IMPROVEMENTS IN WORKING RAILWAY POINTS AND SIGNALS
Year: 1883

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:
LETTERS PATENT to Sydney Pitt of Sutton in the County of Surrey for an
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN WORKING RAILWAY POINTS AND SIGNALS"
communicated to him from abroad by John Prince of Paris in the Republic of
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Sydney Pitt at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 6th July 1883.
SYDNEY PITT of-Sutton in the County of Surrey "IMPROVEMENTS IN WORKING
RAILWAY POINTS AND SIGNALS "[communicated to him from abroad by John Prince
of Paris in the Republic of France]
This Invention has for its object improvements in safety arrangements to be
applied to working points and signals upon railways; by it the number of levers
necessary to this working is reduced and the arrangements are simplified in a way
conducive to safety in the passage of trains along the line. By the movement of a
single lever the tongue rails are brought to the required position either for the
passage of a train upon the main line or upon the branch and at the same time
they are locked and the signal disc is set to give the required indication. If from
any cause or accident the line is not in the state to receive a train the disc remains
of necessity in the position to indicate "danger" until the switches are changed and
the line set as required. At present and in spite of all improvements hitherto
introduced, the large number of levers and the different operations necessary to set
the line and the signals give rise to errors which are impossible under the system
herein detailed.
.
To attain this end the entire action is concentrated in a single cam which on
either side presents a groove of a special form; these grooves occupy an arc of
120 degrees and control rollers upon two bent levers actuating rods the to and fro
movement of which determine the position of the tongue rails, the locking of the
tongue rails and the placing of the signal disc to give a corresponding indication.
By the aid of the annexed drawing my invention and the mode of putting it
into practice will be clearly understood.
Figure 1 shows a general plan of the road at the point where the switches are
situate, and the invention applied.
The Figures 2 are enlarged views of the interlocking parts.

page_text: The Figures 3 are enlarged views of the cam and actuating levers. Figure 4 is
a plan of the same.
A, A, are the fixed rails of the line. B, B, are the moveable tongue rails. These
tongues are connected by a rod C, and are kept at a suitable distance apart in any
convenient way; this rod which actuates the tongue rails is attached at one end to
an arm of the bent lever D, and at its other end it is guided in a block E, contained
in a box at the side of the line.
The free end of the bent lever D,. is connected by a rod G, to another bent
lever H, coupled with a rod I, the other extremity of this rod I, is controlled by a
bent lever J, which has its pivot below, and of which the other branch carries a
small roller which is received into the groove K, of the cam X.
The cam X, is
suspended from an horizontal axis turning in bearings L', L', a handle at the upper
part of the piece X, serves for moving it forward and backward through an arc of
120 degrees.
The movement of X, acting by the groove K, upon the roller of the bent lever J,
pushes forward or draws back the rod I, and by the connections above described
places the tongue rails in one or other of the two positions they are required to
assume.
The other face of the cam X is provided with a groove L, which receives the
roller of the bent lever J, similar to J. The other branch of the lever J' by the
rod M and the bent lever N, actuates the rod O, controlling the disc or discs
serving as signals at any suitable distance in advance of the points. The rod O,
passes through a groove in the piece E, at right angles to and above the rod C.
It will be understood that the rod 'O, working the disc, and the rod C, which
moves the tongue rails being both actuated by the cam X, their movements will
be under the hand of one man and necessarily combined with perfect regularity.
However in order further to ensure unity of action and to secure the parts more
effectually the following mode of connection has been devised. Two notches are
formed in the rod C, as is seen in Figures 2 they each coincide with the longitudinal
groove in the piece E, occupied by the rod O, in one of the extreme positions of the
rod C.
The rod O, is flattened where it passes through the piece E, and notched on the
under side as is seen in Figures 2. This notch is intended to form a way for the
free passage for the rod C, when this is pulled or pushed to set the road. But.
when the road is arranged and it is required to lock it securely in position the
rod O, is pulled or pushed along the guide groove which it occupies in the piece E,
and one or other side of the notch according to the position of the road engages
with the recess E, or E¹, in the rod C which then cannot move in any way.
dise is by the same movement of the rod O, put to the corresponding indication.
When the road again requires to be changed the rod O, withdrawn by the action
of the cam X, from the recess by which it engages the rod C, and the notch aligns
itself with the groove traversed by the rod C, which is then able to slide to permit
the movement of the tongue rails.
,
The

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Sydney Pitt in the Patent Office on the 5th January 1884.
در
SYDNEY PITT of Sutton in the County of Surrey* IMPROVEMENTS IN WORKING
RAILWAY POINTS AND SIGNALS (A communication to me from abroad by John
Prince of Paris in the Republic of France)
This invention has for its object improvements in safety arrangements to be
applied to working points and signals upon railways; by it the number of levers
necessary to this working is reduced and the arrangements are simplified' in a way
conducive to safety in the passage of trains along the line. By the movement of a
single lever the tongue rails are brought to the required position either for the
passage of a train upon the main line or upon the branch and at the same time
they are locked and the signal disc is set to give the required indication.. If from.
any cause or accident the line is not in the state to receive a train the disc remains
of necessity in the position to indicate "danger" until the switches are changed
and the line set as required. At present and in spite of all improvements hitherto
introduced, the large number of levers and the different operations necessary to set.
the line and the signals give rise to errors which are impossible under the system
herein detailed.
To attain this end the entire action is concentrated in a single cam which on
either side presents a groove of a special form; these grooves occupy an arc of
120 degrees and control rollers upon two bent levers actuating rods, the to and'
fro movement or which determine the position of the tongue rails, the locking of
the tongue rails and the placing of the signal disc to give a corresponding
indication..
By the aid of the annexed drawing the invention and the mode of putting, it
into practice will be clearly understood.
Figure 1 shows a general plan of the Road at the point where the switches are
situate, and the invention applied.-The figures are enlarged views of the inter-
locking parts. The figures 3 are enlarged views of the cam and actuating levers.
Figure 4 is a plan of the same.
A A are the fixed rails of the line. .B B are the moveable tongue rails. These
tongues are connected by a rod C, and are kept at a suitable distance apart in any
convenient way; this rod which actuates the tongue rails is attached at one end to
an arm of the bent lever D, and at its other end it is guided in a block E,
contained in a box at the side of the line.
The free end of the bent lever D is connected by a rod G to another bent lever H,,
coupled with a rod I, the other extremity of this rod I is controlled by a bent
lever J which has its pivot below and of which the other branch carries a small
roller which is received into the groove K of the cam X. The cam X is suspended
from an horizontal axis turning in bearings L¹, L', a handle at the upper part of
the piece ✗ serves for moving it forward and backward through an arc of
120 degrees.
The movement of X acting by the groove K upon the roller of the bent lever J,
pushes forward or draws back the rod I, and by the connections above described.
places the tongue rails in one or other of the two positions they are required: to
assume. The other face of the cam X is provided with a groove L which receives
the roller of the bent lever J' similar to J. The other branch of the lever J¹ by
the rod M and the bent lever N, actuates the rod O, controlling the disc or discs
serving as signals at any suitable distance in advance of the points. The rod O
passes through a groove in the piece E at right angles to and above the rod C.
It will be understood that the rod.Ọ working the disc, and the rod C which

page_text: moves the tongue rails being both actuated by the cam X, their movements will be
under the hand of one man and necessarily combined with perfect regularity.
However in order further to ensure unity of action and to secure the parts more
effectually the following mode of connection has been devised. Two notches are
formed in the rod C, as is seen in Figures 2 they each coincide with the longi-
tudinal groove in the piece E, occupied by the rod O in one of the extreme positions
of the rod C.
The rod O is flattened where it passes through the piece E, and notched on the
under side as is seen in Figures 2. This notch is intended to form a way for the
free passage of the rod C, when this is pulled or pushed to set the Road. But
when the road is arranged and it is required to lock it securely in position the
rod O is pulled or pushed along the guide groove which it occupies in the 'piece E
and one or other side of the notch according to the position of the road engages
with the recess e or el in the rod C which then cannot move in any way. The
disc is by the same movement of the rod O put to the corresponding indication.
When the road again requires to be changed the rod O is withdrawn by the action
of the cam X, from the recess by which it engages the rod C, and the notch aligns
itself with the groove traversed by the rod C which is then able to slide to permit
the movement of the tongue rails. The disc by the same movement being put to
the corresponding position.
+
This being understood it remains to describe the series of movements produced'
by the above arrangements.
Each of the grooves K and L is divided into three parts; the first and last third
of the groove effecting the change of the road are dead, the intermediate or
second third causes the movement of the tongue rails in one direction or
the other.
In the groove operating the disc, the first and the last thirds interlock the rod O
with one or other of the notches in the rod C, whilst during the passage of the
second third the recess in O, remains aligned with the guide groove for C and
allows it to slide in or out.
'Consequently if we suppose the handle of the cam to be drawn fully outwards-
to set the switches for the main line as represented in the drawing the first
movement produced by thrusting the lever towards the line will be to draw the
rod O, out of the notch c" freeing the rod C and at the same time putting the
signal disc worked by the rod O to "danger." The second movement will be to
push the tongue rails over to the position necessary to set the line to the branch,
this will move the rod C along in the piece E, so as to place tlie notch in the
recess in the rod O, the third movement will be to bring the rod O, into the
notch e and so to interlock with the rod C at the same time turning the disc to
safety.
When the handle of the cam is drawn back the same movements are repeated in
the reverse order.
L
The guide block E should be enclosed in a box with lateral openings only, for
the passage of the rods. The cam and the intermediate levers should also be
enclosed to exclude dirt which might interfere with their action. The size of the
canis and levers should be regulated by the work to be performed and other parts
may be added where circumstances render it desirable.
I claim as the invention the system above described for operating the tongue
rails and signals by a single lever with interlocking arrangements and especially.
I claim:
First. The cam imovement applied to effect simultaneously the setting of tongue!
rails and signals, substantially as represented and described.
}
Second. The arrangement and movement of the rod directly operating the
signals the said rod being recessed at a suitable point so that during the dead time
of the cam which moves this rod, the rod which actuates the tongue rails may set.
them to the required position, and then by the continuation of the movement the
tongue rails may be locked and the disc set to the signal required.

page_text: Third. The interlocking produced by two grooves formed at right angles one to
the other and traversed one by the rod which changes the road and the other by
the rod of the signal disc, with two notches at a distance apart in the rod which
sets the road to open and close the access to the main road by the action of
the cam.
In witness whereof I the said Sydney Pitt have hereunto set my hand and
seal this fourth day of January in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and eighty four.
SYDNEY PITT (L.S.)