Improvements in Anti-friction Guides for Railway Signal Rods and the like.
Year: 1890

page_text: [Partly communicated from abroad by HENRY JOHNSON, of Rahway, in the County
of Union, State of New Jersey, one of the United States of America, Engineer.]"
Improvements in Anti-friction Guides for Railway Signal Rods and
the like.
...
I LEICESTER BRADNEY STEVENS of Darlington Works, Southwark Bridge Road in
the County of Surrey, 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
My improvements relate to guides for signal rods so called, which are employed for
operating railway signals, switches, etc.
In the accompanying drawings
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of guides for signal rods embodying my improvement.
Fig. 2 is an end view of the same partly in section.
Fig. 3 is a plan view of the same also partly in section.
Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts in all the Figures.
A designates a base. B designates standards or uprights. These standards or
uprights are provided at their lower ends with plate like portions a having suitable
apertures through which bolts, a¹ may be introduced for securing the said standards
or uprights to the base A. The base A is provided with elongated holes or slots e to
permit of the adjustment of the positions of the standards B and is rigidly secured by
the bolts and tubular distance pillars h to a foundation or anchor plate H fixed in
the ground.
In the example of my improvement shown, three standards or uprights B are
employed, but I may employ two or any desired number more than two. It will be
observed that the said standards are made separate from each other and they are
separately secured to the base. A side by side. In the standards, and as shown at
about midway in their heights, are formed horizontally extending slots C, which slots
extend through the standards in this example of my improvement from side to side.
They need not however extend_wholly through. Such slots constitute elongated
bearings for journals & of pulleys D, said journals when a pulley is in place between
two of the standards extending into each of the elongated bearings C. It will be also
seen that the elongated bearings C are closed upon their tops and bottoms and at their
ends. This construction is advantageous because it prevents the canting of the pulleys
due to the passage of the signal rods E around curves. By making the standards
separate from each other, provision is afforded for the use of elongated bearings which
are thus closed for the reason that in order to secure a pulley in the bearings, it is but
necessary to first separate the standards, insert one of the journals d in one of the
bearings and then move the other standard up into a position where it will receive
within its bearing the other of the journals d, both said standards may be then
secured to the base A so as to retain the pulley in position.
The elongated bearings admit of the rolling of the pulley along for a distance
within the standards as well as of its rotation when longitudinal movement is imparted
to the rod E. By this means friction is reduced.
Of course by my construction and arrangement of the parts, any desired number
of guides for rods E may be secured upon a base as all that is necessary is to add to
or take from the number of standards and pulleys, by simply securing additional
standards to the base or detaching them therefrom.
The pulleys D are peripherically grooved or otherwise suitably shaped to receive
cylindrical or other shaped signal rods, and above the signal rods are retaining
rollers F, which prevent the signal rods from being accidentally displaced from the
guides. The rollers F are as shown, mounted upon a rod G, which extends through

page_text: suitable apertures formed in and near the upper ends of the standards B. The rollers
as shown are loose upon the rod G. When a sufficient number of guides have been
arranged side by side, the rod G is passed through the standards and the rollers, and
is secured against longitudinal movement as shown by a pin g extending through one
of the ends of said rod and by bending the other end of the rod.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
1. The combination with a base, of standards made separate from each other and
secured to said base side by side, of a pulley provided with journals received within
elongated bearings in said standards, and a retaining roller mounted in said standards
above said pulley, substantially as specified.
2. The combination with a base of standards made separate from each other and
secured to said base side by side, of a pulley provided with journals received within
elongated bearings in said standards, said bearings being closed upon their tops and
bottoms and at their ends, and a retaining roller mounted in said standards above said
pulley, substantially as specified.
3. The combination with a base of a foundation or anchor plate rigidly secured
together by bolts and distance pillars substantially as specified.
4. The arrangement and construction of antifriction guides for railway signal rods
and the like substantially as described with reference to the drawings.
Dated this 4th day of July 1800
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE,
40, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents.