Improvements in the Means for Locking and Releasing the Facing Points of Railways.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd Feb., 1887
Complete Left, 7th June, 1887
Complete Accepted, 5th Aug., 1887
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Means for Locking and Releasing the Facing
Points of Railways.
I, GEORGE EDWARDS Managing Director of the Railway Signal Company (Limited)
of Fazakerley, Liverpool in the County of Lancaster do hereby declare the nature of
my invention to be as follows:-
My Invention has for its object to provide facing points with means whereby
should the operating parts by which the points are moved be broken or disarranged
so that although the operating lever is moved yet the point is not operated, the signal-
man is made aware of the defect and further I provide such an arrangement of locking
of the levers in the Cabin that only the proper signals can be given in accordance
with the actual position of the points. I use a locking bar levers cranks and locking
bolt engaging with the cross plate or bar of the point and these parts may be of the
ordinary construction. As hitherto constructed however should the parts which operate
the point break, the signalman can relock the point in the position from which they
have not been moved owing to the breakage. According to my invention I provide
means whereby after the locking bolt is withdrawn for moving the point it cannot be
returned to the locking position until the point has been actually moved over this
Whilst not limiting
movement being the only means of releasing the locking bolt.
myself to any precise details I may use a pawl which engages with ratchet teeth on
the locking bolt so that it is free to be moved back but cannot be moved forward
again until the points are moved when a part connected therewith causes the pawl to
be moved so as to be disengaged from the ratchet teeth on the bolt and then a spring
catch holds it in its released position. The bolt can then be moved to lock the points
and in this movement the catch which holds up the pawl is moved back to release the
pawl for again engaging with the ratchet teeth on the bolt. These details may how-
ever be greatly varied. 1 give them to the better explain the nature of my Invention
which is not limited to such details.

page_text: I prevent the wrong signal being given owing to the signalman moving the point
one way and then back again to the original position. I arrange the locking of the
levers in the signal cabin by devices which may be of the ordinary kind but so
arranged that after the point lever has been pulled it is locked so that the point
locking bolt lever must be operated before the point lever can be put back again and
vice versa.
As the signal levers are locked by the point locking bolt lever the
signal for the branch line cannot be given when the main line is open and vice versa.
Dated this 22nd day of February 1887.
J. H. JOHNSON & Co.,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, W.C.,
Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Means for Locking and Releasing the Facing
Points of Railways.
I, GEORGE EDWARDS, Managing Director of the Railway Signal Company (Limited) 1
of Fazakerley Liverpool in the County of Lancaster, 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 Invention has for its object to provide facing points with means whereby should
the operating parts by which the points are moved be broken or disarranged so that 2
although the operating lever is moved yet the point is not operated the Signalman is
made aware of the defect and I prefer to provide in connection therewith such an
arrangement for locking the levers in the cabin that only the proper signals can be
given in accordance with the actual position of the points. I use a locking bar lever
crank and a locking bolt or plunger engaging with the cross plate or stretcher bar of 2
the points and these parts may be of the ordinary construction. As hitherto arranged,
however, should the parts which operate the points break, the signalman can relock
the points in the position from which they have not been moved owing to the breakage.
According to my Invention I provide means whereby after the locking bolt or
plunger is withdrawn from the stretcher bar of the points it cannot be returned to the 30
locking position until the points have been actually moved over this movement being
the only means of releasing the locking bolt or plunger for relocking.

page_text: And in order that my Invention may be well understood I will proceed to describe
with reference to the accompanying drawings a manner in which the same may be
performed premising that I do not limit myself to the precise details illustrated as
they may be varied without departing from the nature of my Invention.
Figures 1 and 2 are sectional elevations shewing in Figure 1 the locking bolt or
plunger C withdrawn to allow the points to be moved over and the plunger C locked
by the pawl E and Figure 2 shews the position when the points have been moved and
the plunger C thereby released ready for relocking. Figure 3 is a plan of Figure 1
and Figure 4 is an end elevation. The points are connected together by the stretcher
bar B. The locking bolt or plunger is marked C. The mechanism arranged
according to my Invention is enclosed in a suitable protecting box or casing D. In
this box or casing is mounted (upon the centre e) a pawl E which engages with
ratchet teeth c on the locking bolt or plunger C so that it is free to be moved back
but cannot be moved forward again until the points are moved when an inclined
part 6 secured to the stretcher bar B presses down the end of the pawl E so as to
disengage it from the ratchet teeth c in the plunger C and then a catch F (centred
at is drawn over by the spring fand by taking over the projection e on the
pawl E holds it in its released position. The bolt or plunger C can then be moved to
lock the points and in 'this movement the catch F is moved back to release the pawl
for again engaging with the ratchet teeth on the bolt. This is effected by the
projection on the plunger C coming against the catch F and pressing it clear of
the projection when the spring e presses the pawl down to engage with the teeth c
of the plunger C when the said plunger is next moved back to unlock the points.
To prevent the wrong signal being given owing to the signalman moving the
points one way and the rod breaking in that act, and then his moving only the lever
back again to its original position, I arrange the locking of the levers in the signal
cabin by devices which may be of the ordinary kind so arranged that after the point
lever has been pulled it is locked so that the lever which operates the point locking
bolt or plunger must be operated before the point lever can be put back again and
As the signal levers are locked in the usual manner by the lever of the
point locking plunger the signal for the branch line cannot be given when the main
line is open and vice versa. "Figures 5 and 6 are views at right angles to each other
illustrating an arrangement of mechanism for effecting the above.
vice versa.
Fixed on the lever locking frame is a plate 1 carrying two levers 2 and 3 centred
respectively at 4 and 5 and jointed together by means of a pin or bolt 6 so as to admit
of their oscillating on their centres without becoming separated. Each of these
levers is provided with a notch or projection 7 and 8 respectively with one or other of
which the facing point lever 9 is caused to engage when moved for the purpose of
shifting the points. When the lever 9 is engaged with either of the said projections
it is prevented from moving therefrom by a spring 10 connected at one end to the
tail 11 of the lever 3 its opposite end being connected by a stud 12 to the plate 1,
which spring tends to maintain the levers 2 and 3 in a straight line as shewn by the
full lines in Figure 5. Before the lever 9 can be moved for the purpose of shifting
the points, the lever 2-3 must be first moved so as to disengage the projection 7 or 8
(as the case may be) from the point lever 9. The movement of the said levers 2, 3 is
effected by means of a lever 13 which works the facing point lock acting on the
tail 11 of the lever 3 so as to move the said lever and the lever 2 into the position
shewn by dotted lines in Figure 5 in which position they are maintained by another
lever 14 centred at 15 to a bracket 16 on the plate 1 and acted upon by a spring 17
so as to cause the tail 18 of the said lever to move into the position to engage the
front edge of the lover 2 as shewn by dotted lines in Fig. 6. The levers 2 and 3
being thus locked in the position shewn hy dotted lines the lever 13 may be returned
to its normal position shewn in full lines and the point lever 9 may then be moved to
shift the points. The point lever 9 is provided with a projection or friction bow! 19
which when the lever is moved from one position to the other acts upon an inclined
projection 20 on the lever 14 so as to cause the said lever to disengage the lever 2
whereupon the said lever 2 and the lever 3 will, under the action of the spring 10, be

page_text: brought into the straight position shewn by the full lines and thus prevent the lever 9
from being again moved or disengaged from the projections on the levers 2 or 3
nntil released by the lever 13 as hereinbefore described.
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 :-
First In connection with the facing points of railways, means for automatically
acting to hold back the locking bolt or plunger when it is withdrawn, in combination
with means for afterwards releasing the said bolt or plunger by the moving over of
the points substantially as hereinbefore described.
Second-In connection with the facing points locks of railways a detent or pawl
which engages with the locking bolt or plunger when it is withdrawn so as to hold
the said locking bolt or plunger in its withdrawn position and a part in connection
with the points which releases the said detent or pawl when the points are moved
over substantially as herein before described.
Third: The whole arrangement and combination of parts for the aforesaid purpose
as illustrated in Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the accompanying drawings.
Dated the fith day of June 1887.
GEORGE EDWARDS.