IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY POR OPENING AND CLOSING, LOCKING AND UNLOCKING CART GATES AND TURNSTILES ON RAILWAY LEVEL CROSSINGS
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Daws, of Penge, in the County of Surrey,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY POR OPENING AND
CLOSING, LOCKING AND UNLOCKING CART GATES AND TURNSTILES ON RAILWAY
LEVEL CROSSINGS."
Sealed the 25th March 1869, and dated the 30th September 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Daws at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
30th September 1868.
I, GEORGE DAWs, of Penge, in the County of Surrey, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR
OPENING AND CLOSING, LOCKING AND UNLOCKING CART GATES AND TURNSTILES ON
RAILWAY LEVEL CROSSINGS," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to certain improvements on and in addition to
my Invention for which Letters Patent were granted me the 9 February
1867, No. 369, and my present improvements are intended to materially
simplify the machinery described in the Specification of the Patent

page_text: before referred to, as well as to render the working thereof more efficient
without however dispensing with some of the most important parts
therein described.
One of the posts of the gates to which the power is applied carries a
pulley, as described in the Specification of the Patent before referred to.
A chain or wire rope passes round this pulley, one end of which is led
over another pulley with a weight attached, or instead quadrant levers
may be employed; the other end of the chain goes to one arm of a bell-
crank lever, the other arm of which has a chain or wire rope attached
leading to a crank on the other side of the line of rails. A stud, by
preference T-headed, is fitted to each of these bell cranks, and takes into
a slot or slotted link united to rods extending along the line of rails, for
which purpose gas piping may be advantageously used; one of the rods
or series of rods extends along the line, the up line for example, for, say,
a quarter of a mile, where it is united or joined to a notched plate resting
on a suitable bed, and on which at certain times it is free to slide; a
chain is connected to the other end of this plate, passing over a quadrant
lever. There is a spring bolt always having a tendency to take into the
notches in the plate in connection with a point by the side of the line,
between which and the line the wheels of a train are free to pass. The
rod (or series of rods) on the other side of the post extend in the contrary
direction, say three hundred yards, where it is joined to a lever or levers
in connection with a treadle or treadles, and over which the train is free
to pass. Now, supposing the wheels of a train to pass between the point
and the rail, the point is drawn out from the rail, and at the same time
the bolt is withdrawn from the notched plate, which latter by reason of
the quadrant lever is drawn backwards, carrying with it the line rod,
and through the T-headed stud, the bell-crank lever and chain, which
latter passing round and fastened to the pulley on the gate post causes
the gate to open, and the others simultaneously by means of cranks and
levers extending across the line, similar in construction to those described
in the Specification of the Patent before referred to. The gates being
open the train passes through, and on passing over the treadle which as
I have before stated is about 300 hundred yards from the gates, the
treadle is depressed, the rod pulled back in the contrary direction, and
all the parts thrown into the position first described, and the gates
consequently closed. Instead of the line rod or rods running outside
the line of rails, I sometimes find it advantageous to place them in the

page_text: six-foot way between the lines, and enclosed in a box or not as desired.
Sometimes instead of employing a single chain passing round the pulley
at the post I employ three chains, one chain passing round the post
pulley, and the ends over separate pulleys with weights attached, the
two other chains being used to connect the opposite action by bell cranks
and links. The machinery herein-before described particularly refers to
the working of the cart gates.
I will now describe how the turnstiles are worked, and I would remark
that they may be used with the cart gates or without them as required,
or as circumstances may admit.
In the Specification of the Patent before referred to I described the
ratchet wheel to which the turnstile is fitted as having its teeth down-
wards. Now in this my improved arrangement I reverse its position, a
paul is placed above, free to fall at certain times into the teeth. This
paul rests on a roller, carried at one end of a weighted bell-crank lever,
the long arm of which is attached to a short chain, united at its other
end to a crank carrying the T-headed pin working in the slotted link
united to the rods extending along the line, and which are in connection
with apparatus similar to that before described for the cart gates, or if the
turnstiles are being worked with the cart gates the same apparatus may
be employed for both, although I prefer separate line rods as the line rod
is pulled back by the train; as it goes between the point and the line
the long arm of the lever is pulled back, and the end of the paul drops
into a notch in the ratchet wheel; this done the gate cannot be turned
for passengers to cross the line (although they can always come off) until
the train has passed over the distance treadle, drawn the line rod back,
and lifted the paul out of the ratchet. The turnstile on the one line
works in unison with that on the other, and is locked and unlocked by
chains or wires extending across and under the permanent way in con-
nection with cranks. I do not limit myself to the employment of treadles
or points of the exact description described, but although I prefer them
to be made as I have stated, they may be made to press down or to open
as found most advantageous. In some cases I entirely dispense with
the locking action herein-before described in connection with the locking
treadle by substituting for the same a bell crank, or pulley and chain.
Sometimes instead of employing a roller on the bell-crank lever for the
paul to rest on, I altogether dispense with the bell crank, and instead
thercof I attach the roller to a slide which is in connection with the

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said George Daws in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 30th March 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
DAWs, of Penge, in the County of Surrey, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of September, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the
thirty-second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said George Daws, Her special
licence that I, the said George Daws, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said George Daws, 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 Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
FOR OPENING AND CLOSING, LOCKING AND UNLOCKING CART GATES AND TURNSTILES
ON RAILWAY LEVEL CROSSINGS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said George Daws, 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 George Daws, 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, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, that is to
say:
This Invention relates to certain improvements on and in addition
to my Invention for which Letters Patent were granted me on the

page_text: 9 February 1867, No. 369; and my present improvements are intended to
materially simplify the machinery described in the Specification of the
Patent before referred to, as well as to render the working thereof more
efficient, without however dispensing with some of the most important
parts therein described.
One of the posts of the gates to which the power is applied carries a
pulley, as described in the Specification of the Patent before referred to.
A chain or wire rope passes round the pulley, one end of which is led
over another pulley with a weight attached, or instead quadrant levers
may be employed; the other end of the chain goes to one arm of a bell-
crank lever, the other arm of which has a chain or wire rope attached
leading to a crank on the other side of the line of rails. A stud, by
preference T-headed, is fitted to each of these bell cranks, and takes into
a slot or slotted link united to rods extending along the line of rails,
for which purpose gas piping may be advantageously used; one of the
rods or series of rods extends along the line, the up line for example, for,
say, a quarter of a mile, where it is united or joined to a notched plate`
resting on a suitable bed, and on which at certain times it is free to slide;
a chain is connected to the other end of this plate, passing over a
quadrant lever. There is a spring bolt always having a tendency to
take into the notches in the plate in connection with a point by the side
of the line, between which and the line the wheels of a train are free
to pass.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings is a view in side elevation,
partly in section, illustrating one method by which cart gates may be
opened and closed on railway level crossings according to my Invention.
a is a pulley keyed to a spindle or shaft 6 which carries one of the gates;
this shaft is stepped at c and is free to turn therein; e, e¹, are pulleys,
over which chains pass. Each chain carries a weight at its end, and
each chain passes round the pulley a, and is connected to a bell-crank
lever, which through rods extending across and under the permanent
way communicates motion to the gate on the other side of the line.
fis a rod leading to the action at the distance for opening the gates,
and g is a rod leading in the contrary direction for closing them.
Figure 2 is a view in plan of this action before referred to for opening
the cart gates, but which may also be used for locking the turnstile.
f is the rod, as before named, extending along the line, and ¹ is the
notched plate to which it is jointed; i is a chain connected to the

page_text: notched plate h¹ and passing over a weighted quadrant lever not shown
in the Drawing; k is a spring bolt with a coiled spring / passing round
it, and which causes the bolt to press into the notches of the plate h¹;
m is a point at the side of the line, between which and the rail the wheels
of the train pass. The rod (or series of rods) on the other side of the
post, that is, on the other side of the cart gates, extend in the contrary
direction, say three hundred yards, whero it is joined to a lever or levers
in connection with a treadle or treadles, and over which the train is free
to pass. Now supposing the wheels of a train to pass between the
point m and the rail the point m is drawn out from the rail, and at the
same time the bolt is withdrawn from the notched plate h', which
latter by reason of the quadrant lever is drawn backwards and into the
position shown at Figure 2, carrying with it the line rod f, and through
the T-headed stud the bell-crank lever and chains, which latter passing
round and fastened to the pulley a on the gate post or shaft 6 causes
the gate to open and the others simultaneously by means of cranks and
levers extending across the line similar in construction to those described
in the Specification of the Patent before referred to. The gates being
open the train passes through, and on passing over the treadle, which
as I have before stated is about three hundred yards from the gates, the
treadle is opened, the rod pulled back in the contrary direction, and
all the parts thrown into the position first desired, and the gates
consequently closed. Instead of the line rod or rods running outside
the line of rails I sometimes find it advantageous to place them in the
six-foot way between the lines, and enclosed in a box or not, as described.
Sometimes instead of employing a single chain passing round the pulley
at the post I employ three chains, one chain passing round the post
pulley, and the ends over separate pulleys with weights attached, the
two other chains being used to connect the opposite action by bell
cranks and links.
Figure 3 is a view in plan of the arrangement for opening and closing
cart gates according to my Invention, where the line rods to which the
wheels of the approaching and departing train communicate motion are
placed between the lines in that part known as the six-foot. a is the
pulley keyed to the spindle or shaft b; c is a chain passing round the
pulley a, and at each end connected to a weighted quadrant lever d;
e, e, are two other chains, each of which is connected to the quadrant
levers d; these chains are connected to rods e¹ running under the per-

page_text: manent way and united to a lever m having its fulcrum at n; f is
another and shorter lever, also having its fulcrum at n, the ends of which
are retained in slots g by studs, by preference T-headed, formed in
plates g¹ which are united to rods h, h¹, running in contrary directions
along and between the line of rails, and on which the wheels of
passing trains are caused to act by treadles such as before described, or
by other means capable of giving motion to them.
In the Drawing there are two actions shown, but both are similar,
and each communicates motion to the gate on the opposite side of the
road by rods and levers extending across.
The action is as follows:-I will suppose a train to be approaching
in the direction of the arrow, and that it is just passing over the point
at the distance, which point may be simply a depressing lever at the
side of the line, or it may be constructed according to the arrangement
shown at Figure 2; the lever being set in motion draws back the
rod h, which communicates motion to the levers m and fon their common
fulcrum ; the lever m then draws the rods e¹, e¹, in the direction of
the arrows, which set the quadrant levers d, d, in motion, and through
the chains c, c, communicate motion to the pulley a, gate post b, and
gate, which latter is then swung over to the position 6', 6', during the
motion of the lever m; the studs on the other lever n travel along the
slots g in the plates g¹. The train having passed along, through, and
between the gates and over the distance point the rods and levers are
drawn back to their normal position, the gates swing back, and close
the traffic for trains and open it to vehicles.
The machinery herein-before described particularly refers to the working
of the cart gates; I will now describe how the turnstiles are worked, and
I would remark that they may be used with the cart gates or without
them as required, or as circumstances may admit.
In the Specification of the Patent before referred to I described the
ratchet wheel to which the turnstile is fitted as having its teeth down-
wards. Now in this my improved arrangement I reverse its position;
a pawl is placed above free to fall at certain times into the teeth. This
paul rests on a roller carried at one end of a weighted bell-crank lever,
the long arm of which is attached to a short chain united at its other
end to a crank carrying the T-headed pin working in the slotted link
united to the rods extending along the line, and which are in connection
with apparatus similar to that before described for the cart gates; or if

page_text: the turnstiles are being worked with the cart gates the same apparatus
may be employed for both, although I prefer separate line rods.
Figure 4 is a view in longitudinal section of this arrangement of
mechanism for the locking and unlocking of the turnstiles according to
my Invention. a is the ratchet wheel; b is the paul which is pivoted
at c; d is the roller on which it rests carried on the short arm of the
weighted levere having its fulcrum at f; g is the chain connected to
the long arm of the lever; h is the line rod leading to the locking action,
and i is the rod leading to the unlocking action. As the line rod / is
pulled back by the train as it goes between the point and the line the
long arm of the lever e is pulled back, and the end of the paul 6 drops
into a notch in the ratchet wheel a; this done the gate cannot be
turned for passengers to cross the line (although they can always comc
off) until the train has passed over the distance treadle, drawn the line
rod back, and lifted the paul 6 out of the ratchet a. The turnstile on
the one line works in unison with that on the other, and is locked and
unlocked by chains or wires extending across in connection with cranks."
Sometimes instead of employing a roller on the bell-crank lever for
the paul to rest on I altogether dispense with the bell crank, and instead
thereof I attach the roller to a slide which is in connection with the
chain and bell crank working with the T-headed pin in the slotted link,
the latter being attached to the line rods in manner before described.
Figure 5 is a view in side elevation with the box or frame in section,
and Figure 6 is a plan of this arrangement. Here a is the ratchet wheel
and 6 is the paul; d is the slide connected by a chain with the weighted
quadrant lever e; h is the line rod leading to the locking action at the
distance, or, as shown in the Drawing, to an arrangement of levers:
similar in construction to those before described with reference to
Figure 3, and placed in the six-foot between the line of rails, the action
of which is similar to that before described. When the train passes the
rod h is drawn back and with it the slide d, which allows the paul to
fall into the teeth of the ratchet; on the rod h being released the.
weighted quadrant lever brings the slide back, raises the pawl out of the
teeth of the ratchet, and the stile is free to turn.
I do not limit myself to the employment of treadles or points of the
exact description described, but although I prefer them to be made as I
have stated they may be made to press down on or open as found most
advantageous

page_text: In some cases I entirely dispense with the locking action herein-before
described in connection with the locking treadle by substituting for the
same a bell crank or pulley and chain.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim,-
First. The construction, arrangement, and method of action of
machinery for opening and closing cart gates on railway level crossings
by the action of a passing train or trains, substantially in manner
herein-before described and illustrated at Figures 1 and 3 of the
accompanying Drawings.
Second. The construction, arrangement, and method of action of
machinery for locking and unlocking turnstiles and stiles on railway
level crossings, substantially as herein-before described and illustrated at
Figures 2, 4, 5, and 6 of the accompanying Drawings.
Third. The employment with machinery for opening and closing,
locking and unlocking cart gates, turnstiles, and stiles on railway level
crossings of a rod or rods placed in the space between the two lines of
rails, known as the six-foot, for transmitting motion thereto.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Daws, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of March, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine.
Witness to the signature of
George Daws,
EDW. GRIFFITH BREWER,
89, Chancery Lane,
London, W.C.
GEORGE DAWS. (L.S.)