IMPROVEMENTS IN REGULATORS FOR RAILWAY LETTERS RODS AND OTHER LIKE CONNECTORS
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT James Bates, of Croydon, in the County of Surrey, Signal
Fitter, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN REGULATORS FOR RAILWAY
LETTERS PATENT James Bates, of Croydon, in the County of Surrey, Signal
Fitter, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN REGULATORS FOR RAILWAY
SIGNAL AND POINT RODS AND OTHER LIKE CONNECTORS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Bates at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 9th August 1880.
JAMES BATES, of Croydon, in the County of Surrey, Signal Fitter. "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN REGULATORS FOR RAILWAY SIGNAL AND POINT RODS AND OTHER LIKE
CONNECTORS."
This Invention relates to a peculiar construction and arrangement of regulator
for adjusting or regulating the length of railway signal and point rods and other
like connectors, such improved arrangement being more reliable and durable than
the arrangements heretofore employed for this purpose.
I mount such nut
According to my improvements, in lieu of screwing the two contiguous ends of
a divided rod or connector, baving respectively a right and left hand thread thereon,
into the opposite ends of a coupling or regulating nut, rendering it difficult to
ascertain how far the screwed ends of the connector enter within the nut, or what
amount of hold they may have thereon, I propose to screw one end only of one
length or section of the connector completely through the regulating or adjusting
nut, so as to protrude more or less through the end of such nut.
between suitable holding lugs fitted or formed laterally on the adjoining over-
lapping end of the other length or section of the connector, and provide means for
readily turning or adjusting the said nut by a spanner or otherwise. The screwed
portion of the rod or connector is secured in position inside the nut by lock nuts
mounted on the exposed screwed parts of the rod, and tightened up against the
outer sides of the before mentioned holding lugs. By turning the regulating nut
more or less in either direction the length of the connector will be increased or
diminished, but without in any way varying the hold of the regulating nut upon
the screw thread of the connector, which will always be engaged with the entire
length of screw thread in the regulating nut through which it passes from end
to end,

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said James Bates in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 8th February
1881.
JAMES BATES, of Croydon, in the County of Surrey, Signal Fitter. "IMPROVE
MENTS IN REGULATORS FOR RAILWAY SIGNAL AND POINT RODS AND OTHER LIKE
CONNECTORS."
My said Invention relates to a peculiar construction and arrangement of regulator
for adjusting or regulating the length of railway signal and point rods and other
like connectors, such improved arrangement being more reliable and durable than
the arrangements heretofore employed for this purpose.
As heretofore constructed, these regulators have consisted of a coupling or regu-
lating nut, having an internal right hand screw thread at one end and an internal
left hand screw thread at the other end. Into the opposite ends of this nut were
screwed to a greater or less distance the two contiguous ends of a divided rod or
connector, having respectively external right and left screw threads formed thereon
corresponding to the internal screw threads in the nut. This arrangement renders
it difficult to ascertain at a glance how far the contiguous screwed ends of the
divided connector may have entered within the regulating nut, or in other words,
what amount of hold the said nut may have thereon, the result in practice being
that occasionally when turning the nut with a view to lengthening the connector,
one or both of the screwed ends of such connector are found to be only just caught
by the nut, and the connection becomes accidentally severed by the fact of one or
both the screwed ends of the divided rod escaping entirely out of the nut. Now to
obviate this objection I propose to screw one end only of one length or section of
the divided connector or rod, causing it to pass completely through the regulating
or adjusting nut, so that its screwed end shall protrude more or less through beyond
the opposite end of the nut. I mount the regulating or adjusting nut so as to turn
freely between suitable fixed holding lugs or their equivalent, fitted, or forged, or
otherwise secured to the adjoining overlapping end of the other length or section of
the connector, and I make provision for readily turning or adjusting the said nut
in its holding lugs by a spanner or otherwise. The screwed portion of the rod or
connector is secured in position inside the regulating nut by lock nuts mounted on
the exposed screwed parts of the rod, and tightened up against the outer sides of
the before mentioned holding lugs. By turning the regulating nut more or less
in one direction or the other, the length of the connector will be increased or
diminished, but without in any way varying the hold of the regulating nut upon
the screw thread of the connector, which will under all circumstances be engaged
with the entire length of screw thread in the regulating nut through which it passes
from end to end, thereby ensuring a reliable hold upon the connector.
And in order that my said Invention may be fully understood I shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose shall refer
to the Figures on the explanatory Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed, the same
letters of reference indicating corresponding parts in both the Figures.
Figure 1 of my Drawings is a longitudinal section of my improved regulator as
applied, for example, to the connector of a signal, or to a point rod, or to any other
like connector, the length of which may require frequent adjustment, and Figure 2
is a corresponding end view of the same..
A, A¹, are the two ends of a divided connector or rod, which ends are made to
pass or overlap each other, as shown in my Drawings; B is the regulating or
adjusting nut, which may be of any desired length, and rounded externally at its
opposite ends, where it fits and turns freely within corresponding recesses in the

page_text: inner faces of two fixed lugs C, C, secured to or forged on the slightly flattened
and widened end a¹ of the portion A' of the connector, the recesses being by
preference formed by rivetting or otherwise securing rings c, c, to the inner faces
of the lugs. From end to end of this nut there is formed an internal screw thread,
a corresponding external thread being made along the end of the portion A of the
connector, the length of such screwed portion exceeding the length of the regulating
or adjusting nut to any desired extent, as shown in Figure 1. This part of the
connector passes freely through openings in the lugs concentric with the bore of the
regulating nut, and is screwed entirely through the said nut, beyond which it is
by preference made to project more or less, so as to ensure at all times that the
entire thread in the regulating nut B shall have a hold upon a corresponding length
of thread on the connector or rod. On turning the nut B it is obvious that the
two contiguous ends of the divided connector A, A', will be caused to overlap to a
greater or less extent, thereby shortening or lengthening the connector more or less
as may be required; D, D, are lock nuts on the screwed part A, which on being
tightened up against the lugs C, C, after the length of the connector has been
adjusted, serve to fix the same, one or both of such nuts being first unscrewed before
the operation of adjustment is commenced; E is a hexagonal or flat sided portion
of the nut B for the reception of a spanner for turning the same; F is a loose
washer and cottar on the projecting end of the screwed part A, for the purpose of
preventing all chance of unscrewing and disconnecting the part A from the nut B
without first removing the cottar and washer.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried into
effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider to be novel and original,
and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the hereinbefore in part
recited Letters Patent is,-
The construction and arrangement of regulator for railway signal and point rods
and other like connectors, substantially in the manner and for the purpose herein-
before described and illustrated by my Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Bates, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Seventh day of February, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty one.
JAMES BATES. (L.S.