Year: 1887

page_text: I, FRITZ BERNHARD BEHR of No. 10 Drapers Gardens, in the City of London,
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to the construction of gates for crossings of railways of that
kind in which there is a single rail elevated on standards at some height above the
ground, and the vehicles that run thereon consist of two compartments hanging like
panniers on each side of the line from an upper frame which has wheels running on
the rail. The standards, which are of an A shape, are also provided at some distance
below the apex with side rails along which wheels horizontal or nearly so run, these
steadying the vehicles and preventing them from canting to either side in case of
unequal loading.
Such railways have at some places to be crossed by roads on the level of the
ground or nearly so, and such crossings are necessarily provided with gates and
signals to prevent road traffic when the railway is in use, and to prevent railway
traffic when the road is in use. When the crossing road is on the level of the ground
on which the standards of the railway stand, the crossing gate is constructed and
arranged in the following manner. A number of the standards such as four, five or
six, according to the width of the crossing required, along with a length of the top
rail and of each of the two side rails are braced together so as to form a gate which is
hinged at the junction of one of the stationary side rails with the corresponding
side rail of the gate portion, and the standards or some of them, especially that at the
extreme of the gate, have wheels or rollers mounted on their bases to run on ways on
the ground. To the gate is connected a semaphore or other signal which is moved
with it to indicate either that the railway is in use, the gate which forms part of it
being then closed against traffic on the road, or to indicate that the road is free, the
gate being then opened and consequently the railway line being interrupted. When
the road lias to cross the railway at or above the level of its top rail, or when it can
be conveniently arranged to do so by sinking the standards and rail into a shallow
cutting or by giving the road gradients up to and down from the level of the rail, the

page_text: gates are made of the draw bridge kind, each half of the bridge being drawn up, one
on each side of the line, so as to stand upright an form a gate stopping the road, or
being lowered down to rest on the rail in the middle of the cutting, so forming a
roadway across the line. Each half of the bridge is suitably counterbalanced and
bung by chains from columns at each side of the line, and these chains are connected
across by a chain passing under the line so that both halves are raised or lowered
simultaneously.
In this case also a semaphore or other signal is connected to the gear of the gates
so as to indicate whether the road or the railway is open or closed.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.
I, FRITZ BERNHARD BEHR, of No. 10 Drapers Gardens, in the City of London,
Engineer, 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:
This invention relates to the construction of gates for crossings of railways of that
kind in which there is a single rail elevated on standards at some height above the
ground and the vehicles that run thereon consist of two compartments hanging like
panniers on each side of the line from an upper frame which has wheels running on
the rail. The standards which are of an A shape, are also provided at some distance
below the apex with side rails along which wheels horizontal or nearly so run, these
steadying the vehicles and preventing them from canting to either side in case of
unequal loading. Such railways have at some places to be crossed by roads on the
level of the ground or nearly so, and such crossings are necessarily provided with
gates and signals to prevent road traffic when the railway is in use and to prevent
railway traffic when the road is in use.
When the crossing road is on the level of the ground on which the standards of
the railway stand, the crossing gate is constructed and arranged in the following
manner.
A number of the standards such as four, five, or six, according to the width of the
crossing required, along with a length of the top rail and of each of the two side rails,
are braced together so as to form a gate, which is hinged at the junction of one of the
stationary side rails with the corresponding side rail of the gate portion and the
standards or some of them, especially that at the extreme of the gate, have wheels or

page_text: rollers mounted on their bases to run on ways on the ground. To the gate is
connected a semaphore or other signal which is moved with it to indicate either that
the railway is in use, the gate which forms part of it being then closed against traffic
on the road, or to indicate that the road is free, the gate being then opened and
consequently the railway line being interrupted.
Fig. 1 is an elevation and Fig. 2 is a plan of a gate according to my invention for
a crossing of a single rail elevated railway. Fig. 3 is a transverse section at X X
and Fig. 4 is a part transverse section at YY. The rail is carried on the triangular
standards S and to the sides of these standards are fixed the guide rails G in the usual
way. Where a crossing gate is required 1. brace together two, three, or more of the
standards S with corresponding portions of the rail R and the guide rails G¹
providing them with diagonal ties D so as to secure them firmly together as one
structure constituting a gate. I hinge one of the guide rails G as at g and I provide
the inner and outer of the connected standards with rollers W to run on circular
trams C. When the railway has to be crossed, the gate is swung open turning on
the hinge g while the rollers W run on the trams, the intermediate standards being
not necessarily supported except as parts of the structure of the gate. When the
railway has to be used the gate is closed to the position where the rails R and G G¹
are continuous with the stationary rails, and the gate is secured in this position by a
bolt B, the intermediate standards then resting on sleepers E. The gates thus
constructed may be double as shewn in the plan Fig. 5.
In some cases where the road that crosses the line is of considerable width I mount
the gate on a central pivot so as to turn like a turntable as indicated in the plan
Fig. 5.
When the road has to cross the railway at or above the level of its top rail, or when
it can be conveniently arranged to do so by sinking the standards and rail into a
shallow cutting or by giving the road gradients up to and down from the level of the
rail, the gates are made of the drawbridge kind each half of the bridge being drawn
up, one on cach side of the line, so as to stand upright and form a gate stopping the
road, or being lowered down to rest on the rail in the middle of the cutting so forming
a roadway across the line. Each half of the bridge is suitably counterbalanced and
hung by chains from columns at each side of the line and these chains are connected
across by a chain passing under the line, or the chain barrels are connected by a shaft
extending across the line so that both halves are raised or lowered simultaneously.
In this case also a semaphore or other signal is connected to the gear of the gates
so as to indicate whether the road or the railway is open or closed.
Fig. 6 is a section showing one of the drawbridge gates down and resting on the
rail R and the other up closing the road, and Figure 7 is a half plan. Each gate H
is pivotted at h and nearly counter balanced by weights J on arms on each side. It
can be raised or lowered by side chains K passing over pullies and loaded with
weights L. The chains K, instead of being separate, may be extended down to
barrels connected by a chain crossing the line so that both gates are made to move
together.
The gates may be raised and lowered by gearing arranged as shewn in Fig. 8
which is an elevation of the posts and gearing at one side of the line. The chain K
passes over a barrel M and is attached to the lowest of several weights which slide
between vertical guides presenting shoulders at N N.
The barrel M has on its axis a bevil wheel gearing with a bevil pinnion m on a
spindle P which extends across the line overhead and has a corresponding pinion
working a bevil wheel and chain barrel for the gate at the other side. On the end of
the spindle is fixed a wheel Q carrying a hand rope or chain.
On the ground by the side of the roadway is a treadle T connected by a vertical
rod t to one arm of a bell crank lever the other arm of which engages in a groove of
the boss of the pinion m; and is also connected by a rod u to a corresponding bell
crank at the other side of the line.
The weights L are made of different widths so that as they descend they are
successively caught on the shoulders N of the guides, thus approximately balancing

page_text: the weight of the roadway gate H which varies as the gate rises from its horizontal
to its vertical position. It is preferred to make the weights such as to overbalance
the gates, so that they always tend to rise and stop the roadway and have to be
lowered to cross the line. In this case any suitable catches are provided to hold them
down on the rail R, and, on the release of these catches, which may be effected by the
attendant at either side of the line, the gates rise, opening the railway line and closing
the roadway. Whether the gates are thus overbalanced or not, they are worked up
or down in the following manner. An attendant at either side by depressing the
treadle T throws the pinion m into gear with the bevil wheel on the axis of M and at
the same time the connecting rod a throws the pinion at the other side of the line
into gear. The attendant then by pulling the rope or chain on the wheel Q turns the
spindle P and thus causes the two barrels M to revolve moving the chains K and
raising or lowering the road gates H.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is:
1. For a crossing of a single line elevated railway a gate consisting of several
standards with portions of the elevated and side rails braced firmly together so as to
turn on a hinge or pivot while the extreme standards, have rollers running on circular
trams, substantially as herein described.
2. For a crossing over a single line elevated railway a pair of drawbridge gates
arranged and operating substantially, as described with reference to Figs. 6. 7 and 8.
Dated this 8th day of November 1887.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.