Patent GB-754599-A (GB)
Title: Conveyor track switch
IPC: E01B25/26
Filed: 1954-06-29
Abstract: 754,599. Railway track switch. WEBB CO., J. B. June 29, 1954 [July 14, 1953], No. 18966/54. Classes 104 (1) and 104 (2). At a track switch for a trackway of the type having a pair of spaced track members each having angularly disposed wheel supporting and guiding surfaces, there is provided a track member which extends initially parallel to a first track member to form a trackway and then diverges from the first track member and here, to form a switch point, there is located a tongue having a pair of edge surfaces each complementary to the wheel guiding surface of one of the track members and a wheel supporting surface adjacent to each of the edge surfaces diverging from the intersection point, the laterally movable tongue being mounted between where one of the edge surfaces thereof fairs into the first track member and extends parallel to the second track member and another position where the other edge surface fairs into the second track member and extends parallel to the first track member, the mounting means including a framework supporting means movably carried by the framework and means rigidly connecting the switch tongue to the supporting means in spaced relation therewith. A switch tongue 26 is suspended by three bolts 27 from a plate 25 slidably mounted in grooves 24 in side frame members 20, 21 and movable transversely of the tracks by an air cylinder 35. The tongue 26 is generally triangularly shaped in plan view, one edge 50 being curved to conform to the path of the branch line 12 and the other edge 53 being straight to conform to the main track 11. The vertical edges of the tongue 26 at 50, 53 form guiding surfaces for trolleys and the upper horizontal portion of the tongue 26 adjacent the edges 50, 53 form running surfaces for the trolleys. The tongue 26 is moved between limits imposed by a lug 47 on the plate 25 operating limit switches 45, 46 attached to the supporting structure and which operate valves controlling the air cylinder 35 or by the edge 53 of the tongue 26 engaging the rail 13 of the main track 11 in one direction and by the curved edge 50 of the tongue 26 engaging the curved branch track 14 or the edge 55 of the plate 25 abutting an adjustable stop 56 in the other direction. In one modification, Fig. 5 (not shown), the tongue 26 has two curved edges and operates between two oppositely outwardly curved branch tracks and in another modification, Fig. 6 (not shown), an additional branch track is added to the left of the main track shown in Fig. 1 and two switch assemblies similar to that shown in Fig. 1 are provided, one on each side of the main track, thus forming a three-way switch point. The switch assembly is held in position by plates 60, 65. The plate 60 of generally triangular shape is secured to the underside of the frame member 20 and is attached to the track support 15 by means of a bolt passing through a horizontal slot 61 in the plate 60 and a vertical slot 63 in the support 15; the slots are provided to enable the tongue 26 to be aligned with the tracks. A stepped portion 62 is provided on the plate 60 and engages the underside of the track member 14. The plate 65 of rectangular section is secured to the underside of the frame member 21 and is attached by a bolt passing through horizontal and vertical stops 69, 70 in the plate 65 and support 15a respectively. Two projections 67, 68 are provided on the lower edge of the plate 65 ; one projection 67 engages the underside of the main track member 14a and the other 68 engages the underside of the branch track member 13a. The end framemember 22 is attached to a support member 72 of similar configuration to the track supports 15, 15a. Stiffening plates 29 are welded to the tongue 26 and the bolts 27.