IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCKING POINTS AND SIGNALS BY ELECTRICITY
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Solomon Brear of Bradford in the County of York
Cotton Warp Agent and Arthur Hudson of the same place Clerk for an
Invention of " IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCKING POINTS AND SIGNALS BY
ELECTRICITY."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Solomon Brear and Arthur
Hudson at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 16th September
1882.
SOLOMON BREAR of Bradford in the County of York, Cotton Warp Agent,
and ARTHUR HUDSON of the same place, Clerk. IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCKING
POINTS AND SIGNALS BY ELECTRICITY
The first part of this invention relates to certain improvements in the method
of and apparatus for locking points and signals which are locked by the train as
it passes and unlocked when the train has passed the next signal box or cabin.
Hitherto the signal man has had the responsibility of regulating the trains
but by the introduction of our improvement the responsibility of the signal man
is considerably reduced because the trains themselves lock and unlock the points
and signals.
The second part relates to certain improvements in Letters Patent granted to us
on the 17th day of November 1881 and numbered 5032.
In
The first part of this invention is accomplished in the following manner:
order to lock the signal, we have two sets of Electro magnets, one of which is
fixed in the ground and the other is allowed to work loose and is actuated by a
rod and lever placed on the side of the rail and connected to the loose magnets.
An electric current is passing from the batteries in the cabin or the next Station
through the magnets thus keeping them magnetized.
When the signal is off and the train approaches the signal, in passing, the rod
and lever is actuated, thus drawing one magnet to the other, they are in this
position until the train reaches the next signal box at which place disconnection
is made by the train passing over a rod and lever connected to the loose
magnets.

page_text: To the first named rod and lever is connected a bell crank lever by which a
connection is made of rods or wire and other crank levers to the Signal.
At the same time the signal is actuated, by means of a connection, to the rod or
wire working the signal, consisting of bell crank levers and rods, the points are
also locked by means of a bolt, that is to say, when the signal is off the points are
unlocked and when the signal is on or against the train the points are locked.
The second part of our invention is for the better securing of the signals
described by us in the before mentioned Letters Patent during storms and when
trains pass the same at a high speed.
We accomplish this object in the following manner: To the upper portion of the
vertical rod working the signals is formed like a rack into the teeth of which
gears a balanced catch when the signal is up of against the train thus maintaining
a sure and firm grip on the signal when against the train. When the signal is
lowered the catch is liberated by the same magnets which are used to work the
Яignal.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Solomon Brear and Arthur Hudson in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 16th March 1883.
SOLOMON BREAR of Bradford in the County of York, Cotton Warp Agent
and ARTHUR HUDSON of the same place, Clerk IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCKING
POINTS AND SIGNALS BY ELECTRICITY
The first part of this invention relates to certain improvements in the method of
and apparatus for locking points and signals by the train as it passes one signal
cabin and unlocking the same when the train passes the next signal box or cabin.
Hitherto the signal man has had the responsibility of regulating the trains
but by the introduction of our improvements the responsibility and the liability
of the signal man making a mistake is considerably reduced as the trains
themselves in conjunction with electricity lock and unlock the points and
signals.
We accomplish the first part of our Invention by two sets of magnets which are
connected in the ordinary manner to batteries that are fixed in the next signal
cabin, one set of the magnets are fixed to the ground the other allowed to work
loose in connection with a rod and lever the latter being fixed near to the side of
the rails so that the wheels of the train passing over same depress the lever
allowing the magnets to be attracted together and a spring bolt to enter a hole in
a sliding plate thereby locking the signal until the train has passed over a similar
lever near the next signal cabin by which the electric current is broken causing
the magnets to separate and the spring bolt to be withdrawn from the hole leaving
the signal free.
In the accompanying drawings Figure 1. represents a diagram plan (not drawn
to scale) shewing apparatus we employ for locking the signals when worked from
the cabin by the ordinary lever system. The letter A indicates the rails on which
the trains travel: near to a signal cabin we fix to the ground in any convenient
manner two sets of magnets B and B': the magnets B are stationary and B¹
movable being secured to cross plate and bar C, the latter of which is made to
slide freely through a hole in plate B³, and finally passes into box C¹ which
contains a spring between the collar on bar C and the end of spring bolt D.
When the signal is lowered by the man in the first signal cabin to which the
rods D¹ are connected, the sliding plate is in the position shewn on drawing, and
when the wheels of the train pass over the bell crank lever E (an elevation of
which is shewn at E Figure 4) the end of lever at E¹ is pressed down causing
the vertical arm of said lever and rods E² connected therewith, (see Figure 1) to
move towards the rails A, and the long arm of bell crank-lever F and rod Ć to
move until the magnets B and B are in contact; and which are kept attracted
together by an electric current passing through the wires G such current being
transmitted from the next signal cabin to which the train is travelling.
When the magnets have been actuated in the manner described, the end of
spring bolt D will press against the sliding plate until the signal be raised when
the sliding plate will be drawn into such position that the hole D³ is opposite to
the spring bolt, when the latter will shoot into the said hole and thereby lock
the raised signal until the train has passed the next signal cabin, where the wheels
passing over and depressing a similar lever to E break the electric current, thus.
allowing the weight W to pull the magnets asunder and the spring bolt D out of
the hole thereby liberating the signal,

page_text: Figure 2 is a plan and Figure 3 a sectional elevation shewing our method of
locking points. In all the figures similar letters represent similar parts.
manner:
The rails A are actuated for opening and closing the points in the ordinary
and the signals in connection with the points are actuated in the same
manner as described in connection with Figure 1. When the signal has been
lowered and the points opened for a passing train as shewn on drawing the end
of lever Hat H¹ is raised, the lock plate J sliding up behind the crossing rail A¹
thereby locking it in the position shewn. This is accomplished by the rod K
being connected to the rods D' (in Figure 1) in such a manner that when the
sliding plate is moved in to the position shewn, the rod K moves in the direction of
the arrow, thereby elevating the lock plate J behind the crossing rail A', the
plate J being jointed to the lever is kept about parallel with the vertical arm of
lever H by means of spring H³ and stop plate H' the latter forming part of
the lever.
The second part of our Invention relates to certain improvements in locking
signals that are raised and lowered by electricity, and has for its object the more
effectual securing of signals during storms and when trains pass at a high speed.
This we accomplish by forming a toothed rack on a portion of the vertical rod
for working the signal; into the rack teeth, gears a catch or pin when the signal is
up, thereby locking the signal in that position, which before it can be lowered the
catch or pin must be removed from the teeth, and this we carry into effect by
means of electricity.
Figure 4 represents an elevation of a portion of a signal post to which one
arrangement of our improvement for locking signals actuated by electricity is fixed.
The signal is lowered by means of electric apparatus hereafter described in
Figure 5, more fully described in specification No. 5032. A.D 1881. and the
mechanism in Figure 4 is for two or more signal men to have control of raising
the signal to danger and this is accomplished as follows:-When an electric current
is transmitted from any signal cabin in connection with this apparatus the
magnets B attract the plate R thereby causing the lever M to press the rack L
towards the signal post P which liberates the teeth in the rack from a catch or
pin on lever N.
The weight W on liberated lever N resting upon the jointed
plate S at end of lever S', causes the same and the signal rod S2 to lower, thus
raising the signal which is connected to the said rod in the usual manner, and is
kept in this position as hereafter described.
When the signal is lowered, the other signal men whose apparatus are connected
to the signal will know that the same is lowered by means of signal repeaters,
and if it has been lowered in mistake any one of them can raise the signal again
by sending an electric current to the magnets B attracting the plate R and
operating on the rack as before described. If the signal be lowered again against
the will of the other signal men and the weight W¹ down, the chain at end of
lever N being tightened, the end of lever E at El is raised somewhat higher than
shewn on drawing: the wheels of a passing train will depress the end of said lever
thereby actuating the lever N and raising the weight W₁ above the jointed plate S,
which will then lower the lever S¹, and signal rod S providing an electric current
is acting upon the magnets, thereby raising the signal before the train reaches it,
blocking itself until it is lowered again by the signal man but if no current is
passing through the magnets the catch or pin on the lever N when raised will hold
in the teeth of the rack, retaining the lever in the position shewn.
Figure 5 shews the arrangement for locking the signal which is effected by
means of catch lever T of the first order, one end of this lever is kept in one of
the spaces between the teeth of the rack by a spring or other well known means,
and when it is desired to lower the signal the magnets B and B are attracted
together by an electric current transmitted from the signal cabin, the end of lever T¹
striking catch lever T liberates the signal rod which allows the signal to fall, and
is again raised by the apparatus described and shewn in Figure 4 or by the electric

page_text: arrangement at bottom of Figure 5, the two magnets being attracted together in the
manner described in specification No 5032 A.D. 1881.
Figure 6 shews our method of locking signals worked by the ordinary levers,
and is so arranged that the signal can be lowered by the man in the first cabin,
but is capable of being raised from either the first or second cabin, the latter by
means of an electric current.
When the signal is lowered the signal rod S³ rises, the switches Y and Y¹
coming in contact, thereby completing the electric circuit from the second cabin to
the magnets B and B³, which when a current is passing attract the armature Z,
the end striking the catch lever Z¹ liberates the catch from the piston in cylinder
shewn in section, and secured to the upper portion of signal rod S³ the rod and
cylinder when thus relieved lowering, and the weight of them being more than
the signal, the latter is raised and the electric current broken: the armature is
thereby liberated.
On the lever in the cabin being brought back into its former position, the
piston will be opposite the hole through the side of cylinder, when the catch end
of lever Z' will be pressed into a recess in piston, by means of a spring, thus
coupling up the signal rods ready for the signal being lowered.
What we claim as our invention is:-
The arrangement and combination of the parts for locking signals substantially
in the manner as described and illustrated by Figure 1.
The combination of the parts for locking points substantially in the manner
described.
The combination of the parts for locking signals actuated by electricity,
substantially in the manner described.
The combination of the mechanism illustrated by Figure 4 for the purpose
described.
The combination of the parts for locking signals substantially as described and
illustrated by Figure 6
In Witness whereof I the said Solomon Brear for and on behalf of myself
and the said Arthur Hudson have hereunto set my hand and seal this
fifteenth day of March in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and eighty-three.