IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY SWITCHING AND SIGNALLING APPARATUS
Year: 1884

page_text: I WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature
of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY SWITCHING AND SIGNALLING
APPARATUS" to be as follows:-
This invention relates to switch and signal levers for railways.
The said levers are adapted to be locked. by spring bolts, which move in slides,
the said switch levers being released by the said bolts being drawn back.
In order to be enabled to move all these bolts simultaneously I employ double
levers which are connected by a common rod. The said levers move the bolts with
them by means of projections upon the lower sides of the latter.
In order to be in a position to close or lock the levers at the station the free end
of one arm of one of the double levers, (generally that appertaining to the signal):
has a prolongation which extends into a helical cam groove.
By the rotation of the said cam by a draw-rod and a lever the said prolonged
arm of the lever is moved to and fro, thereby opening or locking the said levers.
To lock the lever, which draws the signal, when the switches are opened, each
switching lever has in connection with it a double lever whose two arms having
curved faces extend alternately into the path of the switch lever and which is
shifted to and fro by the same. These double levers move cramps which are in
connection with bolts adapted to extend into the path of the signal lever.
Dated this 18th day of June 1884.

page_text: I WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake, and Co, Patent
Agents, Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare
the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY
SWITCHING AND
SIGNALLING APPARATUS" and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to railway switching and signalling apparatus, and com-
prises the improvements hereinafter described.
The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, the figures of which
are hereinafter referred to.
On sheet. 1 is illustrated mechanism which enables the levers which serve for
operating switches or semaphores to be locked by a bolt or, by withdrawing the
bolt, to be released from a station-office..
Each lever has arranged in connection with it three frames.1 between one of the
outer and the intermediate one of which moves the drawing lever 2 in the known
manner, and between the other outer one and the intermediate one of which is
supported the locking apparatus.
.
Upon a dove-tailed guide 3 which is firmly connected with the frame moves:a
slide 4, and upon the said slide moves, in a similar manner, the bolt 5.
By providing the stop 6 upon the slide 4, or by forming the dove-tailed guide in
the slide in which guide the bolt works, with a square portion a Figure IX, the
bolt can move back independently of the slide, but always moves with the slide
and in the same direction. A spring 7 holds the bolt normally in contact with the
stop 6.
Each set of lever mechanism is provided with two slides and bolts which can be
moved to and fro by a rocking lever 8 in such a manner that one or the other bolt
is always in-the-path-of-the-lever.
When a slide is in the locking position the bolt of this slide extends between
the frames between which the lever moves, so that the latter is locked by the bolt.
When the slide is shifted back, the bolt also is drawn back, whilst the second
bolt is moved to the locking position. The lever is thus liberated and can be
brought into its second position. On pulling the lever to its second position the
second bolt is pressed back by the lever, in consequence of one of its surfaces being
bevelled, and snaps forward again at once so that the lever is locked in the second
position.
The essential feature of the present invention consists in imparting to-and-fro
motion to the rocking lever 8 from the station-office, and this is accomplished in
the following manner.
The frames 1 carry a shaft 9 which can be turned through an angle of 90° from
the station office by means of a lever and rods. This axis is provided with a cam
having a helical groove 10 into which extends an arm of the rocking lever 8.
By turning the shaft 9 through an angle of 90° to or fro, the rocking lever is
likewise oscillated to or fro, whereby the lever can be released from one or the

page_text: The position of the helical cam indicates to the switchman-when the lever can
be operated. A. bell signal can also be connected with this apparatus.
Of the draw rods 11 and 12, one passes to the switch or semaphore, and the
other to the station office where it operates suitable, apparatus to indicate the
position of the lever..
The mechanism for locking the switch signals from the station-office or from any
other central apparatus is illustrated on sheet 1. The appliances represented on
sheet 2 show the arrangements whereby several switches are locked simultaneously,
and in what manner the locking of the signal lever by the switch lever itself takes
place.
Figures XI and XIV show the rocking lever 8 with the helical cam 10 in com-
bination with the signal lever 2. Adjoining are the switch levers 13 with their
rocking levers 14 of which two are shown here.
The rocking lever 8 of the signal is connected with the rocking levers 14 by
a rod 15. Thus only one cam 10 is necessary in order to lock or to open the signal
and a whole row of switch levers, or one lever serving again to unlock another
central apparatus.
Figure XIV shows the position in which the switches are open and the signal
lever locked so that it cannot be drawn back, whilst in Figure ✗I the signal lever,
as well as all the switch levers, are locked.
Now in order that the signal lever shall remain locked until all the switches are
in the right positions for the passage of a train an arrangement has been adopted
in which rocking levers 16 are made use of; this arrangement is shown in
Figures XII to XVI Figures XII and XV being plan views the upper part of the.
apparatus being removed; Figure XIII a front view; and Figure XVI a side view.
The switch levers operate against the oblique or curved contact surfaces of the
levers 16, which according to the positions of the switch levers are moved to the
left or right into one of the positions shown in figures XII and XV. One end of
each rocking lever 16 extends into a recess in a block 17 which is in connection
with a rod 18.
These rods 18, which are situated outside the blocks, have at their ends bolts 19
for extending into the path of the signal lever and locking the same. In Figure XII
and XV of the drawings four blocks and four bolts are arranged.
The operation of this apparatus is as follows, that is to say:-Suppose, as in
Figures XV and XVI, one or more branch line switches are open the signal lever
is locked by the bolt 19 and also by the bolt 5 which is connected with the rocking
lever 8 operated by the cam 10. Now when a train is to be allowed to pass, bolt 5
is drawn back from the station by means of the cam 10; the signal cannot how-
ever be operated until all the bolts 19 have been withdrawn from the path of its
lever by closing all the switches.
The movement of the rocking lever 8 for the purpose of enabling the signal to
be operated places the bolts 5 in position to lock the signal lever as well as all the
switch levers so that the switches cannot be opened until the bolts 5ª are drawn
from the station.
In a similar manner to the levers for the switches, one lever can be introduced
for another central station, the signal of the same being locked or opened by
drawing the said lever.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
First The rocking lever 8 provided with two bolts 4, 5 for locking the drawing
levers of switches or signals.
Second The combination of the rocking lever 8 with the cam, having the helical
groove 10, for the purpose of moving, through the medium of rods, the rocking
lever 8 from a station.

page_text: Third The connection of two or more rocking levers 8 by means of a connecting
rod 15.
1.
Fourth The arrangement of the rocking levers 16 with oblique or curved
contact surfaces, the said levers 16 being oscillated by the drawing lever, and
locking the signal lever and other, switch levers through the medium of rods 18
and bolts 19.