Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-11-23

PEOPLES PULPIT.
Track Laying in Mines.


Track Laying in Mines.
To the Editor of the Courier:
VIII you give me space in the Cou-
rier for the following rule or formula?
have been asked by foreman for
a rule to build and lay switches which
l am pleased to give.
i will give what l first received
some ten years ago through the Col
liery Engineer 1t is not the writer's
intention to make this complicated or
difficult to understand but as plain
and as simple as possible.
In order to lay q good switch the
layer must know the proper length
from the point of the frog to the heel
Of the switch and that length can be
obtained thus: Multiply the number
of the frog by twice the gauge and it
gives the length from the point of the
frog to the heel Of the switch. For ex-
ample, say you have a No. 4 frog or
one opening three inches to the foot,
and a four foot gauge. Then by the
rule we have twice the gauge. or 8
feet. multiplied by four, giving 80 feet,
or the length of the switch; this for
stub or rail switch and not tongue
switch. ~
Another useful rule, with the same
work and bringing the same results
is:
Draw line from the point of the
frog in line with the frog side, dag
onal with the track. until it strikes the
other rail. Measure the length Of this
line and multiply that length by two
which will give the length of the
switch. Branches with latches must be
shorter
Now in order to find the length of
a. latch switch. take the opening of the
frog at half the length of the gauge
from the point backwards, then divide
the gauge in inches by the opening Of
the frog at the distance mentioned
above. The branch must be one-half
of that much shorter than switch
For example, say you have a No. 4
frog and a four foot gauge. A No.
frog opens one foot in four feet, four
feet EQUALS iorty-eight inches Forty
eight inches divided by six equals
eight. Then four. or the number, Of
the frog. multiplied by twice the
subtract eight divided by two, or four
lflm Jill ly-AWo.,< LOU udNS IWCuly-
eight feet for the length from the
point of the frog to the point Of the
latch, and one-half of eight or four
feet, should be the length Of the
1atches. Two.ffths of the length of
the latches should be the length of the
lever on the latches for 2x1A inch
iron.
When the radius of the curve is
known you find the number of the frog
REQUIRED by this rule:
The square root of the radius di-
vided by twice the gauge, equals the
number of the frog required. For
example, say the radius of the curve
lis 100 feet and the gauge four feet.
Then ten divided by 8 equals IL, or
the number of the frog. When the
number of the frog is known, to find
the radius Of curve that will be
the SWITCH multiply the square of the
number of the frog by twice the
gauge. Thus: No. frog and a four
foot gauge. will make four, squared,
by 8. or 16xS, equals 1928
feet radius. Again if line be drawn
from the point of the frog to the heel
of the switch at the center Of the line,
the curve should be u Of the gauge
away from the straight line This rule
will hold good for any gauge and any
number of frog.
hope this will be of some advan-
tage to those employed in this work.
Richard G. Angwin.