Points of Railways.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Mar., 1887.
Complete Left, 7th June, 1887.
Complete Accepted. 5th Aug., 1887.
Points of Railways.
I, GEORGE EDWARDS Managing Director of the Railway Signal Company Limited
of Fazakerley near Liverpool in the County of Lancaster do hereby declare the nature
of this Invention to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to means whereby the points are locked in either of their
positions so that the failure or breakage of the connections of the facing point lock
is indicated. My present Invention is adapted for use in combination with the
apparatus for which I made application for Patent No. 2784 dated 22nd February
1887. According to my present Invention I provide a catch or bolt which is acted
upon by a spring or its equivalent in such manner that when notches or openings in
the stretcher bar between the points come opposite the said catch or bolt it enters
there into. The said notches or openings are so situated that when the point is in
either of its extreme positions a notch is opposite the said catch or holt. The parts
are so arranged in combination with the apparatus the subject of my aforesaid
application and with the aforesaid spring or the equivalent that the said catch or bolt
is only capable of entering (under the action of the spring) the notch or opening
presented to it when the facing point locking plunger is free the said catch or bolt
heing prevented from moving when the said plunger is held back until released by
the moving of the point as described in my aforesaid application. This may be con-
veniently arranged by making the part which holds up the holding back pawl of the
facing point locking plunger that which prevents the aforesaid catch or bolt entering
the stretcher bar of the point when the said pawl is engaged with the facing point
locking plunger to hold it back. As soon as the said part which holds up the pawl
is released and in the position in which the pawl is held by it out of engagement with
the facing point locking plunger the aforesaid catch or bolt is at liberty to enter that
one of the notches or openings in the stretcher bar of the point which comes opposite
it so that the point is thereby locked in position and cannot be moved unless the locking
plunger has been properly operated.

page_text: Points of Railways.
I, GEORGE EDWARDS, Managing Director of the Railway Signal Company of
Fazakerley near Liverpool in the County of Lancaster, 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 :-
My Invention relates to means whereby the points are locked in either of their
positions so that the failure or breakage of the connections of the facing point lock is
indicated. My present Invention is especially adapted for use in combination with
the apparatus for which I made application for Patent Number 2784 on the 22nd day
of February in the year of our Lord 1887. According to my present Invention I
provide a catch or bolt which is acted upon by a spring or its equivalent in such
imanner that when notches or openings in the stretcher bar between the points come
opposite the said catch or holt it enters thereinto. The said notches or openings are
so situated that when the point is in either of its extreme positions a notch is opposite
the said catch or bolt. The parts are so arranged that the said catch or bolt is only
capable of entering (under the action of the spring) the notch or opening presented
to it when the facing point locking plunger is free the said catch or bolt being
prevented from moving when the said plunger is held back until released by the
moving of the point. This may be conveniently arranged by making the part which
holds up the holding back pawl of the facing point locking plunger (as described in my
aforesaid Specification) that which prevents the aforesaid catch or bolt entering the
stretcher bar of the point when the said pawl is engaged with the facing point locking
plunger to hold it back As soon as the said part which holds up the pawl is released
and in the position in which the pawl is held by it out of engagement with the facing
point locking plunger the aforesaid catch or bolt is at liberty to enter that one of the
notches or openings in the stretcher bar of the points which comes opposite it so that
the points are thereby locked in position and cannot be moved unless the locking plunger
has been properly operated. I will now describe with reference to the accompanying
drawings a mode or manner in or under which my Invention may be performed.
Figures 1 and 2 are sections lengthwise of the line shewing respectively the point
locking plunger unlocked and locked. Figure 3 is a plan corresponding to Figure 1.
In the drawings I have shewn the apparatus arranged according to my present inven-
tion as being combined with the apparatus described and illustrated in the specification
of my aforesaid application for Patent 278487 and the parts of the said apparatus are
marked with letters of reference the same as those employed to indicate the same
parts in the aforesaid specification. The points are connected together by the stretcher
bar B having an incline thereon. is the locking bolt or plunger with ratchet

page_text: teeth c therein and a projection thereon, D is the protecting casing; E is the pawl
mounted on the centre e pressed down by the spring and having the projection ea
thereon for engaging the catch F centered at and controlled by the spring f
According to my present Invention in the stretcher bar B are formed notches b² a
distance apart equal to the extent of movement of the points. G is a bolt sliding in
grooves in the casing D and having connected to it the spring H which draws the said
bolt G forward into the position in which it engages with one or the other of the
notches 62 to lock the points in one or the other of their positions. When the locking
plunger C is disengaged from the stretcher bar B before the points are moved over,
the bolt G engages with one of the notches 62 and is only released by the movement
of the locking plunger when the projection thereon presses back the catch F
and this in turn presses back the bolt G out of the notch 6. If therefore the plunger C
be not moved to lock the points owing to some breakage in its connections the points
cannot be moved over as they are held by the bolts G.
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 In connection with the facing points of railways means for automatically
locking the points in either of their positions substantially as hereinbefore described
so that they are released only when the locking plunger is properly actuated.
Second The whole arrangement and combination of parts constituting the
apparatus for the aforesaid purpose as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Third In connection with the facing points of railways, a supplemental locking
bolt engaging with the stretcher bar so as to lock it and consequently the points in
either of their extreme positions in combination with means in connection with the
facing points locking plunger for releasing the said supplementary locking bolt
substantially as hereinbefore described.