An Improvement in or connected with the Locking Bars of Railway Point and Signal Apparatus.
Year: 1898

page_text: ..Date of Application, 19th Nov., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 21st Aug., 1899-Accepted, 23rd Sept., 1899
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improvement in or connected with the Locking Bars of Railway
Point and Signal Apparatus.
I, JOHN WILSON, of The Firs, South Woodford, Essex, Civil Engineer, and
WILLIAM PUGH, of 19, Ross Street, Mill Road, Cambridge, Signal Fitter, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as under:
This invention relates to the locking bars by which any alteration of facing
points during the passage of a train is prevented, and the invention has for
object to lessen the labour of the signalman in raising the locking bar for the
purpose of operating the bolt by which the points are locked.
Such locking bars are necessarily of great length and weight and are supported
on radius levers which, owing to the small space available above the ballast, are
necessarily very short and move through a considerable angle, and for the same
reason the movement of the locking bar is effected by a pull or a thrust in the
direction of its length, the consequence being that this pull or thrust makes so
small an angle with the radius levers that great strain on the lever handle is
necessary to move the locking bar and great additional labour is imposed upon
the signalman especially when joint pivots of the locking bar supporting levers
have become loose by wear or rust. To relieve this strain we interpose springs
between the locking bar and the sleepers, the springs being so adjusted and
arranged that practically the whole weight of the locking bar is supported by
them with the result that not only the labour, but the wear and tear of the
cranks and other connections through which the points and signals are operated,
will be greatly reduced.
The springs may be of any suitable form, the spiral form being preferred, and
may be fixed on the sleepers or other underneath supports, preferably by fitting
the spiral spring upon a vertical guide pin or core standing up from a base plate
bolted down upon the sleeper the lower end of the spring resting upon a seat
upon the base plate and the upper end bearing against the underside of the
locking bar so as to normally support the greater part of its weight and even
maintain it yieldingly at a little above the position to which it will be depressed
by the wheel flanges when passing over it.
Dated this 19th day of November 1898
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
Chartered Patent Agents, 53, Chancery Lane, London.
An Improvement in or connected with the Locking Bars of Railway
Point and Signal Apparatus.
I, JOHN WILSON, of The Firs, South Woodford, Essex, Civil Engineer, and
WILLIAM PUGH, of 19, Ross Street, Mill Road, Cambridge, Signal Fitter, do
[Price 8d1

page_text: 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 locking bars used in connection with railway
point and signal apparatus for the purpose of preventing any alteration of facing
points during the passage of a train which would cause the splitting or derailment
of the train, and the invention has for object to lessen the labour of the signal-
man in operating the locking bar and the bolt connected therewith by which the
points are locked.
Such locking bars are necessarily of great length and weight and are carried
by short radius levers which move through a considerable angle, the movement of
the locking bar from the one to the other of its two positions being effected by
a longitudinal pull or a thrust, the direction of this pull or thrust at the com-
mencement of the movement necessarily making so small an angle with the
radius levers that a considerable effort is necessary in order to raise the locking
bar and throw it over to the other position, the labour imposed upon the
signalman being still further increased when the joint pivots of the radius
levers have become loose by wear or rust. To relieve this strain we interpose
springs between the locking bar and the sleepers, the springs being so adjusted
and arranged that nearly the whole weight of the locking bar is supported by
them when the bar is in either of its two depressed positions with the result that
not only the labour, but the wear and tear of the cranks and other connections
through which the points and signals are operated, will be greatly reduced.
The springs may be of any suitable form, the spiral form being preferred;
the springs being applied as illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming
part of this specification wherein Figure 1 is a longitudinal view of an inside
locking bar as usually mounted on radius levers, but without the relief springs
of this invention. Figures 2 and 3 are side and face views of one form of the
device as applied to an inside locking bar. Figure 4 is a plan, and Figure 5
an inverted plan of the sliding cap.
Figures 6 and 7 are side and face views of the same form of the device as applied
to an outside locking bar.
Figures 8 and 9 are side and face views of another form of the device applied
to an outside locking bar, and Figure 10 is a side view of the same form applied
to an inside locking bar; Figures 11 and 12 being plan views of the upper and
lower guide plates respectively. The same letters of reference denote like parts in
all the figures.
Referring to Figures 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, A is the rail and B the locking bar
applied at the inner side of the rail so as to act in conjunction with the flanges
of the wheels, the locking bar being carried by short radius levers b (Fig. 1)
pivoted to brackets or clips fastened to the lower head of. the rail or otherwise
supported. In Figures 6 and 7, the construction is similar except that the
locking bar is represented as applied at the outer side of the rail in the six
foot way so as to act in conjunction with the overhanging treads of the wheels,
the locking bar being in both cases shown as made of the L-angle iron section.
The construction of the relief spring device being similar in both arrangements
and only the dimensions being varied to suit the difference of height of the
locking bar, the following description applies to all the figures from Figure 1
to Figure 7.
The relief spring device (of which there may be one or more applied beneath
the locking bar) consists preferably of two springs C C, confined in vertical
cylindrical casings 1) and pressed upon by cylindrical caps E fitted to slide on
the casings D, the two caps (formed in one malleable iron or steel casting)
being united by a bride-piece E at the middle of which a friction roller F
is mounted to turn on a spindle f, the bar B bearing by its horizontal member
directly upon the said roller. The casings D are also in one casting with a
base G which may be fixed on a sleeper or any other suitable support, but is

page_text: preferably formed as a clip adapted to be fastened to the foot of the rail. For
this purpose the base G is formed with a jaw y adapted to grip the one side
of the rail, a second jaw h adapted to grip the other side of the rail, being formed
on a bottom plate H which is passed below the rail and is bolted to the base G.
The locking bar is represented in the normal or depressed position it occupies at
the one or other end of its stroke, the springs C being compressed. As the
bar is raised in order to be thrown over to the other position the springs expand
and follow up the bar for a portion or for the whole extent of its rise, so that
the signalman is relieved in great part of the duty of raising the weight.
The
Referring now to Figures 8 to 12, a single spring U is coiled about a sliding
rod I which is guided in holes in the clip or bracket, the spring being compressed
between a shoulder on the rod and the lower guide plate of the bracket.
sliding rod I is formed with a fork at the upper end in which the roller F is
mounted, and in order to adapt this roller to take under either the vertical
member of a bar of L section, or under the edge of a flat bar (shown in dotted
lines in Figure 8) both of these forms being used for outside locking bars, the
sliding rod I is cranked as shown at i so as by turning it half round to bring
the roller into position beneath the locking bar. In order to guide the rod in
its motion it is fitted to slide in holes in upper and lower base plates K L formed
in one with the one member of the clip, and to prevent the rod turning out of
position its lower end is squared and works in a square hole in the lower
plate L. Instead of cranking the rod as in Figure 8 it may be made straight as
in Figure 10, two sets of guide holes being provided in the plates K L as
shown in Figures 11 and 12, the rod being transferred from the one to the other
to suit the form of the locking bar which is shown in this figure as being made
either of L or T angle iron.
In both of these examples the two members of the clip are united by a
horizontal bolt as shown and they must be of sufficient depth to provide the
length of bearing requisite for the guidance of the rod. Owing to the depth of
the bracket and the small span available above the ballast the construction first
described is preferred.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that
what we claim is:-
1. The combination with the locking bar of railway point and signal apparatus,
of a relief spring or springs so applied as to support the weight of the locking
bar, and assist in raising the same for the purpose of operating the locking bolt,
substantially as specified.
2. The respective construction and arrangements of relief spring cushions for
railway locking bars substantially as herein described and represented in the
respective figures of the drawings.
Dated this i
1000
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
Chartered Patent Agents, 53, Chancery Lane, London.