AN IMPROVED METHOD OF FIXING THE POINTS AT JUNCTIONS IN LINES OF RAILWAY
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James John Stevens, of Darlington Works,
Southwark, in the County of Surrey, Engineer, for the Invention
of "AN IMPROVED METHOD OF FIXING THE POINTS AT JUNCTIONS IN LINES
OF RAILWAY."
Sealed the 26th May 1871, and dated the 18th February 1871.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said James John Stevens
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition
and Declaration, on the 18th February 1871, pursuant to the 9th
Section of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
JOHN STEVENS, of Darlington Works, Southwark, in the County of
Surrey, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "AN IMPROVED
METHOD OF FIXING THE POINTS AT JUNCTIONS IN LINES OF RAILWAY," and have
petitioned Her Majesty to grant unto me, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, Her Royal. Letters Patent for the same, and have made
solemn Declaration that I am the first and true Inventor thereof...

page_text: "
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said James John Stevens, do hereby
declare that the following Complete Specification, under my hand and
seal, fully describes and ascertains the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, in and by the
following statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawings here-
unto annexed, that is to say :-
-
As the lines of railway are now ordinarily constructed at junctions
the points are so set as to clear the lines passing along the main line
up or down, and the point levers must therefore be pulled over to enable
a train to pass from or to the branch lines at the junction and the
signals should stand at danger.
It is now considered necessary to avoid accident that the signalling
apparatus should be so constructed that the home and distaut signals
cannot be actuated until the points be first set and that such signals
should be so secured that they cannot be moved until the points be
first set, and upon setting the points the action should release the home,
and then the home should release the distant signals, so that the signal-
man can actuate the levers in succession. In signalling a train therefore
the points should be set first, the home signal next, and lastly, the
distant signal, and these will require to be put back in the reverse
order, the distant signal first, the home signal next, and the points
last. In operating therefore on one set of points and signals in order
to attain the above results the apparatus should be so arranged that all
other points and signals which can in any way interfere with the line
desired to be clear, should be so secured that their respective levers
cannot be moved by the operator and thus the possibility of any error
by pulling over a wrong point or signal lever be obviated. But it has
at times happened that the points have shifted either before the train
has come up to the points or while passing over the points of junction.
Such an accident would necessarily drive the carriages to the wrong
line if the separation of the points of junction were sufliciently open so
as to allow the flange of the wheels to pass between the inner surface of
the rail and the switch points. Several attempts have been made to
obviate this defect but all have been more or less objectionable.
Now my Invention relates to an improved method of so fixing the
points in their proper position previous to the passing of the train, or

page_text: during its progress over the points of junction. I perform the above
operation in the manner herein-after indicated and shown in the Drawings
which I desire to be taken as part of this my Specification.
Figures I., II., and III., shew the lines of rail in plan, the scale being
half an inch to a foot measure. The numbers and letters correspond
throughout. Those parts and movements which are in use and generally
well understood I do not propose to explain in detail as I do not claim
them. a, a, are the permanent rails; b, b', are the points. No. 1 com-
municates with the point lever and by the rod c to the points b and b'
by means of the rod c¹. Figures I. and II. shew the lines clear for the
up train to pass, the points being at their normal condition. Figure III.
shows the points thrown over in order to pass the train to the branch
up line. No. 3 communicates with the main line signal lever, and its
rod d with the main line signal. No. 2 communicates with the branch
line signal lever, and its rod e with the branch line signal.
66
Figure I shews the signals in elevation as if the rods d and e were
continued. In Figure I. the signals stand at danger or stop with the
points right for the main line or in their normal position. The points and
signals are actuated in the manner too well understood to require
explanation here and they in themselves form no part of my Invention.
f is a bar or point guard." This bar is fixed on suitable bearings
inside the permanent rail a as shewn in Figures I., II., and III., imme-
diately at the end of the switch tongue b. This is connected with the
rod g with cranks and cross rods as shown in Drawings. This rod
has on
it a bolt at h. When the main line signal No. 3 is pulled over to lower,
to give the signal for the approach of a main line train, the lever i of
the crank will be thrown back and the upper projection passing into a
slot in the rod g, shewn open at k, will draw forward the rod g as shown
in Figure II. This movement will throw open or separate the "point
guard" from the rail a as shown in Figures II. and III., by means
of the rods 1, 1, and the cranks m, m³, the "point guard" will slide
along the bearings or plain n, n', thus leaving an opening between the
'point guard" and rail as shown in Figures II. and III., sufficient for
the flange of the wheels of a train to pass between them. This move-
ment of the rod 9 will secure the tongue rail 6 firmly against the
rail a with the bolt h, and the points will be held in the position shown
in Figure II., and the points cannot be altered as long as the train is
66

page_text: passing as the "point guard" will be securely kept in the position shown
in Figuro II., and even when the train has passed the points cannot be
shifted until the main line signal lever No. 3 is pulled back, and the
main line signal set at danger as in Figure I. Returning the lever 3
to its original position the "point guard" would be brought back to 5
its original position as in Figuro I. and the points released at h. The
rod o fixed to each switch point close to b and b' passes through the
bolt and is fixed or released by the rod passing backwards or forwards
through the holes in the rod o shown at × × which represent the holes
through which the bolt passes.
1
In order to understand this operation I have shown in Figure IV. an
enlarged Drawing of the bolt h in elevation and in Figure V. the same
in plan on an enlarged scale. The dotted line shows the bolt part of
rod g having passed through the opening × in rod o and thus fixes the
rod in that position and the rod o will be released on the withdrawal of 1
the bolt g' on returning the main signal lever to its original position;
the dotted line in Figure V. shows the bolt through the hole as in
Figure II. Figure VI. shows the rod 7 and the apertures and tho
bearings on a larger scale in elevation so as to shew the apertures more
clearly. The dotted line shews the same when the branch of the crank í 2
of the lever 3 Figure II. has passed in to the aperture and drawn
forward the rod for separating the "point guard" and the rail as
before described;
I
is the aperture for lever i of the crank of the branchi
line signal No. 2 to operate in. The same operation which has been
described with regard to the main line "point guard" and points applies 2
to the "point guard" and points of the branch line.
In order to set the points for the train to pass on to the branch line,
the points will be first set by passing over the point lever No. 1 and the
points will then be set in the position as shewn in Figure III. The
"point guard" will be actuated by passing over the lever No. 2 of the 3
branch line signal and rod c. Tlic lever of the crank will pass into thic
slot in the rod g at kand draw the rod 9 and separate the "point guard” ƒ
from the rail a (Figure III.) in the manner before described. The rod o
will be passed. over and will be bolted at h, and thus fix the points in
their new position to enable the train to pass on to the branch line 3
and fix them in that position as the "point guard" cannot move until
the train has passed to the branch line.

page_text: In order to release the points the lever of the branch linc signal must
be brought back to its original position, which will release the rod o at
the bolt h and then the points can be returned by pulling over the point
lever No. 1.
66
If it should be preferred the "point guard" can be actuated by a
special lever. In that case it must be so arranged as to release first the
signal levers, then the "point guard," and thus the safe transit will be
ensured to the intended line. The "point guard" can also be made
so as to be self-acting if required. Supposing the "point guard"
be lying in the position as in Figure I. The train as it approaclics
the flanges of the wheel would necessarily pass between the rail and
‘point guard” and thrust it aside, the rods 1, 1, would operate on the
crank and m, m², and the rod g in a similar manner as before described
and bolt the rod o at h as before described. In that case I use a
balance weight at p which when the train has passed will draw back
the rod g, release the rod o and bring the "point guard" to its original
position, as at Figure I. This balance weight is constructed on the
same principle as balance weights used for bringing back points to
their normal position, as also for signals, and is shown in Drawing
Figure VII.
Figure II are the signals at the continuation of the rods d and e
Figure II., and shows that by throwing over the lever the main line
signal lever No. 3 the main signal is lowered and the branch signal still
locked at danger.
.
Figure III are the signals at the continuation of the rods d and e, the
lever of branch line signal being thrown over, which acts on the branch
signal, locking the main signal at danger.
Having now described the nature of my Invention I wish it to be
understood that I lay no claim to the position of the rails or signals or
the mode of operating on the signals or on the points except so far as
the levers of the points and the main and branch signal are employed
for the purposes of assisting in the operation of fixing the points and
separating the "point guard" from the rail and bringing them back in
manner herein-before described. But what I claim is,-
1st. The use of a moveable "point guard" in the manner and for
the purpose herein-before described.

page_text: And, secondly. The method herein-before described of fixing the
points in combination with the use of the "moveable point guard" as
herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said James John Stevens, have hierc-
unto set my hand this Thirteenth day of February, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one.
Signed, scaled, and delivered by
the above-named James John
Stevens, in the presence of
JOHN DEAKIN,
JAMES JOHN STEVENS. (L.S.)
101, Lancaster Street,
Southwark.