An Improved System for Automatically Locking Railway Points.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Dec., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 14th Sept., 1897-Accepted, 16th Oct., 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved System for Automatically Locking Railway Points.
We, JULES MASSON and JULES LOCHELONGUE of 4, Boulevard Saint Denis, Paris
in the Republic of France, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:
Railways' companies have generally a principle that whenever trains have to cross
facing points at a considerable speed the switch tongue of the point must be fixed by
means of a locking device passed into a pin traversing the rail and fixed to one of the
bars; or held by a device acting by a counterweight; or locked from a distance by
some suitable means. These precautions have for their object to prevent any opening
or gaping of the points and consequently to avoid any accident.
Our invention has for its object to carry out automatically the manipulation
performed by the switchinan.
For this purpose the tongue is locked in a permanent fashion when it is a facing
point, and is unlocked automatically by the action of the weight of the engine, and
again locked by the counterweight of the switch tongue when encountered from the
rear.
Our system consists in fixing the bar of the points by means of a tenon prismatic
in form and of square or rectangular section, engaging across a rail and penetrating
into a suitable staple bolted to the said rail. The fixing of the tenon in its staple is
obtained by means of a pin of cylindrical or prismatic form depending from a hinged
treadle and sufficiently arched to project beyond the level of the rail to a sufficient
extent to release the pin when pressed down by the passage of a wheel, thus setting
free the tenon in the staple. This treadle is maintained above the rail by means of a
hinged counterweight acting by a counter lever on a treadle.
Under these conditions when a train passes the points, the first wheel of the engine
encounters the treadle, presses it down by its weight, the pin quits the staple,
releases the tenon, and then the movement of the engine continuing, the opposite
wheel to the one which pressed on the pedal commences to push back against the
opposite rail the bar which is at this moment separated from the rail by an amount
equal to that of the bar before the commencement of the movement.
When a wheel leaves the points a small movement is produced by the action of the
counterweight, and in consequence of the difference between the separation of the
bar and the rail and the thickness of the wheel the point of the pin participates in
this movement, but no longer finding itself in front of the slot, it rubs on the smooth part
of the tenon until the two last wheels of the last vehicle of the train have left the bars,
at which moment by virtue of the counterweight of the tongue and of the treadle
the bar returns to its normal position, the pin engages in the hole of the tenon, and
locks the tongue by the intermediary of the staple or catch.
An electric contact actuating a bell or the like placed at the station is arranged
beneath the pin in such a way that this bell will ring on the passage of a train,
or when a foreign body prevents the adhesion of the bar to the rail; in this latter
case the signalman warned by the constant ringing of the hell can go and inspect
the points.

page_text: Further, when it is necessary to change tracks (i.e. shunt), that is to say, to set the
points, it is sufficient to unlock the tongue and before seizing the lever to press one
foot on the treadle which has for a result to raise the counterweight of the treadle;
as the counterweight no longer sustains the latter, the said treadle falls by virtue of
its own weight, and consequently its.pin.quits the tenon and the point is unlocked.
It is sufficient to cease pressing on the treadle to allow of the point being again
locked automatically.
Dated this 14th day of December 11.80€
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord: Street, Liverpool, Agents for the Applicants.
An Improved System for Automatically Locking Railway Points.
We, JULES MASSON and JULES LOCHELONGUE of 4 Boulevard Saint Denis, Paris
in the Republic of France, 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 :-
Whenever railway trains have to cross facing points at a considerable speed, the
switch tongue of the point must be fixed by means of a locking device passed into a
pin traversing the rail and fixed to one of the bars; or held by a device acting by a
counterweight held down by a pointsman; or locked from a distance by some suitable
These precautions have for their object to prevent any opening or gaping of
the points and consequently to avoid any accident.
Our invention has for its object an arrangement for automatically locking the points
thus dispensing with the services of a switchman or pointsman.
It is shown in detail in the accompanying drawings, in which,
Figure 1 is a side elevation;
Figure 2, a plan view; and
Figure 3, a transverse section on the line y of Figure 2.
For this purpose the tongue is locked in a permanent fashion when it is a facing
point, and is unlocked automatically by the action of the weight of the engine, and
again locked by the counterweight of the switch tongue when encountered from the
rear.
The points shown in the drawing are composed of an ordinary switch tongue having
points g and g¹, cross bars f¹ f, joints a¹ a² (Figure 2) and a lever f having a counter-
weight F.
Our system consists in fixing the tongue or bar g¹ of the points by means of a
tenon h¹ prismatic in form and of square or rectangular section, engaging in a notch o
Figure 3 formed in the rail R¹ and in front of which there is a suitable staple m bolted
to the said rail. The points being in the position shown in the drawing, the bar g¹
is fixed by means of a pin c¹ of cylindrical prismatic or other suitable form engaging
the tenon in the staple m. This pin c¹ is placed at the free end of a treadle c
hinged at its other end 61 and sufficiently arched, as shown in Figure 1, to project
above the level of the rail R¹ to a sufficient extent to release the pin c¹ when the
pedal c is pressed down by the passage of a wheel, thus setting free the tenon h' in
the staple m. This treadle c is normally maintained above the rail as shown in the
drawings by means of a hinged counterweight mounted on one of the arms of a
lever pivotted at x, the other arm d¹ of said lever bearing on the treadle c.
Under these conditions when a train passes the points from the rear i.e. in a direction
opposite to that indicated by an arrow in the drawings, the first wheel of the engine

page_text: encounters the treadle c, presses it down by its weight, the pin el quits the staple m,
releases the tenon h¹ and then the movement of the engine continuing, the opposite
wheel to the one which pressed on the pedal c commences to push back against the
opposite rail R the bar g until it approaches the former. At this moment the distance
between the rail R¹ and the bar g¹ is equal to that which existed between the bar g
and the rail R before the commencement of the movement.
When a wheel leaves the point g a small movement is produced by the action of
the counterweight F, owing to the difference between the separation of the bar g and
the rail R and the thickness of the wheel leaving the point g. The tenon h¹ partici-
pates in this movement, but the pin c¹ no longer finding itself in front of the
slot, rubs on the smooth part of the tenon until the two last wheels of the last vehicle
of the train have left the bars g¹ and g, at which moment, by virtue of the counter-
weight F, the tongue and the treadle, the bar g¹ returns to its normal position and
under the action of the counterweight 2 the pin c engages in the hole of the tenon /¹
and locks the tongue by the intermediary of the staple or catch m.
An electric contact E actuating a bell or the like placed at the station is arranged
beneath the pin under the free end of the treadle c in such a way that this bell will
ring on the passage of a train, or when a foreign body prevents the adhesion of the
bar g' to the rail R and consequently the return of the treadle c to its normal position;
in this latter case the signalman warned by the constant ringing of the bell can go
and inspect the points.
Further, when it is necessary to change tracks (i.e. shunt) that is to say, to set the
points by means of the lever f, it is sufficient in order to unlock the tongue to press
the treadle e', which has for a result to raise the counterweight d² of the treadle c by
means of arm e of the lever e el; as the counterweight no longer sustains the treadle c,
the latter is released and falls by virtue of its own weight, and consequently its pin c¹
quits the tenon h¹ and the point g¹ is unlocked. The pointsman may then cease
pressing on the treadle e¹ in order to allow of the point being again locked
automatically after the passage of a train he releases the lever f.
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:-
1. A system for automatically locking and unlocking railway points, consisting of
a bolt or tenon (h') fixed to one of the tongues or bars (g¹) of the points, the said bolt
being held in a staple (m) by a pin (c) placed at the free end of a hinged treadle (c)
operated for the unlocking by the passage of trains when passing over the points from
the rear, whilst an arrangement of counterweight (2) automatically re-establishes
the permanent locking of the points for the passage of trains encountering the points
in front, substantially as herein before described.
2. In combination with a system for automatically locking railway points sub-
stantially as herein before described, a warning or signalling device adapted to be
actuated by the treadle (c) and to operate a bell during the entire passage of the train
or when an obstacle prevents the tongue automatically resuming its normal position,
substantially as herein before described.
Dated this 12th day of Santamber 1907
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Agents for the Applicants.