direction, it raises
the catch and throws on the breaks. These rods are coupled between
the carriages by means of a spring connection, and are held in a central
position by means of a coiled spring at each end. When a coupling
breaks these spring connections hold together for a certain time, and
pulling the rods in both directions apply the breaks at both ends of the
train before the spring connections become released, and thus both parts
of the train are brought to a standstill. The whole of this system is so
constructed that it will work equally well whichever end of the carriages
may be travelling first, so that there will not be any necessity for sending
the carriages to the turntable so as to reverse their direction when
making up a train or changing the direction of travelling.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Samuel Barlow in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 16th October 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, SAMUEL
BARLOW, of Oldham, in the County of Lancaster, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by ler
Letters Patent, bearing date the Seventeenth day of April, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the
thirty-fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her hoirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Samuel Barlow, Her special
license that I, the said Samuel Barlow, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Samuel Barlow, 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 Chanuel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS

page_text: FOR THE PREVENTION OF ACCIDENTS UPON RAILWAYS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Samuel Barlow, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or
one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascer-
tain 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 Samuel Barlow, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement and accompanying Drawings (that is to
say):
-
The Invention is designed for the purpose of preventing the possibility
of the occurrence of any accident from ono train following another too
closely, and will act as an automatic"block system" to prevent any train
or engine from passing a given point until the preceding one has passed
a given distance in advance.
The Invention will also stop both parts of a train in the event of a
coupling breaking.
Such being the nature and object of my said Invention for "Improve-
ments in Apparatus for the Prevention of Accidents upon Railways,”
I will now proceed to describe more in detail the manner in which the
same is to be or may be performed or carried into practical effect, and
in order that the same may be clearly understood, I have hereunto
annexed a Sheet of Drawings illustrative thereof, and have marked the
same with figures and letters of reference corresponding with those in
the following explanation thereof :-
Fig. 1 is a partial sectional elevation of a portion of a railway with a
tender and rear part of a locomotive engine, showing the application of
my Invention thereto, and Fig. 2 is a plan or horizontal view of the same,
as seen from above, the body of the tender being removed for the purpose
of showing the working parts more clearly. a, a, is the permanent
way or rail; b, b, the tender; and c, c, a portion of the locomotive
engine.
I employ the ordinary breaks d, d, and to a lever e, e, keyed on the

page_text: by means of a lever h, h, and spring link i, i, or in some instances the
chain may be connected directly to the sliding bar of the break after,
passing round a pulley. The other end of the chain 9, 9, is attached to
a long sliding boss or cylinder k, k, placed loosely upon the axle 1, 1, of
5 the tender or upon the axle of the engine, çarriage, or break van.
One
end of this boss carries an internal friction cone m, m, and a corre-
sponding external friction cone n, n, is keyed fast on the axle, or if
preferred a clutch box may be substituted for the cones. When the
break is not required to be applied the external friction cone m, m, is held
O out of contact with the internal friction cone n, n, by means of, a forked,
lever o, o, the other end of which is held by a notch in a catch lever p, p,
(see also detached cross sectional view Fig. 3), but as soon as the latter
is raised so as to release the forked lever o, o, a spring q, q, acting on the
latter by means of a link r, r, and bell crank lever 8, 8, causes it to put
3 the friction cones in gear, and the boss k, k, being then locked to the
axle winds on the chain and applies the breaks. The engineer, guard,
or other, person in charge of the break is provided with a lever or winch
handlet, t, connected by a screwed rod to a link, ', 'by means of which
he can put on the breaks in the ordinary way (or he may be provided
O with a rod or lever for lifting the catch lever p, p, and also with a long
· lever u, u, 'connected by a rod v, v, to the bell crank 8, 8, by means of
which after the breaks have been applied (either automatically or by
hand), he can throw the friction cones out of gear and secure the
lever o, o, in the notch of the catch lever p, p. It will be seen that'
5 the link fª, t, and the spring link i, i, are provided with slots *, *, so'
that the automatic and hand arrangements can each work separately and
independently of the other.
".
In order to apply the breaks automatically there is a double inclined.
headed hanging lever wo, w, placed beneath a pin on the notched catch.
O lever p, p, and whenever the lower end of this-lever comes against an
arm or projection 2, x, it swings against the pin and raises the said
catch lever. This arm or projection x, x, is fixed on the permanent way
and is thrust forward so as to catch the hanging lever w, w, by means of
a wire z, z, to the other end of which, at any required distance from the
5 arm,-is-attached a curved or double inclined lever 1, 1, which is depressed
by a roller or bowl 3, 8, on a bracket fixed on the tender, engine, or
carriage. By attaching the arm z, z, by a wire to the points or to
the ordinary signal (or to both), it will stop the engine or train when-

page_text: ever the points are not in proper position, or if the signal is set to
"danger."
2
The action of this apparatus is as follows:-As the engine or train
passes the first curved or inclined lever 1, 1, it depresses it, and causes
the wire to throw forward the arm or projection x, x, into the position,
shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, so as to come in front of the hanging
lever wo, w, of any engine or train that may be following it. As soon
therefore as the second engine or train reaches the point when this arm
or projection x, x, is thrown forward, the latter comes against its hanging
lever 10, 10, and by lifting the catch lever p, p, applies the breaks so as to
bring it to a stand. The hanging lever may be connected to the steam
valve (as shown in the Drawing at Fig. 1, and detached view, Fig. 4),
the spring link i, i, may be connected by a chain 4, 4, to the valve
lever 5, 5, (as well as to the whistle if preferred) so that the same move-
ment which puts on the breaks cuts off the steam and whistles. The
engineer in charge of the second train or engine can now take off his
breaks and go on with caution, or wait till the signal is given that the
line is clear.
When the preceding engine or train has passed a certain distance
ahead it depresses another curved or inclined lever 2, 2, (sec reduced :
plan view of the system Fig. 5), and sets a second arm or projection 6, 6;
and afterwards by depressing a third curved or inclined lever 7, 7,
withdraws the first arm 1, 1, by means of the wire 8, 8, leaving that
part of the line clear.
.It will be seen that the arm 6, 6, is connected by a wire 9, 9, to the
arm 10, 10, a distance in advance of the engine or train, so that as the
engine or train progresses, it always keeps an arm set at a certain
distance, both in front of and behind it, and by repeating this arrange-
ment at the necessary intervals, it will act as a perfect automatic break
system.
In order more clearly to illustrate this, I may add that (upon reference
to Fig. 5), the distance from A to B should be about the length of a
train, from B to ○ a long interval (say about a mile), from C to D the
length of a train, and from D to E about the distance required to stop a
train.
To render this break self-acting at any point of the line in case of the
3

page_text: of sliding endwise, and provided on the tender, guard's van, or other
carriage having a break with a double inclined notch 12, 12, beneath
an inclined projection 13, -13, on the catch lever p, p, so that if the
rod 11, 11, is pulled in either direction, it raises the catch lever and
throws on the breaks. These rods 11, 11, are forked at the ends and
coupled between the carriages by means of springs 14, 14, and hooked
chains 15, 15, and are held in a central position by means of a coiled
spring 16, 16, at each end. When a coupling breaks, theso spring
connections hold together at first, and pulling the rods 11, 11, in both
directions, apply the breaks at both ends of the train before the spring
connections become released, and thus both parts of the train are brought
to a standstill. It will be seen that the whole of this system is so con-
structed that it will work equally well whichever end of the carriages
may be travelling first, so that there will not be any necessity for sending
the carriages to the turntables so as to reverse their direction when
making up a train or changing the direction of travelling.
66
Having now described the nature and object of my said Invention for
Improvements in Apparatus for the Prevention of Accidents upon Rail-
ways," together with the manner in which the same is to be or may be
performed or carried into practical effect, I wish it to be understood
that I claim as my Invention the improved system as herein-before
described and represented by the Drawings annexed, or any mere
modification or imitation thereof, constructed and operating in sub-
stantially the same or a similar manner.
In witness whereof, I, the said Samuel Barlow, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of October, in the year
of our Lord. One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two.
:
Witnessed by
JOHN HUGHES,
Clerk to George Davies, O.E.,
Office for Patents,
4, St. Ann's Sq.
Manchester.
SAMUEL BARLOW. (L.S.)