IMPROVEMENTS IN ME- CHANISM FOR ACTUATING AND LOCKING RAILWAY POINTS AND SIGNALS
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Francis William Webb, of Crewe, in the County of
Chester, Mechanical Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN ME-
CHANISM FOR ACTUATING AND LOCKING RAILWAY POINTS AND SIGNALS."
Sealed the 26th April 1876, and dated the 19th January 1876.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Francis William Webb at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 19th January 1876.
FRANCIS WILLIAM WEBB, of Crewe, in the County of Chester, Mechanical Engi-
neer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MECHANISM FOR ACTUATING AND LOCKING RAILWAY
POINTS AND SIGNALS."
Firstly. Hitherto railway points have been locked by bolts entering holes or slots
in a cross bar connecting the two point rails, and in case of breakage of the con-
nections the pointsman might suppose that the points were correctly locked when
in fact the broken connection only was locked. The object of my Invention is to
simultaneously and separately lock both rails of a pair of points when in their
correct position, the signals, by connection with the point mechanism, being locked
and unlocked in the order required, the point mechanism and signals being also at
the same time locked while a train is passing the points. My Invention consists in
a combination and arrangement of mechanism, namely:-Motion is communicated
to the points by the ordinary means, but before the points can be moved a plate
placed in slides parallel to the rails has to be moved by suitable rods and levers in
connection with a lever handle, which is brought from one of its extreme to its
middle position, and in this plate there are two slots or "wards" for the bent ends
of detector rods, one detector rod being jointed with one rail, the other detector rod
with the other rail, and the slots or "wards" are formed so that the bent ends of
the detectors are only free to move with the points when the sliding plate is in its
middle position. When the sliding plate is in either of its extreme positions, each
slot or "ward" holds and locks the bent ends of the detectors, and thus each point
rail is locked separately. In the sliding plate there is a cam slot, which actuates
the bell-crank lever to give movement to a safety bar to prevent the mechanism
and thus the points and signals from being moved while a train is passing. The
safety bar may be actuated from a crank on a shaft having a wheel on it in gear
with a toothed rack upon the sliding plate. The locking and interlocking of the
lever handles for working the point locking slide, the points, and the signals is
De

page_text: accomplished in any well-known manner, the locking mechanism being arranged so
that when the point locking lever handle is in mid position the signals are locked
at danger, but the points can be moved, and when the lever for locking the points
is in one of the extreme positions the points are correct, and the signal corresponding
to that position of the points can only be lowered, the other signal being locked at
danger, and when the signal is lowered the point levers and other signal levers are
locked.
Secondly. My Invention relates to improvements in the mechanism for locking
signal and point lever handles, and refers to a method of arranging and actuating
the lever handles so that each handle acts as its own weight to catch upon the
quadrant, being a modification of the arrangement illustrated by Fig. 3 of the
Drawings of the Specification of Letters Patent granted to me, No. 494, A.D. 1874,
combined with improvements described in the Specification of Letters Patent
granted to me, No. 462, A.D. 1875. And my improvements consist in jointing a
rod to the centre or fulcrum part of the hand lever, and taking it up alongside the
lever and jointing a handle to the top of the rod, which is also jointed to the lever
handle, so that when the handle is depressed the lever handle is lifted out of its
notch, and when released it will again enter the notch in the quadrant when pulled
over.
Thirdly. My improvements consist in making notches both at the back and front
of the hooked notched bars described in my aforesaid Specifications, so that a
greater number of notches may be obtained in the same length of bar, these latter
improvements being applicable more especially where a large number of lever
handles have to be worked in connection with each other.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Francis William Webb in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 7th
July 1876.
FRANCIS WILLIAM WEBB, of Crewe, in the County of Chester, Mechanical Engi-
neer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MECHANISM FOR ACTUATING AND LOCKING RAILWAY
POINTS AND SIGNALS."
Firstly. Hitherto railway points have been locked by bolts entering holes or slots
in a cross bar connecting the two point rails, and in case of breakage of the con-
nections the pointsman might suppose that the points were correctly locked when
in fact the broken connection only was locked. The object of my Invention is to
simultaneously and separately lock both rails of a pair of points when in their
correct position, the signals, by connection with the point mechanism, being locked
and unlocked by the lever handle locking mechanism in the order required, the
point mechanism and signals being also at the same time locked while a train is
passing the points. My Invention consists in a combination and arrangement of
mechanism, namely:-Motion is communicated to the points by the ordinary means,
but before the points can be moved a plate placed in slides parallel to the line of
rails has to be moved by suitable rods and levers in connection with a lever handle,
which is brought from one of its extreme to its middle position, and in this plate
there are two slots or "wards" for the bent ends of detector rods, one "detector rod"
being jointed with one rail, the other detector rod with the other rail, and the slots
or "wards' are formed so that the bent ends of the detectors are only free to move
with the points when the sliding plate is in its middle position. When the sliding
plate is in either of its extreme positions, each slot or ward" holds and locks the
bent ends of the detectors, and thus each point rail is locked separately. In the
sliding plate there is a cam slot, which actuates a bell-crank lever to give movement
to a "safety bar," to prevent the mechanism and thus the points and signals from
being moved while a train is passing. The "safety bar" may be actuated from a
crank on a shaft having a wheel on it in gear with a toothed rack upon the sliding
"

page_text: plate. The locking and interlocking of the lever handles for working the point locking
slide, the points, and the signals is accomplished in any well-known manner, the
locking mechanism being arranged so that when the point locking lever handle is
in mid position the signals are locked at danger, but the points can be moved, and
when the lever for locking the points is in one of its extreme positions the points
are correct, and the signal or signals corresponding to that position of the points can
only be lowered, the other signal or signals being locked at danger, and when the
signal is lowered the point levers and other signal levers are locked.
Secondly. My Invention relates to improvements in the mechanism for locking
signal and point lever handles, and refers to a method of arranging and actuating
the lever handles so that each handle acts as its own weight to catch upon the
quadrant, being a modification of the arrangement illustrated by Fig. 3 of the
Drawings of the Specification of Letters Patent granted to me, No. 494, A.D. 1874,
combined with improvements described in the Specification of Letters Patent
granted to me, No. 462, A.D. 1875. And my improvements consist in jointing a
rod to the centre or fulcrum part of the hand lever, and taking it up alongside the
lever and jointing a handle to the top of the rod, which is also jointed to the lever
handle, so that when the "handle" is depressed the lever handle is lifted out of its
notch, and when the handle is released the lever handle will again enter the notch
in the quadrant when pulled over or pushed back.
Thirdly. My improvements consist in making notches both at the back and front
of the hooked notched bars described in my aforesaid Specifications, so that a
greater number of notches may be obtained in the same length of bar, these latter
improvements being applicable more especially where a large number of lever
handles have to be worked in connection with each other.
Fig. 1 is a plan view; Fig. 2, a side sectional elevation; Fig. 3, a cross sectional
elevation; and Fig. 4, the side view of the two detector bars detached, these views
illustrating the first part of my Invention.
"
, cross sleepers; b, main line rails; c, point rails connected by cross bar c¹; c²,
ordinary rods and levers which actuate the points by the ordinary means; d is a
cast-iron box or frame secured to the sleepers; the lengthway of the box is parallel
to the main line rails (b); this box (d) has slideways in which a plate d' is fitted to
slide to and fro endways, and it is actuated by, a rod d² jointed to it and to one
arm of a lever d³, having its fulcrum secured to the "sleepers;" the other arın of this
lever (3) has a rod jointed to it, which is connected with other rods and levers in the
ordinary manner, which connect it with a "lever handle" in the pointsman's "box
or "cabin." In the plate d' there are two slots or "wards" d*, as shown, and the
bent ends of the detectors center these slots, one detector bar being jointed to one
point, the other to the other point; the ends of the detector bara crest and slide in
notches or grooves formed in the sides or lid of the box d; in the plate d¹ there is
also a cam slot d that acts upon a bowl on a stud in one arm of a lever e, having its
fulcrum on a stud secured in the box d; the other arm of this lever e is connected
by a rod el with the ordinary safety bar e², mounted on arms parallel to one of the
main line rails; the detectors c³ and the sliding plate d' are secured in their places
by a lid d*, omitted from Fig. 1, but shown in Fig. 3, which is bolted on the box d.
Before the points can be moved from one position to another, the lever handle
which actuates the locking plate d¹ through the rods must be first brought to its
middle position, and this movement is arranged to act upon the locking mechanism
for the lever handles (which operates in a well-known manner), so the required
signals are locked an the points are unlocked; by this movement the middle part
of the "slots" or "wards"in the plate are opposite the ends of the detectors c³,
then the points can be moved, and when the points are fully pulled over, the
locking plate can then be moved to the extreme of its stroke, and the lever
handle locking mechanism is so arranged that this plate must be first moved by its
lever handle to one of its extreme positions and the points locked. before the signal
having reference to that position of the points can be lowered from "danger," the
signals corresponding to the other position of the points remaining locked at danger.

page_text: The movement of the point locking plate in either direction cannot take place
without also lifting the safety bar e², and this bar thus prevents the point locking
plate d¹ from being moved while a train is passing, as the flanges of the wheels of
the passing vehicles keep the safety bar down.
The second part of my Invention is illustrated by Fig. 5, a side sectional eleva-
tion. is the wood or other frame or foundation to which the frame or quadrants g
for the lever handles for signals or points are attached; h is a fulcrum, part of cast-
iron, for the lever handle, formed so as to have a wrought-iron arm or tail secured
to it, and to carry the joints of two links h³, which are also jointed to the lever
handle h², so that the handle can move up and down in the arc shown by peculiar
dotted lines. To the cast-iron fulcrum part h the lower end of a rod h³ is jointed,
which rod passes in front of the lever handle (h²), and its upper end carries the
fulcrum of the catch handle h, the end of which is jointed to the upper part of the
lever handle ². By depressing the catch lever h the lever handle h is lifted from
the notch in the quadrant, and can be pulled or pushed over, the weight of the
lever handle h² acting to bring down the catch h*, which may be solid, with the
lever handle into the notch in the quadrant. To a projection from the lever handle
one end of an adjustable link i is connected, the other end of which is jointed with
a lever ¹, having its fulcrum stud upon the cast-iron fulcrum part h of the lever
handle; this lever i¹ acts upon the notched barj in the manner described in the
Specification of Letters Patent granted to me, numbered 462, and dated the 6th day
of February, A.D. 1875.
The third part of my Invention is illustrated by Fig. 6, a side view, which shows
the mode of forming double notched bars.
I have now particularly described the nature of my Invention and the mode of
carrying it into effect, and claim as my Invention,―
Firstly. The combination and arrangement of mechanism for locking railway
points where both point rails are separately locked, arranged to be worked in con-
nection with lever interlocking point and signal mechanism, substantially as herein-
before described and illustrated by the Drawings.
Secondly. The combination and arrangement of lever handle point and signal
interlocking mechanism, substantially as herein-before described and illustrated by
the Drawings.
Thirdly. The construction of notched locking bars for point and signal lever
locking mechanism, as herein-before described and illustrated by the Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Francis William Webb, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-third day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-six.
Than