Improvements in the Crossings of Tramways.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Sept., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 12th June, 1891-Accepted, 18th July, 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Crossings of Tramways.
I WILLIAM EDWARD KENWAY of No. 76 Lionel Street Birmingham in the
County of Warwick General Manager of the Birmingham and Midland Tramways
Limited do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
In the crossings of tramways as ordinarily constructed the opposed pointed
tongues situated midway between the crossing rails and by which tongues the
flanges of the wheels of the passing carriage are preserved in their rectilinear path
wear rapidly and require frequent renewal. This renewal necessitates the removal
of the whole of the casting constituting the crossing and its replacement by a new
casting.
The object of my invention is to obviate the trouble and expense of the said
removal and replacement of the whole of the crossings and consists in making the
crossings of tramways in the following manner.
Instead of making the said tongues an integral part of the casting constituting
the crossing as is usual I make the said tongues and the plate or foundation
supporting them of a separate casting and I make the principal casting of the
crossing with a recess or depression of a size and shape suitable for the reception
of the said separate casting of the said tongues and supporting plate or foundation.
The said separate casting when fixed in position in the recessed crossing forms with
the said recessed crossing a crossing exactly resembling in shape and action an
ordinary crossing. In order to fix the separate casting in the recessed casting I
form on the underside of the supporting plate or foundation of the said separate
casting three or other number of lugs which lugs when the separate casting is in
position pass through corresponding holes in the recess in the recessed crossing.
By driving cotters or wedges into holes in the said snugs after the separate casting
has been put into its place in the recess of the recessed crossing the said separate
casting can be firmly fixed and by withdrawing the said cotters or wedges the said
separate casting can be readily removed.
By my invention the worn or injured parts of the crossings of tramways can be
rapidly removed and replaced by fresh ones and the expense and loss of time
involved in keeping in repair crossings of the ordinary kind avoided.
Dated the 16th day of September 1890.
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Crossings of Tramways.
I WILLIAM EDWARD KENWAY of No. 76 Lionel Street Birmingham in the
County of Warwick General Manager of the Birmingham and Midland Tram-
ways Limited, do hereby declare the nature of my invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement :-
In the crossings of tramways as ordinarily constructed the opposed pointed
tongues situated midway between the crossing rails and by which tongues the
flanges of the wheels of the passing carriage are preserved in their rectilinear
path, wear rapidly and require frequent renewal. This renewal necessitates the

page_text: removal of the whole of the casting constituting the crossing and its replacement
by a new casting.
The object of my invention is to obviate the trouble and expense of the said
removal and replacement of the whole of the crossing and consists in making the
crossings of tramways in the following manner.
Instead of making the said tongues an integral part of the casting constituting
the crossing as is usual I make the said tongues and the plate or foundation
supporting them of a separate casting and I make the principal casting of the
crossing with a recess or depression of a size and shape suitable for the reception
of the said separate casting of the said tongues and supporting plate or foundation.
The said separate casting when fixed in position in the recessed crossing forms with
the said recessed crossing, a crossing exactly resembling in shape and action an
ordinary crossing. In order to fix the separate casting in the recessed casting I
form on the underside of the supporting plate or foundation of the said separate
casting three or other number of lugs which lugs when the separate casting is in
.position pass through corresponding holes in the recess in the recessed crossing.
By driving cotters or wedges into holes in the said snugs after the separate casting
has been put into its place in the recess of the recessed crossing, the said separate
casting can be firmly fixed and by withdrawing the said cotters or wedges the said
separate casting can be readily removed.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawing represents in plan and Figure 2 in
longitudinal vertical section the crossing of a tramway the opposed pointed tongues
of which are made of a separate casting attached to the crossing according to my
invention; Figures 3, 4 and 5 represent cross sections of the same, Figure 3 being
taken on the line A B Figure 1; Figure 4 being taken on the line C D Figure 2
and Figure 5 being taken on the line E F Figure 2.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several figures of the
drawing.
a is the principal casting of the tramway crossing; bb are the opposed pointed
tongues and e the plate or foundation supporting them made of a separate casting.
The shape in plan of the said separate casting is seen in Figure
and in cross
section in Figures 3 and 5, the section Figure 3 showing the shape near the extreme
point of the tongue and Figure 5 near its junction with the principal casting. In
the principal casting a of the crossing a recess or depression at d, d is made of a
size and shape suitable for the reception of the separate casting of the tongues b, b
and their supporting plate or foundation c. It will be seen by an examination.
of Figure 1 that the separate casting b, b, c when fixed in position in the recess d, d
of the crossing
a forms a crossing exactly resembling in shape and action an
ordinary crossing. The separate casting forming the opposed pointed tongues b b
and their plate or foundation c is fixed in the recessed principal casting a of the
crossing in the manner seen in the longitudinal section Figure 2 and cross
section Figure 5. That is to say, the separate casting b, b, c has on the underside
of the plate part e three (or more) lugs e e e which pass through corresponding
holes fff in the bottom of the recessed part d of the principal casting.
After
the separate casting bb, c has been fitted in its place, cotters (or wedges) g, I, I
are driven through holes in the lugs e, e, e and in the sides of the principal casting a
as best seen in Figure 5 and the ends of the said cotters expanded so as to fix the
separate casting firmly in its place. Other arrangements than that I have repre-
sented may be adopted for fixing the separate casting in the recessed crossing but
I have found the arrangement represented to answer well in practice. When the
opposed pointed tongues b, b of the separate casting are worn and are required to
be replaced by fresh ones it is only necessary to withdraw the cotters g, g, g and
remove the worn casting and fit and fix a new casting in its place in the manner
before described to restore the crossing to a working condition.
By my invention the worn or injured parts of the crossings of tramways can be
rapidly removed and replaced by fresh ones and the expense and loss of time
involved in keeping in repair crossings of the ordinary kind avoided.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my invention
and the manner of performing the same I declare that I claim as my invention of
Improvements in the crossings of tramways":-—
66
Making the opposed pointed tongues of the tramway crossing and the plate or
foundation supporting the said pointed tongues, of a separate casting and fitting
and fixing the said separate casting in a recess of a corresponding shape and size
in the principal casting of the crossing for the purpose and substantially as herein-
before described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing.
Dated the 11th day of June 1891
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicant.