An Improved Method of and Means for Interlocking the Levers Operating Signals and Points.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Dec., 1890'
Complete Specification Left, 23rd Sept., 1891-Accepted, 24th Oct.,
1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Method of and Means for Interlocking the Levers
Operating Signals and Points.
We CHARLES JAMES NICHOLSON of 248 Oxford Road Manchester Civil
Engineer, SAMUEL CHADWICK of 18 Chapel Street Rishton, Lancashire Signalman
and WILLIAM CORMACK of 12 Harwood Road Rishton Railway Clerk do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :-
A method of providing a ready means of interlocking the levers working points
and signals and more particularly those working cross over road points and the
home signals protecting them so that when the cross over road after being set to
lead from one road to the other is re-set to its normal position the home signals will
remain locked & the signalman is obliged to release each one separately by a
special act before he can lower them for a train to pass.
This object is attained by providing a bar at the back of the levers supported
either from the floor or the instrument shelf above the levers and hooked catches
vibrating on pins fixed in this bar in such positions as to engage the levers of the
home signals protecting the cross over road. Another hooked catch fixed in a
similar way is provided to engage the lever working the cross over road points and
attached to it is a rod which passes through bearings fixed on the bar behind the
levers & is arranged so as to operate the catches which are provided to lock the
home signals protecting the cross over road points. When the catch which is
provided for the cross over road point lever is moved so as to release that lever
the other catches are moved so as to lock the home signal levers. When the lever
of the cross over road points is set back to its normal position and the catch
provided for it is put to lock it the catches locking the home signal levers are not
moved so those signals remain locked until the signalman releases each lever
separately.
The rod operating the home signal lever catches may be moved either by hand
or automatically by the cross over road point lever.
As an alternative plan the home signal levers may be locked by sliding bars
operated in a manner similar to that described above.
This method of locking may be applied to any number & combination of levers
and to any position on such levers.
Dated this Twenty-second day of December 1890.
CHAS. J. NICHOLSON.
SAMUEL CHADWICK.
WILLIAM CORMACK.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Method of and Means for Interlocking the Levers
Operating Signals and Points.
We CHARLES JAMES NICHOLSON of 7 Northumberland Street, Higher
Broughton, Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Civil Engineer, SAMUEL
CHADWICK of 18 Chapel Street, Rishton, in the same County, Signalman, and
WILLIAM CORMACK, 12 Harwood Road, Rishton, aforesaid, Railway Clerk, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be

page_text: performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement and accompanying drawings:-
Our invention has for its object to obtain increased safety in the working of
railway signals and consists of a method of locking signal levers by means of parts
which are preferably operated selfactingly when certain point levers are worked.
Our invention has been designed more particularly for use in connection with cross
over road points and to avoid repetition we will describe such a connection. We
employ a rod, bar or shaft provided with an actuating lever or part and with
locking catches so arranged as that when the cross over road points are opened or
closed after having been opened, the home signal levers which protect the cross
over road are locked and the said signals cannot be lowered until the actuating
levers have been unlocked by the signalman. In order that our invention may be
clearly understood we will describe the arrangement which we have adopted with
reference to the attached drawing.
In the said drawing a represents a cross over road point lever, being home
signal levers and ce other point or signal levers. The number of levers represented
is sufficient for the illustration of our invention but it will be understood that the
number may vary to any required extent and that there will in many cases be more
than one cross over road point lever. Behind the levers we fix a bearer which
may be fixed to a part of the ordinary frame work or be firmly secured in position
by any suitable means. Two locking catches e e and an incline lever fare pivoted
upon this bearer and are connected together by a rod or bar g. This rod slides in
bearings or is supported by hinged or pivoted carriers as indicated by the dotted
lines at h. The lever is formed at its free end with a double incline f¹.
So long
as the cross over road points would be closed against cross over traffic, the lever
and locking catches would remain in the positions indicated by the full lines but on
the lever a being operated either to open or close the cross over road points the
lever would be moved into the position indicated by the dotted lines by the action
of the lever a upon the incline as will be well understood. This movement.of
the incline lever would shift the rod g in the direction indicated by the arrow and
the rod acting upon the catches e e would move them into the positions indicated
by the dotted lines whereby the home signal levers bb would be locked.. Whilst
the levers would remain so locked it would be impossible for the signalman to
lower either of the home signals without first unlocking the required lever. The
necessity for so unlocking the lever would call his attention to the fact that the
points had been opened for the cross over road so that he would take care not to
unlock a home signal lever until he had ascertained that he could safely do so.
will be understood by those conversant with such matters that one of the home
signals might be lowered without danger and that the signalman would know which
signal could be lowered. To permit of one lever being unlocked without unlocking
the other the connection of each of the locking catches with the rod y is by means
of a pin and slot as shown in the drawing. When the signalman turns either of
the locking catches out of its locking position the rod g is moved endwise without
acting upon the other catch so that the other home signal lever remains locked.
The locking of either of the levers bb has the effect of returning the lever finto
position to be acted upon by the lever a but as the incline f¹ is double the lever f
is moved sideways out of the way when the lever a is set back to its normal
position. We might provide the lever f with a hinged or movable incline which
would yield without moving such lever when the lever a is pulled over and would
only operate when it is set back. Although we prefer the automatic locking action
of the catches e they might be moved into locking position by acting upon the rod
through a special hand lever. The arrangement illustrated might be further
modified by attaching the locking catches to a sliding bar which would be operated
by a lever a. It will be understood that in cases wherein there would be two or
more cross over roads each cross over point lever should act upon the rod
additional inclines or incline levers being provided.
It

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is.
1. The arrangement of parts in connection with signal and point levers sub-
stantially as and for the purpose set forth and indicated.
2. The locking catches ee the incline lever and the connecting rod 9 in
combination with the ordinary point and signal levers a b substantially as and for
the purpose set forth.
3. In railway signal apparatus locking catches connected with each other and
with parts adapted to be operated by the cross over road point lever or by cach
one of a set of such levers so that when a cross over road is opened the home signal
levers will become locked substantially as set forth.
4. In railway signal apparatus the application of locking catches acted upon to
lock the home signal levers at the times when a cross over road is opened and
closed, each one of such locking catches having to be moved out of its locking
position by the operation of the signalman before the locked signal lever can be
operated as set forth.
Dated this 22nd September 1891
DUTTON & FULTON,
1,. St. James' Square, Manchester, Agents.