Improved Means for Enabling Tramway Vehicles to Automatically Operate Points or Switches.
Year: 1888

page_text: .
Improved Means for Enabling Tramway Vehicles to Automatically
Operate Points or Switches.
I, SAMUEL ABRAHAM ROTHSCHILD, of 11, Silk Street, in the City of London,
Morchant, do hereby declaro, the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to improved means for enabling the points or switches of a
tramway to be operated by a vehicle approaching the said points or switches according
to the direction in which it is to travel.
My said invention consists essentially in arranging on each side of one of the rails
two projecting pieces, the motion produced by the depression of either of which by
the passage of a vehicle along the line is transmitted by means of suitable levers and
rods to the point, or switch to operate the same as desired.
According as a vehicle is to travel in one or other direction it is provided on one
of its wheels with a flange adapted to pass over the proper projecting piece to depress
it. The flange for operating the projecting piece inside the rail is on the inside of the
wheel and the flange for operating the other forms an extension of the bearing surface
of the wheel, so that a wheel of ordinary width will not operate the projecting piece
outside the rail.
It is to be understood that only one flange is placed on each wheel.
In cases where a vehicle has only to branch off in one direction it is only necessary
to arrange projecting pieces in connection with one rail; when, however, a vehicle
has first to branch in one direction and then in the other flanges and projecting pieces
may be arranged in connection with both rails.
The great advantage of my invention is that the point or switch is positively
operated in both directions, so that no weight or spring is necessary to return the
point to a normal position after it has been operated.
Dated the 27th dove of Anvil 1000
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: Operate Points or Switches.
I, SAMUEL ABRAHAM ROTHSCHILD, of 11, Silk Street, in the City of London,
Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
My invention relates to improved means for enabling the points or switches of a
tramway to be operated by a vehicle approaching the said points or switches according
to the direction in which it is to travel.
My, said invention consists essentially in arranging on each side of one of the rails
two projecting pieces, the motion produced by the depression of either of which by
the passage of a vehicle along the line is transmitted by means of suitable levers and
rods to the point or switch to operate the same as desired.
>
According as a vehicle is to travel in one or other direction it is provided on
one of its wheels with a flange adapted to pass over the proper projecting piece
to depress it. The flange for operating the projecting piece inside the rail is on the
inside of the wheel and the flange for operating the other forms an extension of the
bearing surface of the wheel so that a wheel of ordinary width will not operate
the projecting piece outside the rail.
It is to be understood that only one flange is placed on each wheel.
In cases where a vehicle has, only to branch off in one direction it is only
necessary to arrange projecting pieces in connection with one rail; when, however,
a vehicle has first to branch in one direction and then in the other, flanges and
projecting pieces may be arranged in connection with both rails.
The great advantage of my invention is that the point or switch is positively
operated in both directions, so that no weight or spring is necessary to return the
point to a normal position after it has been operated.
To enable my invention to be fully understood I will describe the same with
reference to the accompanying drawing, in which,
Figure represents in plan a tramway junction the point or switch of which is
adapted to be operated according to my invention.
:
Figure 2 is a section on the line a, c, Figure 1, drawn to an enlarged scale.
Figure 3 is a section on the line y, y Figure 2.
Figures 4, 5 and 6 are views illustrating the construction of the tramway wheels.
a; a indicate the main line of a tramway; b, b¹ the lines of a branch and c the
switch.
d, d' are the two projecting pieces the motion of one or other of which (produced
by the passage of the wheels of a vehicle over the same) is utilized for operating the
switch c.
These projecting pieces form part of two levers e, el pivoted to the rail a¹
by the pin fand at their free ends bearing upon the arms 9, 9¹ respectively of a three
armed lever the third arin g' of which engages with a sliding bar h. The three
armed lever is pivoted at i in a bracket j secured to the underside of the rail a'.

page_text: The switch c is connected to the sliding bar h by a pin k or by any other suitable
means so that the movements of the said bar owing to the oscillation of the three
armed lever are transmitted to the points.
1, are flanges formed on one of the wheels of tramway vehicles for operating
the said switch as shown in Figure 4 the flange / forms an extension of the
wheel tread while in Figure 5 the flange is formed on the inside of the
wheel.
m is a box provided with covers surrounding the switch operating mechanism.
The operation of my improved apparatus is as follows:-Assume a vehicle to be
travelling on the rails a, a¹ in the direction indicated by the arrow Figure 1 and that
it is to run onto the rails b, b¹ of the branch. In this case the leading wheel running
on the rail a' is provided with a flange Figure 5, so that in case the switch is not
in its proper position the said flange will act upon the projecting piece d¹ and thereby
move the parts from the position indicated in full lines in Figure 3 to that indicated
in dotted lines thereby moving the point to the required position. If the following
vehicle is not to run onto the branch line its leading wheel on the line a¹ is provided
with a flange which will act upon the projecting piece d to operate the points in the
proper manner.
In cases where a vehicle sometimes runs on the main line and sometimes onto the
branch I find it advantageous to employ auxiliary rollers which can be lowered by
the driver of the vehicle to depress one or other of the projecting pieces according to
whether the vehicle is to run onto the main line or onto the branch.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed 1 declare that what
claim is :-
(1) Means for operating the point or switch of a railway or tramway comprising
two projecting pieces arranged to be operated upon by flanges formed upon the
travelling wheels of the vehicles or by auxiliary wheels, the said projecting pieces
being connected by suitable levers to a bar to which the point or switch is attached in
such a manner that when one or other of the said projecting pieces is depressed the
point will be positively operated in the required direction without the intervention of
weights or springs, substantially as described.
(2) The manufacture and use of the improved mechanism hereinbefore described
and illustrated in the accompanying drawing for operating the points or switches of
railways or tramways.
Dated the 20th 1
Ր T
1009
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London,
Agents for the Applicant.