Improvements in the Supports or Bearings for the Operating Rods of Signals and Switches and other Railway Appliances.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 31st July, 1891
Complete Specification Left, 30th Apr., 1892-Accepted, 30th July, 1892:
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Supports or Bearings for the Operating Rods
of Signals and Switches and other Railway Appliances.
I, ARTHUR GEORGE EVANS of 116 Palace Chambers Bridge Street, West-
minster in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has for its object an improvement in the supporting guides or
rollers upon which the rods employed for communicating motion or movement to
railway signalling apparatus, rest and move.
These rods have frequently to move
objects such as a pair of switch points at a considerable distance from the operating
lever. In such cases as these where the switch points are both worked and
locked by one rod it is especially desirable that friction should be reduced to a
minimum.
My invention primarily consists of an improvement in the invention described in
the Specification of Letters Patent granted to Samuel Telford Dutton No. 12677
dated 13th August 1890. In that Specification the roller supporting the rod has
no axis but moves to and fro upon a longitudinal rib provided on the inside of the
base of the roller frame or carrier. The travel of the roller is arranged according
to the travel of the rod.
With this appliance when the roller had moved to its fullest extent so that it
abutted against the end of the casting or was otherwise held in its travel (by a rod
running through the centre of the roller if the centre of the roller was hollow)
thereby preventing any further forward movement and when it arrived in this
position and the rod was required to travel further instead of the roller assisting
the travel of the rod the roller in that position retarded the travel as the roller
becoming, locked added a large amount of friction to the travel of the rod.
While wishing to retain the advantages gained as long as the roller travels but
on the other hand wishing to overcome the disadvantages that ensue when the
roller has finished its travel and become locked, I arrange that an axis to the roller
is provided projecting at either side and the said axis only at the termination of the
travel of the roller comes into contact with the shelf or guide which allows the
further travel of the rod to revolve the roller. In the larger portion of the travel
of the roller the axis is not operating or resting or touching any shelf or other
support but is moving on the rib as described in the hereinbefore referred to
Specification of Samuel Telford Dutton.
In order that the roller may easily revolve, the rib on the inside of the base plate
of the carriage of the roller is bevelled or rounded off so that just as the roller is
approaching the completion of its travel and its axis is engaging or resting upon the
recesses or shelves upon which it revolves it is leaving the rib and is suspended by
its axis. Therefore when the rib is in operation and the roller is supporting a rod
on it the axis is not in operation and when the axis of the roller is in operation the rib
then is not in operation, or the rib then is not being used with reference to the roller.
The recesses or shelves provided for the operation of the axis as the termination of
the stroke in either direction of the roller may be a continuous one from one end
of the frame to the other but may be hollowed out or which would be preferable
only a short rib or shelf provided at either end.
In connection with my invention as herein before described I may provide an
upper roller which is of a smaller dimension and if desirable I may arrange for the
upper roller to move by its axis rolling along a path provided in the sides of the
casting of the roller frame so that the top roller in the event of the rod becoming

page_text: buckled and pressing upwards would move along this path and thereby reduce
friction to a minimum.
It is obvious that my invention is applicable to any section of point rod, that is,
tubular, channel iron, or any other section which may be desired.
Dated this 31st day of July 1891.
JOHN P. O'DONNELL,
2, Great George Street, Westminster, London, S.W.,
Agent for the said Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Supports or Bearings for the Operating Rods
of Signals and Switches and other Railway Appliances.
I, ARTHUR GEORGE EVANS of 116 Palace Chambers, Bridge Street, West-
minster in the County of Middlesex, Civil 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 :-
This invention has for its object an improvement in the supporting guides or
rollers upon which the rods employed for communicating movements to railway
signalling apparatus rest and move. These rods have frequently to move objects
such as a pair of switch points at a considerable distance from the operating
lever. In cases where the switch points are both worked and locked by one rod
it is especially desirable that friction should be reduced to a minimum.
With my invention 1 provide as ordinarily two rollers,. a lower one and an
upper one, the rod operating between the two normally resting on the lower one.
arrange that both the rollers have their axes projecting on either side and
recesses or shelves are provided for the axes of the rollers to revolve upon, or slots
in the side of the casting forming the frame of the roller are provided, the axes of
the rollers revolving similarly in these slots. Assuming that the rod is being
supported by the bottom roller, when the rod is pulled the pulley revolves on its
axis along the path on the lower side of the recess, shelf, or slotted hole, but in the
return movement when a push is given to the rod it frequently happens that the rod
buckles and pressure is put upon the top roller.
In order to provide that this roller should give the same assistance to the return
motion as the lower one does in the initial movement, I provide that this roller
also moves longitudinally as well as revolves, the two pulleys being alike in the fact
that when the rod is pushed or pulled or when the rod presses upon either of them
the pulleys are caused to revolve and their axes roll along their respective paths.
I am aware that arrangements have been provided whereby the lower roller is
made with the projecting axes and the said axes rolls along the paths or shelves,
but so far as I am aware my invention is novel with reference to the top roller.
I also provide that where two or more rollers are required in a set that the
standards or side frames forming such sets may be built up suitably so that they
may be added to or taken away from without disturbing the other rollers in the set
and the whole is so arranged that the bases of the said rollers interlock with each
other and are secured to the wooden or iron frames to which the rollers are usually
fixed by coach screws or bolts.
It will be seen on reference to the drawings that I have abolished the several
bolts or rods upon which the rollers revolve. I am aware that in certain cases the
bolt or rod in connection with the lower roller has been abolished but I am not
aware that this has ever been done as regards the top roller.
It is obvious that my invention is applicable to the various sections of point rod,
for instance either the tubular section or the channel section point rod or any other
form that may be desired.
In order that my invention may be better understood and more readily carried

page_text: igure is a side view of my roner showing the side standaru WRCIS
position and the operating rod between them.
Figure 2 is a front view partly in section. The sectional portion of this figure is
a section of one of the standards p, p Figure 7.
Figure 3 is a side view of the bottom roller.
Figure 4 is a section through the centre of the bottom roller:
Figure 5 is a side view of the top roller:
Figure 6 is a section through the centre of the top roller..
Figure 7 is a plan of the standards with the rollers removed showing the way in
which they are built up.
Figure 8 is a front view of my roller arranged for the channel iron section of
point rod instead of tubular section as Figures 1 to 7 show.
Figure 9 is a side view of the top roller of Figure 8.
Figure 10 is a side view of the bottom.roller of Figure 8.
a is the bottom roller for tubular point rod Figures 1 to 7 inclusive; a¹ is the
axis or pivot or spindle on each side of the bottom roller a; a3 and a³ are the side
projections of the bottom roller a which reduce the friction, keeping the larger sides
of the roller from touching the insides of the standard. b is the top roller; 61 (on
each side) is the spindle of the top roller; 63 and are the side projections of the
top roller, provided for lessening friction, keeping the remaining portion of the roller
from touching the insides of the standards. c is the elongated path or slot in the
side of the standard, provided for the bottom roller, and d is the similar
elongated path or slot provided for the top roller; c is the lower part of this
slot upon which the spindle a¹ of the bottom roller revolves.
While describing the slot for the bottom roller it will be understood that the
upper part of this slot, c², is of no value or use in connection with the bottom
roller as the latter is never supposed to touch the top part, the bottom part being
the one upon which the roller revolves. It is obvious that this could be modified
as not being in any way essential to my invention whatever. If desirable the top
side of this elongated slot c may be made of a circular form approximating to the
middle of the rib e and I therefore lay no claim whatever to the upper part of this
slot or to the fact of the slot being enclosed at its upper side. With any form of
roller there must be a termination to the travel of the roller for the sake of
convenience and economy and for this termination ends or stops must be provided.
I therefore lay no claim to the fact of this slot being provided with ends as it is
obvious no practicable roller standard could be designed without them or their
equivalents.
d' is the lower path of the upper slot d. In connection with this it may be
observed that this part is only of use for preventing the roller from falling and
bearing upon the top of the rod, which, however, would not be detrimental to the
action of my invention, but it will be understood that when the rod is put into
compression that the spindle b¹ of the roller b may take its bearing upon the upper
path d² of the slot d; f is the tubular point rod which is supported upon the bottom
roller a; g are the holes, Figure 7, by which the standards are bolted to their
supports, either wood or iron.
h, are the bevelled ends of the feet of the standard which fit into a
corresponding bevelled recess k¹, k² in the next standard; is the end of the
standard which is square and which is provided for enabling the standards to fit into
each other more accurately.
m is the bottom roller, Figure 8, designed for the support of channel iron point
rod. The spindles and recesses or slots and the way in which the spindles operate
in the recesses or slots are the same as in Figures 1 to 7. n is the channel iron
rod which is supported upon the roller m; o is the top roller, Figure 8 for use with
channel iron point rod. Again, the spindles and elongated slots through which

page_text: this roller is operated are the same as in Figures 1 to 7 illustrated with regard to
the tubular point rod.
In the rollers m and o slight projections are provided for a similar purpose to
those herein before referred to a² and a³, and 62 and 63 in the rollers for tubular
point rod, Figures 1 to 7.
A brief description of the working of my invention is as follows:-The same of
course refers to either channel or tubular point rod.
When the rod is operated and the rod is in tension, that is to say, when there is
a pull given to the rod by the operating lever, or it may be occasionally that a push
is given to the rod, at all events when the top roller is not brought into operation
and the rod does not bear upon it, the rod revolves the lower roller upon its axis,
the said axes travels along the lower paths c' of the elongated slots c, and if the
travel of the rod should be longer than the travel allowed for by the length of
the paths c', when the roller arrives at the end of its travel it is simply revolved as
a fixed roller, similar to the ordinary rollers. Again when the rod is put into
compression to the extent that the rod buckles and bears upon the top roller thereby
pressing the spindle b¹ upon the upper path d² of the slot d a similar action takes
place, the roller b is revolved on its axis 6' until it gets to the end of its travel and
if there is still required a further movement of the rod when the said roller has
arrived at the end of its travel the roller is simply revolved on its axis b'like a fixed
roller which has no elongated paths as is now the usual custom.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I wish it to be distinctly
understood that I do not claim as novel a bottom travelling roller, neither do I
claim the enclosed elongated slots in which the bottom roller operates, neither do
I claim the particular shape of the elevation of the standard, but what I do
claim is
1. The constructions and use of an elongated path or slot
upon which a
movable top roller is free to travel to and fro the said roller having movement
communicated to it by point rod used or employed for communicating to and fro
movements on railways in connection with railway signalling apparatus, the said
roller or pulley having spindles or pivots of relatively smaller diameter, sub-
stantially as hereinbefore described.
2. In supporting guides for rods employed in railway signalling apparatus
communicating to and fro movements on railways, the combination of a bottom
roller or pulley provided with spindles or pivots of relatively smaller diameter
arranged to roll either on a recessed shelf on the side cheek of a standard or along
the lower side of an elongated slot provided in such standard and of a top roller
also provided with spindles or pivots of relatively smaller diameter arranged to roll
on a recessed shelf on the side cheek of a standard or upon the upper or lower side
or path of an elongated slot provided in the standard, substantially as and for the
purposes herein set forth and as illustrated upon the drawings.
3. In supporting guides for rods communicating to and fro movements on rail-
ways the construction and general arrangement of pulleys or rollers revolving in
elongated slots or in recessed shelves in the side cheeks of the standards, sub-
stantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 30th day of April 1892.
JOHN P. O'DONNELL,
2, Great George Street, Westminster, London, S. W.,
Agent for the said Applicant.
J
JOHN P. O'DONNELL,
2, Great George Street, Westminster, London, S. W.,
Agent for the said Applicant.