Improvements in or Connected with Apparatus for Looking and Releasing the Operating and Controlling Devices at and Signals for the Facing Points of Railways.
Year: 1888

page_text: Improvements in or Connected with Apparatus for Looking and
Releasing the Operating and Controlling Devices at and Signals
for the Facing Points of Railways.
I GEORGE EDWARDS Managing Director of the Railway Signal Company Limited
of Fazakerley Liverpool in the County of Lancaster Engineer do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention to be as follows:-
My Invention has for its object to provide an arrangement of apparatus for locking
and releasing the operating and controlling devices at, and signals for, the facing
points of railways so that in the event of a breakage of any of the operating parts the
signalman is made cognisant of it by his inability to give the signals unless the parts
at the point have been properly operated.
According to my Invention I connect to the locking bolt for the point or to a
part moving with the said bolt or projection or arm operating through a bell crank
lever or equivalent device upon a locking rod for locking and releasing the signal
operating wires or rods. Similarly I connect a rod from the lifting bar to a bell
crank lever or equivalent device to another such locking rod, and I further connect
another such locking rod to the points themselves. The outer ends of the three
locking rods are provided with locking bars which pass through a box or casing
through which also with the signal operating wires or rods pass transverseley to the
locking bars of the locking rods all the locking bars being provided with locking
grooves or notches so arranged that when the points are moved over the signal wire
or rod for the main line is left free to be operated and the signal wire or rod for the
branch line is locked and vice versa when the points are moved over in the opposite
direction. Therefore should the points not be properly brought over or be properly
bolted or the lifting bar fail to act wrong signals cannot be given. When the point
is moved over the main or the branch line signal wires are the one locked and the
other released in accordance with the position of the points and when the point
locking plunger enters the orifice in the stretcher bar to lock it the locking rod
operated by the same movement is moved into a position to allow the main and the

page_text: branch line signals to be properly given but they cannot either of them be so given
until the locking has been effected. When the lifting bar is moved over the locking
rod operated by the same movement is moved into a position to release the main and
branch line signal wires but this cannot be done if the operating connection be
broken. I make a projection on the end of the signal locking rod in connection
with the point locking plunger which engages over or with the end of the signal
locking rod in connection with the lifting bar so that if the ordinary connection be
broken when the locking bolt is attempted to be withdrawn if a train be on the lifting
bar this cannot be done as the signal locking rod of the lifting bar obstructs the
movement of the signal locking rod of the locking plunger until the train has left the
lifting bar.
Dated this 18th day of June 1888.

page_text: Improvements in or Connected with Apparatus for Locking and
Releasing the Operating and Controlling Devices at and Signals
for the Facing Points of Railways.
I GEORGE EDWARDS Managing Director of the Railway Signal Company Limited
of Fazakerley Liverpool in the County of Lancaster 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 Invention has for its object to provide an arrangement of apparatus for locking
and releasing the operating and controlling devices at, and signals for the facing
points of railways so that in the event of a breakage of any of the operating parts
the signalman is made cognisant of it by his inability to give the signals, unless the
parts at the point have been properly operated.
I will describe my Invention with reference to the accompanying drawings,
Figure 1 of which represents in plan the general system. I connect to the locking
bolt A. for the point (or to a part moving with the said bolt) a projection or arm a
operating, through a bell crank lever 6 or equivalent device, upon a locking rod c for
locking and releasing the signal operating wires or rods. Similarly I connect a rod d
from the lifting bar E to a bell crank lever f or equivalent device to another such
locking rod and I further connect another such locking rod e³ to the points them-
selves. The outer ends of the three locking rods are provided with locking bars
which pass through a box or casing G (shewn in detail in Figure 2) through which
box or casing also locking bars h h in line with the signal operating wires or rods
pass, transversely to the locking bars of the locking rods all the locking bars being
provided with locking grooves or notches so arranged that when the points are moved
over in one direction the signal wire or rod for the main line is left free to be operated
and the signal wire or rod for the branch line is locked, and vice versa, when the
points are moved over in the opposite direction. Therefore should the points not be
properly brought over or be properly bolted or the lifting bar fail to act, wrong
signals cannot be given. When the point is moved over, the main, or the branch
line signal wires are the one locked and the other released in accordance with the
position of the points, and when the point locking plunger A enters the orifice in
the stretcher bar to lock it, the locking rod c operated by the same movement is
moved into a position to allow the main and the branch line signals to be properly
given but they cannot either of them be so given until the locking has been effected.
When the lifting bar E is moved over, the locking rod c² operated by the same
movement is moved into a position to release the main and branch line signal wires,
but this cannot be done if the operating connection be broken. I make a projection c*
on the end of the signal locking rod c in connection with the point locking plunger
which projection engages over, or with, the end of the signal locking rod cin
connection with the lifting bar, so that if the ordinary connection a³ with the lifting
bar be broken when the locking bolt is attempted to be withdrawn, if a train be on

page_text: the lifting bar this withdrawal cannot be done as the signal locking rod c³ of the
lifting bar obstructs the movement of the signal locking rod c of the locking plunger
until the train has left the lifting bar.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In combination with the lifting bar at points, means for locking and releasing
the signal wires or rods substantially as herein before described.
2. In combination with points, means for locking and releasing the signal wires or
rods by the movement of the locking plunger and the lifting bar and a projection or
engaging part (c) substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore described.
3. The general arrangement and combination of parts as a whole, for locking and
releasing signal wires or rods by the movements of the points, the locking plunger and
the lifting bar substantially as herein before described.
Dated this 15th day of March 1889.