IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCKING APPARATUS FOR THE POINT AND SIGNAL LEVERS OF BALLWAYS
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Edwards, of Pine Villa, Winchcombe Street,
Cheltenham, in the County of Gloucestershire, Engineer, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCKING APPARATUS FOR THE POINT AND SIGNAL LEVERS
OF BALLWAYS
33
Sealed the 15th May 1877, and dated the 9th March 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Edwards at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 9th March 1877.
GEORGE EDWARDS, of Pine Villa, Winchcombe Street, Cheltenham, in the County
of Gloucestershire, Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCKING APPARATUS FOR THE
POINT AND SIGNAL LEVERS OF RAILWAYS."
My Invention relates to means of communicating motion from a point or signal
lever to the locking gear of a set of levers in such a manner that all necessary
locking is effected by the first small portion of the movement of the lever, and no
unlocking is effected till the lever attains the end of its stroke. For this purpose
I joint to each lever a horizontal bar that moves with the lever to and fro through
suitable guides. In this bar I form a long slot, the greater part of which is straight,
but which at each end has a small portion cut obliquely. In this slot works a stud
projecting from a vertical sliding bar; or I prefer instead of a stud an antifriction
roller mounted on the bar. This bar is connected to and works any of the known
kinds of interlocking gear, such as rocking shafts or sliding bars, with suitable stops
on them. When the lever is moved from its normal position the first oblique part
of the slot in its horizontal bar acting on the stud or roller causes the vertical bar
to slide, and thereby works the necessary locking gear; and when the lever is
moved fully over the oblique part at the other end of the slot in its horizontal bar
acting on the stud or roller of the vertical bar moves it farther in the same direction
as before, maintaining the locking already effected by it, and giving such farther
movement to the locking gear as to effect such unlocking as is required.
Instead of making the horizontal bar with a slot, in which works a stud or
roller on the vertical bar, the horizontal bar may be made with its edge straight, or
nearly so, for the greater part of its length, and with an oblique shoulder and notch
at each end. Bearing against this edge is a three armed bell-crank lever, pivotted
71

page_text: on the framing. When the point or signal lever is in its normal position one of the
arms of the said lever is engaged in the notch and against the shoulder at the one
end of the horizontal bar. On beginning to move the point or signal lever the
three-armed lever is caused to rock on its pivot; and by means of a vertical bar
jointed to its third arın it sets in motion the locking gear, so as to effect all required
locking. The point or signal lever then, being pulled over the second arm of the
three-armed lever, becomes engaged in the notch and against the shoulder at the
other end of the horizontal bar, and thus a farther movement is given to this lever,
and by it to the locking gear in the same direction as before, whereby the locking
already effected is maintained, and such unlocking is effected as is required.
According to both these constructions the locking is effected at the very com-
mencement of the movement of a point or signal lever; it is maintained during the
movement of the lever by the stud or roller continuing to be engaged in the long
slot, or by the two arms of the three-armned lover bearing against the edge of the
horizontal bar, and no unlocking is effected till the termination of the stroke of the
point or signal lever.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by the
said George Edwards in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 5th September
1877.
GEORGE EDWARDS, of Pine Villa, Winchcombe Street, Cheltenham, in the County
of Gloucestershire, Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCKING APPARATUS FOR THE
POINT AND SIGNAL LEVERS OF RAILWAYS."
My Invention relates to means of communicating motion from a point and signal
lever to the locking gear of a set of levers in such a manner that all necessary locking
is effected by the first small portion of the movement of the lever, and no unlocking
is effected till the lever attains the end of its stroke. For this purpose I joint to
cach lever a horizontal bar that moves with the lever to and fro through suitable
guides. In this bar I form a long slot, the greater part of which is straight, but
which at each end has a small portion cut obliquely. In this slot works a stud
projecting from a vertical sliding bar; or I prefer instead of a stud an antifriction
roller mounted on the bar. This bar is connected to and works any of the known
kinds of interlocking gear, such as rocking shafts or sliding bars, with suitable
stops on them. When the lever is moved from its normal position the first oblique
part of the slot in its horizontal bar acting on the stud or roller causes the vertical
bar to slide, and thereby works the necessary locking gear, and when the lever is
moved fully over the oblique part at the other end of the slot in its horizontal bar,
acting on the stud or roller of the vertical bar, moves it farther in the same direction
as before, maintaining the locking already effected by it, and giving such farther
movement to the locking gear as to effect such unlocking as is required.
Instead of making the horizontal bar with a slot, in which works a stud or roller
on the vertical bar, the horizontal bar may be made with its edge straight, or
nearly so, for the greater part of its length, and with an oblique shoulder and notch
at each end. Bearing against this edge is a three-armed bell-crank lever pivotted
on the framing. When the point or signal lever is in its normal position one of the
arms of the said lever is engaged in the notch and against the shoulder at the one
end of the horizontal bar. On beginning to move the point or signal lever the
three-armed lever is caused to rock on its pivot, and by means of a vertical bar
jointed to its third arm it sets in motion the locking gear, so as to effect all required
locking. The point or signal lever then being pulled over, the second arın of the
three-armed lever becomes engaged in the notch and against the shoulder at the
other end of the horizontal bar, and thus a farther movement is given to this lever,
and by it to the locking gear, in the same direction as before, whereby the locking
already effected is maintained, and such unlocking is effected as required.

page_text: According to both these constructions the locking is effected at the very com-
mencement of the movement of a point or signal lever; it is maintained during the
movement of the lever by the stud or roller continuing to be engaged in the long
slot or by the two arms of the three-armed lever bearing against the edge of the
horizontal bar, and no unlocking is effected till the termination of the stroke of the
point or signal lever.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 represents a side view of one of a set of point and signal levers, with
means applied to it for communicating motion to the interlocking gear, according to
my Invention. L is the lever, to which I joint a bar A, guided to move hori-
zontally when the lever is moved. In this bar is formed a slot, straight throughout
the greater part of its length, but cut obliquely on opposite sides for a short distance
from each of its ends. A bar B, guided to move vertically, has on it a roller, which
works in the slot of A; and the bar B is linked to one of the moving parts of the
interlocking gear, which may be of the known kind shewn in the Figure, that is to
say, it may consist of rocking shafts C and sliding bars D, with suitable stops on
them. At the beginning of the movement of the lever L the oblique part of the
slot in A, acting on the roller, causes the bar B to move partly downwards, thereby
turning partly round the rocking shaft C to which it is connected, or partly moving
such other member of the interlocking gear to which the arrangement is applied.
The amount of movement thus imparted to the locking gear is suflicient to effect
the locking of all levers that should be locked when the lever L is moved, but it
is not sufficient to unlock any lever previously locked. During the greater part of
the movement of the lever L the roller travels along the straight part of the slot
in A, thus maintaining the locking gear in the condition into which it was put by
the first part of the movement of L. As L reaches the end of its stroke the oblique
termination of the slot in A, again acting on the roller, moves the bar B farther
downwards, thereby giving a fartlier movement to the locking gear in the same
direction as before, so as to sustain the locking effected by the first part of its move-
ment, and to effect the unlocking of such levers as may be safely moved when the
lever L has been pulled fully over.
Fig. 2 represents a side view of a modified form of the connection from a point
and signal lever to the interlocking gear; and Fig. 3 represents a front view of two
adjoining levers of the set, shewing one case of interlocking by means of rocking
shafts and sliding bars in a well known manner. In this case the bar A. jointed to
the lever L has no slot in it, but is made with a straight under edge, terminating in
an oblique notch and shoulder at each end. B is a three-anned lever pivotted on
the framing, two of its arms, band b', being presented towards the edge of A, and
the third arın being linked to the rocking shaft C, or other member of the inter-
locking gear. When the lever L begins to move, the notch acting on the arm b
turns the lever B partly round, bringing the arm b' to bear on the edge of A.
While the lever L continues its stroke the two arms b, b₁, bearing against the edge
of A, retain the locking gear unchanged till at the end of the stroke of L the arm ¹
is caught against the terminal shoulder of A, and the bar B and locking gear con-
nected to it thus get the farther movement required to effect such unlocking as may
be necessary.
As an illustration of one kind of locking gear which may be actuated by the
means above described, but to which locking gear I make no claim as part of my
Invention, I have shewn in Fig. 3 two levers L and L¹ side by side, and two
rocking shafts C and C¹ worked, as above described, by the movement of the levers
L and L respectively acting on their arms c and c¹. The one rocking shaft C has
a vertical arin d, which moves the horizontal sliding bar D. The other rocking
shaft C has a horizontal arm , and a stop E is fixed on the sliding bar I just
clear of the arm d. When by the movement of the lever L the shaft C is partly
turned, then the bar D, being thereby slid towards the left, brings the stop E under
the arm d, and thus preventing the shaft C¹ from being turned effects the locking

page_text: of the lever L. When on the other hand the lever L' is moved, partly turning the
shaft C¹, so as to bring the arm & down in front of the stop E, then the bar D
being obstructed the shaft C cannot be turned, and the lever L is thereby locked.
It is to be understood that there may be a number of the sliding bars D arranged
side by side, with stops E upon them, in suitable positions to suit arms d³, arranged
as required on the several rocking shafts C, C¹, according to the particular system
of lovers to which the interlocking gear is required.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, I hereby declare that I make no claim to any combination
of rocking shafts such as C, with sliding bars such as D, for the purpose of inter-
locking point and signal levers, as my Invention is exclusively confined to the
means of communicating motion from the point and signal levers to interlocking
gear of this or of other known kind in such a manner that at the beginning of the
stroke of a lever sufficient motion is given to the locking gear to effect the required
locking, but not to effect any unlocking; and that at the end of the stroke of the
lever a farther movement is given to the locking gear sufficient to effect the required
unlocking, and as means for this purpose I claim,-
First. The combination of the lever L, slotted bar A, and vertical slide bar B,
linked to the locking gear, substantially as herein described with reference to
Fig. 1 of the accompanying Drawings.
Second. The combination of the lever L, notched bar A, and three-armed lever B,
linked to the locking gear, substantially as herein described with reference to Fig. 2
of the accompanying Drawings.
hand
In witness whereof, I, the said George Edwards, have hereunto set_my_
and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven.