IMPROVE- MENTS IN STOP BLOCKS FOR RAILWAYS
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Francis Preston and Robert Craib Ross, both of
the City of Manchester, Engineers, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN STOP BLOCKS FOR RAILWAYS."
Sealed the 23rd February 1869, and dated the 3rd September 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Francis Preston and
Robert Craib Ross at the. Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 3rd September 1868.
We, FRANCIS PRESTON and ROBERT. CRAIB Ross, both of the City of
Manchester, Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN STOP BLOCKS FOR RAILWAYS," to be as follows:
Our Invention consists of certain improved modes of constructing the
stop blocks used on the sidings and other parts of, railways for arresting
carriages, trucks, or trains. .
In performing our Invention we make use of a rocking block placed
between the ends of the rails, one portion of which block represents the
rail and the other portion the stop block; this rocking block fits into
the space between the rails; or the stop block may be arranged so that.

page_text: instead of rocking or revolving the block may be moved horizontally,
so that either the portion representing the rail or the stop block may be
parallel or in line with the rails as required. The block may be
secured in the required position by a pin or wedge, and it is moved
to and fro by a hand lever and connecting rod, and locked if desired; or
the stop block may be made to move up and down in the space between
the ends of the rails by means of a lever or handle, or otherwise.
In all cases the Invention consists in arranging the stop block to fit
in the space between the ends of the rails, and in substituting the portion
corresponding to the rail for the portion acting as the block. The blocks
may be applied to a single rail, or to both rails so as to form a double
stop; in the latter case both blocks may be worked by one lever and a
connecting rod.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Francis Preston and Robert Craib Ross in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 3rd March 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, FRANCIS
PRESTON and ROBERT CRAIB Ross, both of the City of Manchester,
Engineers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Third day of September, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the thirty-
second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto us, the said Francis Preston and Robert Craib Ross, Her
special license that we, the said Francis Preston and Robert Craib Ross,
our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said
Francis Preston and Robert Craib Ross, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time
and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of
Man, an. Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN STOP BLOCKS FOR RAILWAYS," upon
the condition (amongst others) that we, the said Francis, Preston and
Robert Craib Ross, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under our, or their, or one of our or their hands and seals, should

page_text: particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and
in. what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same
to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent..
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Francis Preston and Robert Craib
Ross, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement (that is to say) :-
Our Invention consists of certain improved modes of constructing the
stop blocks used on the sidings and other parts of railways for arresting
carriages, trucks, or trains.
In performing our Invention we make use of a rocking block placed
between the ends of the rails, one portion of which block represents the
rail and the other portion the stop block; this rocking block fits into
the space between the rails; or the stop block may be arranged so that
instead of rocking or revolving it may be moved horizontally, so that either
the portion representing the rail or the stop block may be brought in line
with the rails as required. The block may be secured in the required
position by a pin or wedge, and it is moved to and fro by a hand lever
and connecting rod or otherwise, and locked if desired; or the stop block
may be made to move up and down in the space between the ends of the
rails by means of a lever or handle, or otherwise.
In all cases the Invention consists in arranging the stop block to fit
in the space between the ends of the rails. The blocks may be applied
to a single rail, or to both rails so as to form a double stop; in the latter
case both blocks may be worked by one lever and a connecting rod.
And in order that our Invention may be fully understood and
readily carried into operation, we will proceed to describe the accom-
panying two Sheets of Drawings, reference being had to the figures and'
letters marked thereon.
On Sheet 1, Figure 1-is a transverse-section, and Figure 2 a side view
of one of our improved stop blocks. In these views a, a, are the ends
of the rails, which are supported as usual in chairs. or in a double chair
fixed to sleepers or secured in any other convenient manner; b is the
moveable stop block fitting into the space between the ends of the
rails a, a; and 6' is the part of the moveable block representing the rail.

page_text: The moveable block formed by the parts b, b', is provided with trunnions,
which are supported in the said chairs, or in a suitable frame fixed to
the sleepers. The Drawing represents the stop block up or in the
position for arresting a carriage or truck, the stop block being held
upright by the locking pin d, but when the line of rails is required to be
frce the attendant by moving the stop block about one-eighth round
brings it into the position shewn by the dotted lines, and the portion
marked b¹ is thus brought in line with the rails a.
Figures 3 and 4 are two views of a stop block constructed according
to a modification of our Invention. In this instance the stop block b
with the portion b' corresponding to the rails is moved horizontally to
and fro by the hand lever c, short lever c¹, and link c³. By moving the
lever o half round, the block 6 which is now shewn in line with the
rails a to arrest the carriages, is moved so as to bring the portion 6¹ in
line with the rails.
Figure 5 is a plan, Figure 6 a transverse section, and Figure 7 a
side elevation of another of our improved stop blocks. a, a, are the
ends of the rails, which are firmly united by the side plates e and
bolts f. The stop block 6 is made to move up and down in the space
between the ends of the rails a by the elbow lever g, which is hinged to
the stud g¹ projecting from one of the side plates. The short arm of the
elbow lever g is connected by the link to the stud h' fixed in the stop.
block b. When the stop block is up, as shewn in Figure 7, the block is
held up by the locking pin d, which passes through holes in the side
plates and in the stop block b, but when the stop block is to be
lowered in order to leave the line of rails free for traffic the locking
pin d must be drawn out, and the attendant by moving the elbow
lever g half round, or into the position shewn by dotted lines, lowers
the stop block until its upper surface comes level with the rails a; the
shoulder on the block then rests on one of the side plates e; the
locking pin d may then be put in again through the hole b³ in the stop
block.
Figures 8, 9, and 10 are three views of a modification of our improved
stop blocks. In this arrangement the lever g is fixed on the short
shaft gå passing through the side plates e and through the vertical slot b
in the stop block b, and to the shaft g' is keyed or secured the crank g³,
at the upper end of this crank is a projecting stud g' taking into the
horizontal recess 6' in the stop block. When the lever is turned half:

page_text: round or brought into the position, shewn in dotted lines in Figure 10,
the projecting stud g' on the crank g³ entering into the recess 65 gradually
lowers the stop block until its upper surface is level with the rails a.
In this arrangement the locking pin d is passed through the crank g³
and the slot b*.
In most cases a stop block on one line of rails is sufficient, but
any of the above-described stop blocks may be applied to both lines
of rails, and in the arrangement shewn in Figures 8, 9, and 10, by.
prolonging the shaft * from one line of rails to the other, and providing
it with another crank g³, both the stop blocks on the two lines of rails
may be raised and lowered simultaneously.
On Sheet 2, Figure 11 is an elevation, Figure 12 a plan, and Figure 13
a transverse section of another modification of our Invention which we'
prefer when the stop block is to be made self-acting, or that will be
depressed by a carriage advancing on the line of rails in the direction
of the arrow, but that will offer the required resistance or obstruction to
carriages moving in the contrary direction. In these views a are the
ends of the rails, and 6 the stop block; e, the side plates; g, the lever
for raising or lowering the stop block; and g³, the shaft, which is con-
tinued to the other line of rails when double stop blocks are required.
To the shaft g is fixed the short lever g, which is connected by the
link to the long lever k, whose fulcrum is a stud k¹ projecting from
the link hinged to a stud fixed in the side plate e. To the rail a is
jointed the incline m, which is guided between the sides of the rail a
and the projections e¹ on the side plate e; the incline m is connected
by the link m² to the lever k, the outer extremity of which lever is
provided with a stud / fitting in a slot in the stop block b. To this.
stud is jointed the lower end of the spring n, the upper end of which
presses against the upper end of the swivel locking catch o which holds
the stop block up, as shewn in Figure 13.
The parts above described act in the following manner:-When the
block 6 is to be lowered by hand the attendant by raising the handle
lever g causes the long lever k to assume the position indicated by a
dotted line, and during the first portion of the motion of the lever / the
stud k³ only draws down the spring n; this downward motion of the
spring pushes forward the upper part of the catch o, and withdraws
the lower part of the said catch from the edge of the plate e. As soon as
the catch o is released the stop block is at liberty to descend until its

page_text: upper surface is level with the line of rails a. When the stop block is
lowered by the carriage the wheel of the carriage in running along the
rail a gradually lowers the incline m, and the depression of the incline
causes the long lever k to assume the same position as it assumed by
raising the handle g. In raising the stop block the weighted end of the
lever is lowered by the weight k³, and the end connected to the stop
block is raised, and during the first part of the upward motion of the
stud the spring n acts on the incline at the back of the locking
catch o and presses against the catch, so that when the stop block is
fully raised the catch is ready to lock on to the edge of the side plate e,
as shewn in Figure 13.
We wish to observe that although we have shewn our improved stop
blocks applied only to ordinary double-headed rails they may be applied
to rails of other sections, and that when they are applied to bridge rails
the stop block may be raised and lowered in a hole in the rail, and the
side flanges of the rail need not be cut away.
Having thus stated the nature of our Invention, and described several
modes of performing the same, we wish it to be understood that we do
not intend to limit ourselves to the details given as the same may be
varied or modified.
In witness whereof, we, the said Francis Preston and Robert Craib
Ross, have hereto set our hands and seals, this First day of
March One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine.