IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR WORKING AND LOCKING THE POINTS AND SIGNALS OF RAILWAYS
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Brierley and Walter Wright Brierley, of Kilburn, in
the County of Middlesex, Railway Sigual Engineers, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR WORKING AND LOCKING THE POINTS AND
SIGNALS OF RAILWAYS." The result partly of a communication from abroad
by Frederick Wade Brierley, of Philadelphia, in the United States of America,
and partly of invention and discovery made by themselves.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Brierley and Walter
Wright Brierley at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 21st
September 1876.
JOHN BRIERLEY AND WALTER WRIGHT BRIERLEY, of Kilburn, in the County
of Middlesex, Railway Signal Engineers. "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR
WORKING AND LOCKING THE POINTS AND SIGNALS OF RAILWAYS."
Our Invention relates to various improvements upon the mechanism used for
working the points and signal levers of railways, and for holding and locking the
levers in their correct positions after they have been moved in order to actuate the
points or signals.
Our improvements relate to the mode of working the locks which cause the
interlocking of the point and signal levers.
Various combinations, arrangements, and constructions of parts may be employed
to effect this object. In one arrangement we employ rocking plates or bars of
peculiar shape which we mount in such a manner as to cause them to bear against
each one of the levers in the frame. These rocking plates or bars may be either
flat, semicircular, or curved, and each of them may have either a slot through its
centre with a notch at each end or it may have the notches placed on that one of
its edges or sides against which the hand lever works, the notches being for the
purpose of catching and holding the lever when it has completed its traverse in the
frame. The slots or edges of these rocking plates or bars may be either parallel
with or inclined to the longitudinal axis of the rocking plate or bar, and both
notches may be placed on the same side of the slot or edge of the plate at the two
ends or on opposite sides at the end of the slot.
In the event of the lever working against one of the outer edges of the rocking
Duis 027

page_text: plate or bar it is evident that the notches must both be on the same side in order to
catch and hold the lever when it reaches the end of its traverse. The rocking
plates or bars are supported on trunnions or centres having elongated ends or
spindles, to which are attached the blocks which cause the interlocking of the
levers.
The arrangement of locking being similar to that shown in the Specification of
the Patent, No. 201," "granted to us in conjunction with Francis Samuel Reynolds and
the present communicant in the year of our Lord 1875.
The rocking plate or bar having a straight or diagonal slot through its centre
may be placed on one side of the signal or point lever, a pin being fixed to this
latter, which taking into the slot in the rocking plate or bar will cause the plate to
rock, and so actuate the rocking apparatus.
Should a slot or edge parallel to the longitudinal axis of the rocking plate or bar
be employed, and having two notches on the same side, the back notch would be
twice the depth of the front notch, so that what the rocking plate or bar loses by
the rocking motion imparted to it for the purpose of releasing the lever from
the notch will be compensated for by the extra depth of the other notch. The
plates or bars are caused to rock on their centres of motion by means of treadles or
foot depressors as in the former Invention, but although we prefer this plan other
modes of producing this rocking motion may be employed. The rocking motion is
imparted to these plates or bars for the purpose of releasing the levers from the
notches in the plates, and also to effect the locking of the lovers when they reach
the end of their traverse. The rocking plates or bars are kept up to their work,
and the levers are caught in the notches of the rocking plates or bars by means of
springs or counterbalance weights which bring back the rocking plates or bars into
their normal positions when the levers have completed their traverse.
As a modification of this the same result may be obtained by making one edge
of the plate of sufficient thickness that it will drop over or turn on its centre of
motion by its own weight.
In working with flat or curved plates or bars with a slot having one notch at
each end on opposite sides of the slot, and such slot being parallel to the longitu-
dinal axis of the rocking plate or bar, the spring which brings the plate over to
release or to hold the hand lever must be attached by one end to a moveable block
or die which is capable of being moved along a quadrant or curved slot adapted to the
rocking plate or bar so that the block or die is capable of being alternately shifted
from one side of the quadrant or curved slot to the other, according as it is desirable
to catch the lever in the front or back notch of the rocking plate or bar. This
shifting of the moveable block or die in the quadrant or curved slot may be effected
by means of rods or cranks attached to the treadle or foot depressor, or the same
result may be obtained by causing the hand lever in its motion along the slot in the
rocking plate or bar to throw over the block or die together with the upper end of
the spring.
As a modification of the above a shifting counterbalance weight may be employed
and caused by means of the treadle to shift in the quadrant or curved slot
alternately from one side of the rocking plate or bar to the other, according as it is 4
required to secure the lever in the front or the back notch.
It will be obvious that this mode of acting on alternate sides of the rocking plate
or bar may be adapted to slotted barrels or cylinders, in which there are notches at
the end of the slot on opposite sides.
It will also be evident that instead of the shifting weight being attached to a 5
block or die which moves along a curved slot the weight may be attached to a
tumbling lever which, when thrown over to one side or the other, will drag over the
rocking plate or bar with it in the required direction.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by the
said John Brierley and Walter Wright Brierley in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 21st March 1877.
JOHN BRIERLEY and WALTER WRIGHT BRIERLEY, of Kilburn, in the County of
Middlesex, Railway Signal Engineers. "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR
WORKING AND LOCKING THE POINTS AND SIGNALS OF RAILWAYS." The result
partly of a communication from abroad by Frederick Wade Brierley, of Phila-
delphia, in the United States of America, and partly of an invention and discovery
nade by themselves.
Our Invention relates to various improvements upon the mechanism used for
working the points and signal levers of railways, and for holding and locking the
levers in their correct positions after they have been moved in order to actuate the
points or signals.
Our improvements relate to the mode of working the locks which cause the
interlocking of the point and signal levers.
Various combinations, arrangements, and constructions of parts may be employed
to effect this object. In one arrangement we employ rocking plates or bars of
peculiar shape which we mount in such a manner as to cause them to bear against
each one of the levers in the frame. These rocking plates or bars may be either
flat, semicircular, or curved, and each of them may have either a slot through its
centre, with a notch at each end, or it may have the notches placed in that one of
its edges or sides against which the hand lever works, the notches being for the
purpose of catching and holding the lever when it has completed its traverse in
the frame. The slots or edges of these rocking plates or bars may be either
parallel with or inclined to the longitudinal axis of the rocking plate or bar, and
both notches may be placed on the same side of the slot or edge of the plate at the
two ends or on opposite sides at the end of the slot.
In the event of the lever working against one of the outer edges of the rocking
plate or bar it is evident that the notches must both be on the same side in order
to catch and hold the lever when it reaches the end of its traverse. The rocking
plates or bars are supported on trunnions or centres having elongated ends or
spindles, to which are attached the locks which cause the interlocking of the levers.
The arrangement of locking being similar to that shewn in the Specification of
the Patent, No. 201, granted to us in conjunction with Francis Samuel Reynolds
and the present communicant in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred
and seventy-five.
Should a slot or edge parallel to the longitudinal axis of the rocking plate or bar
be employed, and having two notches on the same side, the back notch would be
twice the depth of the front notch, so that what the rocking plate or bar loses by
the rocking motion imparted to it for the purpose of releasing the lever from the
notch will be compensated for by the extra depth of the other notch. The plates
or bars are caused to rock on their centres of motion by means of treadles or foot
depressors as in our former invention, but although we prefer this plan other modes
of producing this rocking motion may be employed. The rocking motion is
imparted to these plates or bars for the purpose of releasing themselves from the
notches in the plates, and also to effect the locking of the levers when they reach
the end of their traverse. The rocking plates or bars are kept up to their work,
and the levers are caught in the notches of the rocking plates or bars by means
of springs or counterbalance weights which bring back the rocking plates or bars
into their normal positions when the levers have completed their traverse.
As a modification of this the same result may be obtained by making one edge
of the plate of sufficient thickness that it will drop over or turn on its centre of
motion by its own weight.
In working with flat or curved plates or bars with a slot having one notch at
each end on opposite sides of the slot, and such slot being parallel to the longitu-

page_text: dinal axis of the rocking plate or bar the spring which brings the plate over to
release or to hold the hand lever must be attached by one end to a moveable block
or die which is capable of being moved along a quadrant or curved slot adapted to
the rocking plate or bar, so that the block or die is capable of being alternately
shifted from one side of the quadrant or curved slot to the other, according as it is
desirable to catch the lever on the front or back notch of the rocking plate or bar.
This shifting of the moveable block or die in the quadrant or curved slot may be
effected by means of rods or cranks attached to the treadle or foot depresser, or the
same result may be obtained by causing the hand lever in its motion along the slot
in the rocking plate or bar to throw over the block or die, together with the upper
end of the spring.
As a modification of the above a shifting counterbalance weight may be
employed and caused by means of the treadle to shift in the quadrant or curved slot
alternately from one side of the rocking plate or bar to the other, according as it is
required to secure the lever in the front or the back notch.
It will be obvious that this mode of acting on alternate sides of the rocking plate
or bar may be adapted to slotted barrels or cylinders, in which there are notches at
the end of the slot on opposite sides.
It will also be evident that instead of the shifting weight being attached to a
block or die which moves along a curved slot the weight may be attached to a
tumbling lever, which, when thrown over to one side or the other will drag over
the rocking plate or bar with it in the required direction.
In the accompanying Drawings Figures 1, 2, and 3 shew a semi-cylinder or
barrel similar to that patented by us in one thousand eight hundred and seventy-
five, No. 201, with the exception that one side of the cylinder or barrel is removed,
leaving it open sided with only a straight bar A, to which is attached the spring B.
Fig. 1 is a plan, Fig. 2 is a side view, and Fig. 3 is an end view of the apparatus;
the spindle C is for the purpose of attaching the locks, which are of the same nature
as those described in our previous Patent, No. 201, in the year of our Lord one
thousand eight hundred and seventy-five.
Figs. 4, 5, and 6 shew a plate of wrought or cast iron with a twist in it, and its
effect is precisely similar to that shewn in Figures 1, 2, and 3.
Figures 7, 8, and 9 show a round bar of iron forged to an incline, and is similar
in its action to those shown in Figures 1 and 4.
1
Figures 10, 11, and 12 show an open sided half cylinder having a straight side,
against which the lever is caused to bear. This side being straight or parallel with
the axis of the half cylinder no motion is gained or lost during the passage of the
lever; this however is compensated for by the extra depth of the back notch which
is double that of the front one, so that the motion is communicated to the locks on
the spindle by a sudden motion, and not gradually as would be the case were the
bearing side inclined to the axis of the cylinder.
Figures 13, 14, and 15 show a half cylinder, the bottom half being removed and
having a slot in its top side. By this means an economy of metal in the construc-
tion of the cylinder is effected, otherwise its action is similar to those shewn in
Figures 1, 4, and 7, and also in our previous Patent, No. 201, one thousand eight
hundred and seventy-five.
Figures 16, 17, and 18 show a wedge-shaped plate, one side of which is made
considerably heavier than the other so as to avoid the necessity of using a spring.
In this wedge plate is a diagonal slot and notches similar to that shewn in Fig. 13,
its action on the locks attached to the spindle C being precisely similar.
Figures 19, 20, and 21 show an arrangement for working a semi-cylinder or
barrel, in which is a straight slot having notches on opposite sides at each end of
the slot. In order to cause the barrel or cylinder to catch the lever in the backward
or forward notch it is necessary to shift the spring alternately from side to side of
the cylinder or barrel. This is effected by means of a block or die E working in a
quadrant or curved slot F, and to which is attached the spring B, which, at its
opposite end is made fast in the usual manner.

page_text: The manner of working is as follows:-In order to release the lever H from the
notch I it is necessary to partially rotate the cylinder or barrel. This is effected by
placing the foot on the right hand side of the treadle G, which not only causes the
barrel to rotate but also forces the die E along the slot in the quadrant or curved
slot F, and so when the lever H has travelled along the slot in the barrel it will be
caught in the back notch K of the barrel by the spring pulling down the opposite
side of the barrel. In order to return the lever to its normal position the motion
of the treadle must be reversed, that is to say the foot should be placed on the left
hand side of the treadle G when the die E will be forced back to the position shown
in Fig. 21, and the lever will consequently be caught in the front notch I of the
barrel.
Fig. 22 is a modification of the apparatus shewn at Figures 19, 20, and 21, and
shows a shifting weight L attached to a moveable block which is capable of sliding
to and fro on a rod and produces the same effect as the shifting spring B, Figures
19, 20, and 21.
It will be evident that the means shown in the accompanying Drawings may be
considerably modified both in form and their means of being worked, for instance,
the same effect may in almost every case be produced by means of a spring catch
rod behind the lever instead of a foot depresser or treadle, but we prefer the treadle
as it gives more power.
Having now set forth the nature of our Invention for "Improvements in
Apparatus for Working and Locking the Points and Signals of Railways," and having
explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, we wish it to be understood
that under the above in part recited Letters Patent we claim,-
First. The various modifications of diagonal or curved surfaces or slots, whether
made on plates, bars, cylinders, or half cylinders, and used for the purpose of
working the interlocking apparatus for locking and interlocking the signals and
switches of railways.
Second. We claim the means shewn in Figures 19, 20, 21, and 22, for working
the interlocking apparatus by means of a straight slot in a plate or barrel, having
notches at each end and on opposite sides of the slot, and causing the notches to
catch the lever by means of a shifting spring or weight working by a treadle, foot
depresser, or other suitable means.
In witness whereof, I, the said Walter Wright Brierley, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the 20th day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven.