IMPROVE- MENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR WORKING SIGNALS AND SWITCHES ON RAILWAYS
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Harry Herbert Cochrane, of the Grange, Stour-
bridge, in the County of Worcester, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR WORKING SIGNALS AND SWITCHES
ON RAILWAYS."
Scaled the 24th June 1870, and dated the 3rd January 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Harry Herbert
Cochrane at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 3rd January 1870.
I, HARRY HERBERT COCHRANE, of the Grange, Stourbridge, in the
County of Worcester, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR WORKING SIGNALS AND
SWITCHES ON RAILWAYS," to be as follows:-
My Invention has reference to an improved construction of that.
description of apparatus wherein switch and signal levers are locked,
so as to prevent the signal levers from being moved until the various
switches corresponding therewith have been properly adjusted, and vice
versa. For this purpose I arrange a number of flat locking bars or

page_text: plates (corresponding with the total number of switch and signal levers
employed) close together side by side, and to each lever I connect a rod,
which is in its turn so connected by means of a bell crank or other
contrivance to one of the locking plates that on motion being imparted
to the rod by the moving of the lever a corresponding motion of the
plate must take place at or about right angles to the motion of the rod,
the prevention of which motion of the plate will consequently also
prevent the rod and its lever being moved. Each rod carries a bar or
arm passing transversely right through all the plates, which have
apertures or slots formed in them for this purpose of such a con-
figuration that in order to allow of the moving of a certain lever (say,
a signal lever) and its corresponding rod and locking plate one or more
other levers (switch and signal levers) must have previously been moved
into corresponding positions, in order by the motion of their corresponding
locking plates and bars to bring, firstly, all the apertures or slots through
which the bar of the first-named lever passes in such positions that this
can move freely in all such slots; and, secondly, to bring the transverse
bars of the said other levers into such positions in the slots of the
locking plate to the first lever that they offer no obstruction to the
motion of such locking plate. On the other hand, by the motion of
this locking plate the positions assumed by its slots prevent the back-
ward motion of the transverse bars and levers previously moved, while
at the same time the positions of the slots of all the locking plates that
have been moved prevent the motion of those locking bars and their
levers which it is essential not to move from a certain position while the
levers that have been moved are in the position referred to. By this
reciprocal locking of the transverse bars by the locking plates and of
these plates by the transverse bars a most perfect control is obtained
over all the switch and signal levers.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, 3
filed by the said Harry Herbert Cochrane in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 30th June 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HARRY
HERBERT COCHRANE, of the Grange, Stourbridge, in the County of
Worcester, send greeting.
3

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Third day of. January, in the year
of our Lord One tliousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-
third- year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Harry Herbert Cochrane, Her special
licence that I, the said Harry Herbert Cochrane, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Harry Herbert
Cochrane, my 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 MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR WORKING SIGNALS AND
SWITCHES ON RAILWAYS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said Harry Herbert Cochrane,. my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and.
scals, should 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 Scal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said. Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Harry Herbert Cochrane, do.
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what. manner-
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained.
in and by the following statement thereof; reference being had to the
accompanying Sheet of Drawings, and to the figures and letters marked
thereon, that is to say:-
f
My Invention has reference to an improved construction of that
description of apparatus wherein switch and signal levers are locked, so
as to prevent the signal levers from being moved until the various.
switches corresponding therewith have been properly adjusted, and
vice versa. For this purpose I arrange a number of flat locking bars
or plates (corresponding with the total number of switch and signal
levers employed) side by side, and to each lever I connect a rod, which
is in its turn so connected by means of a bell crank or other contrivance
to one of the locking plates that on motion being imparted. to the rod by
the moving of the lever a corresponding motion of the plate must take

page_text: place at or about right angles to the motion of the rod, the prevention!
of which motion of the plate will consequently also prevent the rod and
its lever being moved. Each rod carries a bar or arm passing trans-
versely right through all the plates, which have apertures or slots formed
in them for this purpose of such a configuration that in order to allow of
the moving of a certain lever (say, a signal lever) and its corresponding
rod and locking plate one or more other levers (switch and signal levers)
must have previously been moved into corresponding positions, in order
by the motion of their corresponding locking plates and transverse bars
to bring these transverse bars into such positions in the slots of the
locking plate to the first lever that they offer no obstruction to the
motion of such locking plate and its lever. On the other hand, by
the motion of this locking plate the positions assumed by its slots
prevent the motion of the transverse bars and levers previously moved,
while at the same time the positions of the transverse bar to the first-
named lever in the slots of all the other locking plates prevent the
motion of those locking plates and their levers which it is essential not
to move from a certain position while the lever or levers that have been
moved are in the position referred to. By this reciprocal locking of the
transverse bars by the locking plates, and of these plates by the trans-
verse bars a most perfect control is obtained over all the switch and
signal levers.
Having thus set forth the nature of my Invention, I will now proceed
more particularly to describe the manner of performing the same, for
which purpose I shall refer to the accompanying Sheet of Drawings,
showing one arrangement by which my Invention may be carried into
effect.
I have here shown by way of example an arrangement applicable to
an ordinary junction, such as indicated to a small scale at Figure 6 on
the Drawing.
Figure 1 shows a transverse section of the apparatus; Fig. 2 shews a
part side elevation of the same; Fig. 3 shews a general plan to a smaller
scale; Fig. 4 shews separate views of all the sliding plates; and Figures
5.and 5 shew one of the sliding plates in its normal position, and after
it has been moved, with the transverse bars passing through the slots
thereof. The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in each
of the Figures.

page_text: The different levers of the apparatus perform the following functions:-
Lever I actuates the distant signal of the up branch line III., Fig. 6.
Lever 2 actuates the distant signal of the up main line I.
Lever 3 actuates the points of the up lines I. and III.
,
Lever 4 actuates the station or junction signal of the up branch
line III.
Lever 5 actuates the station or junction signal of the up main line I.
Lever 6 actuates the station or junction signal of the down main
line II.
Lever 7 actuates the station or junction signal of the down branch
line IV.
Lever 8 actuates the points of the down lines II. and IV.
Lever 9. actuates the distant signal of the down lines II. and IV.; this
latter lever is unconnected with the apparatus.
The lever 1 is connected by a lever 1° to a rod 1ª, which passes down
through the apparatus, and is connected at its lower end with the distant
signal of III. This rod 1ª is connected, firstly, by means of the link 1°,
levers 1' and 15 on the spindle 1", and link 1' to the sliding plate 1*;
secondly, it is connected by the frame 1ª (sliding upon guide rods 1' of
the framing x) to the transverse bar 1', which passes through slots in all
the sliding plates. In like manner all the levers 2, 3, 4, &c. are con-
nected respectively to the sliding plates 2ª, 3ª, 4ª, &c. arranged side by
side, and to transverse bars 2b, 3b, 4b, &c., each of which passes through
slots in all the sliding plates. From this arrangement it will be seen
that if a lever, say 1, is to be moved so as to actuate its signal, it must
at the same time move its respective sliding bar 1ª in the direction of
the arrow, and also raise the transverse bar 1b in the slots of all the
sliding plates. Now assuming that in the normal position of the levers,
sliding plates, and transverse bars all the signals are at danger, and the
points.open to the up main line I. and the down branch IV., it will be seen
on reference to the normal position of the plate 1ª that before this, and
consequently also its lever, can be moved over into the "safe" position,
Figure 5*, the lever 3 must have been moved (thereby opening the points
to up branch III.) so as to raise its transverse bar 3b into the position
in its respective slot in 1ª indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 5. At the
same time the peculiar formation of the slots of 1ª through which the

page_text: bars 2, 5, 6, and 8 pass will also prevent the moving of the lever 1,
unless the levers 2, 5, 6, and, 8 are all in their normal positions, while
when the lever 1 and plate 1ª have been, moved all the said levers will!
be thereby locked in such normal positions, because their corresponding
plates cannot be moved until lever 1 and its plate 1ª and bar 1b have
returned to their normal position, as will be seen on reference in
Figure 4, to the configuration of the slots in the plates 2º, 5º, 6º, 8,
through which the transverse bar 1' passes.
In like manner it will be seen on reference to the configuration of the
slots in the several plates. 2ª, 3ª, &c., at Figure 4, that the reciprocal
action of the sliding plates and the transverse bars will effect the locking
of the levers in the manner indicated in the following table:―
The sliding plates are supported by and work between grooved pulleys
situated at their upper and lower edges (not shown in the Drawing), or
any other suitable contrivance may be employed for supporting and 2
guiding the sliding plates.
Having thus described the nature of my. Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I
do not limit myself to the precise arrangement thereof shewn on the
accompanying Drawings, as this may be variously modified without 3
departing from the essential features of my Invention; but what I claim
is, constructing apparatus for working signals and switches wherein
cach signal or switch lever is connected to and actuates a separate
sliding plate and a transverse bar situated permanently in slots, holes,
or notches in the several sliding plates, and receiving motion at or about 3

page_text: right angles to that of the sliding plates, the motion of any one lever
with its sliding plate and transverse bar being controlled by the position
of the transverse bars of certain other levers in the slots, holes, or
notches of the said sliding plate, while by the movement of the latter
and its corresponding transverse bar the plates of the said other levers
that it is requisite should not move are prevented from doing so on
account of the position assumed by the said transverse bar, substantially
as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Harry Herbert Cochrane, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of
June, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
seventy.
HARRY HERBERT COCHRANE. (L.S.)