IMPROVEMENTS IN GATES FOR RAILWAY CROSSINGS, AND IN MECHANISM FOR OPENING AND CLOSING THE SAME
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Melville Clark, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the
"
County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, for the Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN
GATES FOR RAILWAY CROSSINGS, AND IN MECHANISM FOR OPENING AND
CLOSING THE SAME." A communication from abroad by Stephen Arnold
Jenks, of Lincoln, in the County of Providence and State of Rhode Island,
United States of America.
Sealed the 23rd June 1876, and dated the 26th January 1876.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Melville Clark at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 26th January 1876.
ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Mid-
dlesex, Patent Agent. "IMPROVEMENTS IN GATES FOR RAILWAY CROSSINGS, AND
IN MECHANISM FOR OPENING AND CLOSING THE SAME."
The Invention consists essentially of counterbalanced gates mounted on hollow
standards at opposite sides of the crossing way, and also on opposite sides of the
railway, if desired, together with or without gates to close the railway when the
crossing way is open, and also others for closing the footways of the crossing, the
gates being so connected through the hollow standards and underground with an
operating mechanism at one end of the standards by cords, chains, wire ropes, or
other means working over pulleys, that one person can readily open or close the
gates on both sides of the railway simultaneously or independently, the operating
gear being all closed in, water-tight, both in the standards and underground, so as
to be protected from wet, frost, or dirt.
The gates for closing the crossing way on one or both sides of the railway are
pivoted on hollow standards on opposite sides of the crossing way, so as to rise and
fall for opening and closing, and so arranged that when they close the tenon of one
interlocks with the notch of the other, so that they support each other laterally to
some extent, and stop at the right point in closing. The gates are counterbalanced
by weights, so as to work easy, and they are all worked from one of the standards
on which is a crank shaft having a long pinion, and arranged to gear with two
toothed wheels on the gate pivot.at the same time or with each alone by shifting
the shaft along its bearings, or it may be done by clutches or other means.
of these toothed wheels is keyed fast to the pivot of the gate for turning it, and
also carries a pulley for working the gate on the opposite side of the crossing way
by a cord, chain, or wire rope, which runs down the hollow standard under pulleys
[Price 6d.]
One

page_text: through a tube embedded in the ground under the road under other pulleys in the
opposite standard, and up the standard and around a pulley on the axis of the
gate. The other toothed wheel turns loose on the gate pivot, and carries a pulley
which works the gates on the opposite side of the railway by an endless rope or
chain going down the hollow standard, and crossing under the railway by pulleys
and tubes, and up around a pulley which is keyed fast to the pivot of the gate in
that post on which is another pulley which works the other gate on that side of the
railway by a rope going around its pulley by passing down the hollow standard
around pulleys and through another imbedded tube.
Sometimes when the railway passes through cities or villages, and the standards are
set at the kerbstone, it is also desirable to close the footways, for which other gates
are geared on, to swing down across the footways at the same time and by the
same means that the others do, and it is also desirable in some cases to close the
railway when the crossing way is open, for which other gates are geared on by
bevel wheels so adjusted that they close when the crossing way gates open, and
vice versa.
The object of providing for the working of the gates on the two sides of the
railway independently is that in the case of very wide railways of several tracks it
might occur that a passing train would not have crossed entirely when the gate
behind should be closed to prevent others from going on, which if done would
prevent one on from getting off; therefore it is contrived so that the gates of one
side can be left open, while those of the other side are shut, and be afterwards
shut. The standards will be closed water-tight at the top, say, by a cap fitting on
at the pivot or in any other way, and the underground pipes will also screw' in
tight at the base of the standards for preventing water from leaking in.
As the angle of the crossing way is not always the same to the railway the
underground pipes through which the ropes or chains pass will be connected to
pulley boxes instead of to the standards, and the pulley boxes will be swivelled in
the bottom of the standards, so that when setting up the gate they can be adjusted
to the required angle, and then be fastened in position by nuts or any other suitable
means. The gates will serve the purpose of signals by carrying flags by day and
lanterns by night on the free ends, which by their different positions when opened
and closed have the effect of special signals. The gates may of course be made to
swing horizontally instead of vertically, but it is better to have them worked
vertically.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Alexander Melville Clark in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 26th
June 1876.
16
ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Mid-
dlesex, Patent Agent. IMPROVEMENTS IN GATES FOR RAILWAY CROSSINGS, AND
IN MECHANISM FOR OPENING AND CLOSING THE SAME" A communication to me
from abroad by Stephen Arnold Jenks, of Lincoln, in the County of Providence and
State of Rhode Island, United States of America.
This Invention consists essentially of counterbalanced gates mounted on hollow
standards at opposite sides of the crossing way, and also on opposite sides of the
railway, if desired, with or without gates to close the railway when the crossing
way is open, and also others for closing the footways of the crossing, the gates being
so connected through the hollow standards and underground with an operating
mechanism at one of the standards by cords, chains, wire ropes, or other means
working over pulleys that one person can readily open or close the gates of both
sides of the railway simultaneously or independently. The operating gear is all
closed in water-tight, both in the standards and underground, so as to be protected
from wet, frost, dirt, &c.
In the accompanying Drawing Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of the apparatus

page_text: taken transversely of the crossing way; Figure 2 is a horizontal section of the
standards; Figure 3 is a sectional elevation of the apparatus taken transversely of
the railway and Figure 4 is a horizontal section of the parts showing an arrange-
ment applicable to diagonal crossings.
A represents the railway, on one or both sides of which are gates B for closing
the crossing way, said gates being pivoted at C on hollow standards G on opposite
sides of the crossing way, so as to rise and fall for opening and closing, and so
arranged that when they close the tenon D of one interlocks with the notch E of
the other, so that they support each other laterally to some extent, and stop at the
right point in closing. The gates are counterbalanced by weights F, so as to work
easily, and they are all worked from one of the standards, on which is a crank
shaft H, having a long pinion I, and arranged to gear with two toothed wheels J
and K on the gate pivot C at the same time or with cach alone by shifting the
shaft along its bearings, or it may be done by clutches or other means. One of
these wheels J is keyed fast to the pivot C of the gate for turning it, and also
carries a pulley L for working the gate on the opposite side of the crossing way by
a cord, chain, or wire rope M, which runs down the hollow standard under pulleys N
through a tube Obedded in the ground under the road under other pulleys N in
the opposite standard, and up the standard and around a pulley P on the axis of
the gate. The other wheel K turns loose on the gate pivot, and carries a pulley Q
which works the gates on the opposite side of the railway by an endless rope or
chain R passing down the hollow standard, and crossing under the railway by
pulleys S and tubes T, and up around a pulley U, which is keyed fast to the pivot
of the gate in that post on which is another pulley V, which works the other gate on
that side of the railway by a rope M. going around its pulley P by passing down
the hollow standard around pulleys N, and through another imbedded tube O.
Sometimes, when the railway passes through cities or villages, and the standards
are set at the kerbstone, it is also desirable to close the footways, for which other
gates Ware geared on, say, by wheels X and a pivot y, to swing down across the
footways at the same time and by the same means that the others do, and it is also
desirable in some cases to close the railway when the crossing way is open, for
which other gates Z are geared on by bevel wheels a so adjusted that they close
when the crossing way gates open, and vice versa.
The object of providing for the working of the gates on the two sides of the
railway independently is that in the case of very wide railways of several lines it
might occur that a passing train would not have crossed entirely when the gate
behind should be closed to prevent others from going on, which if done would
prevent the one on from getting off; therefore it is contrived so that the gates of
one side can be left open while those of the other side are shut, and be afterwards
shut. The standards will be closed water-tight at the top, say, by a cap b fitting
on at the pivot C, or in any other way, and the underground pipes will also screw
in tight at the base of the standards for preventing water from leaking in.
As the angle of the crossing way is not always the same to the railway the
pipes T will be connected to pulley boxes & instead of to the standards, and the
pulley boxes will be swivelled in the bottom of the standards, as at e, Figure 3, so
that when setting up the gate they can be adjusted to the required angle, and then
be fastened in position by the nuts f, or any other suitable means. The gates will
serve the purpose of signals by carrying flags by day and lanterns by night on the
free ends, which by their different positions when opened and closed have the effect
of special signals. The gates may of course be made to swing horizontally instead
of vertically, but it is better to have them worked vertically.
Having described the nature of the said Invention, and the manner of performing
the caine, I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be protected by the herein-
before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
1st. The combination of the balanced gates operated by means of chains, cords,
or wire rope, and braced at the centre by interlocking at the ends when closed.
2nd. The arrangement of the balanced gates by which the two gates of a pair are

page_text: supported on shafts, and operated by means of chains, rods, cords, shafts or wire
rope simultaneously.
3rd. The arrangement by which two or more gates can be operated either simul-
taneously or independently, and from one and the same point.
4th. The combination witli the balanced gates connected by ropes, chains, or wire
rope, so as to operate simultaneously of the standards arranged, so as to exclude
water from the interior.
5th. The combination with the standards arranged to exclude all water from their
interior of the tubes or pipes connected with the standards by water-tight joints,
and arranged to contain the chains, rods; or wire rope by which one or more gates
are operated.
6th. The combination with the main gate B of secondary gates W or Z for
closing a side walk or the railway, and being operated by the main gate, substan-
tially as specified.
7th. The pulley cases for the crossing ropes or chains swivelled to the standards
for setting at any angle, substantially as specified.
8th. The combination of hollow standards, gates pivoted thereon, pipes connecting
the standards, and the ropes, cords, or chains and pulleys inclosed in said standards
and pipes, and connecting one or more gates with the crank shaft, substantially as
specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Melville Clark, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-six.
A. M. CLARK. (L.S.)