IMPROVEMENTS IN SELF-LOCKING MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR RAILWAY SIGNALS AND FACING POINTS
Year: 1884

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
We HENRY LOFTUS MONRO GOODRIDGE, of Chelsea, Engineer, and THOMAS
RICHARD DAVIES, of Walham Green, Draper, both in the County of Middlesex
do hereby declare the nature of said Invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN SELF-LOCKING
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR RAILWAY SIGNALS AND FACING POINTS, to be as
follows:-
According to this Invention an absolute block system or automatic check system
of working the points and signals is obtained and the points and signals are
secured so that it is impossible for two trains to come into collision or the points to
be moved while the train is passing over same unless the train runs against the
signals, and the object of the apparatus is,-
1. To abolish the one lever locking and connections.
2. To diminish the signalman's work by half the pulls of the lever.
3. It secures the points momentarily from the responsibility of the signalman.
In carrying this Invention into effect, what we may call a catch lever is
employed for the signal connecting rod: the signal and points are connected with
the pull over levers in the ordinary way, but at the signal and in connection with
the connecting rod or rods going from the pull over lever to the points, there is for
the signals another and separate connecting rod which leads to the catch lever
before referred to; this connecting rod is flattened at the end by the side of the
catch lever and in this flattened portion, there is an aperture or apertures to
receive a bolt or plunger which cannot enter until the catch lever is raised from its
normal position. The catch lever is made with an incline and the connecting rod
is provided with a loop so that when the connecting rod moves against the catch
lever the latter is raised; when the bolt is through the catch lever, and aperture
in the connecting rod neither the signal nor point can be changed by the signalman
until the whole train has passed over a treadle operating a weigh shaft for example,
and released the bolt, or until the same is done by an authorized attendant who
should have to obtain the lever from under seal before he can release the apparatus;
until this is done, the signalman cannot work the points and signals, in fact until
the line is clear he cannot do so. A weighted lever on the treadle arm brings the
bolt against the flat portion of the connecting rod ready for the next movement,

page_text: The treadle may be provided with a spring on its tread surface, rivetted at one end
to the treadle and loosely resting in the other to yield to any extraordinary pressure
due from varying sized flanges of the wheels.
The apparatus is most simple and perfectly free from liability to derangement
and is capable of being used in conjunction with the existing arrangements for
railway working.
The principal advantage attendant on the use of this system is that accidents
arising from the mistakes of signalmen through having too many levers to move
for each train are obviated for instance he has at present to move 8 levers for each
pair of facing points to work the two roads, at S trains an hour four on each road
making the number of levers per hour to move 32, at an average of 8 hours per
day 256 levers to move and again, he has the train at his mercy, that is, as the
train is passing over the points by moving the locking bar lever break every
bracket or crank and very likely cause the bar to be thrown under the wheels of
the passing train.
Dated this First day of January 1884

page_text: We HENRY LOFTUS MONRO GOODRIDGE of Chelsea, Engineer, and THOMAS
RICHARD DAVIES of Walham Green, Draper both in the County of Middlesex do
hereby declare the nature of said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SELF LOCKING
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR RAILWAY SIGNALS AND FACING POINTS" and in
what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
According to this invention an absolute block system or automatic check system
of working the points and signals is obtained and the points and signals are
secured so that it is impossible for two trains to come into collision, or the points
to be moved while the train is passing over same unless the train runs against the
signals; and the objects of the invention are:
1. To abolish the one lever locking and connections.
2. To diminish the signalman's work by half the pulls of the lever.
3. To secure the points momentarily from the responsibility of the signalman.
In carrying this invention into effect what we may call a catch lever is employed
for the signal connecting rod; the signal and points are connected with the pull
over levers in the ordinary way but at the signal and in connection with the
connecting rod or rods going from the pull over lever to the points there is for the
signals another and separate connecting rod which leads to the catch lever before
referred to; this connecting rod is flattened at the end by the side of the catch
lever and in this flattened portion there is an aperture or apertures to receive a bolt
or plunger which cannot enter until the catch lever is raised from its normal
position. The catch lever is made with an incline and the connecting rod is
provided with a loop so that when the connecting rod moves against the catch lever
the latter is raised. When the bolt is through the catch lever and aperture in the
connecting rod neither the signal nor point can be changed by the signalman until
the whole train has passed over a treadle operating a weigh shaft for example, and
releasing the bolt, or until the same is done by an authorised attendant who should
have to obtain the lever from under seal before he can release the apparatus ; until
this is done, the signalman cannot work the points and signals in fact until the
line is clear he cannot do so.
A weighted lever on the treadle arm or weigh shaft brings the bolt against the
flat portion of the connecting rod ready for the next movement.
The treadle may
be provided with a spring on its tread surface, rivetted at one end to the treadle,
and loosely resting in the other to yield to any extraordinary pressure due from
varying sized flanges of the wheels.
In order that our invention may be fully understood we will now proceed to
describe the same with reference to the two accompanying sheets of drawings.
Figure 1 is an isometrical projection or general view showing the general
arrangement of self-locking machinery for railway signals and facing points
constructed and arranged according to our invention. Figure 2 is a view in plan
on a smaller scale than the previous figure detached of one of the locking apparatus
hereafter referred to. Figure 3 is a plan of a portion and Figure 4 is a sectional
side elevation drawn on a larger scale than that at. which it is shown at Figure 1 of
the catch lever and treadle arrangement; Figure 5 is a transverse section through
the line y of Figure 3. Figure 6 is a plan in section on an enlarged scale and
Figure 7 is a side elevation of the locking apparatus shown at Figures 1 and 2;
similar letters of reference refer to like parts in all the Figures,

page_text: In describing the invention we propose to do so in connection with only one
signal governing one line of rails and this is done with the view of simplifying the
description and drawings. a is the catch lever; b, b, b &c are the signal connecting
rods and bell cranks; 61 61 61 are the point connecting rods and bell cranks; c the
signal d the points on the road nearest the signal; e is the pull over lever for
the signal; e' is the pull over lever for the points; f is the rod connecting the catch
lever a with the signal c; flattened at its end f¹ as shown, g is the aperture in the
flattened end f¹ of the rod f; h is the bolt or plunger which passes through the
catch lever and through the flattened end f1 of the connecting rod f; i is
the incline on the catch lever a; k is the loop on which the incline rests.
treadle on the road; m is the shaft to which the treadle is connected; n is the
weighted lever on shaft m; o is the lever; p the connecting rod between the lever o
and bell crank g in connection with the bolt h. is the spring forming the tread
of treadle . The details of locking apparatus for the points marked P are
indicated by the same letters as those marking the locking apparatus for the signals
which we mark with the letter S viz: f¹ Battened portion on switch connecting
rod bolt and q bell crank for operating the bolt from the signal connecting
rods b.
is the
Supposing a train to be approaching in the direction indicated by the arrow 8;
the signal c is shown at danger and the points and signal c are free and ready
to be worked by the signalman at the levers e c¹. Now to clear the road for the
train to pass along the line of rails marked R the following movements of the parts
before described in connection with the signal apparatus marked S and points
apparatus marked P will take place. The lever e¹ is thrown over in the direction
shown by the arrow which brings the points d and parts connected to them into
the position shown in the drawing Figures 1 and 2, and the road R, so far as the
points are concerned is clear. The signalman now throws over the lever e in
the direction of the arrow which clears the road and locks the points locking
apparatus P and signals locking apparatus S and when in this position neither
signal or points can be moved until the train has passed and this is accomplished
by the connecting rods and bell cranks b (moving in the direction shown by the
arrows) bringing into action the locking apparatus marked P by operating the bell
crank and forcing the rod h through the hole g in the flattened part fl of the
points connecting rod b¹ which aperture g has been brought into position (by
the movement of the points into the position shown in the drawings) the points
are thus locked and cannot be moved by the signalman. The same movement of the
rod 6 operates the connecting rod f moving it in the direction shown by the arrow
thereby moving the flattened portion f¹ of the locking apparatus marked S until
the aperture g in same comes opposite the rod h which latter immediately passes
through the said aperture g and the signal is locked; this movement of the rod h
is caused by the weighted balance lever n on the weigh shaft m acting through
lever o connecting rod p bell crank lever q which enables this bolt h to move into
its normal position which is to go into the aperture g or to rest against the flattened
portion when the aperture is not opposite the bolt. The train now passes along
the line of rails marked R and over the treadle and in so doing the treadle
turns on the pin and by lever 12 operates the weigh shaft and by lever o, rod p, bell
crank q the bolt is withdrawn froin the aperture g as well as from the aperture a¹
in the catch lever a which latter then falls turning on its fulcrum a² (the fulcrum a²
being a part of the framework of the apparatus) until the inclined edge i rests in the
loop or bracket the motion being facilitated by the balance weight a³ the bolt
cannot then return to its normal position but rests against the catch lever a and the
signal apparatus marked S is unlocked now the signalman pulls over the lever e in
the reverse direction to that indicated by the arrows in the drawing Figure 1 when
the connecting rods and bell crank levers b also moving in the reverse direction
thereby draw back the bolt h in the locking apparatus Punlocking at same time
the points d and by means of the connecting rods and bell cranks b and connecting
rod f the flat end of the connecting rod is pushed along raising during its travel.
-m

page_text: the catch lever a by means of loop k fixed to rod f acting on the inclined plane
of the catch lever a causing the latter to turn on fulcrum a until the aperture a' of
the catch lever comes opposite the end of the bolt h which latter then passes
through the aperture a¹ of the catch lever by the balance arrangement before
described and the end of the bolt will now rest against the flattened surface of
the connecting rod f and by the same action the signal arm C is raised to danger
as shown in the drawing.
The treadle arrangement shown at Figures 1, 3 and 4 over which the train passes
as before described in order to operate the locking apparatus is best seen at Figure 4
where shows the treadle, the spring; shows the fulcrum or pivot; it will be
seen that as the treadle is depressed it will descend until it reaches the stop 1³;
the spring yielding to the varying sizes of the flanges which may pass over same
while at the same time the spring is sufficiently powerful to depress the treadle
until it reaches the stop even when the smallest size flange passes over it while a
larger flange would only flatten the spring to a greater extent with the same result.
The locking apparatus marked P may be placed in any convenient position for
example between the rails as shown in Figure 2 and when placed in this position
the rods will have less play than when a long distance intervenes between the
apparatus P and the points d.
The locking arrangements may be multiplied and placed in any convenient
positions according to the requirements necessary to adapt it to any existing signal
apparatus and facing points. Instead of the counterbalance weights, springs might
be used.
The apparatus is most simple and perfectly free from liability to derangement
and is capable of being used in conjunction with the existing arrangements for
railway working.
The principal advantages attendant on the use of this system is that accidents
arising from the mistakes of signalinen through having too many levers to move
for cach train are obviated, for instance he has at present to move 8 levers for each
pair of facing points to work the two roads, at S trains an hour 4 on cach road
making the number of levers per hour to move 32 at an average of 8 hours per
day 256 levers to move; and again he has the train at his mercy, that is as the
train is passing over the points by moving the locking bar lever break every bracket
or crank and very likely cause the bar to be thrown under the wheels of the
passing train.
.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is:-
First In self locking machinery or apparatus for railway signals and facing
points the employment therewith of locking apparatus wherein there is employed
a catch lever a having an independent motion for preventing the return of the bolt
all substantially as set forth.
Second: The combination with such a catch lever of the locking arrangements S
and P and the spring treadle together with the particular arrangements of self-
locking signal and facing point apparatus all substantially as and for the purposes
set forth.