IMPROVEMENTS IN APPLIANCES OR APPARATUS FOR WORKING GATES AT CROSSINGS ON RAILWAYS PARTLY APPLICABLE IN OTHER WAYS
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Henry Lea of Stafford in the County of
Stafford Engineer for an Invention of " IMPROVEMENTS IN APPLIANCES OR
APPARATUS FOR WORKING GATES AT CROSSINGS ON RAILWAYS PARTLY
APPLICABLE IN OTHER WAYS
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Henry Lea at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 22nd August 1882.
CHARLES HENRY LEA of Stafford in the County of Stafford Engineer,
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPLIANCES OR APPARATUS FOR WORKING GATES AT CROSSINGS
ON RAILWAYS PARTLY APPLICABLE IN OTHER WAYS
23
My improvements relate to the construction and working of the gates which are
principally used at level crossings on railway lines. To ensure that such gates may
lang in a proper position, and to allow any deviation from such position to be
readily corrected I provide both pivots of such gate, or of each leaf of such gate
with a cap in which the said pivots work. These caps are mounted in or upon
the brackets and steps which support the gate and each cap has adjusting screws,
preferably four, by properly adjusting which, the gates can readily be kept in the
proper position and thus all trailing or dragging of the gates is prevented or
remedied. Each cap consists of two parts, the inner part serving as a bearing for
the pivot and the outer part being fixed in the bracket or the step, and the set
screws working through the outer part. The outer cap has sufficient clearance to
allow the inner cap to be adjusted by means of the screws.
For the purpose of altering the position of the gate with reference to the
actuating mechanism I fix upon the heel of the gate a circular plate by preference
notched or grooved in which is also a recessed groove.
A short slotted plate which connects the said circular plate with the actuating
lever is also preferably provided with projections which fit into the notches and
the circular plate. The recessed groove in the circular plate serves for the
reception of T headed or similar bolts passing through both plates and by adjusting
Daine (3

page_text: the slotted plate at a suitable angle upon the circular plate the position of the gate
can be adjusted as required.
The slotted plate projects beyond the circular plate, and the projecting part may
be also notched. On the end of the rod which works the gate is a piece which
has projections to take into the notches on the slotted plate, and a bolt works in
the slot so that the end of the lever can be set nearer to or farther from the gate
thus increasing or diminishing the amount of its travel without altering the travel
of the actuating rod.
This arrangement of (preferably) notched plates with bolts for adjusting the
leverage I prefer to provide at all points where two of the levers for working
the gates meet and are connected. It may also be applied to signal levers and
the like.
I prefer to work the gates from the signal box and attach the ends of all the
levers for working the gates on both sides of a crossing to one lever which I connect
with the band lever in the signal box so that all the gates open and close
simultaneously and I prefer to interlock the gate-handle in the box with the
handles working the signals so that the gate cannot be opened across the line when
the line is not clear for traffic across the metals, and I moreover provide the gates
with stop-locks such as or similar to those described in my Specification No. 121 of
1869. The above described adjustable-coupling may with advantage be used for
connecting the levers with the signal handle so as for instance to compensate for
elongation of the wires where such are used.
When the gates are to be opened and shut with considerable rapidity I employ
the following arrangement. On the "heel" of the gate I fix a toothed wheel with
which gears a toothed segment at the end of a short bar which moves on a pivot.
On either or both sides of the pivot this segment bar has a slot and notches as
before described so as to allow of a variable connection of the working lever with
the segment bar. The lever may thus be attached either in front of, or behind, the
pivot, and its distance from the pivot may in either case be varied.
Where very heavy gates are to be operated or where the space is very limited I
may work the gate levers by a hand wheel which rotates a screw fixed in bearings
and carrying a travelling nut with which may be connected a bell-crank or other
lever which acts upon the gate-levers or a more direct attachment may be used.
This handwheel and screw arrangement will in such case replace the usual handle.
The before mentioned bearing surfaces have been described as "grooved" so
as to make it practically impossible for them to slip, one upon the other;
nevertheless plain surfaces may be used instead if desired specially where the
adjustment requires to be so fine, that grooving would be impracticable

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Charles Henry Lea in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
22nd February 1883.
CHARLES HENRY LEA of Stafford in the County of Stafford Engineer
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPLIANCES OR APPARATUS FOR WORKING GATES AT CROSSINGS
ON RAILWAYS, PARTLY APPLICABLE IN OTHER WAYS'
"
My improvements relate to the construction and working of the gates which are
principally used at level crossings on railway lines. To ensure that such gates
may hang in a proper position, and to allow any deviation from such position to be
readily corrected, I provide both pivots of such gate, or of each leaf of such gate,
with a cap in which the said pivots work. These caps are mounted in or upon the
brackets and steps which support the gate and each cap has adjusting screws,
preferably four by properly adjusting which the gates can readily be kept in
the proper position and thus all trailing or dragging of the gates is prevented or
remedied. Each cap consists of two parts, the inner part serving as a bearing for
the pivot and the outer part being fixed in the bracket and the setscrews working
through the outer part. The outer cap has sufficient clearance to allow the inner
cap to be adjusted by means of the screws.
For the purpose of altering the position of the gate with reference to the actuating
mechanism, I fix upon the heel of the gate a circular plate, by preference notched or
grooved, in which is also a recessed groove. A short slotted plate which connects
the said circular plate with the actuating lever is also preferably provided with
projections which fit into the notches on the circular plate. The recessed groove
in the circular plate serves for the reception of T headed or similar bolts passing
through both plates and by adjusting the slotted plate at a suitable angle upon the
circular plate the position of the gate can be adjusted as required.
The slotted plate projects beyond the circular plate and the projecting part may
be also notched. On the end of the rod which works the gate is a piece which has
projections to take into the notches on the slotted plate and a bolt works in the
slot so that the end of the lever can be set nearer to or farther from the gate, thus
increasing or diminishing the amount of its travel without altering the travel of
the actuating rod.
This arrangement of (preferably) notched plates with bolts for adjusting the
leverage I prefer to provide at all points where two of the levers for working the
gates meet and are connected. It may also be applied to signal-levers and
the like.
I prefer to work the gates from the signal box and attach the ends of all the
levers for working the gates on both sides of a crossing to one lever which I
connect with the handlever in the signal box, so that all the gates open and close
simultaneously and I prefer to interlock the gate-handle in the box with the
handles for working the signals, so that the gate can not be opened across the line
when the line is not clear for traffic across the metals, and I moreover provide the
gates with stop-locks such as or similar to those described in my Specification
No 121 of 1869.-The above described adjustable coupling may with advantage be
used for connecting the levers with the signal handle so as, for instance, to compensate
for elongation of the wires, when such are used.
When the gates are to be opened and shut with considerable rapidity, I employ
the following arrangement. On the "heel" of the gate I fix a toothed wheel with
which gears a toothed segment at the end of a short bar which moves on a pivot.
On either or both sides of the pivot this segment bar has a slot and notches as

page_text: before described so as to allow of a variable connection of the working lever with
the segment bar. The lever may thus be attached either in front of or behind the
pivot and its distance from the pivot may in either case be varied.
Where very heavy gates are to be operated or where the space is very limited,
I may work the gate-levers by a handwheel which rotates a screw working in
bearings and carrying a travelling nut with which may be connected a bell crank
or other lever which acts upon the gate levers, or a more direct attachment may bo
used. This handwheel and screw arrangement will in such case replace the usual
grooved
handle. The before mentioned bearing surfaces have been described as
so as to make it practically impossible for them to slip one upon the other; never-
theless plain surfaces may be used instead, if desired, especially where the adjustment
requires to be so fine that "grooving" would be impracticable.
"
In the accompanying drawings in which like letters of reference represent
like parts,
Fig. 1. is a side elevation of the top of the gate and post with the upper bearing
in section;
Fig. 2. is a plan of the same.
Fig. 3. is a plan of the slotted heel plate and short slotted plate and Fig 4. is a
Bection of the same.
Fig. 5. shows a plan of the toothed heel plate and toothed segment for working
it and
Fig. 6. is a side elevation of the same,
Fig. 7. is a plan and
Fig 8. a side elevation of the slotted bell crank lever and adjustable pins.
In Figs 1 and 2 A is the bracket which is secured to the main post B; C is the
gate, D the top pivot; E the step or bearing in which it works and F¹ F F³ and
F the adjustment screws by screwing which in and out, the position of the step
and pivot in the bracket A may be altered and the hang of the gate adjusted as
will be readily understood. Thus if F' be slightly withdrawn and Fs be screwed
farther in, the bearing and pivot will be moved forward and the free end of the
gate will be dropped; if F³ be withdrawn and F¹ be screwed in, the free end of the
gate will be raised. The side hang of the gate may be similarly adjusted by the
screws F2F In Figs 2 and 3 the apparatus for the heel of the gate is shown.
This consists of a circular plate G provided with a groove G' recessed inside the
plate so as to receive the heads of the bolts H which secure the arm or lever I to
the plate. The groove G' may be of the section shown and suitable for T headed
bolts or of other similar section, as with slanting sides or shaped like an inverted V.
Upon the face of the plate G are cross grooves or teeth G2 into which fit similar
teeth upon the face of the arm I, so that when the bolts H are screwed up
it becomes practically impossible for the arm I, to slip. The teeth G² may if
desired be dispensed with as for instance if a very fine adjustment of the arm I
upon the plate G, which the coarseness of the teeth would not admit of, be required;
the grooves however are preferred when practicable.
Upon the face of the plate I also it is preferred to have grooves G into which
corresponding teeth upon the pin plate K take and keep it from slipping as in the
former case; however these also may in some cases have to be dispensed with, when
a fine adjustment is required. A similar arrangement of grooving is shown in
Figs 7 and 8 which represent a bell crank or angle lever for changing the direction
of the motion In Figs 3, 4, 5 and 6 L is the lower end or heel of the pivot post
which fits into the space in the circular plate G and may be tightened up by set
screws L' as shown in Fig. 3.
In Figs 5 and 6 is shown the toothed segment M pivotted at M¹ and which gears
with teeth upon the circular heel plate G; by making the distance from the pitch
line of the teeth upon M to its pivot or centre M¹ greater than the radius of the
pitch line of the teeth upon G, a more rapid movement of the gate may be obtained
without increasing the speed at which M is moved. In this case also the grooved

page_text: surfaces may with advantage be employed and the pin plate K can be placed upon
the slot at either end of M as shown.
Having now described my invention and the method of performing the same,
I wish it to be understood that what I claim and desire to protect under the
hereinbefore in part recited Letters Patent is :
First: The adjustable bearing, substantially as described and illustrated in
Figs 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings whereby the "hang" of the gate can
be adjusted.
:
Second The combination with the gate pivot D of the movable step E,
adjustment screws F and recessed bracket A, the whole forming an adjustable
bearing substantially as and for the purposes set forth and shown in Figs 1 and 2
of the accompanying drawings.
Third: The employment of the grooved or toothed surfaces G² to increase the
holding power of the parts substantially as set forth
Fourth The combination of the toothed segment M with the toothed heel-
plate G substantially as and for the purposes described and illustrated in Figs 5
and 6 of the accompanying drawings.
In witness whereof I Charles Henry Lea have hereunto set my hand and
seal this Twenty first day of February in the year of Our Lord one
thousand eight hundred and eighty three.
CHARLES. HENRY. LEA
(L.S.)