Railway signalling engineers
Steamindex home page

Acfield, Wilfred Cozens
Signal Superintendent LBSCR 1896-1906; then Signal Superintendent Midland Railway. Founder member of Institution of Signal Engineers. Retired 25 August 1927 when title was Signal Superintendent LMS (Derby). Member of first Pringle Committee. Warburton, L.G. and Instone, Reg. LMS signals No. 14 – The organization of the signal and telegraph departments on the LMS Railway. LMS Journal, 2006 (15), 13-27.:

Angus, Arthur Reginald
Inventor of electric signal control system for trains: used West Somerset Mineral Railway for full-scale demonstration. An Australian. Vast number of patents. Following dates from period of demonstration:

29,304/1911 Improvements in or relating to railway safe running devices. Applied 7 February 1811. Published 7 May 1912.

Berry, Richard Golding
Draughtsman in Civil Engineer's office of LYR from 1890. Became LYR Signal Superintendent in 1911, but Signal Engineer (Manchester) following LNWR/LYR amalgamation. Retired due tio ill health in 1929 and died on 21 April 1931. Warburton, L.G. and Instone, Reg. LMS signals No. 14 – The organization of the signal and telegraph departments on the LMS Railway. LMS Journal, 2006 (15), 13-27.:

Blackhall, A.T.
Founder member of the Institution of Railway Signal Engineers. Worked for Great Western Railway. First President of Institution. See Nock: portrait on Plate 4.

Bound, Arthur Frank
Born Tunbridge Wells on 23 August 1878; died Bognor Regis 5 October 1957. Premium apprentice under R.J. Billinton at Brighton Works of LBSCR. In 1898 joined Vickers as a draughtsman. In 1903 joined British Power Railway Co. working on LSWR pneumatic signalling, but in same year joined the Great Central where introduced colour light signalling and Reliostop system. Appointed Signal & Telegraph Engineer of the Southern Area of the LNER at the Grouping, but left to join the LMS as Chief Signal & Telegraph Engineer in 1929. Had presented a paper to the Institution of Railway Signal Engineers in 1915 advocating the use of track circuit block with automatic signals. On LMS introduced speed controlled signalling near Mirfield..Biographical information Warburton, L.G. and Instone, Reg. LMS signals No. 14 – The organization of the signal and telegraph departments on the LMS Railway. LMS Journal, 2006 (15), 13-27.:

Papers (Institution of Railway Signal Engineers (via Nock)
A review of the art of signalling and some suggestions (February, 1915).
Signalling colours with  F.R. Lankshear. (November, 1923).
Evolution: the Centenary Year of railways (Presidential Address, 1925)
Electric locking releases—their use and possible abuse (April, 1929).
Railway colour light signalling in relation to manual block and multiple aspect signals (April, 1932).

Contributions
Hookham, F.J. Automatic train control. J. Instn Loco. Engrs., 1925, 15, Disc.: 271-5. (Paper No. 181)
Queried the effect of speed on the ability to stop (of GWR system) and admired the cheapness of the Reliostop system.

Patents
567,056. Improvements in retarding means adapted for controlling the operation of points, switches and movable parts of crossings in railway tracks, with Percy Lomas. Accepted 25 January 1945.
564,429 New or improved electricity generating plant, particularly adapted for use in train control systems. with Andrew Rankin. Accepted 27 September 1944.
563,966 Improvements relating to automatic train control systems, with Percy Lomas. Accepted 7 September 1944.
353,023 Improvements relating to railway signals, with Douglas Maes Turnbull. Accepted 17 July 1931.
236,003 Improved supporting structure for power transmission mechanism for operating railway points, signals, and the like, with Walter Sydney Roberts. Accepted 2 July 1925.
184,130 Improvements in or relating to train control systems and apparatus for use therewith, with Automatic Telephone Mfg Co Ltd and Alfred Ernest Hudd. Accepted 28 July 1922.
182,259 Improvements in or relating to train control systems and time element devices for use therewith, with  Automatic Telephone Mfg Co Ltd and Alfred Ernest Hudd. Accepted 6 July 1922.
175,733 Improvements in or relating to train control systems, with  Automatic Telephone Mfg Co Ltd and Alfred Ernest Hudd. Accepted 20 February 1922.
175,945 Improvements in or relating to train control systems and apparatus for use therewith , with  Automatic Telephone Mfg Co Ltd and Alfred Ernest Hudd. Accepted 20 February 1922.
110,017 Improvements in and connected with train controlling apparatus, with William Rowland. Accepted 4 October 1917.
11272/1915 Improvements in and connected with railway signalling systems and train controlling apparatus, with William Rowland. Accepted 8 April 1916
5769/1915 Improvements in apparatus for controlling and stopping trains independently of drivers, with William Rowland. Accepted 27 May 1915.
2495/1915 Improvements in and relating to railway signalling apparatus, with William Rowland. Accepted 20 January 1916.
6807/1914 Improvements in apparatus for controlling and stopping trains independently of drivers, with William Rowland. Accepted 18 March 1915.

Bowden, Ernest Albert Bennett
Vanns notes that together with E.F. Newton , R.J. Insell and C.M. Jacobs  these GWR employees were the patentees of the audible warning system. Neither Newton nor Bowden were named on the extension of the system to involvve automatic application of the brakes..
Patents
12661/1905. Improvements in or relating to signalling on railways. Applied 19 June 1905. Published 7 June 1906.

Challis, Ernest Walter
Nock stated that son of W. Challis and was employed by Westinghouse Brake & Signal Co. on the LNER relay interlocking systems at Hull Paragon and at Northallerton and on the preliminary work for the major installation at York described in his paper.
Paper
A Comparison between relay and electric lever interlocking (December, 1938)
Patents.
1,046,762 Improvements relating to railway traffic control apparatus. with Derek Arthur Hotchkiss and Westinghouse Brake & Signal. 1966.
989,723 Railway signalling systems. with Westinghouse Brake & Signal. 1965.
996,384 Railway route setting apparatus with Hedley Leighton Worthington and Westinghouse Brake & Signal. 1965.
957,800 Improvements relating to railway traffic controlling apparatus with Westinghouse Brake & Signal. 1964
950,185 Improvements relating to railway traffic controlling apparatus with John Sydney Hawkes and Westinghouse Brake & Signal. Published 1964.
521,405 Improvements relating to traffic controlling systems for railways and the like with Westinghouse Brake & Signal and Charles Francis Dickson Vennin. Published 1940.
517,988 Improvements relating to route setting or locking systems for railways and the like with Westinghouse Brake & Signal; Charles Francis Dickson Vennin. Published 1940.

Challis, W.
Nock noted in response to son's paper the ability of a small power frame (that at Borough Market Junction) to be able to handle a huge amount of traffic. He was Assistant Signal & Telegraph Superintendent on the Southern Railway, and judging from first paper may have formerly worked for Metropolitan Railway. His own papers are listed below:
Signalling Apparatus for use in foggy weather and snow on the Metropolitan Railway (May, 1923).
Description of trains between boxes where there are two or more block sections (November, 1928).
Electric lever interlocking and intermittent fed track circuits (May, 1931).

Clark, Edwin
Chief Engineer of the Electric Telegraph Co. (Vanns). Clark's Two Mile Telegraph used on LNWR between London and Rugby from 1855.

Cooke, [Sir] William Fothergill
Born in Ealing in 1806; died Farnham, Surrey on 25 June 1879. Developer, with Wheatstone of electric telegraph. Marshall: See also Deakin.

Cottrell, Stephen Butler
Born in London in 1865. Died Rhos-on-Sea on 5 March 1933. Chief Engineer Liverpool Overhead Railway where he introduced advanced signalling system: see Min. Proc. Instn Civ. Engrs, 1901, 144, 16-40. Had begun his career by being apprenticed to R.E. Wilson and later to Sir Douglas Fox. He assisted in the construction of the Whitby to Scarborough line. From 1888 he was involved in the LOR, becoming Chief Engineer in 1892, but resigned in 1909 becoming a consultant on electric traction.

Crook, G.H.
Great Western Railway signalling engineer who advocated speed signalling and was involved in the development of Automatic Train Control. Nock covered both apscts at considerable length as well as listing Crook's Institution of Railway Signal Engineers papers:
Characteristics and efficiency factors of some typical electric signalling circuits (April, 1914).
Automatic and power signalling economics (December, 1927).
Notes on some recent signalling developments on the Great Western Railway (November, 1928).
Ethics and economics of speed signalling (April, 1931).
Automatic Train Control (April, 1933).
The signal engineer and the permanent way (Presidential Address 1938).
The signalling of siding connections-development of remote control electric locking methods (February, 1948).

Currey, John H.
Paper: (Institution of Railway Signalling Engineers via Nock)
The B.T.C. Automatic Train Control System (February, 1958)
Nock notes how the visual indicator slipped in, although initially excluded. A prototype control unit fitted to an Eastern Region A1 class Pacific included a visual indicator, and the press became aware of this when they inspected this locomotive at King's Cross, following shortly after the Harrow & Wealdstone disaster.

Davidson, C.
Patent with C.D. Williams (3286/1873) for automatic train control which sounded a gong, shut off steam and applied brake: Vanns.

Deakin, William Henry
Born in London on 10 September 1848. Signalling engineer and inventor of many safety appliances. Joined Stevens & Sons in 1865 and moved to McKrenzie & Holland in 1874. Obituary Trans Newcomen Soc., 1936, 17, 239-43.
Paper
Development of railway signalling. Trans. Nerwcomen Soc.,1929, 9, 1-11.

Dyer, Herbert Hedley
Joined Midland Railway in 1907. In 1929 appointed Assistant (Signals) Derby; in 1931 became Development Assistant, and in 1938 Assistant Signal and Telegraph Engineer (Watford). In 1948 under British Railways became Executive Officer (S&T) and later Chief Executive Officer. Retired 31 December 1951. Warburton, L.G. and Instone, Reg. LMS signals No. 14 – The organization of the signal and telegraph departments on the LMS Railway. LMS Journal, 2006 (15), 13-27 (with portrait).:

Easterbrook, Walter John
Born 23 January 1842 at Ippleton in Devon. His father was a yeoman farmer. He joined the GWR in the late 1850s and in the period 1863/4 had become a fitter with Saxby & Farmer. On 18 June 1865 he maried Mary Ann Stockbridge at Willesden Parish Church. Was successful in patenting improvements in interlocking although this led to his dismissal and a series of further patents both from him and from his former employer Saxby. In this effort Easterbrook received financial backing from Georhe Henry Hannaford. In the end there was a Court case which took th form of the Great Western Railway versus Easterbrook held between 14 May and 15 July 1865. Saxby used Sir Frederick Bramwell and John Imray to appear on their behalf and Easterbrook lost and had to leave the field of signalling. He subsequently lived in Bristol and died on 19 January 1914. Br Rly J., 1992, 5, 25.

Patents
927 13 September 1867
2143 24 September 1867
509 1868
3272 in G.H. Hannaford's name November 1869
1606 1872

Edwards, George
Began by working for Saxby and Farmer then became Signalling Superintendent of LNWR. In 1876 helped to establish a signal manufacturing department in the Gloucester Wagon Co. where he took out a Patent (947/1877) for a signal box and lever frame. In 1881 he established the Railway Signal Co. See Sutcliffe. Modellers Backtrack, 1995, 4, 324.

Eggington, F.B.
Papers (Institution of Railway Signalling Engineers via Nock)
Nomenclature of interlocking signals (March, 1935).
High speed trains and their effect on signalling (March, 1938).
Subsidiary signals: their development and some problems arising from their use (December, 1945).

Ellison, C.H.
Papers (Institution of Railway Signalling Engineers via Nock).
Automatic signalling (March, 1917).
The onset of electric traction on the North Eastern Railway (Presidential Address, 1921)

Every, W.S.
Signal Engineer of the London Passenger Transport Board.
Papers (Institution of Railway Signalling Engineers via Nock).
Signalling on the London Underground Railways (November, 1924).
Aiming at 100% efficiency (Presidential Address, 1928)

Farmer, John Stinson
Born in 1827 and died in Billingshurst on 12 December 1892. Partner with Saxby in railway signalling business. (Marshall)

Golding, A.J.
Author of Relay interlocking paper presented to the Institution of Railway Signalling Engineers (via Nock): exemplified by the installation at Thirsk..

Greenwood, William Vitruvius
Vanns notes that secured patents with John Saxby for signal lamps whereby a single lamp : 683/1854 and 1830/1854

Gregory, C.H.
Inventor of semaphore signal, developed by Stevens & Sons: see Vanns

Griffiths, R.S.
Employed by McKenzie & Holland Ltd.
Papers (Institution of Railway Signalling Engineers via Nock)
Some impressions of Continental signalling practice (October, 1917).
The double wire system of mechanical signalling (March, 1925).
The problem of signal aspects; what must we tell the man on the footplate?  with T.S. Lascelles. (April, 1930).
History of the mechanical locking frame (Presidential Address 1934)
A chronological record of the protection of facing points (December, 1936).
The art of signalling and some reflections (October, 1943).
The signalling of single line stations (April, 1945).
Upper quadrant signals (April, 1946).

Hall, G.L.
Lieut. Col. Hall, RE was formerly an Inspecting Officer at the Ministry of Transport (Nock) and was appointed Signal & Telegraph Engineer on the Southern Railway in succession to Thorrowgood.

Hampton, Alfred Smith
Apprenticed Woodside Electrical Engineering Co. before joining Caledonian Railway as draughtsman. Became chief assistant to telegraph engineer in 1910 and appointed telegraph and electrical engineer to Caledonian Railway in 1920. From 1923 Divisional Electrical Engineer (Scotland) and from 1929 Divisional Signal and Telegraph Engineer (Scotland). Retired May 1936. Warburton, L.G. and Instone, Reg. LMS signals No. 14 – The organization of the signal and telegraph departments on the LMS Railway. LMS Journal, 2006 (15), 13-27.:

Holt, George
Joined Signal Department of LYR at Hunt's Bank in 1902. In 1911 he moved to the GNR(I) Signal Engineers Department in Ireland. In 1918 he was manager of E.C. & J. Kayes Signal Works in Darlaston. In 1919 he joined the Midland Railway Signal Department Drawing Office and was appointed Chief Draughtsman at Derby in 1930.. By 1943 he was Indoor Assistant S&T Department at Warford HQ. See Warburton, LMS J., 2007 (20), 24. .

Horler, F.
Paper (Institution of Railway Signalling Engineers via Nock)
Railway level crossings (March, 1927).
Street traffic signals with F.L. Castle. (December, 1930).
The human element (November, 1937).
Our inheritance and our task. (Presidential Address, 1950)
Layout of signal cabins (December, 1953).

Hudd, Alfred Ernest
Born on 8 July 1882 in Liverpool, premium apprentice under Aspinall at Horwich under Aspinall where he beacme interested in automatic train control. Paid several visits to USA to study American systems and introduced experimental systems on Southern Railway before joining LMS in 1933. Died in Hove on 31 January 1958. L.G. Warburton LMS Journal (12) 31. Not in Marshall. An Espacenet search has revealed a huge number of patents..
Paper (Institution of Railway Signalling Engineers via Nock)
Transient track circuits (December, 1923).
Other papers
A new system of automatic train control. J. Instn Loco. Engrs., 1931, 21, 825-42. Disc.: 842-54. (Paper No. 283)

Insell, Robert James
Vanns notes that together with E.F. Newton , C.M. Jacobs and E.A. Bowden these GWR employees were the patentees of the audible warning system. 
Patents
12661/1905. Improvements in or relating to signalling on railways. Applied 19 June 1905. Published 7 June 1906.
25955/1905. Improvements relating to signalling on railways. Applied 13 December 1905. Published 13 December 1906.
Paper (Institution of Railway Signalling Engineers via Nock)
Signalling and its connections with the construction and management of railways (February, 1913).

Jacobs, Charles Mark
Vanns notes that together with E.F. Newton , R.J. Insell and E.A. Bowden these GWR employees were the patentees of the audible warning system.
Patents
12661/1905. Improvements in or relating to signalling on railways. Applied 19 June 1905. Published 7 June 1906.
25955/1905. Improvements relating to signalling on railways. Applied 13 December 1905. Published 13 December 1906.

Jones, William Richard
Warburton, L.G. and Instone, Reg. LMS signals No. 14 – The organization of the signal and telegraph departments on the LMS Railway. LMS Journal, 2006 (15), 13-27.:

Kempe
Patented system with Rowell for a driver warning system intended to be used in fog and similar to that adopted eventually by GWR. Trial installation near Wimbledon c1900. See Hall Danger signals

Lascelles, Thomas Spooner
President Institution of Railway Signal Engineers in 1952 and author of many papers (Vanns). Nock notes his roles as Librarian, Historian and Editor. Plate 11 in Nock shows from a plaque illustrated (together with a portrait) that he died on 17 February 1960 and had been born in 1914. His full name came from Ellis's  London Brighton and South Coast Railway.
Papers (Institution of Railway Signalling Engineers via Nock)
Weissenbruch's signal system on the Belgian State Railways (June 1922)
Lock and Block (May, 1925).
Railway signalling in Germany (January, 1927).
A short account of the Siemens and Halske lock and block system (April, 1928).
A contribution to the question of route lever working (March, 1931).
The reform of the signal: aspects on the French Railways (April, 1932).
C.E. Spagno1etti (March, 1941).
Early tube railway signalling (March, 1941).
Signalling on the Swedish State Railways (March, 1941).
Notes on G.N.&C.R. signalling (June, 1942).
New signalling on the Severn Tunnel (June, 1942).
The origin of the centrally balanced semaphore (October, 1943).

Michod, Percy Douglas
Joined LNWR telegraph department in 1893, becoming works manager in 1897. In 1905 he beacme chief telegraph assistant. During WW1 he served in the Chshire Railway Battallion where he rose to rank of Lt. Col. and was awarded OBE in 1919. In 1925 he became District Electrical Engineer, Euston and became Assistant Signal & Telegraph Engineer under Bound in 1929. He retired in 1933 and died on 8 March 1945. Warburton, L.G. and Instone, Reg. LMS signals No. 14 – The organization of the signal and telegraph departments on the LMS Railway. LMS Journal, 2006 (15), 13-27.:.

Moore, Henry William
Ex L&YR man, assistant to Richard Golding Berry: In 1929 appointed Outdoor Assistant Siganls Derby (HQ). When Hampton retired in 1936 appointed Assistant Mechanical Engineer and Electrical Engineer and Signal Engineer, Glasgow. Was briefly in charge of locomotives until situation clarified. Retired 1944. Warburton, L.G. and Instone, Reg. LMS signals No. 14 – The organization of the signal and telegraph departments on the LMS Railway. LMS Journal, 2006 (15), 13-27.:
Paper: Institution of Railway Signalling Engineers via Nock
Specification, installation and maintenance of power signalling systems (November, 1929)

Morgan, Herbert Edward
Joined signal department of Taff Vale Railway in 1896. having worked for Westinghouse Power Signalling and W.R. Sykes joined Midland Railway in 1911. In 1922 was made chief assistant to Midland Railway's Signal Superintendent: W.C. Acfield. He retained this position on LMS, but became Divisional Signal and Telegraph Engineer, Crewe from 1929. Contributor to Macaulay's Modern railway working (Volume 6). Retired 1948. Died 1970. Warburton, L.G. and Instone, Reg. LMS signals No. 14 – The organization of the signal and telegraph departments on the LMS Railway. LMS Journal, 2006 (15), 13-27.:

Newton, Edward Frank
Vanns notes that together with C.M. Jacobs, R.J. Insell and E.A. Bowden these GWR employees were the patentees of the audible warning system. Neither Newton nor Bowden were named on the extension of the system to involvve automatic application of the brakes.
Patents
12661/1905. Improvements in or relating to signalling on railways. Applied 19 June 1905. Published 7 June 1906.

Oldham, Alfred
Joined LNWR at Crewe Works in 1890. Was Assistant Signal Superintendent to John Troughton Roberts from 1913. After a brief period at Derby he became Divisional Signal and Telegraph Engineer, Crewe from 1929. Retitred 1935. Warburton, L.G. and Instone, Reg. LMS signals No. 14 – The organization of the signal and telegraph departments on the LMS Railway. LMS Journal, 2006 (15), 13-27 (with portrait).:

Peter, Bernard Hartley
Born in Launceston on 8 June 1885. Died 28 December 1970. Educated at Blundells School and City & Guilds. Highly innovative signal engineer (with at leasdt eleven British patents): he was appointed Signal Engineer to the District Railway when aged 19 and introduced the illuminated signalling panel at Mill Hill Park (Acton Town) in 1906. Invented automatic train describer system. Subsequently employed by McKenzie & Holland, and between 1911 and 1947 at Westinghouse.. See Rutherford: Backtrack 12 222. Founder of the Signal Engineering Society. Who Was Who.

Poulett, 8th Earl . George Amias Fitzwarrine
Born 23 June 1909; died 1 March 1973. Educated at Eton. Served pupil apprenticeship as mechanical engineer at GWR Locomotive Works, Swindon, and Signal Factory, Reading. Technical Assistant: to Chief Mechanical Engineerr, Woolwich Arsenal, 1940–41; to Director of Ordnance Factories (Small Arms), 1941–43. Member Institute Railway Signal Engineers. Who Was Who

Preece, William H.
Superitendent of Telegraphs on the LSWR from 1860: had formerly been assistant to Edwin Clark. Inventor of block instruments. Patents listed by Vanns:
77/1862
2016/1865.

Roberts, John Troughton
Webb pupil at Crewe from 1885, and became foreman at one of Crewe's locomotive sheds in 1890. Transferred to work under Arthur M. Thompson in 1891 and in 1912 became Signal Superintendent under E.F.C. Trench, Chief Engineer. Retired 30 June 1927. Warburton, L.G. and Instone, Reg. LMS signals No. 14 – The organization of the signal and telegraph departments on the LMS Railway. LMS Journal, 2006 (15), 13-27. (with portrait):

Rowell
Patented system with Kempe for a driver warning system intended to be used in fog and similar to that adopted eventually by GWR. Trial installation near Wimbledon c1900. See Hall Danger signals

Sadler, W. John
Privileged apprentice in Midland Railway's Signal Drawing Office 1914. Following military service during WW1 he returned to Derby and in 1929 became Statistical, Technical and Signal Sighting Assistant to Bound. Thereafter he was employed at Derby, Euston and Crewe. He was responsible for the design of facing point locks and train stops for the Bow Road to Barking power signalling of 1928. See Warburton, LMS J., 2007 (20), 24. 

Saxby, John
Marshall notes John Saxby was born in Brighton on 17 August 1821 and was the inventor of signal interlocking. At 13 began as a carpenter's apprentice. Later employed on LBSCR as a carpenter. Saxby became interested in problems of railway safety following several accidents, particularly one at Bricklayers' Arms, resulting from irregular working. He patented his system of interlocking of points and signals in 1856 and it was first applied in that year at Bricklayers' Arms. The first interlocking frame of the type which became universal was installed on the LBSCR near Haywards Heath. Saxby was employed by the LBSCR for 22 yrs. He introduced important improvements in the original 1856 patent in 1860 and 1867. The success of the system was such that in 1861 he started his own business at Haywards Heath to manufacure signalling apparatus. In 1862 he formed with J.S. Farmer the firm of Saxby & Farmer, beside the LNWR at Kilburn. They were sole signalling contractors to the LNWR and LBSCR. Easterbrook had been employed by Saxby & Farmer and attempted to exploit his own improved form of interlocking. In 1871 they introduced the 'rocker & grid' interlocking frame. In 1878 works were established at Creil near Paris, managed by Saxby's son James. His partnership with Farmer ended in 1888, Farmer remaining at Kilburn until his death. In 1889 the French works became part of John Saxby Ltd and in 1893, with the Kilburn works, Saxby & Farmer Ltd. In 1902 Evans O'Donnell & Co of Chippenham was leased to Saxby & Farmer and in 1903 manufacture was transferred there. He died in Hassocks, Sussex on 22 April 1913. He had become a Member of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers in 1880.

Patents
1479 24 June 1856 linked signals with points
2258 11 October signal design
1754 19 July 1860 interlocking
and in partnership with John Farmer
2119 1867 locoking
1601 1871 interlocking
294 1874 rocker design for interlocking

Mike Christensen: John Saxby. Archive 1998 (18) 2.

Spagnoletti, Charles
Chief Telegraph & Signal Engineer, Great Western Railway. His full name was Charles Ernest del Diana-Spagnoletti according to Adrian Vaughan's A pictorial record of Great Western signalling. Letters from Martin Humphrey and J.H. Brown in Gt Western Rly J., 5, (37) 298 and (38), 359 was a fine tenor and made an Edison type recording of God save the Queen in 1875 as a time capsule. His family had originated as Sardinina landed gentry who were dispossed by Napoleon.

Stevens, James
Developed semaphore signals (Greenwood had installed the first railway semaphore signal at New Cross): mechanism patented 11,612/1847: seemingly (Vanns) same patent claimed a pneumatic mechanism using a rubber tube

Stevens, John
The first firm to take up signal engineering was Stevens & Sons of the Darlington Works, Southwark, founded in the 1830s by John Stevens: see Deakin

Patents
746/1870: tappet locking

Sykes, Frederick Henry
Patent below was presumably SYX system described by F.J. Hookham in J. Instn Loco Engrs Paper No, 181.
Patents
1890/1896 Improvements in railway fog signalling apparatus.
Applied 27 January 1896. Published 10 October 1896.

Sykes, William Robert
Marshall notes that Sykes was born in London in April 1840 and died in Whitstable on 2 October 1917. He was the inventor of the lock & block signalling system. Floyd (Rly Mag, 1, 141) notes that he had "a dry fund of humour". In 1854 he was working for the Electric & International Telegraph Co. In 1861 he moved to Shepherds, an electric clock & chronograph maker. In 1863 he joined the LCDR under the telegraph superintendent, Mr Ruddall. By 1897 he had 25 patents which included (1865) the han lamp showing red green or white lights known as "Clarke's Lamp" was invented by Sykes; in 1872 treadles for automatic signalling (but article states was invented by Richardson for the ECR in 1848; in 1875 a device for linking signal cabins; in 1880 the lock & block system; a signal selector (several signals operated by one lever) and electric fouling bar. Portrait with Willfred Acfield c1910 in Warburton, L.G. and Instone, Reg. LMS signals No. 14 – The organization of the signal and telegraph departments on the LMS Railway. LMS Journal, 2006 (15), 13-27.:.

Carpenter, George W. biography Oxford Dictionary of National Biography

Tattersall, Arthur Ewart
Former Signal Superintendent of Great Northern Railway (Warburton: LMS signals No. 17 LMS Journal (19), 47) suggests that Tattersall experimented with colour light signals in 1913. Tattersall was subsequently in charge of signalling in North Eastern Area of LNER. Responsible for route-relay, route setting signalbox at Thirsk, eventually known as a One Control System. Linked with power-operated points and colour light signals. Later installations at Northallerton and Hull. Stanley Hall Railway milestones and millstones..

Patents
420,537 A new or improved route indicator for railway signalling. 3 December 1934.
393,939 Improvements in track circuit signalling systems for railways with British Power Railway Signal Co. and ; Samuel Lear Glenn. 8 June 1933.
381,678 Improvements in or relating to railway signalling apparatus with British Power Railway Signal Co. 13 October 1932. 
375,456 Improvements in or relating to single line railway systems with Tyer & Co Ltd and James William Punter. 30 June 1932.
282,484 Improvements relating to railway signalling systems with Frederick Downes. 19 December 1927.
269,815 Improvements in or relating to railway signal systems with Automatic Telephone Mfg Co Ltd. and Alfred Ernest Hudd. 19 April 1927.
269,608 Improvements in or relating to railway signal systems with Automatic Telephone Mfg Co Ltd. and Alfred Ernest Hudd. 19 April 1927.
259,303 Improvements in or relating to railway signalling systems with Frederick Downes. 7 October 1926.
253,196  Improvements in or relating to track circuit signalling systems for railways with British Power Railway Signal Co. 14 June 1926.
198,221 Improvements in or relating to railway signalling systems with Automatic Telephone Mfg Co Ltd. and Alfred Ernest Hudd. 31 May 1923.
176,136 Improvements in or relating to railway signalling apparatus. 1 March 1922.
176,743 Improvements in or relating to railway signalling apparatus. 1 March 1922.
176,742 Improvements in or relating to railway signalling apparatus. 1 March 1922.
176,741 Improvements in or relating to railway signalling apparatus. 1 March 1922
168,104 Improvements in or relating to track circuit signalling systems for railways. 22 August 1921.
161,207 Improvements in or relating to railway signalling systems and apparatus. 14 April 1921.
153,374 Improvements in or relating to railway signalling apparatus. 1 November 1920.

Thompson, Arthur Moore
Highly innovative signal engineer on LNWR. Patented (sometimes with Webb) signalling apparatus for single line working and for electric locking

Papers
The signalling of the London and North-Western Railway. Proc. Instn Civ. Engrs, 1885, 82, 166-88.  Discussion: 189-219.

Thorrowgood, W.J.
Signal engineer on LSWR, then on Southern Railway where he pursued a policy of introducing colour light signalling.

Papers (Institution of Railway Signalling Engineers via Nock)
The maximum regulating resistance and maximum shunt resistance of track circuits. (April, 1918).
Renovation of Leclanche porous pots and the re-use of the interiors of spent dry cells. (April, 1919).
Magnetic storms (April, 1921).
Some problems of automatic train control (July, 1921).
Automatic telephone switchboards, Waterloo, Eastleigh and Southampton (October, 1923).
Four aspect colour light signals. (March, 1926).
Four aspect colour light signals and power signalling in practice.  (May, 1927).

Timmis, Ilius Augustus
Inventor of electrically-lit automatic semaphores used on Liverpool Overhead Railway. (Patent: 7827: 1891)

Tweedie, M.G.
Early member of the Institution of Railway Signal Engineers (elected whilst serving in Army Signal Service of Royal Engineers in 1918. Hon. Secy. of that Institution between 1921 and 1942. Had to retire from his position in the Signal Department of the GWR at Reading when aged 55 due to ill-health. Portrait on Plate 7 of .Nock
Papers (Institution of Railway Signalling Engineers via Nock)
British railway telegraphs, France 1914-1919 (January, 1920).
Electrical power for railway signalling & communications (December, 1926).

Tyer, Edward
Born London 6 February 1830; died Tunbridge Wells 25 December 1912. Educated City of London School. Innovator of railway signalling equipment, notably the electric tablet system introduced following the Thorpe accident (near Norwich). Founder of Tyer & Co. Marshall: See also Deakin

Walker, Charles Vincent
According to Vanns was Telegraph Superintendent of SER. Major developer of block working and inventor of Semaphore Electric Telegraph, patented with A.O. Walker: 485/1865. Innovator of bell code system: see Deakin

Wheatstone, [Sir] Charles
Born in Gloucester in February 1802; died Paris 19 October 1875. Developer, with Cooke of electric telegraph. Marshall: See also Deakin..

Williams, C.D.
Patent with C. Davidson (3286/1873) for automatic train control which sounded a gong, shut off steam and applied brake: Vanns.

Wilson, Henry Raynar
Born Sheffield on 12 May 1862. Died London 19 April 1936. Joined Midland Railway, but at age 27 became Signal Superintendent of the LYR. In 1901 he resigned from LYR and joined Hall Signalling, but his business interests eventually failed. Many publications listed by John Marshall, and there are presumably patents.

Wood, William
Joined North Staffordshire Railway as premium pupil. In 1911 appointed Assistant Telegraph Superintendent of North British Railway and succeeded A.F. Clement as Telegraph Superintendent in 1912. Subsequently his remit extended to all electrical work connected with siganlling. This work continued within the LNER's Scottish Area, but in 1933 he succeeded Michod under Bound, and upon the retirement of Bound became the Chief Signal & Telegraph Engineer (from 1 August 1944). Warburton, L.G. and Instone, Reg. LMS signals No. 14 – The organization of the signal and telegraph departments on the LMS Railway. LMS Journal, 2006 (15), 13-27.(with portrait):

Updated 2008-04-30