Interlocking Points and Signals on Railways.
Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Mar., 1886.
Complete Left, 18th Dec., 1886.
Complete Accepted, 18th Jan., 1887.
Interlocking Points and Signals on Railways.
We, WALTER HOLLAND the younger of the Vulcan Iron Works, in the City of
Worcester, Civil Engineer, and WILLIAM THOMAS PAGE of the Vulcan Iron Works
aforesaid Civil Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
Our Invention consists of improvements on an invention for which Letters Patent
were granted on the 7th day of June 1873 to Thomas Clunes, Walter Holland and
Samuel Telford Dutton No. 2034.
In the specification of the said patent the locking gear of the apparatus is placed
partly in front and partly behind the levers to be locked, the cams of the said gear
working on an axis behind the levers to be locked, and the locks working on an axis in
front of the levers.
In constructing according to our invention machinery or apparatus for working and
interlocking points and signals on railways, we modify the said patented machinery
in the following manner. We place the axis on which the cams work in front of the
levers or at the back if required and altogether dispense with the mechanism described
in the Specification of the said Patent as in front of the levers. In place of the said
mechanism we substitute rocking shafts and on these rocking shafts we fix short arms
respectively opposite the levers. Each of the said short arms, on the rocking shafts,
carries at its end, a curved or arc-shaped piece of the same radius as the short arms.
The cams have horizontal rods jointed to their lower ends. These rods extend to the
rocking shaft described. The horizontal rod actuated by the point lever being jointed
to a short arm on the rocking shaft so that the to and fro motion of the point lever
communicates a rocking motion to the rocking shaft. The horizontal rods jointed
respectively to the lower ends of the cams on the signal, or other levers, required to be
interlocked are not connected permanently to the short arms on the rocking shaft but
may be temporarily connected therewith and disconnected therefrom so as to effect at
the required times the locking and unlocking of the signal levers in the following
manner.

page_text: Each of the said horizontal rods has at that part which crosses the rocking shaft a
notch or recess of such size and shape and so situated that at the required times the
said notch or recess is presented to the end of the curved or arc fike piece which
piece on the motion of the rocking shaft enters the said notch or recess and thereby
prevents the horizontal motion of the rod and consequently locks the cam and lever
with which the said rod is connected. By the contrary motion of the rocking shaft
the curved or arc like piece is withdrawn from the notch or recess in the horizontal
rod when the said rod and the lever with which it is connected are unlocked. When
the arc like piece of one signal lever is engaged in the notch or recess in its horizontal
rod the other are like piece is disengaged or withdrawn from its notch or recess; hence
when one signal lever is locked the other is unlocked and the reverse.
The several levers engage with their cams in the way described in the specification
referred to and we do not consider it necessary to describe the same.
The action of the mechanism is as follows. The point lever and the signal levers
being in their back positions one of the signal levers is locked and the other unlocked,
and the latter can be pulled over, the former being locked. By pulling over the point
lever motion is given to the rocking shaft and the locked signal lever is unlocked by
its are shaped piece being withdrawn from the notch or recess in its horizontal rod
and at the same time the other signal lever is locked by its arc like piece entering the
notch or recess in its horizontal rod.
By our invention the number of parts of the mechanism is reduced and the self-
acting locks are dispensed with and by the removal of part of the gear from the front
of the levers the pitch or distance between the levers working the point or signal can
be reduced. By the use of a crank on the axis of the levers or in other part of the
mechanism the rocking shaft can be placed vertically instead of or as well as
horizontally.

page_text: Interlocking Points and Signals on Railways.
We WALTER HOLLAND the younger of the Vulcan Iron Works in the City of
Worcester, Civil Engineer and WILLIAM THOMAS PAGE of the Vulcan Iron Works
aforesaid, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of our Invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement :—
Our invention consists of improvements on an invention for which Letters Patent
were granted on the 7th day of June 1873 to Thomas Clunes; Walter Holland and
Samuel Telford Dutton No. 2034.
In the specification of the said patent the locking gear of the apparatus is placed
partly in front and partly behind the levers to be locked the cams of the said gear
working on an axis behind the levers to be locked and the locks working on an axis
in front of the levers.
In constructing according to our invention machinery or apparatus for working and
interlocking points and signals on railways, we modify the said patented machinery in
the following manner. We place the axis on which the cams work in front of the
levers or at the back, if required, and altogether dispense with the mechanism described
in the specification of the said patent as in front of the levers. In place of the said.
mechanism we fix on the rocking shafts, short arms respectively opposite the levers.
Each of the said short arms on the rocking shafts carries at its end a curved or arc
shaped piece of the same radius as the short arms.
The cams have horizontal rods jointed to their lower ends. These rods extend to
the rocking shaft described. The horizontal rod actuated by the point lever is jointed
to a short arm on the rocking shaft so that the to and fro motion of the point lever
communicates a rocking motion to the rocking shaft. The horizontal rods jointed
respectively to the lower ends of the cams on the signal or other levers required to be
interlocked are not connected permanently to the short arms on the rocking shaft but.
may be temporarily connected therewith and disconnected therefrom so as to effect at
the required times the locking and unlocking of the signal levers in the following
manner.
Each of the said horizontal rods has at that part which crosses the rocking shaft a
notch or recess of such size and shape and so situated that at the required times, the
said notch or recess is in such a position that it is presented to the end of the curved
or are like piece which piece on the motion of the rocking shaft enters or is withdrawn
from the said notch or recess and thereby prevents or allows the horizontal motion of
the rod and consequently locks or unlocks the cam and lever with which the said rod
is connected. When the arc like piece for one signal lever is engaged in the notch or
recess in its horizontal rod, the other are like piece is disengaged or withdrawn from
its notch or recess; hence, when one signal lever is locked the other is unlocked and
vice versa.

page_text: The several levers engage with their cams in the way described in the specification
referred to and we do not consider it necessary to describe the same.
We will now proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying Drawing the
manner in which our invention is to be performed.
Figures 1, 2 and 3 represent in transverse section; Figure 4 in end elevation and
Figure 5 in plan, machinery or apparatus constructed according to our invention for
locking and interlocking points and signals on railways; Figures 1, 2 and 3 exhibit
separately the three levers shown in Figures 4 and 5. Figures 6 and 7 represent
enlarged views of the locks or short arms on the rocking shaft and portions of the
notched or recessed horizontal rods or bars.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several Figures of the
Drawing.
a is the point lever (a front elevation of which is shown in Figure 1) which locks or
releases the signal levers or other levers; b is a signal lever (a front elevation of
which is shown in Figure 2) and c is a second signal lever (a front elevation of which
is shown in Figure 3); d, d³, d' are the respective cams of the three levers a, b, c the
said levers actuating the said cams through the studs e as usual. To the lower end of
the cam d of the point lever a, a horizontal rod f is jointed the said rod being con-
nected to the rocking shaft 9 in front of the levers by the short arm has best seen in
Figure 1. By the movement of the lever a acting through the cam d and connecting
rod f, a rocking or to and fro motion is given to the shaft g and the signal levers b
and c locked or unlocked as hereinafter explained. The lower ends of the cams d'
and d of the signal levers b and c are not connected to the rocking shaft
but are
jointed to the horizontal bars or rods f³ and fs the said bars being guided by the
cross piece l. By the motion of the levers b and c acting through their cams, a
horizontal to and fro motion is given to the bars or rods f' and f³. In the said bars
or rods f³, fare notches or recesses k³, with which or from which are like pieces *
and on the rocking shaft 9 may respectively be engaged or disengaged.
When the point lever a is pulled over or moved to the position indicated in dotted
lines at a Figure 1, the movement of the said lever a gives a rocking motion to the
shaft g and the curved or arc like piece on the said rocking shaft g enters the notch
or recess in the horizontal bar or rod f' thereby preventing the signal lever b
through the said bar or rod f' and cam d³ from being moved or pulled over.
Or by
the movement of the lever b acting through the cam d upon the bar f (when the
lever a is in its back or normal position) the notch or recess in the said bar f³ is
moved from the front of or away from the arc like piece on the short lever h² of the
shaft 9, thereby preventing the lever a Figure 1 from being pulled or moved from its
normal position.
The movement of the point lever a to lock the signal lever b unlocks or releases the
signal lever c by withdrawing the arc like piece ³ on the short lever h³ fixed on the
rocking shaft
from the notch or recess in the bar or rod f'; that is to say, the
positions of the two arc like pieces and on the rocking shaft g are such that when
one arc shaped piece is engaged with the notch in its bar, the other arc shaped piece is
withdrawn from the notch in its bar or rod as best seen in Figures 6 and 7.
In Figure 6 the arc shaped piece is represented disengaged from the notch * in
the bar and in Figure 7 the arc shaped piece ³ is represented engaged in the
notch in the other bar f³.
When the lever c is pulled over the notch or recess k in the bar fpasses in front of
or away from the arc shaped piece 3 and in this way prevents the lever a Figure 1.
being put back into its normal position.
The action of the mechanism is as follows:-It will be understood from the fore-
going description that when the point lever a and the signal levers b, c are in their
normal or back positions, the signal lever c is locked and the other lever bis unlocked.*
The unlocked lever b can be pulled over but the locked lever c cannot be pulled over.
By pulling over the point lever a motion is given to the rocking shaft g and the locked
signal lever c is unlocked by the arc shaped piece being withdrawn from the notch
or recess in its horizontal bar or rod f* and at the same time the other signal lever b

page_text: is locked by the arc shaped piece
or rod f
entering the notch or recess in its horizontal bar
By our invention the number of parts of the mechanism is reduced and the self
acting locks are dispensed with and by the removal of part of the gear from the front
of the levers, the pitch or distance between the levers working the point or signal can
be reduced. By the use of a crank on the axis of the levers or in other part of the
mechanism the rocking shaft g can be placed vertically or horizontally.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our invention and
the manner in which the same is to be performed we declare that we claim as our
invention of "Improvements in machinery or apparatus for working and interlocking
points and signals on railways."
The combination with the cams of the point and signal levers of the said mechanism
of the short arms h' and h³ and are like pieces and on the rocking shaft together
with the recessed or notched horizontal bars or rods f, f³ for the arc like pieces to
engage with, the said parts being constructed combined and working for the purposes
and substantially as herein before described and illustrated in the accompanying
Drawing.
WALTER HOLLAND.
WILLIAM THOMAS PAGE.