IMPROVEMENTS IN MECHANISM OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR ACTUATING RAILWAY POINTS AND SIGNALS
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Francis William Webb, of Crewe, in the County
66
of Chester, Engineer, for the Invention of “ IMPROVEMENTS IN MECHANISM
OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR ACTUATING RAILWAY POINTS AND SIGNALS."
Sealed the 9th April 1874, and dated the 4th February 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Francis William Webb
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 4th February 1874.
I, FRANCIS WILLIAM WEBB, of Crewe, in the County of Chester,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN MECHANISM OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR ACTUATING RAILWAY POINTS
AND SIGNALS," to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to and consists in an improved combination,
arrangement, and construction of mechanism for holding the point and
signal levers, and locking the same in their correct positions after having
been moved.
A

page_text: My improvements are illustrated by the accompanying Drawings.
Fig. 1 is a front, and Fig. 2 a side elevation illustrating one modi-
fication of my Invention.
a is the hand lever which actuates the signal or point; a¹ its fulcrum ;
> the quadrant having notches for a weight catch c which slides upon the 5
lever handle a. This weight catch is connected by a rod c¹ with a lever c²
having its fulcrum on the handle a, which lever c³ is depressed when
the weight catch c is to be lifted out of either of the two notches in the
quadrant b.
By another connecting rod c³ the movement imparted to the weight 10
catch c is transmitted to a vertical sliding notched bar d, the upper
end of which is bent to embrace the stud forming the fulcrum (a')
of the lever handle a. The bar & has notches into which studs on the
sliding horizontal bars c can lock in the ordinary manner.
Fig. 3 shows a modification where the movement of the weight catch c 15
is transmitted to the vertical sliding notched bar d through a short
lever c, having its fulcrum near that of the hand lever a.
Fig. 4 shows a modification where the connecting rod and vertical
notched bar are both jointed to a radius link having its axis f upon the
framing.
Fig. 5 shows another modification where the connecting rod c³ and
vertical notched bar d are jointed together; the vertical rod passing..
between antifriction bowls upon studs in the framing.
20
Figs. 6 and 7 show modifications similar to that shown by Fig. 2,
except that the rod c³ in Fig. 6 is connected with a hook or slide that 25
slides through the catch weight, so that when the lever handle is pulled
over the hook c* will rest upon the upper face of the quadrant and
the catch will descend into the notch in the quadrant b. The end
of the rod c³ in Fig. 7, passes through a slot in the catch weight (c) and
projects so as to come over a cam ledge 6¹ on the framing when the lever 30
handle (a) is pulled over. Thus in each modification (Figs. 6 and 7)
the notched bar d will be held up while the sliding catch is allowed to
descend into the notch in the quadrant.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Francis William Webb in the Great Scal Patent
Office on the 3rd August 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FRANCIS
WILLIAM WEBB, of Crewe, in the County of Chester, Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of February, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the
thirty-sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said Francis William Webb,
Her special license that I, the said Francis William Webb, my exe-
cutors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Francis
William Webb, 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 MECHANISM OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR ACTUATING RAILWAY
POINTS AND SIGNALS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said Francis William Webb, by an instrument in writing under my
hand and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature
of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be per-
formed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the
said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Francis William Webb, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement and the accompanying Drawings
(that is to say):-
My Invention relates to and consists in an improved combination,
arrangement, and construction of mechanism for holding the point and
signal levous and looking the come in thain nominat nositions

page_text: Fig. 1 is a diagram shewing the points and signals usually required
at the junction of a double branch line with a main line of railway, the
positions of which points and signals are shown and explained upon the
diagram.
Fig. 2 is a front elevation of an arrangement of nine lever handles for
working the signals and points of such a junction as that shown by the
diagram, Fig. 1 (but any other required number of lever handles may be
worked in like manner).
Fig. 3 is a side sectional elevation, and Figs. 4 and 5 are views of the
vertical notched bars detached in two different positions.
a is the wood frame upon which the iron frames are mounted that carry
the side rails b¹, to which the quadrants 62 arc secured. In cach quadrant
frame a stud c is screwed which forms the fulcrum of the lever handle c¹
upon which a weight c² is arranged to slide up and down the lever and
to drop into the steps or notches in the quadrant (62). This weight (c²) is
connected with the lower end of a rod c³, the upper end of which is jointed
with a lever c' having its fulcrum on a pin c³ passed through the lever
handle (c). To the weight (c²) a rod (c) is jointed, the bent end of the
rod passing through a hole in the weight, being secured therein by a pin
passing through the bent end of the rod. The length of this rod is
adjustable by a right and left handed screw coupling and lock nuts c* as
shewn in Figs. 2 and 3. The lower end of the rod c is jointed and secured
to the vertically sliding notched bar d, same as the upper end is jointed and
secured to the weight (c²). The upper end of the bar d is bent and slides
upon the projecting end of the fulcrum stud (c) of the hand lever as a guide.
The vertical bars pass through guides in a bracket or frame e secured to
a frame attached to the woodwork. The bars d of hand levers 5 and 6
for the points are each connected by a bell-crank lever (d) with a hori-
zontal sliding bar having studs or stops secured in them. The point
lever 5 is connected with the upper barf and the point lever 6 with the
lower bar f¹. The bell-crank levers d have their fulcrums on studs in
the frame e, and one arm of the bell-crank fits one of the notches in the
bar d and the other arm in each case is slotted and works on a pin in its
sliding horizital bar and f' as shown. The weights c² are locked or
kept in their notches in the quadrant 6, when the vertical notched bars d
are prevented from being lifted by the studs f* in the sliding horizontal
bars and f¹ which enter the notches in the vertical bars d, or when

page_text: the vertical bars d prevent the sliding horizontal bars ƒ and ƒ¹ from
being moved by reason of the solid parts between the spaces or notches
on the vertical bars & coming in the way of the studs ƒ* on the hori-
zontal sliding bars ƒ and ƒ¹.
Fig. 6 is a diagram showing a plan section of the hand levers c¹ and
vertical notched bars d, and the horizontal locking bars with its stops
or studs f*.
When all the hand levers c¹ are back the hand levers in connection
with the signals marked 3, 4, and 7 are all locked in the "danger"
position, that is, the lever handles 3 and 4 are locked by the studs in
the upper horizontal slide bar f which enter notches in the vertical
bars d of lever handles 3 and 4, as shown in Fig. 6, and lever handle 7
is locked by a stud in the lower sliding bar f', which stud enters a notch
in the sliding bar d of lever handle 7.
When either lever handles 1 or 2, or both 1 and 2 are pulled over, as
shown in Fig. 7, then hand levers 3 and 4 remain locked by the studs,
and lever handle 5 is locked by the solid parts of the vertical bars (d)
of lever handles 1 and 2, while lever handle 7 remains locked by the
lower sliding bar f¹.
When lever handle 5 is pulled over, lever handles 3 and 4 are unlocked
and lever handles 1, 2, and 7, are locked, and when either or both
lever handles 3 and 4 are pulled over, as shown in Fig. 8, point lever
handle 6 is locked, and point lever 5 is back locked, that is, secured in
the position in which it has been pulled over, and lever handle 7 remains
locked by the lower sliding bar f¹.
When lever handle 6 has been pulled over it unlocks lever handle 7,
but locks lever handles 3, 4, and 8.
When lever handle 7 is pulled over it locks lever handle 5 and back
locks lever handle 6 which has been previously pulled over, when lever
handle 8 has been pulled over it locks lever handle 6, which must have
been put back previously. The upper curve of the quadrant 6² is struck
by a radius from the centre of the joint of the connecting rod c³ in the
vertical sliding bar d, when in the highest position of the sliding
weight c; the depth for the back step or notch for the weight c² is about
double that of the front notch, so that the vertical notch bars d lower in

page_text: the front notch to about the extent of half of the lift of the weight (c³).
before the lever handle is pulled over; this brings the vertical bars d in
relation to the sliding horizontal bars f and f¹ into the position shewn by
Fig. 5, where the solid parts between the notches come opposite the
locking studs f* in the horizontal sliding bars f and f¹. The upper
curve of the quadrant may be excentric to the lever handle, so that both
notches will be of the same depth if desired.
Fig. 9 is a front elevation, and Fig. 10 a side sectional clevation of
a similar arrangement of hand levers to that shewn on a larger scale and
more completely by Figs. 2 and 3 herein-before described.
Fig 11 is a side sectional clevation of another modification where the
movement of the weight c² is transmitted to the vertical sliding notched
bar d through a short lever c, having its fulcrum upon the quadrant
near that of the hand lever c¹.
Fig. 12 shows a modification where the connecting rod c² and vertical
notch bar d are both jointed to a radius link having its axis c8 upon the
framing.
Fig. 13 shows another modification where the connecting rod and
vertical notched bar d are jointed together, the vertical bar a passing
between antifriction bowls upon studs in the framing.
Figs. 14 and 15 show modifications similar to that shown by Fig. 10,
except that the rod cº in Fig. 14 is connected with a hook or slide that
slides through the weight c², so that when the lever handle c¹ is pulled
over the hook c³ will rest upon the upper face of the quadrant b² while
the weight will descend into the notch in the quadrant. The end of the
rod c in Fig. 15 passes through a slotted hole in the weight c² and.
projects therefrom so as to come over a ledge 6* on the quadrant framing
when the lever handle c¹ is pulled over. Thus in each modification
(shown by Figs 14 and 15) the notched bar d will be held up while the
sliding weight is allowed to descend into the notch in the quadrant, in 3
which case the depth of the steps or notches in the quadrant may be
equal.
I have now particularly described the nature of my said Invention, and
the mode of carrying the same into effect, and claim as my Invention the
combination, arrangement, and construction of mechanism for holding a

page_text: point and signal levers, and locking the same in their correct positions
as herein-before described and illustrated by the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Francis William Webb have hereunto
set my hand and scal, this Thirty-first day of July, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four.