Improvements in Railway Signalling Apparatus.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Nov., 1887
Complete Left, 12th June, 1888
Complete Accepted, 20th July, 1888
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Railway Signalling Apparatus.
We, JOSEPH HILL, of 85 Merrow Street, Walworth in the County of Surrey,
Engineer, WILLIAM SMITH of 150 Mayall Road, Herne Hill, aforesaid Engineer and
JOHN PATRICK O'DONNELL of Cambridge Road, New Malden aforesaid, Signal
Engineer and Patent Agent do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
:-
Our invention has reference to improvements in "The Simplex Ground Locking
Gear and consists of apparatus for locking points, suppressing Signal or other
levers, and further acts as a "Mechanical_Spy" upon the movements of all con-
nections, working points, Facing point Locks and Signals, ensuring under all
conditions that points must be properly home and bolted or held in that position
before any Signal, Stop, Distant, Starting, Siding &ct. can be lowered to the safety
attitude.
In order that our apparatus may be suitable to all systems of locking points, and
working Signals we have arranged it, for points where it is desirable that they should
be held normally locked, as well as for points normally free or unlocked.
Our apparatus can be varied to suit the reduction of levers desired, the minimum
number being 3 to signal the Facing points in any ordinary Junction where the
points are normally free and 4 where the points are normally locked.
In the former case, one lever is set a-part for working the points, the second bolts,
or holds the points in the desired position at the same time actuating the desired
Stop Signal, and the third the desired Distant Signal.
In this instance the usual Stop Signal levers are suppressed, together with one
Distant Signal lever. Where the points are normally locked we retain the ordinary

page_text: Facing point Lock lever, and arrange our apparatus to suppress one lever of each set
of Stop, Distant, Starting, Siding &et. Signals.
It is optional of course and is in some cases desirable to retain a separate lever for
locking the Facing points, although the points may be normally free. This is
especially the case, where there are more than one set of Facing points in connection
with Stop Signals, which latter would be fixed to cover the fouling of the rear set.
Our apparatus may sometimes be arranged to work with 5 or with 6 levers the
latter being the full complement usually provided in connection with the Facing
points of a Double Line Junction.
As in reducing the number of working levers, we also reduce the necessity and
occasion for interlocking in the Signal Cabin, we have provided in our apparatus a
complete system of ground interlocking at the switch points themselves, which is
undoubtedly the correct and proper place for such safety locking, releaving as it does
the Locking Apparatus in the Cabin and the Signalman of much of the responsibility
respecting the correct selection and order of working of the moving parts.
In describing the nature and action of our apparatus, it will be sufficient to refer
to the locking of the points and the working of the Stop Signals.
The working, locking and detecting actions in connection with the Distant Starting,
or any other Signals, will be more or less of a repetition of the hereinafter described
method in reference to the Stop Signals.
Where the points are normally free we fix our apparatus by preference in the four-
feet way, containing 3 blades, the outer ones A and C connected respectively to the
Main or Branch Stop Signals are in fixed and stationary bearings, the inner one B
provided with engaging arms is worked by a lever in the Signal Cabin, and is
carried by the movement of the switch points in and out of gear with the Blades A
and C.
If the normal position of the points is for the Main, then upon the Signalman
working his lever actuating B, he draws the Blade A forward, locks the points, and
deflects the Main Stop Signal, and by that action also he would release the Main
Distant Signal, in the Distant Signal apparatus. Should the Distant Signal now be
worked it backlocks the Main Stop Signal-The Signalman in working over his
points right for the Branch, places Blade B in gear with C-Upon his now
actuating B, he locks the points and deflects the Branch Stop Signal, and by that
action also he would release the Branch Distant Signal. Should the Distant Signal
now be worked it backlocks the Branch Stop Signal.
Where the points are normally locked we fix our apparatus containing 4 blades;
the outer ones A and C working as before described, the Main and Branch Stop
Signals respectively, and are in fixed and stationary bearings, the inner one B, is
worked by the lever in the Signal Cabin set apart for working the Stop Signals and
is provided with engaging arms, and worked sideways by the movement of the
Switch points. A second middle Blade D fixed by preference underneath the
Blade B is worked by a separate lever in the Signal Cabin, and is provided for
the purposes of locking the points independent of the action of the Blades A
and C.
Suppose again the points are normally right for the Main, then the blade D) in its
normal position would be holding the points in the Main direction-In this disposition
of parts, the Main Signal is free to be deflected, by the action of B upon A previously
described.
When A has however been drawn forward, the Main Stop Signal is in the
safety.attitude; the Blade D is backlocked, so that the points cannot be unlocked.
Similarly in this case the Main Distant Signal cannot be deflected unless its
Blade in the Distant Signal Apparatus has been released by or thro' the action of
the Blade D.
The Signalman now wishing to deflect the Branch Stop Signal must first unlock
the points, in order to reverse them. In working over his Facing point lock lever
for that purpose, he works D in a similar manner, the forward movement unlocking
the points, & locking both of the Signal Blades A and C in the danger position.

page_text: The points being reversed, he reinserts D, by placing the lever in the Signal Cabin
working D to its normal position. That action releases the Blade C, and by the
working of B, the Blade D is backlocked and the Branch Stop Signal deflected. The
Branch Distant is now released in the Distant Signal Apparatus, and upon its
deflection the Branch Stop Signal is backlocked.
Our apparatus applies in connection with points and Signals in the Trailing
direction.
Although prefering to fix our apparatus in the fourfeet way, and having described
its action in connection with a solid Stretcher Bar, it is nevertheless obvious that at
times it may be found convenient or desirable to fix it outside the points, and again
to suit certain Lines a divided Stretcher Bar may be provided.

page_text: Improvements in Railway Signalling Apparatus.
We, JOSEPH HILL of 85 Merrow Street, Walworth, Engineer, WILLIAM SMITH of
150 Mayall Road, Herne Hill Engineer and JOHN PATRICK O'DONNELL of Cambridge
Road, New Malden, Engineer and Patent Agent, all of the County of Surrey do
hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
"
Our invention has reference to the ground locking gear known as the "Simplex
which is a developed form of Hill and O'Donnell's Patent No. 6661 of A.D. 1886.
The present invention comprises (1) a special addition for the normal locking of facing
points (2) special methods of applying and working "Simplex" machines as switch
point ground gear; and (3) simplications of the aforesaid simplex machines in certain
cases of employment.
The normal locking bolt in the present invention is the leading feature of novelty
whose various advantages it becomes our province to establish and disclose.
Nevertheless we will first illustrate and more explicitely explain the various arrange-
ments of ground locking gear, whereby three, four, five or six cabin frame levers can
it is alleged or implied, work a pair of switch points with its two stop signals, its two
distant signals and a point lock with a safety or treadle bar, whilst simultaneously
replacing by ground locking more or less of the usual lever frame interlocking.
The plan with the minimum number that is to say with three levers only can be
understood from the diagram called figure 1 wherein are shewn the connections
(chains, rod and wire) for four frame levers. To reduce the four here shewn to three
it is No. 1. that should be abolished whilst in lieu thereof (the normal locking bolt Q
being also abolished) the selector bar B would be connected to the crank tt2 which
is arranged to work the facing point treadle bar T in the locking direction and
through which T could work either Q or B in its reversal to the unlocking position.
In figure 1 with the full connections as shewn the three approximately parallel slide
bars A, B, C form with their box or case a set of Simplex ground locking gear cross-
ing the switch point stretcher bars S S', H H', K K' whilst D, E, F. will be found to
be another similar set but crossing only prolongations of the stretcher bars H H¹
and K K outside the carriage track. In the simplex machine comprising A. B. C, it
is B that is the selector bar carried with the throw of the switch points (by the two
stretcher bars H H and K K in which it has bearings) into gear at one time with A
and at another time with C. In the other simplex machine E is the selector_bar
similarly engaging with D or with F. When B is drawn by the frame lever No. 3
(and its connections) either A or C is drawn according to the position of the switch
points if S has closed against its rail then B will select, draw, and return (or return
with) by which the points will be detected, one or other of the stretcher bars S S
or H H plunged, and the stop signal N worked. Next the frame lever No. 4 could
;

page_text: through E, similarly select D and work the Distant signal P. After all signals had
been returned to the danger attitude the points could be changed by the frame
lever No. 2, so that S closed against its rail; then B would select C and work M,
whilst E would select F and work O.
Arrangements with five levers can be managed in a variety of ways; such as for
instance by working the Simplex set comprising A and C or the other set comprising D
and F in figure 1 without the intervention of their selector bars, that is to say
working A by permanent connections direct from one frame lever and C similarly
from another or instead working D and F similarly direct from separate cabin frame
levers. Dispensing with both E and B we get an arrangement for working with the
maximum number of six which is the ordinary number of frame levers at present
employed in connection with regularly protected facing points and their signals.
When selector bars are thus dispensed with, the apparatus comprising A and C or
that comprising D and F, no longer remain complete Simplex Machines.
Figure 3 is a diagram shewing another arrangement with six frame levers wherein
no joint selector bar is employed with either the apparatus or set comprising A and C
or that comprising D and F the latter set being placed, it should be particularly
observed, within the carriage track and crosswise to A and C with which of course
they may mutually interlock.
Figure 3 shews the employment of more rod connections and figure 1 of more
chain connections but of course rod, chain, or wire connections (wheel also in lieu of
crank connections) are more or less interchangeable at discretion.
However such a novel method as that of Figure 1 whereby a point lock is inserted
by pulling a signal "off" (and left inserted when the said signal is returned to danger)
whilst the said point lock is withdrawn only through the treadle bar being rocked over
by a separate frame lever (point lock lever) constitutes an arrangement with a special
element of safety and without any necessity for employing rod and crank connections
absolutely throughout from the lever frame to the point lock.
Another arrangement with five levers would be as follows:-in figure 3 dispense
with the third arm of the crank and with the rod and frame lever 1 connected
thereto; also dispense with the locking piece on the upper face of the bar which
plunges the stretcher bar S S'; then in order to make A and C work the treadle
bar T the cross-piece 7, 7 on Q should be pivotted on its centre and be so connected
to both A and C that Q must perforce not only be drawn with, but return with
either A or C.
We will now describe the essentials and peculiarities of the normal locking bolt Q
in all the figures. In figure 1 the simplex machine A, B, C is shewn fitted with a
normal locking bolt. Q but the latter is in its unlocking position. The ground locking
gear in figure 3 (being destitute of a selector bar B) shews more clearly the normal
locking boli Qagain in its unlocking position. Figure 2 shews A, Q, C as in
figure 3 except that Q will here be found in its normal or locking position. The cross
piece at one end of Q in figure 1 but near the other end in figures 2 and 3 bears
a certain slight superficial resemblance to the engaging mechanism of the selector
bar of a complete simplex machine.
However it will be found that one is rather the reverse of the other. When B
and are combined in the same machine B will preferably lie over the carrying
(and other) stretcher bar whilst Q will be held in stationary bearings and lie under
the stretcher bar it plunges.
The engaging piece of B draws and returns the selected signal slide bar whilst
it is the selected signal slide bar that has to draw Q by means of the piece q' into
the locking position, figure 2, (but not return it) if should chance to be out of its
normal or locking position. B or may
be worked from either end but the
normal position of Q and the normal position of B will invariably be in opposite
directions.
In the arrangement, shewn in figure 1 as well as in that shewn in figure 3 the bar Q
being in sympathetic connection with A and C by means of q¹² proves an excellent
attachment for treadle or facing point safety bars. Similarly Q would supply an

page_text: advantageous connection from one point lock to another advance point lock in the
case of a cross over way with a succession of points near each other.
Of course a normal locking bolt is only a desirable adjunct to the primary set,
A and C, of ground locking gear; in fact the addition of anything like to the
secondary sets, D and F, in either figure 1 or figure 3 would appear to be a mere
incumbrance.
The novelty of Q appears more distinctly unique by considering that although by
itself it might be classed as a common place plunging bolt lock, yet as an adjunct to
the ground locking gear A and C it combines in the entire apparatus of which it
forms part the advantages of a normal single bolt lock with a double or duplex
detecting and signalling (A and C) bolt lock.
Figure 4 is an elevation of the three bars A, Q, C free of their surroundings in
the position shewn in figure 2 that is to say with Qin the normal position whilst
figure 5 is an elevation of A, Q, C in the relative position shewn in figure 3.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is
(1) The normal locking bolt Q in sympathetic communication with duplex bars
like A and C.
(2) The normal locking bolt Q for the subsidiary purposes connected with point
locking to which it readily lends itself namely as a link in many of the possible ways
of attachment between point lock and point lock or between point lock and treadle
bar.
(4) The methods (illustrated or described) of adapting "Simplex" ground locking
to work switch points and their sets of signals with any number of frame levers
between the minimum of three and the maximum of six.
Dated this 12th day of June 1888
JOHN P. O'DONNELL, M. Inst. M.E., &c.,
Agent for the said Applicants.