Lever a place to stand, and I shall move the Earth with it' is a remark of Archimedes who formally stated the correct mathematical principle of levers (quoted by Pappus of Alexandria). It is assumed that in ancient Egypt, constructors used the lever to move and uplift obelisks weighing more than 100 tons. A lever is a beam connected to ground by a hinge, or pivot, called a fulcrum. The ideal lever does not dissipate or store energy, which means there is no friction in the hinge or bending in the beam. In this case, the power into the lever equals
Lever frame required to move them. Mechanical lever frames and interlocking have now largely been replaced by modern, much larger electrical or electronic route interlockings located in Power Signal Boxes and more recently Integrated Electronic Control Centres which are able to control much larger areas of the rail network. A mechanical lever frame is designed to harness mechanical advantage to operate switch points, signals or both under the protection of the interlocking logic. The levers are connected to field appliances via solid pipes or taut wires such that the full travel of the lever will reliably cause full travel in the appliance.