Compound lever the force of pushing back the stick to the levers and they rub against the wheels, using friction to slow and eventually stop the train. These are everyday applications of this mechanism. A piano key is a compound lever of the first-class, since the fulcrum is between the weight to be moved and the power. The purpose of this lever is to translate a small movement (depression of the key) into a larger and fast movement of the hammer on the strings. The quality of the resulting tone depends on whether the final speed is brought about by gradual or
Lever frame as it requires more force to move the lever. Therefore, later, especially in Germany, lever frames with pivots inside the signaller's room were used, that allow for a lever angle of approximately 180° (as seen on the photo on the right). By the movement of individual levers (or sometimes cranks), signals, points, track locks, level crossing gates or barriers and sometimes movable bridges over waterways are operated via wires and rods. The signaller chooses the correct combination of points, facing point locks and signals to operate, which will control the movement of each train through their area of control. The