Interlocking Points and Signals.

Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 5 June 1914, Page 2

Interlocking Points and Signals.

The invention which startled the world and brought fame and wealth to Mr. John Saxby, who died recently at Hassocks, at the ripe age of 91, was his system of interlocking railway points and signals. Prior to the adoption of the in-

vention, the most frequent cause of railway accidents was the changing of points while a train was passover them.

The idea of the interlocking system came to Saxby after a start, ling incident at the Bricklayers' Arms Junction of the South-East-ern Railway, between London Bridge and New Cross, in 1855. The signalman gave the signal for the driver of the. train to go on to Brighton line, and he proceeded to do so, but found that the points had not been altered, and he was on the Croydonline. Fortunately, the driver got back on to the right line without any serious consequences.

For a year after that incident, Mr. Saxby worked on his interlocking invention, and he obtained letters patent for it on June 24, 1856, and for the first, time in the history of railways a mechanical reciprocating communication and action upon all the points and signals of a railway junction was obtained, the leading principle being that the position of the points should dominate the signals.

Models of the invention were shown at various exhibitions at home and abroad, and the late King Edward, when Prince of Wales, got Mr. Saxby to come and explain his system to him, and on leaving said to him, "You have done more than any man living in the reign of Queen Victoria."