Improvements in Mechanism for Operating and Interlocking Railway Signals and Switches.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Sept., 1896-Accepted, 7th Nov., 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Mechanism for Operating and Interlocking
Railway Signals and Switches.
I, JOHN THOMAS CADE, of No. 26 Cortlandt Street in the City of New York,
in the County and State of New York, United States of America, Signal 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:-
The invention relates to improvements in interlocking switch and signal.
machines, and comprises certain novel features connected with the tappet bars
and locking bars whereby the movement of the usual hand levers is rendered
convenient and easy and said levers are effectually locked against improper
movement, and, also, and more particularly, certain novel mechanical features
intermediate the hand levers and the switch, signal or lock operating ground-
rods whereby by mechanical means the piston rod of each power cylinder is locked
at each end of its stroke and so maintained until the hand lever and cylinder
ports are in position and condition to render the further movement of said rod
proper and desirable, and thereby also by mechanical means the operator
while moving the hand lever to apply the power which is to move the switch,
signal or lock may be instantly apprised whether the piston rod and power
mechanism are in position and condition to do their work or have performed
their desired duty.
The nature, operation and scope of the invention will be fully understood from
the detailed description and claims hereinafter presented, reference being had to the
accompanying drawings, in which :-
Figure 1 is a vertical section through a signal tower showing one operating
hand lever and all the necessary mechanism intermediate the same and the rod
leading to the switch, signal or lock, the cylinder, valve-chest and valve therein,
whereby the power is applied to move the piston and devices intermediate the same
and the switch, signal or lock being in section;
Figure 2 is a detached perspective view of a portion of the piston rod and the
means whereby it is locked at each end of its movement and prevented from
moving except upon the existence of proper conditions;
Figure 3 is a detached perspective view of the adjoining portions of one each of
the tappet bars, locking bars and hand levers;
Figure 4 is an enlarged top view of a portion of the bed of tappet bars, locking
bars and hand levers, the latter being in section;
Figure 5 is an enlarged side elevation of a portion of one of the brackets
supporting the locking bars, two of the latter being shown in position in section
and two in end elevation and a tappet bar being illustrated in position between the
upper and lower locking bars;
Figure 6 is a top view of a portion of one of the aforesaid supporting brackets
showing a portion of a tappet bar and locking bar;
Figure 7 is a detached elevation, partly in section and partly broken away, of a
group of operating levers, tappet bars and locking bars;
Figure 8 is a diagrammatic view of the tower with the power cylinders therein
and connections therefrom for operating the signals, switch and lock;
Figure 9 is a like view of same but illustrating the power cylinders without the
tower but adjacent thereto, and
:

page_text: igure 10 13 a like view but showing the power cylinders at points adjacent to the
signals, switch and lock to be operated.
In the employment of my invention no change in the usual ground rods leading
to the signals, switches or locks becomes necessary, these rods being of usual or
suitable form and construction and not being therefore specially referred to herein-
after further than necessary to render the parts comprising the invention thoroughly
understood.
In Figure 1 is illustrated one of the operating hand levers with the proper power,
locking and tell-tale mechanism intermediate it and the ground rod, and in practical
use there will be a group of these band levers arranged side by side and each lever
will have intermediate it and its ground rod the mechanism illustrated in Figure 1.
with respect to the lever there shown.
In the drawings A designates the usual tower; B the hand lever; C the
ground rod, and D the power cylinder whose piston E is controlled in its
movement by the hand lever and actuates at the proper time the ground
rod C and through it and its connections the signal, switch or lock to which it
may lead.
The first part of the invention pertains to the means for locking the levers B
against improper movement, and comprises the series of tappets or tappet bars F.
and the series of locking bars G, the latter traversing the tappet bars at right
angles to the latter, and being, if preferred, in double series with oue series above
and the other below the tappet bars, as more clearly indicated in Figures 5 and 7.
The tappet bars F and locking bars G are severally adapted to be reciprocated in
line with their length, the tappet bars receiving their motion directly from the
hand levers B to which they are pivotally connected and the locking bars G being
moved from the tappet bars through the medium of the operating cams H on the
latter engaging said bars G, as hereinafter explained. The locking bars are
supported in the brackets I, as many of the latter as necessary being employed.
The upper edge of the brackets I are formed with pockets J to receive the bars G
and also with a retaining plate K (see Fig. 5) by which the bars G are preserved
in position. At the base of the pockets J are formed the recesses L within which,
are placed the balls or rollers M to support and facilitate the easy movement of
the locking bars G. The bars G are frequently of considerable length and their
movement is effected wholly by the manual force applied by the operator to the
levers B, and hence the recesses L and balls or rollers M become features of
importance and highly desirable, particularly when it is remembered that the
bars at many stations are moved hundreds of times a day. The balls M of
spherical outline may be used or elongated rollers may be substituted for
the balls, the balls and rollers being equivalents in this relation for one
another.
The tappet bars F are provided with the actuating cams H above referred to,
said cams being in the form of a slot or groove, as shown at a, or in relief, as
shown at b, and the side surfaces of the said cams however constructed forming
inclines which act against pins or projections on the bars G to move the latter.
When the cams H are in the form of slots or grooves the bars G will be provided
with the pins O to engage the same, and when said cams H are in relief the bars G.
will have the projections P to engage the opposite sides of same, as indicated in
Figures 3 and 4. When a tappet bar F is moved by the lever B, the cam H on,
said bar will move the bar G engaged thereby by a direct positive unfailing
action. While I do not limit this part of the invention to any special outline.
of cam H, I regard the form of cam shown as of special importance when
employed in a machine embodying the mechanism illustrated in Figure 1, inter-
mediate the hand lever B and power cylinder D, for the reasons fully explained
hereinafter in the description of the second part of my invention. The tappet
bars F and locking bars G are respectively provided on their edges with the
locking recesses and dogs Q, R, which are usual with this class of machines and
need not be specifically described. The bars F, G, perform their usual and well

page_text: known functions with respect to the levers B, but in this machine they do so
more effectually, positively and conveniently by reason of the two features
thereof comprising this part of my invention, said features being the cams H
and the halls or rollers M'in the recesses formed in the pockets of the supporting
brackets I.
Referring to the second part of my invention attention is directed to Figure 1,
wherein it will be seen that the lower end of the pivoted hand lever B is provided
with a crank arm S to which is pivotally connected the rod T carrying the pin V
and pivotally connected with one arm of the bell-crank lever W, whose other arm
by means of a link X is connected with the slide Y having the lugs d, e.
pin V is free between the arms f, g, at one end of the pivoted lever h, whose
other end is pivotally connected with and actuates the valve rod i, which passes
into the chest and is suitably connected with the valve k to operate the
latter.
The cylinder D to which the chest ; is connected, is of well known form and is
provided with the customary end ports m, n, and exhaust port g, and will be use i
in connection with air, steam or other power generating fluid. The piston E is
also of well known or suitable form and construction and is connected with a rod r
whose outer end is, by means of a bell-crank lever s, connected with the ground
rod C. The rod r is provided adjacent to the slide Y with the recesses t, u, which
are adapted to respectively engage the lugs e, d.
In the operation of the mechanism illustrated in Figure 1, if it should be desired
to reverse the position of the signal, for instance, by drawing the ground rod C to
the right, the operator on the second floor of the tower will draw the lever B toward
him and to the position illustrated by the dotted line in Figure 1. The movement
of the lever B to the right causes the crank arm S to draw upward on the rod T
and through said rod T and the bell-crank lever W to draw the link X and slide Y
to the left until the stud d has escaped from the recess u in the piston rod r,
whereby the latter is left free to act under the influence of the air or steam that
may be admitted to the cylinder D above the piston E. The first part of the
upward movement of the rod T has no effect upon the lever h, rod i and valve k,
since the pin V carried by the rod T is free between the arms fg of the lever h
and ascends a definite distance before coming into contact with the arm f, and it is
during this limited upward movement of the rod T prior to the pin V striking the
arm that the stud d is withdrawn from the recess u and the piston rod r thereby
freed. As soon as the rod T has ascended sufficiently for the pin V to strike the
arm f of the lever h, the contact of said pin with said arm operates to turn the said
lever & upon its pivotal bearing and to depress the rod i and valve k, the result
being that the compressed air or steam will pass from the chest j into the upper
of the cylinder D through the port m, while the compressed air or steam which has
been below the piston E will exhaust through the ports n, g. Thus the piston E,
upon the valve & having been moved as described, will instantly descend with the
rod r and cause the bell crank lever s to actuate the ground rod C and the signal,
switch or lock that may be connected therewith. The continued movement of the
hand lever B toward the right acting through the rod T, bell crank W and link X
draws the slide Y toward the left sufficiently for the stud e on said slide to enter
the recess in the rod r, whereby said rod is locked in its lower position. It is to be
noted therefore that the first part of the movement of the lever B toward the right
effects the withdrawal of the stud d from the recess u in the piston rod and unlocks
the latter; that the next portion of the movement of the said lever B toward the
right results in the pin Vaetusting the lever and rod i to move the valve k,
whereby the compressed air or steam is admitted to the upper end of the cylinder D
and exhausted from the lower end thereof, and the piston and rod caused to descend.
and actuate the rod C; and that the final part of the movement of the said lever B to
the right causes the stud e to engage the recess t in said piston rod, the latter
having descended to its lower position. The stud d in connection with the recess
locks the rod in its upper position and the stud e in connection with the recess &

page_text: locks the said rod in its lower position. Upon the reversal of the movement of the
hand lever B or its movement from the right to the left, looking at Figure 1, the
first part of its movement will, through the rod T, bell crank W and link X, cause
the slide Y to move toward the right sufficiently to free the stud e from the recess t,
thereby unlocking the rod r; ahd the next portion of the movement of said lever B
toward the left will cause the pin V to strike the arm 9 and turn the lever h to the
position in which it is illustrated in Figure 1, thereby elevating the rod i and
valve for the purpose of opening the port n to lower the end of the cylinder D
and exhausting the air or steam from the upper end of said cylinder through the
ports m, q, whereby the piston E and rod rare caused to immediately ascend and
actuate the ground rod 'C and the devices connected therewith, while the latter
portion of the movement of the said lever B toward the left causes the stud d
to enter the recess u in said rod and lock the latter in its upward position, as
shown.
The studs d, e, adapted for engagement respectively with the recesses u, t, are of
very great importance. The stud d locks the rod in its upward position until
such time as the operator may manually move the proper lever B sufficiently to
withdraw the stud from the recess u. Thus the operator on the second floor of the
tower has positive knowledge that the rod and piston E are in their upward
position at the time when it is desired that they shall be in that position. When
the piston E and rod rascend to their upward position the stud d may enter the
recess u, but unless the said piston and rod have ascended under the influence of
the mechanism set in motion by the lever B, the stud d cannot enter the recess u but
will strike against the outer edge of the piston rod and prevent the lever B from
moving to its full position, whereby the operator is apprised that the machinery is
not in perfect working order and that the parts connected with the cylinder D'are
not in condition to operate. The inability of the stud d to enter the recess u is an
assurance directly conveyed to the operator that the mechanism is out of working
order and requires attention. The stud e when the piston rod r is in its lower
position may enter the recess t and lock the rod r; but if for any reason the piston
and rod have not made their descent to operate the switch, lock or signal or in
other words, have not responded to the movement of the lever B, the stud e
cannot enter the recess t and hence the operator will instantly know that the
mechanism is not performing its duty. The studs d, e, thus not only serve
respectively to lock the rod i in its upper and lower positious, but constitute
tell-tale devices by which the operator on the second floor of the tower is
instantly apprised of any failure of the mechanical parts to perform their proper
functions.
The power necessary for moving the ground rod C and its connections is derived
from the compressed air, steam or other fluid which enters the power cylinder D,
and hence it will be observed that the only physical force necessary to be exerted
by the operator is that applied in moving the fever B and through said lever the
tappet bar, valve k and slide Y, and the movement of these parts is rendered
convenient and easy by the nature of the connections intermediate the lever B and
the valve k and slide Y and also by the arrangement of the cams H on the tappet
bars F and the rollers M below the locking bars G. A very light force applied to
the lever B will move the valve k and slide Y and owing to the direct positive
action of the cams H on the tappet bars F, the latter may be readily and
conveniently moved and their motion transmitted through the said cans to the
lecking bars. The cams H are composed of the inclined surfaces a', and 6, and
the plain surfaces e', the latter being intermediate the inclined surfaces a', &, and
parallel with the longitudinal edges of the tappet bars. During that portion of the
movement of the lever B which results in the unlocking of the piston rod r, one of the
inclined surfaces of the cam H will move against the engaging pin O or projections P,
according to which is employed, and start the movement of the locking bar, and at this
time it will be observed that the force of the operator is only consumed in the partial
movement of the slide Y, tappet bar F and locking bar G. During the continued

page_text: movement of the lever B to cause the pin V to actuate the lever h and depress the rod i
and valve k, the plain parallel surfaces c' of the cam H will move along the pin O or
projections P without any tendency to move the locking har G, thus during this
second part of the movement of the lever B the force of the operator acting
through the lever B is expended in simply moving the valve k and tappet bar F,
the latter at such time being practically free. During the latter part of the
movement of the lever B the piston rod is locked at the end of its stroke and one
of the inclined surfaces of the cam H acts upon the locking bar G to move it to
complete its action. Thus, during the latter part of the movement of the lever B
the strength of the operator is consumed only to the extent of locking the rod +
and finishing the movement of the locking bar G. It will thus be observed that
not only is the force necessary to move the ground rods derived from the power
cylinder D and relieved from the operator, but that the force necessary to set the
power cylinder in operation and the tappet and locking bars in motion is so
distributed with respect to each other that the entire force of the operator is not
expended at one time to effect the complete simultaneous movement of all of the
parts referred to, but is, as above described, practically in succession applied to
move first one and then another part during a continued motion of the lever B.
While I regard the special form of cam H when used in connection with the
special arrangement of mechanism illustrated in Figure 1 as of special importance,
I do not limit the invention to the cams H composed specifically of the inclined
surfaces a¹, b', and intermediate parallel surfaces c', since a very desirable result is
accomplished when said cams H are inclined from end to end. Whether the
cains Hare of the special form illustrated in Figure 4 or inclined from end to
end, they exert positive force against the bars G in line with the length of the
latter and effectually move the locking bars with the minimum force on the
lever B.
Each of the levers B is provided with the mechanism illustrated in Figure 1 and
connected with one of the tappet bars F. In Figure 1 the power cylinder D and
its connections are illustrated as being within the tower A and directly below the
second floor thereof, but it is to be understood that I do not limit the invention to
the placing of the cylinders D directly within the tower A, since they may be
placed directly without the tower as illustrated in Figure 9, or adjacent to the
points at which the signals, lock and switch may be placed, as illustrated in
Figure 10.
In Figures 8, 9 and 10, A', A', designate the distant signals; B', B', the home
signals; C¹ a switch, and D' a facing point lock, all of these features being of
well known form and construction. In view of the fact that the power cylinders D
may be arranged at the various points above referred to, it will be obvious that
the invention is not confined to the special form or arrangement of rods and
levers illustrated in Figure 1, since these will necessarily change to meet the various
localities which circumstances may render necessary or desirable for the cylinders D.
When convenient the cylinders D will be arranged with respect to the levers B
in the manner illustrated in Figure 1, and the slide Y will be arranged to directly
engage the piston rod. When necessary or desirable, however, the slide Y may
indirectly engage the piston rod by being arranged to directly engage some movable
part of mechanism intermediate the piston rod and the lock, switch or signal to be
actuated thereby.
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 :-
1. In a machine of the character described, the hand lever, and the power
cylinder, combined with mechanism intermediate the said cylinder and lever for
operating the former from the latter, the ground rod connected with the piston
rod of said cylinder, and means actuated from the hand lever for locking the piston
rod at each end of its movement; substantially as set forth.

page_text: 2. In a machine of the character described, the power cylinder containing a
piston and having its piston rod connected with the ground rod, the hand lever,
and mechanism intermediate the same and the cylinder for effecting the operation
of the latter, combined with means connected with said lever for apprising the
operator when the piston fails to respond thereto; substantially as set forth.
3. In a machine of the character described the hand lever having the crank S,
the rod T connected with said crank, the power cylinder D having the valve rod i,
the rocking lever / connected with the rod i and arranged to be engaged by the
said rod T, and the slide Y having the projections d, e, and connected with said
rod T, combined with the piston rod of said cylinder having recesses to be engaged
by said studs d, e, and the ground rod connected with said piston rod; substantially
as set forth.
4. In a machine of the character described, the hand lever B for operating
the switch, lock or signal through intermediate mechanism, combined with the
tappet bar connected with said lever and having the cam H, and the locking bar G
engaging said cam; substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
5. In a machine of the character described, the lever B connected with the
signal, switch or lock for operating the same through intermediate mechanism,
combined with the tappet bar pivotally secured to said lever and having the
cam H composed of the inclined surfaces a, b, and parallel surfaces c', and the
locking bar directly engaging the said cam; substantially as and for the purposes
set forth.
6. In a machine of the character described, the lever B connected with the lock,
switch or signal for operating the same through intermediate mechanism, combined
with the tappet bar directly secured to the said lever, the locking bar arranged
at right angles to the tappet bar and engaging the latter, the bracket supporting
the locking bar, and the balls or rollers supporting the said locking bar; substau-
tially as set forth.
7. In a machine of the character described, the series of levers B for operating
the signals, switches of locks, combined with the series of tappet bars secured to
said levers, and the series of locking bars arranged to be operated from the said
tappet bars, the brackets supporting the locking bars and having the pockets to
receive and guide the same, and the recesses and balls or rollers located in the base
of the said pockets; substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
8. In a machine of the character described, the hand lever, the power cylinder,
and suitable connections intermediate the cylinder and lever and the cylinder and
signal or other device to be actuated, combined with means connected with said
lever for checking the movement of the latter when the cylinder fails to perform
its duty; substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
9. In a machine of the character described, the hand lever, the power cylinder,
and suitable connections intermediate said cylinder and lever and said cylinder and
the signal or other device to be actuated, combined with means connected with said
lever for engaging and disengaging a movable part of the mechanism intermediate
said cylinder and the device operated upon at the opposite ends of the movement
of said part; substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
10. In a machine of the character described, the hand lever, the power cylinder,
mechanism intermediate said lever and cylinder for operating the latter from the
former, and the ground rod connected with the piston rod of said cylinder, combined
with means connected with said hand lever for locking said piston rod at the end
of its stroke; substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
11. In a machine of the character described, the hand lever, the power cylinder
having its piston rod provided with recesses t, u, and connections intermediate said
cylinder and lever for operating the former from the latter, combined with the
slide having projections d, e, for engagement with said recesses, and connections
intermediate said slide and lever for operating the former from the latter; substan-
tially as and for the purposes described.
12. In a machine of the character described, the hand lever, the power cylinder

page_text: having its piston rod provided with a recess, and connections intermediate said
cylinder and lever for operating the former from the latter, combined with the
slide having a projection for engagement with said recess, and connections inter-
mediate said slide and lever for operating the former from the latter; substantially
as and for the purposes described.
T
1000
JOHN THOMAS CADE.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, W.C., Agents for the Applicant..