IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CON-. STRUCTION OF FRAMES AND DISPOSITION OF LEVERS IN APPARATUS FOR WORKING AND LOCKING RAILWAY POINTS AND SIGNALS
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James John Frederick Stevens, of Darlingtou
Works, Southwark, in the County of Surrey, Railway Signal
Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CON-.
STRUCTION OF FRAMES AND DISPOSITION OF LEVERS IN APPARATUS FOR
WORKING AND LOCKING RAILWAY POINTS AND SIGNALS."
Scaled the 25th September 1874, and dated the 31st March 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Janics John Frederick
Stevens at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 31st March 1874.
I, JAMES JOHN FREDERICK STEVENS, of Darlington Works, South-
wark, in the County of Surrey, Railway Signal Manufacturer, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CON-
STRUCTION OF FRAMES AND DISPOSITION OF LEVERS IN APPARATUS FOR WORKING
AND LOCKING RAILWAY POINTS AND SIGNALS," to be as follows:-
My Invention has reference to the construction of the frame which
carrics the apparatus for locking and interlocking railway points and

page_text: signals, and to the disposition therein of the hand levers which operate
such points and signals in the manner well understood. Hitherto the
said locking frame has been made of rectangular form and the levers have
been disposed therein side by side in a straight line. At large junctions
and termini where there are perhaps 60 or even more of these lovers this
line extends to a length of 20 fect or more. In addition to the great space
the levers thus occupy and to the proportionately long junction house or
signal box they require, the time and labor spent by the signalman in going
backwards and forwards from lever to lever is a matter of serious im-
portance, so much so that in some cases it is considered necessary to
have an assistant signalman.
Now according to my Invention I construct the frame in a curved
form and dispose the hand levers in a corresponding curved line therein
instead of in a straight line as heretofore. I thus bring the extreme
points of the frame and system of levers much nearer together, so that
the time and labor required to get from lever to lever are much
diminished and the signalman has more command over the whole system,
while the length of the junction house or signal box may be pro-
portionately reduced.
In some cases I carry round the curved frame so as to make a
complete circle or ellipse of levers, or nearly so, the signalman being in
the centre of the system; or I dispose the levers so as to occupy two,
three, or four sides of a square or parallelogram, the signalman being in
all cases in or near the centre of the system.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said James John Frederick Stevens in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 30th September 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
JOHN FREDERICK STEVENS, of Darlington Works, Southwark, in the
County of Surrey, Railway Signal Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirty-first day of March, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the thirty-
seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,

page_text: give and grant unto me, the said James John Frederick Stevens, Her
special licence that I, the said James Jolin Frederick Stevens, my
cxccutors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
James John Frederick Stevens, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and
at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United King-
dom of Great Britain and Ireland the Channel Islands, and Isle of
Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF FRAMES AND
DISPOSITION OF LEVERS IN APPARATUS FOR WORKING AND LOCKING RAILWAY
POINTS AND SIGNALS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
James John Frederick Stevens, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and
scals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Scal Patent Office, within six
calender months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said James John Frederick Stevens, do
hereby declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following. statement thereof, reference being had to the
accompanying Drawings, that is to say :-
My Invention has reference to the construction of the frame which
carries the apparatus for locking and interlocking railway points and
signals, and to the disposition therein of the hand levers which operate
such points and signals in the manner well understood. Hitherto the
said locking frame has been made of rectangular form and the levers
have been disposed therein side by side in a straight line. At large
junctions and termini where there are perhaps 60 or even more of these
levers this line extends to a length of 20 feet or more. In addition to
the great space the levers thus occupy, and to the proportionately long
junction house or sigual box they require, the time and labor spent by
the signalman in going backwards and forwards from lever to lever is a
matter of serious importance, so much so that in some cases it is con-
sidered necessary to have an assistant signalman.
Now according to my Invention I construct the frame in a curved
form and dispose the hand levers in a corresponding curved line therein

page_text: instead of in a straight line as heretofore. I thus bring the extreme
points of the frame and system of levers much nearer together, so that
the time and labor required to get from lever to lever are much
diminished and the signalman has more command over the whole system,
while the length of the junction house or signal box may be pro-
portionately reduced.
In some cases I carry round the curved frame so as to make a
complete circle or ellipse of levers, or nearly so, the signalman being in
the centre of the system.
The mechanism for or mode of locking which I employ with this
improved frame is that described in the Specification of Letters Patent
granted to myself and others, bearing date the 14th March 1870,
No. 746.
Figure 1 of the annexed Drawings is a plan of a locking frame con-
structed in a curved form according to my Invention; Figure 2 is an
end elevation of the same.
Figures 3 to 5 represent details, which will be understood without
further explanation.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim, con-
structing the frames and disposing the levers, in apparatus for working
and locking railway points and signals, as herein-before described.
In witness whercof, I, the said James John Frederick Stevens,
have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of
September, One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four.
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