IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR OPERATING OR ADJUSTING AND SECURING RAILWAY SWITCHES, CROSSINGS, AND SIGNALS, OR PARTS CONNECTED THERE- WITH
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake,
"
& Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for the Invention of
IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR OPERATING OR ADJUSTING AND SECURING
RAILWAY SWITCHES, CROSSINGS, AND SIGNALS, OR PARTS CONNECTED THERE-
WITH." A communication from abroad by Joseph Stokes Williams, of
Riverton, New Jersey, United States of America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 6th July 1878.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR OPERATING
OR ADJUSTING AND SECURING RAILWAY SWITCHES, CROSSINGS, AND SIGNALS, OR
PARTS CONNECTED THEREWITH." [A communication from abroad by Joseph Stokes
Williams, of Riverton, New Jersey, United States of America].
My Invention relates to improvements in the construction and arrangement of
apparatus for ensuring the proper working of railway switches, crossings, and
signals, and is designed to provide apparatus with which it will be impossible to
give conflicting signals, or to set the signals contrary to the actual position of the
switches or crossings with which the said signals are connected.
The said Invention consists chiefly in the combination with the levers or other
moving or adjusting parts of bolts, bars, rods, plates, cams, cranks, or similar devices,
arranged and operating in such a manner as to prevent any improper or incorrect
movement or adjustment of the said levers or other moving parts of the signal or
switch apparatus, that is to say, for instance, in a set or row of levers for operating
a series of signals connected with a series of switches or crossings, each of which
governs or is governed by the position of the others of the series, the said bolts or
other locking devices are arranged to operate in such a manner that any desired
D
077

page_text: number of levers will be so interlocked as to prevent the movement necessary to
give conflicting signals, or signals to indicate falsely or incorrectly the position of
any of the said switches or crossings.
In carrying the said Invention into practice I employ in connection with each
lever a notched plate or bar, which I connect to sliding bars or rocking shafts, such
as are generally used, so that immediately a lever is moved a lug or projection
connected with the lever causes movement of a notched plate or bar engaging
therewith, and such movement causes sliding bars or rockers connected therewith
to change position, and in such change offers obstruction to the adjustment of sliding
bars controlling the movement of other levers of the series until such lever shall
have been adjusted completely as may be desirable to secure the locking or unlocking
of other levers of the series or parts in connection therewith.
When a spring catch which is provided in connection with the lever is raised
sufficiently to release the lever, the said projection in connection therewith remains
in a notch in the said bar or plate until the lever is started to move, and in such
movement the said projection in connection with the spring catch or bolting
apparatus (and the lever) is forced against an obstructing face upon the said bar or
plate, and causes it and its connections to move so as to allow the lug or projection
to pass, and the notched bar or plate is of sufficient length to measure the distance
of the extreme movement of the lug or projection with which it engages, so that
the spring catch, or the equivalent for bolting a lever is free to be moved, but is
not released from the engaging faces or notch upon the bar or plate until the
commencement of the movement of the lever. By such construction and combina-
tion of the spring catch or bolting apparatus and the lever, the bolt or catch must
be in the proper recess or notch, or the equivalent thereof, before any antagonistic
lever or part interlocked therewith can be moved, the labor of the operator is
lessened, the wear. by friction caused by weights and springs in combination with
interlocking apparatus and the uncertainty of automatic adjustment is entirely
'obviated.
The aforesaid plates or bars having recesses for the said projection in connection
with the lever may be supported at both ends by rockers or arms or by other
suitable means, so as to maintain them in position and allow such movement as
may be necessary to hold or release a lever and actuate the locking gear.
In some instances I use apparatus as follows, that is to say:-I employ in com-
bination with the lever an adjustable bar plate or quadrant which is arranged at
the side of the lever, and is supported in or by suitable bearings with a capability
of an endwise movement to a limited extent.
The distance between the notches in the movable bar or quadrant is less than the
distance traversed by the catch or projection in connection with the lever and which
engages in the notches to hold the said lever or to secure the adjustment of the
locking gear.
The bearings or supports of this auxiliary quadrant are pivotted or jointed arms
or other devices, which when moved in one direction will raise the said quadrant or
bar, and when moved in the other direction will depress the same.
The difference in height of the upper edge of the said auxiliary quadrant obtained
by this vertical adjustment affords the means whereby the notches of the said
quadrant are brought into and out of position to permit the projection or spring
bolt of the lever to engage with them.
In some cases for the purpose of holding a lever in position and causing the
necessary movement to actuate locking gear, I employ a bar or plate with a recess
which admits a projection attached to the lever, and there is also a projection
extending from the bar or plate which engages with the projection of the lever that
causes the bar to rock or shift, and in so doing allows the said projection on the
lever to pass into the recess and simultaneously move the sliding bar or rockers
necessary to release or lock other levers.
The said bar is provided with a projection thereon to engage with the projection
on the lever so as to cause the adjustment of sliding bars to lock or unlock other

page_text: levers, and likewise to cause the adjustment of the bar, so as to hold the lever from
being moved if any of the sliding bars shall offer obstruction to the full movement
of the said bar and its connections.
The notched bars may be used in combination with or without the ordinary
quadrant for the combined purpose of holding the lever and actuating the locking
gear and may be used to lock the lever in one or both extreme positions, and may
be dependent for adjustment upon the movement of the lever, or may be
independent thereof; or I may combine both arrangements, an by suitable con-
struction of transversely sliding bars to engage with the potched bar or quadrant or
connection thereof for holding the lever and actuating the locking devices any
desired number of levers may be controlled.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 6th
January 1879.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR OPERATING
OR ADJUSTING AND SECURING RAILWAY SWITCHES, CROSSINGS, AND SIGNALS, OR
PARTS CONNECTED THEREWITH." A communication from abroad by Joseph Stokes
Williams, of Riverton, New Jersey, United States of America.
This Invention relates to improvements in the construction and arrangement of
apparatus for ensuring the proper working of railway switches, crossings, and.
signals, and with which apparatus it will be impossible to give conflicting signals,
or to set the signals to indicate positions contrary to the actual positions of the
switches or crossings with which the said signals are connected.
The said Invention consists chiefly in the combination with the levers ordinarily
used for adjusting or moving railway switches or signals, of devices or arrangements
operating in such a manner as to prevent any improper or incorrect movement or
adjustment of the said levers or other moving parts of the signal or switch
apparatus, that is to say, for instance, in a set or row of levers for operating a series
of signals connected with a series of switches or crossings, each of which governs or
is governed by the position of the others of the series, the said devices are arranged to
operate in such a manner that any desired number of levers will be so interlocked
as to prevent the movement necessary to give conflicting signal or signals that
indicate falsely or incorrectly the position of any of the said switches or crossings.
The essential feature of these devices or arrangements is, providing the lever
with means for engaging independently of its spring catch or bolting apparatus.
with a plate or piece which has endwise and other movements as herein-after
described, and is so formed that by the movement or adjustment of the said lever
the said plate or piece is caused to engage therewith or be disengaged therefrom for
the purposes specified.
And in order that my said Invention may be properly understood, I now
proceed more particularly to set forth the system, mode, or manner in which the
same is or may be used, or practically carried into effect.

page_text: Figure 1 is a plan (partly in section) of a set of levers and mechanism connected
with the same for the purpose of my Invention.
Figure 2 is a vertical section on the line x, x, Figure 1, shewing one of the
Baid levers in its normal position.
Figure 3 shews the said lever in another position.
Figure 4 is a vertical section on the line y, y, Figure 1, shewing one of the
said levers in the same position as in Figure 2, but with provision for back
locking.
Figure 5 shews the said lever adjusted to the position for back locking.
Figure 6 is a plan (partly in section) of another set of levers illustrating
another arrangement of my improved mechanism.
Figures 7, 8, 9, are plans (partly in section) shewing various modifications in
the details of such mechanism.
Figures 10 to 18 illustrate various other modifications and details of the said
Invention as herein-after described.
Like letters indicate the same parts throughout the Drawings.
In carrying this Invention into practice I employ in connection with the levers a
notched plates or bars b, which I connect to sliding bars or rocking shafts such as
are generally used in interlocking arrangements, so that immediately a lever is
moved the stud or projection c which is connected with the said lever independently
of the spring catch or bolt, causes movement of the notched plate or bar b engaging
with the said stud or projection, thereby controlling the sliding bars e, or rockers
which are so arranged as to offer obstruction to the adjustment of the notched plates
or pieces controlling the movement of other levers of the series until the first-
named lever shall have been adjusted completely, as may be desirable to secure
the locking or unlocking of other levers of the series or parts in connection there-
with.
When the spring catch of either of the said levers a is adjusted sufficiently to
release the said lever, the projection c in connection with the lever independent of
the said spring catch or bolt remains in the notch in the bar or plate b until the
said lever is started to move, and in such movement the projection c is forced
against the obstructing face b* upon the bar or plate b, and causes it and its con-
nections to move so as to allow the stud or projection c to pass such obstruction,
and the notched bar or plate is of sufficient length to measure the distance of the
extreme movement of the lug or projection c with which it engages, so that the
aforesaid spring catch, or the equivalent for bolting the lever, is free to be moved;
the projection or lug c remains in the recess or notch in the bar or plate b until the
cominenced movement of the lever. By such combination in the construction of
interlocking apparatus the spring catch or bolting apparatus must be in the proper
recess or notch, or the equivalent thereof; before any antagonistic lever or part
interlocked therewith can be moved, and the uncertainty of automatic adjustment
is entirely obviated.
The plates or bars 6 having recesses or notches for the projection c in connection
with the lever a may be supported by suitable guides or bearings d to maintain
them in position, and allow such movements as may be necessary to hold and release
a lever and actuate the locking gear. The adjustable plate or piece b is arranged
at the side of the lever a with a capability of endwise and vertical or lateral move-
ment to a slight extent.
The distance between the notches b₁ (when I provide a series of notches) in the
movable bar b, is less than the distance traversed by the lever a or its stud or
projection c, which engages in the said notches to hold the said lever or to secure
the adjustment or proper relative position of the locking gear.
The bearings or guides d of this notched bar or plate b are provided with
inclines d' or other devices, which when the lever a is moved in one direction will

page_text: raise the said bar or plate 6, and when the said lever is moved in the other direction
will depress the said plate.
The difference in height of the upper edge of the said bar or plate b obtained by
this vertical adjustment affords the means whereby the notches are brought into
and out of position to permit the projection c on the lever to engage with them.
In moving the lever a from the position shewn in Figure 2, the stud or pro-
jection c engages with the side of the recess or notch in the notched plate or bar b,
and causes the said bar to descend into the position shewn in Figure 3, and below
the lug or projection c in connection with the lever a. When the said lever
commences to move, the projections 62 on the extension of the bar or plates b are
drawn into the notches or engaging faces on the sliding bars e, thus preventing the
movement of such bars and consequently the lever with which the same are
connected.
- Upon the movement of the lever a the stud or projection c of the said lever
causes the bar or plate b in connection with the same to shift or move endwise
across the bars e.
In cases where I desire to cause the movement of the sliding bars e simultaneously
with the bar or plate b, I provide a slot b on the said bar 6 which engages with a
projection e¹ on the sliding bar e, and the movement of the lever causes the bare to
offer obstruction to the movement of other levers a if the notch in the said bar e
should not be in a position to allow the lug 62 on the bar b to move across the same;
any improper movement of the plate or piece b in connection with the lever a is
thereby prevented.
The bars or plates 6 not provided with slots or inclines b₁ have projections b²,
which must pass through notches on the bars e opposite the levers, and the pro-
jections or lugs 62 by crossing the said bars e prevent any endwise movement of the
said bars, and thus lock the levers a which actuates the plates b. But if the lever a
connected with either of the plates b provided with the inclined slots or faces b¹
should be moved, the sliding,bar e through the medium of the notches and shoulders
on the bar b, slot 6, pin e¹, and inclines d', and pin d³, moves so that the notches on
the bar e will not be presented in the position to allow of the movement of the
projection 62 on the plate b in connection with the lever a, and the movement
of the said lever will thus be prevented, and also that of the plate or piece b
in connection with the said lever.
The notched plate or bar b is arranged in combination with the bearings or
supports d, which cause the said plate to rise through the medium of inclines d', so
that the recess or notch in the said bar b will engage with the projection c to retain
the lever at any time when the said plate b cannot be lowered.
By forming the double incline d* for raising the notched plate b at both
extremities of the movement of the lever, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, I provide
means for holding the said lever in both positions, the said notched plate or an
extension thereof being provided with projections b³, as and for the purpose above
described.
Figure 1 shews a series of eight levers suitable for an ordinary station, and
provided with the interlocking mechanism shewn in Figures 2 to 5.
Lever No. 1 is a distant signal lever, controlled by levers 2, 4, and 5; lever
No. 2 is the home signal lever, provided with a notched bar or plate, as shewn in
Figure 5, and is controlled by Nos. 1, 4, and 5; lever No. 3 is the starting signal
lever, controlled by Nos. 4 and 5; lever No. 4 is the lever for cross over road siding,
and is controlled by Nos. 1, 2, 3, 5; lever No 5 is the lever for cross over road on
main lines, and controls all the others, and is controlled by any one or all of them;
levers No. 6, 7, and 8, control No. 5, or are controlled by No. 5.
Figure 6 is a plan of a set of levers provided with notched bars or plates b which
are adjustable endwise and laterally.
When the bar b shall have been fully adjusted to engage with its lever a, the
said lever a, or projection in connection therewith, is within the recess or notch b²

page_text: .
in the bar b, and if the movement of the said notched bar bis prevented the lever
is retained in the recess.
The bars are provided with supports, recesses, lugs, and other devices similar or
equivalent to those shewn in connection with the notched bars b in Figures 1 to 5,
and described as end wise and vertically moving bars.
this
Figure 7 shews a plan of a bar b which has recesses b' on opposite sides of the
lever a into which recesses the said lever passes at either end of its movement;
bar b is moved further in the same direction laterally instead of being drawn back,
as is necessary for holding the lever a when the recesses on the bar b are not on
opposite sides of the said lever.
I sometimes form a projection m¹ on the bar b and arrange in connection there-
with a spring treadle or lever m, as shewn in Figures 6, 7, 8, 9, 17 and 18. By
depressing the said treadle the projection on its end will be raised clear of the
projection on the bar b. and the said bar whose surface is in the path of the move-
ment of the lever a will then be freed. When the said lever has moved its full
distance the spring n beneath one arm of the said treadle will force the projection
on the other arm down over the projection on the plate b, and thus prevent
any movement of the bar b or its connections until the said treadle is again
depressed.
As shown in Figures 10 to 18, the bars 6 are connected with the sliding bars e
either above or below the frame, and either at the back or front of the levers a.
It will be understood that rockers may be employed in connection with the
notched plate, as shewn at o, Figure 15, instead of or in combination with the
sliding bar b.
Figures 14 and 15 show a projection c* connected to the spring catch or hand
lever. This projection is formed or attached to a clip c' which extends around the
sides of the levers so as to prevent looseness of the lock and give additional strength
to the same.
Figure 13 shews the lever a provided with plates a* to prevent the wear of the
said lever by the plate b.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent, and the manner of performing the same, I wish it understood
that I do not limit myself to the precise details herein-before described and
illustrated in the accompanying Drawings, as the same may be varied without
departing from the nature of the said Invention, but I claim the application and
use in interlocking apparatus for railway point and signal levers of a notched plate
or piece, capable of endwise and lateral or vertical movements in combination withi
the lever with or without a projection thereon independently of the spring catch for
the purpose of holding the said lever and securing the desired relative working of
all parts in connection with a series or system of levers, substantially as described
with reference to the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Sixth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-nine.
W. ROBT. LAKE. (L.S.)