Patent ID: 7690702

Claim:
A lock bar for temporary installation on a portion of a motor drive mechanism of a railroad warning gate to temporarily retain the railroad warning gate in a raised position or in a lowered position, said lock bar comprising: a rigid elongated body portion extending between a first end and a second end and having first and second sides; a clutch mechanism disposed in the rigid elongated body portion intermediate the first end and the second end of the elongated body portion; and said clutch mechanism having an internally disposed female engagement surface for engaging a similarly shaped male portion of the motor drive mechanism when the rigid elongated body portion is temporarily fixed to the motor drive mechanism with its first and second sides in a given orientation such that the railroad warning gate is permitted to rotate in one direction but is restricted from rotation in an opposite direction, and said clutch mechanism also engaging a portion of the motor drive mechanism when the rigid elongated body portion is temporarily fixed to the motor drive mechanism with the orientation of said sides substantially reversed such that said warning gate is permitted to rotate in said opposite direction but is restricted from rotation in said one direction, said clutch mechanism receiving the portion of the motor drive mechanism of the railroad warning gate in either orientation of the first or second sides of the latch bar.