IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR WORKING AND INTERLOCKING RAILWAY DOINTS חז.
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS ·PATENT to William Buck of Canterbury Road Kilburn in the
County of Middlesex for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
FOR WORKING AND INTERLOCKING RAILWAY DOINTS
חז..
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Buck at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 12th July 1883. .
"
WILLIAM BUCK of Canterbury Road Kilburn in the County of Middlesex
IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR WORKING AND INTERLOCKING RAILWAY POINTS
AND SIGNALS
"
My invention relates to apparatus for working railway points and signals under
certain conditions to which I will more particularly refer in the following general
description, for detecting failures in their working, and for interlocking the levers
employed for working them so as to ensure safety of the traffic. It often happens
that two pairs of points with corresponding signals are so arranged that they
should always be worked together, as for instance where there a cross over from
one line to another. For this purpose, I provide a single working lever in con-
junction with what I may term a setting lever, so arranged that when the setting
lever is in one position the working lever when moved over pulls a rod, and when
the setting lever is in another position, the moving over of the working lever
pushes the rod. The rod so moved is connected by bell cranks and toggle joints to
the two pairs of points so that its movement, whether it is subjected to a push or
to a pull, opens both pairs simultaneously, and its back movement closes both pairs
simultaneously. The rod is also connected to two sets of signal apparatus one
adjoining each pair of the points, and operates at each place on a detent holding a
loaded lever, so that when the rod is moved by a push it releases one detent but
not the other and thus causes one of the signals to appear when the points have
just completed their movement. In like manner when the rod is moved by a pull
it works the other signal.
In order to detect the failure of a pair of points to obey the movement of the
.

page_text: point lever which is intended to work them, I connect to the points a detector rod
which extends to the neighbourhood of the point lever, and is there connected to a
radial arm which works a notched rod across the path of a notched rod attached to
to the point lever. When the points move properly in obedience to the point lever
the notched rod presents a notch which gives passage for the rod attached to the
point lever permitting that lever to be moved. But if, owing to fracture of any of
the connections between the points and the point lever, the points have failed to
move, then the detector rod is not moved so as to present the notch to the rod of
the point lever, and the point lever is thus stopped during its stroke and held in
such a position that all the levers interlocked with it remain locked, and no signal
can be given until the mischief is repaired.:
1
In cases where a line branches out into several sidings, and where one signal is
used to give admission to any one of those sidings, it is necessary to provide inter-
locking arrangements such that the giving of this signal shall lock all or any of the
points commanding the several sidings. For this purpose, I connect the signal
lever or the part of the locking gear worked by it, by a horizontal rod to the
vertical arm of one of several bell cranks, each of which is mounted on a radial
arm and has its horizontal arm connected to part of the locking gear of the levers
that command the sidings. The pivot of the first bell crank is connected to the
vertical arm of the second, and so on throughout the series of bell cranks to the
last which has a fixed pivot. When the signal lever is moved, the horizontal rod,
moving, tends to turn the first of the bell cranks round its pivot. If it so turns, it
effects the necessary locking, but if owing to the position of the part of the locking
gear which it affects, it is incapable of turning round its pivot, it is in that case
caused to swing on its radial arm and so communicate the movement of the horizontal
rod to the next bell crank, which, in like manner, if it cannot turn on its pivot is
made to swing and to convey the movement to the next, and so on throughout the
series. If all the bell cranks are incapable of turning, including the last whose
pivot is stationary, then the horizontal rod cannot move and consequently the
signal lever with which it is connected is locked.
It has been found advantageous to work the interlocking mechanism of point
and signal levers, not by the levers themselves, but by their spring catches. As
the spring catch rod of a lever has an upward movement for releasing it from the
quadrant notch before moving the lever, and has a downward movement into the
notch for holding the lever after it has been moved, I interpose, between the spring
catch rod and the locking gear, mechanism by which these two contrary movements
of the rod are made to give to the locking gear two successive movements in one.
and the same direction. This mechanism is of the following kind. As near as
possible to the pivot of the main lever, I fit on it a vertical slide which is
connected by a cross lever to the spring catch rod, so that when the rod is raised
the slide is depressed and conversely. From the slide projects an arm to which is
jointed a rod connected to the locking gear, the joint being so situated that when
the inain lever is at one end of its stroke the upward movement of the catch rod
causes the joint to descend in a line inclined backwards, and when the lever.is
moved to the other end of its stroke the descent of the spring catch rod causes the
joint to ascend in a line which is also inclined backwards. Thus the resultant of
the inclined movement of the joint being in both cases backwards, the locking gear
receives from the two contrary movements of the spring catch rod, two successive
movements both in one direction. In like manner, when the lever is moved back,
the two contrary movements of the spring catch rod are made to impart to the
locking gear two successive movements in one direction opposite to that of the
movements previously described.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Buck in the Patent Office on the 10th January 1884.
WILLIAM BUCK of Canterbury Road Kilburn in the County of Middlesex
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR WORKING AND INTERLOCKING RAILWAY
POINTS. AND SIGNALS
.
"
My invention relates to apparatus for working railway points and signals under
certain conditions to which I will more particularly refer in the following general
description; for detecting failures in their working; and for interlocking the levers
employed for working them, so as to ensure safety of the traffic. It often happens
that two pairs of points with corresponding, signals are so arranged that they
should always be worked together, as for instance where there is a cross-over from
one line to another. For this purpose, I provide a single working lever in
conjunction with what I may term a setting lever, so arranged that when the
setting lever is in one position, the working lever, when moved over, pulls a rod,
and when the setting lever is in another position, the moving over of the working
lever pushes the rod. The rod so moved is connected by bell-cranks and toggle-
joints to the two pairs of points, so that its movement, whether it is subjected to a
push or to a pull, opens both pairs simultaneously, and its back movement closes
both pairs simultaneously. The rod is also connected to two sets of signal
apparatus, one adjoining each pair of the points, and operates at each place on a
detent holding a loaded lever, so that when the rod is moved by a push, it releases
one detent but not the other, and thus causes one of the signals to appear when'
the points have just completed their movement. In like manner, when the rod is
moved by a pull, it works the other signal.
Fig 1 of the accompanying drawings is a plan, shewing two sets of points A
and B for a cross-over of a double line of railway, with the rods and cranks for
working them by a lever which moves the rod C, the movement being also
communicated to signals situated at a and b one for eacli set of points. Fig 2 is a
transverse section to an enlarged scale of a set of point and signal levers shewing
one of these levers D which is employed for working the points and signals
indicated in Fig 1 in the following manner. At the side of the lever D is mounted.
the setting lever E which is counterweighted and is connected to the' usual'
interlocking gear in such a manner that when it is moved up or down from its
horizontal attitude, it releases the lever D, which in that case, if it is otherwise
freed by the interlocking gear, can be pulled over to the right. The preliminary
upward movement of the lever E, communicated through a set of rods and levers e
moves towards the left the rod F which is jointed to the arm of the lever D. The
preliminary downward movement of E in like manner moves the rod F to the
right. In either case, one of the gabs f, at the lower end of F, is disengaged from
the pin of one of the two bell-cranks G, while the other gab remains engaged with
the pin of the other bell-crank. Both of these bell-cranks are jointed to the rod C,
and thus, when the lever D is pulled over to the right, the rod C is pushed or
pulled according as the setting lever E has, in the first place, been raised or lowered.
This movement of the rod C, whether it be a push or a pull, is arranged to open
the points A and B by means of the apparatus H shewn to an enlarged scale
at Fig 3.
'
:
The rod is jointed to one arm of a bell-crank h, the other arm of which
substitutes one link of a toggle-joint, having its other link jointed to a limb of
another toggle-joint h¹. This toggle-joint is linked to a lever h² from which
extends a rod c to the points. Thus, whether the rod C is pulled or pushed, it
:
.

page_text: pushes the rod c, and if this rod were connected at c¹, the opposite end of the
lever, it would pull that rod.
The rod c or c¹ having been pushed or pulled, so as to set the points in one
attitude by the movement of the lever D to the right, is pulled or pushed, so as to
set the points to their other attitude by the back movement of the lever D to the
left. To the bell-crank h (Fig 3) is jointed a rod a¹, which is connected to the
signal apparatus shewn in side view at Fig 4, and in front view at Fig 5. Here
the rod a is linked to a slide a², on one part of which rests a weight a³ and on a
higher part of which rests one arm of a three armed lever a, to the other arms of
which are jointed the weight a3 and the signal rod as. It will be seen on referring
to Figs 3 and 1, that when the rod C is pulled, the rod a .in Fig. 4 is pushed,
moving the slide a² towards the left. By this movement, when the parts
supporting as and the arm of a pass, these descend, causing the signal to be given,
and the back movement of the slide a², by acting on the sloped arm of a³, raises
the weight a³ and puts the signal again to "danger." A similar set of apparatus
at H acts on the points B and the corresponding signal b.
In cases where it is desired that the movement of the lever D may work the
points without actuating the signals, but that a farther movement of D may
actuate the signals, I modify the apparatus, as shewn at Figs 1°, 2ª, 3 and 4º, in
which figures all the parts corresponding with those shewn in Figs 1, 2, 3 and 4
are marked by similar letters.
i
In this case, the lever D is arranged so that its stroke to the position indicated
by the dotted lines D¹ effects the moving of the points only and its farther stroke
to D³ actuates the signals without moving the points. The rod F instead of being
directly connected to the arm of D is connected to an intermediate lever F¹ which
is linked to the arm of D, the joints of these levers being so arranged that the part
of the stroke of D from D¹ to D2, gives an increased upward movement to the
rod F. In the apparatus at H which is shewn to an enlarged scale at Fig 3*, the
rod C slides through guides and has on it a stud c² which is engaged in the gab of
the lever h. This lever, by means of toggles, as described with reference to Fig 3,
actuates the point rod c¹, but when it has caused this to make its full stroke, the
stud c² escapes the,gab of h but continues to bear against; as it slides along, the
sloped end thereof. Another stud c³, when the rod C is pulled then comes against
the arm of a lever. 62, which is linked by the rod b¹ to a counterweighted signal
at b. Thus, the pull or push of the rod C, resulting from the movement of D to D¹
first moves the points, and its farther movement resulting from the motion of D
from D to D2 whilst it holds the points, actuates the signal b when it is a pull,
but does not actuate it when it is a push. By a corresponding apparatus at H, the
signal a is actuated by a push of the rod C, but not by a pull.
In order to detect the failure of a pair of points to obey the movement of the
point lever which is intended to work them, I connect to the points a detector rod
which extends to the neighbourhood of the point lever, and it is there connected
to a radial arm which works a notched rod across the path of a notched rod
attached to the point lever. When the points move properly in obedience to the
point lever, the notched rod presents a notch which gives passage for the rod
attached to the point lever, permitting that lever to be moved. But if, owing to
fracture of any of the connexions between the points and the point lever, the points
have failed to move, then the detector rod is not moved so as to present the notch
to the rod of the point lever, and the point lever is thus stopped during its.stroke.
and held in such a position that all the levers interlocked with it remain locked,
and no signal can be given until the mischief is repaired.
Fig 6 is a plan, and Fig 7 a transverse section of part of a railway at a set of
points, shewing the usual levers and rods for working the points and the point bolt,
and in addition thereto part of the detecting apparatus, the details of which are
shewn to an enlarged scale in Figs. 8, 9 and 10. Of these, Fig 8 is an elevation,
shewing, the point lever D at one end of its stroke, Fig 9 shews the lever D at an
intermediate part of its stroke, and Fig 10 is a plan shewing the locking bar I that

page_text: When
is jointed to the lever D. Between the tongues of the points is fixed a sliding
rod K having a stud projecting upwards within each of the point tongues. This
rod, by means of intermediate rods and cranks k is connected to a rod L which is
jointed to, a lever 1. From this lever extends upwards a rod M, working at its
upper end through guides across the path of the bar I. On the side of the bar I
there is a stud i, and in the face of the vertical rod M, there is a notch m.
the points are being moved correctly by the lever D, the lever is also moved to a
corresponding extent, raising the rod M so as to present its notch m.for the passage
of the studiat midstroke of the lever D. If however, owing to fracture or
derangement of any of the connections between the lever D and the points, the
latter fail to move, or to move sufficiently in correspondence with the movement of
the lever D, then, as the connections by the rods k to L give to La movement
corresponding with the actual movement of the points, the rod M will not be
sufficiently raised to present its notch m for the passage of the stud . The
operator, finding his lever D thus stopped, will know that the connections to the
points are deranged, and can take the necessary precautions to avert danger until
they are repaired.
Obviously, for the rods k, wires or other suitable pulls could be substituted,
weights being applied where necessary to keep them in tension.
In cases where a line branches out into several sidings and where one signal is
used to give admission to any one of those sidings, it is necessary to provide
interlocking arrangements such that the giving of this signal shall lock all or any
of the points commanding the several sidings. For this purpose, I connect the
signal lever or the part of the locking gear worked by it, by a horizontal rod to
the vertical, arm of one of several bell-cranks, each of which is mounted on a radial
arm and has its horizontal arm connected to part of the locking gear of the levers
that command the sidings. The pivot of the first bell-crank is connected to the
vertical arm of the second, and so on throughout the series of bell-cranks to the
last which has a fixed pivot. When the signal lever is moved, the horizontal rod,
moving, tends to turn the first of the bell cranks rounds its pivot. If it so turns, it
effects the necessary locking, but if, owing to the position of the part of the locking
gear which it affects, it is incapable of turning round its pivot, it is, in that case,
caused to swing on its radial arm and so communicate the movement of the
horizontal rod to the next bell-crank, which, in like manner, if it cannot turn on it's
pivot, is made to swing and to convey the movement to the next, and so on
throughout the series. If all the bell-cranks are incapable of turning, including the
last, whose pivot' is stationary, then the horizontal rod cannot move, and conse-
quently the signal lever with which it is connected is locked. Fig 11 is a part
longitudinal section of ordinary interlocking apparatus for a set of point and signal
levers with an addition thereto, according to my invention, for effecting the special
locking above referred to. Fig 12 is a transverse section shewing one of the levers,
and Fig 13 is a plan of the apparatus shewn in Fig 11. The lever A., besides
being subject to the ordinary interlocking affecting its rocking shaft A¹, is rendered
also subject to interlocking by the auxiliary apparatus, which I am about to
describe. The rocking shaft A is connected by links and cranks B to the first, C¹,.
of a series of bell-cranks C1 C2 C3. The first two, C¹ and C2, are pivotted on radial
rods L1 L2, and connected as shewn in Fig 11 to one another and to the last C³
which has a stationary pivot. Each of these bell-cranks is linked to a rocking
shaft R' R2 R3 below which are the ordinary sliding bars S employed for inter-
locking with projecting locks s on them, as usual. It will be seen that if the
projecting locks 8 are in such positions as to prevent the turning of all the rocking
shafts R R R³, and so prevent movement of any of the bell-cranks C1 C2 C3, then
the rocking shaft A¹ cannot be turned, and consequently the lever A, corresponding
with that shaft, cannot be moved. If however, any one of the three rocking
shafts R1 R2 R3 is free to turn, allowing its corresponding bell-crank to move, then
the rocking shaft A¹ can be turned, and consequently its corresponding lever A is
unlocked. The number of bell-cranks and connexions intermediate between the

page_text: first C and the last C³ may obviously be varied as required by.the conditions of
the system of levers to which they are applied.
It has been found advantageous to work the interlocking mechanism of point
and signal levers, not by the levers themselves, but by their spring catches. As
the spring catch rod of a lever has an upward movement for releasing it from the
quadrant notch before moving the lever, and has a downward movement into the
notch, for holding the lever after it has been moved, I interpose, between the
spring catch rod and the locking gear, mechanism by which the two contrary
movements of the rod are made to give to the locking gear two successive movements
in one and the same direction. This mechanism is arranged as shewn by the
figures in Sheet 5 of the accompanying drawings. Fig 14 is a transverse section
of a lever frame shewing one of the levers in its normal position; Fig 15. is a
longitudinal section, shewing six levers arranged in the frame; Fig 16 is a plan
of part of the frame, and Fig 17 is a view of the locking bars shewn separately.
Fig 18 is a part elevation and plan of the lower end of one of the levers and Fig 19
is an elevation shewing the connection to one of the locking bars, these two figures
being drawn to an enlarged scale.
The lever A pivotted at a is provided as usual with its spring catch B which
engages in the one or the other notch of the quadrant C so as to hold the lever in
either of its extreme positions. To the lever I joint a bar D which extends over a
number of longitudinally sliding bars E, the lower edge of the bar D and the upper
edges of the bars E being notched as shewn so that these bars interlock with each
other. Thus the bar D cannot be moved to and fro across the bars E unless all
the bars E present notches through which D can slide. To the rod of the spring
catch B I joint a lever b which is pivotted on the main lever A and is jointed to a
slide F. To the slide F is linked by a pin H and connecting rod f one arm of a
bell-crank lever G which is pivotted at g to the framing and has its other arm
engaged in a notch in one of the sliding bars E. When the lever A is in the
position shewn in Fig 14 the pin H of the slide F is in the position marked h¹ in
Fig 18. On raising the spring catch B before moving the lever A, the pin H is
caused to descend from h¹ in an oblique line to h², Fig 18, and thus the rod f is
moved in the direction of the arrow, moving the bell-crank G, and so moving the
bar E in the direction of the arrow. When now the lever A is moved over bringing
the pin H from 2 to h³, and when the spring catch B is 'let down to secure A in
its fresh position, then the pin H is raised along the oblique line from h³ to h¹.
moving fand the bar E still farther in the direction of the arrow. In moving the
lever A back to its original position as in Fig 14, a like series of movements is
given to E in the reverse direction. Now each of the levers A, A', A² &c having
its notched bar D, D1, D2 &c, and the spring catch of each working a sliding
bar E, E E &c, the system of interlocking may be described as follows. If
A1, A2 &c be in such a position that their bars E¹ E2 &c present notches for the
passage of D, then the spring catch B of A can be raised and A can be moved
over. But the first movement for this purpose, that is to say, the raising of the
spring catch B, gives motion to the bar E causing it to slide through the notches
of D D &c, and if, after this movement, there is no notch of E under D¹ D² &c,
none of these bars can be moved and consequently none of the levers A¹ A2 &c can
be moved, that is to say, any one of these levers becomes locked by the preliminary
movement of the spring catch B, and if any one was previously locked by the
bar E being engaged in a notch of its bar D¹D &c, this first part of the movement
of E is not sufficient to disengage it from the notch, so that the lever A' A² &c
that is about to be unlocked, remains locked during the whole movement of A.
When A is moved fully over and its spring catch' B is let down, the farther move-
ment given to E may cause it'to present a notch to D1 D2 &c and so unlock the
levers AA &c, but this unlocking does not take place until the final part of the
movement of E, produced by the descent of the spring catch B which secures A
in its new position. In like manner, the movements of A¹ A² &c and of their
spring catches act reciprocally on each other and on A for locking and unlocking,

page_text: and, whatever be the number of levers arranged in one frame, a similar inter-
locking can be effected by providing the necessary number of notched sliding
bars E E E &c, each worked as described with reference to E. By providing
suitable notches in the bars D D1 D2 &c, the bars E E¹ E² &c may themselves be
unlocked or locked.
It will be seen that in the mechanism which I have described, advantage is
taken, as indicated in Fig 18 of the obliquity of the line in which H descends
from to h² in one attitude of the lever A, and of the obliquity of the line from
h³ to h in which H ascends in the other attitude of A, to convert the two reverse
movements of the spring catch B into two movements in one and the same direction
of the rod f and of the bar E worked from it, the first or initial movement of E
being sufficient to lock such of the crossing bars D¹ D³ &c, as require to be
locked, but no unlocking of these bars being effected until E makes its final
movement.
Obviously, the connection of the spring catch rod B to the pin H may be
varied, so long as the peculiar movements given to H follow in order similar to
that described.
Having thus described the nature of my invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, I claim in respect of apparatus for working and interlocking
railway points and signals :-
First. In combination with a point lever and its connections to two sets of
simultaneously moved points, and to signals therefor, a setting lever determining
whether the movement is communicated by a push or a pull, and intermediate
apparatus whereby either the push or the pull is made to actuate the points, but
only one of these movements is made to actuate a signal, substantially as herein
described with reference to Figs 1 to 5 and 1ª to 4* inclusive.
Second. In combination with a point lever and its connections to a set of points, a
set of independent connections from the points to locking gear, whereby the
point lever is obstructed in case of its failure to actuate the points, and such
failure is detected, substantially as herein described with reference to Figs 6 to 10
inclusive.
Third In combination with the lever of a signal commanding several roads and
with the ordinary locking gear, a set of auxiliary locking gear and bell-cranks
connected with the said signal lever, arranged and operating substantially as
herein described with reference to Figs 11, 12 and 13.
Fourth. Connecting the locking gear worked by a railway point or signal lever to
a pin moved by the spring catch rod of the lever, in such a manner that the
horizontal resultants of the oblique up and down movements of this pin in the
two positions of the lever are utilised to give successive movements to the locking
gear, both in the same direction, substantially as herein described with reference to
Figs 14 to 19 inclusive.
In Witness whereof I the said William Buck have hereunto set my hand
and seal this Tenth, day of January in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and eighty four.