Lever resistance (or load). It is common to call the input force "the effort" and the output force "the load" or "the resistance." This allows the identification of three classes of levers by the relative locations of the fulcrum, the resistance and the effort: These cases are described by the mnemonic "fre 123" where the fulcrum is in the middle for the 1st class lever, the "r"esistance is in the middle for the 2nd class lever, and the effort is in the middle for the 3rd class lever. The lever is a movable bar that pivots on a fulcrum attached to
Lever frame or behind it. This may be accompanied by a description of the lever's function. Usually, a large track diagram is positioned within easy view of the operator, which clearly shows each lever number adjacent to symbols representing the items of equipment that they operate. Levers are commonly coloured according to the type of equipment they control, the code of colours varying between different railway administrations. For example, in British practice, the following code generally applies: a red lever controls a stop signal or shunt signal, a yellow lever controls a distant signal, a black lever controls a set of points,