Gate or Latch Lock for the Gates of Occupation and Farmers' Level Crossings of Railways, and for like purposes.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 25th June, 1896
Complete Specification Left, 22nd Mar., 1897-Accepted, 5th June, 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Gate or Latch Lock for the Gates of Occupation and Farmers' Level
Crossings of Railways, and for like purposes.
I HENRY WILLIAMS of the Railway Appliances Works Cathcart Renfrewshire
Mechanical Engineer; do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention has for its objects the facilitating of greater safety to railway
travelling by providing improved means of very easily securing and locking in
their closed position to their slamming posts the gates and wickets of occupation or
farmers level crossings of railways and for such like purposes. The application of
this invention to these parts of the fencings of railways render them more complete
and safe against the trespass on to the railways of cattle or other animals from
fields or premises adjoining thus meeting a long felt want against accidents
occurring on railways from the cause of animal trespass.
In putting my invention into practice the mechanism 1 will or may employ to
perform this function will generally consist of my locking device arranged to work
in a rectangular shaped box or case of cast or wrought metal with a receiving
projection and inclined lip thereto secured on the outside of this rectangular box or
case for receiving the spring or balance or weighted latch or bolt of the gate.
The inside locking device or mechanism will generally consist of a locking bolt
of novel shape the inner end of which will be formed as an eye or loop so as to
receive a cam or eccentric to travel or turn or revolve therein and by the
operating movements of this cam or eccentric will travel longitudinally or cross-
ways or radially this locking bolt as desired to perform the complete locking
function with its closed and latched gate or wicket.
This locking bolt I will or may make either with one single plain end or with
two so as to enable the complete lock device to act either for a right or for left
hand fixing and operation.
The cani or eccentric I would prefer to freely turn or swivel on a fixed stud
or pin secured to this rectangular shaped body or box and provided with a receiving
recess and projection pin and stop for receiving and checking its operating key and
also such projections and wards for checking of the required movements of itself
and key in its case.
I will or may arrange that on the operating key or organ being inserted and
operated in the lock box or case thus operating the working bolt by the cam or
eccentric that this operation shall lock the key in the lock case until the gate is
again closed and latched to its slamming post so as to make the fence of the
railway complete, so as to prevent this key or organ being taken from the lock
during the time that the gate is open or not properly and securely shut and
latched & locked.
This releasing of the key or opening organ I will or may effect automatically
through the means of its hinged, or balanced or spring latch or engaging bolt
secured or arranged to the slamming end of the gate itself by means of the end
or part of this spring or other latch of the gate engaging when latching itself to
its lock lip will depress or move a short spring disengaging lever or sliding bolt
or crescent to effect this purpose but generally I. will not employ this key or

page_text: organ checking and releasing device but arrange that the key can be placed into
or taken out of the lock case at will.
By the arrangements here described the locking device will be fixed or arranged
to the slamming post of the crossing gates and the spring or other moving catch
or latch or engaging organ fixed or arranged to the gate but I may & will often
arrange the complete devices vice versa.
Dated this 24th day of June 1806
HENRY WILLIAMS.
Gate or Latch Lock for the Gates of Occupation and Farmers' Level
Crossings of Railways, and for like purposes.
I, HENRY WILLIAMS, of the Railway Appliances Works, Cathcart, Renfrewshire,
Mechanical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement, that is to say:-
My invention has for its objects the facilitating of greater safety to railway
travelling by providing improved means of very easily securing and locking in
their closed position to their slamming posts the gates and wickets of occupation
or farmers level crossings of railways and for such like purposes. The application
of this invention to these parts of the fencings of railways render then more
complete and safe against the trespass on to the railways of cattle or other animals
from fields or premises adjoining thus meeting a long felt want against accidents
occurring on railways froin the cause of animal trespass.
And in order that my said invention and the manner of carrying same into
practice may be properly understood, I have hereunto appended a sheet of explanatory
drawings in which
Figure 1 represents a perspective elevation showing the exterior case frame of my
locking device.
Figure 2 represents a sectional elevation with the face plate of outer case
removed to show the internal mechanism. Figure 3 is a similar view to Figure 2
showing auxiliary fittings for preventing the operating key being removed from
the lock while the gate is unlocked, and
Figure 4 is a transverse section at right angles to Figure 3.
Figures 5 and 6 are views illustrating an alternative arrangement to that shown in
Figures 3 and 4, Figure 5 being a similar view to Figure 3 and
Figure 6 a detached plan and elevation of the key blocking device.
Referring to these drawings:-
In putting my invention into practice the mechanism: I will or may employ to
perform this function will generally consist of my locking device arranged to work in a
rectangular shaped box or case A of cast or wrought metal with a receiving pro-
jection A and inclined lip A2 thereto secured on the outside of this rectangular
box or case A for receiving the ordinary spring or balance or weighted latch or bolt of
the gate.
The inside locking device or imechanism consists of a locking bolt a of novel
shape, the inner end of which will be formed as an eye or loop a¹ so as to receive a
cam or eccentric b to travel or turn or revolve therein and by the operating move-
ments of this cam or eccentric b this locking bolt a a' will travel longitudinally or
crossways or radially as desired to perform its complete locking function with its
closed and latched gate or wicket.
This locking bolt a a¹ I will or may make either with one single plain end a as
shown or with two ends such as a from opposite faces of the ring part al so as to

page_text: enable the complete lock device to act either for a right or for a left hand fixing and
operation.
The cam or eccentric I would prefer to freely turn or swivel on a fixed stud or
pin e secured to this rectangular shaped case or box A. A segmental recess is
formed in the eccentric 6, and a pin 6 secured to the case A projects up through this
recess to regulate the travel of eccentric b and consequently of the bolt a. A pin b³
projects from the eccentric for the outer part of the operating key inserted over
the pin c to act on during its turning movements to latch or unlatch the locking
bolt a. The bolt a is formed with a recessed curved part a² which slides over and
engages with a fixed pin a³ at the end of its to and fro locking and unlocking
movements..
I will or may arrange that on the key or organ being inserted and operated
in the lock or box or case A to actuate the working bolt a al by the cam or eccentric
into its locking position that this operation shall lock the key in the lock case until
the gate is again closed and latched to its slamming post so as to make the fence of
the railway complete and thus prevent the key or organ being removed from the lock
during the time that the gate is open or not properly and securely shut and latched
or locked. Of course the key could be released by merely shooting the bolt but
this would only be done by maliciously intended parties. This would or may be
effected as shown in Figures 3 and 4 by forming a projecting arm on the loop
part a' of bolt a, with which a spring pawl or tumbler d' fulcrumed at 2 within the
fixed case, is made to engage while the. bolt a is in the unlocked position, and so keep
the eccentric band operating key in such a position that the latter cannot be with-
drawn through the key hole A3 in fixed case (unless the bolt be shot in the open
position by malicious parties) until the bolt a has been operated on again to bring-it
to its locked position.
In Figures 5 and 6 an alternative arrangement is shown for preventing the key
from being withdrawn, and which consists of a plate e screwed to the locking bolt a
so as to cover part of the key hole A³, and prevent the key being withdrawn
while the gate is unlatched.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
First. The improved construction of gate or latch lock herein described in reference
to and shown in the accompanying drawings.
Second. In gate or latch locks, the herein described method of preventing the
operating key from being removed while the gate is unlatched, substantially as set
forth.
W. R. M. THOMSON & Co.,
96 Buchanan Street, Glasgow, Agents.