Year: 1896

page_text: Date claimed for Patent under Sect. 103 of Act,
being date of first Foreign Application (in 14th Apr., 1896
Belgium),
Date of Application (in United Kingdom), 2nd Sept., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 2nd Sept., 1896-Accepted, 20th Mar., 1897
I, GUSTAVE JEAN MARIE VANNESTE of 59, Rue Verbockhaven, Brussels, in
the Kingdom of Belgium, Engineer, 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 :-
This invention relates to railway switch levers such as used in goods yards,:
sidings, and other places where the lever is in local proximity to the switch. The.
lever handle usually acts so as to hold the switch tongue either in a normal position:
or in one or other of the two positions in which it may be set. In the one case the
pointsman, after having raised the weighted lever to set the switch for the branch:
line or siding, must keep it raised all the time that the train is passing the switch,
the continued effort -necessary being tedious, especially in the case of a long and
slowly-moving goods train, whilst any relaxation of the effort will allow the switch
to alter its position and by splitting the train cause derailment. In the other case.
the switch is liable to be left by forgetfulness in the position in which it was last.
set, so that the next following train will enter the same branch or siding.
The principal object of this invention is to ensure that the switch shall be.
returned automatically to its normal position when released and yet enable it, to,
be more easily retained whilst the train is passing in the position in which it has
been set.
The invention also has for object to provide a form of apparatus which is readily
convertible at will so as either to effect the automatic return of the switch to normal.
position or cause it to remain in whichever position it may be placed.
The invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings
which illustrate these two arrangements of the same apparatus.
Figures 1 and 2 are front and side elevations of the switch lever and its weighted
arm and Figure 3 is a detail section on line 3-3 Figure 1. Figure 4 is an
elevation of the Don-automatic arrangement of the same apparatus.
In all the figures the same letters indicate the same parts.
. A is the switch lever pivoted on a horizontal axis B in a standard C and
connected by rod H to the switch, the upper member of the lever A being in the
form of a cranked bracket D provided with two lugs or offsets D¹ D' in which is
mounted the rod E on which the arm F carrying the weight G is pivoted by a
fork F¹ having ears loose on the pin E.

page_text: To effect the automatic return of the switch to normal position the rod E is
mounted, as shewn in Figure 1, in the plane of oscillation of the lever A at such
an oblique angle to the longitudinal centre line a a of the lever that when the
lever A is in the position shewn in that figure the rod E makes an angle with the
vertical plane b b so much greater than that made by the centre line a a that
when the lever A is thrown over to its extreme position a¹ a' at the other side
of the vertical the rod E does not attain a vertical position but still makes an
angle with the vertical in the same direction as before although smaller.
The operation of throwing over the switch lever A to the other position for
the purpose of setting the switch is performed by swinging the weighted arm F
nearly through a semi-circle about its axis E so that the weight G may
diagrammatically be represented as occupying the position G¹ with regard to
the lever A on which it now exerts a moment opposed to that which it previously
exerted and whereby it oscillates the lever A to the position indicated by the
line aa the weight falling to the position G. In practice however these
movements of the weighted arm and of the switch lever do not take place
separately and the weight is not raised to the position G' because the swinging
of the weighted lever F about its axis E and the oscillation of the switch lever A
about its axis B are simultaneous, the weight consequently passing directly from
the position G to the position G. The weight when at the position G' is still
at a higher level than it was when in the original position G and consequently
the weighted arm will tend to swing back by gravity around the axis E so as
to again exert on lever A a moment of oscillation in the original direction
whereby it returns said lever A directly to its original position. To ensure this
return movement it is necessary that the arm F be not swung in the first instance
quite through a semi-circle so as to be on a dead point when at G. To prevent
this the forked part F1 of the arm F has a stop f which by abutting against
the bracket portion D of the lever A limits the swinging motion of the arm F
stopping it just before it quite reaches the dead point. In this position the
weighted arm F can with very little effort be prevented from swinging back so
long as the switch lever is required to be held in the position a' a' but will swing
back immediately that it is let go, thus automatically returning the switch lever
and switch to the normal position. I is a bolt for locking the lever A in the
normal position only.
The lugs or offsets D¹ D' may each be provided with a second set of holes d' d'
in which the pin E may be placed so as to occupy a position in alignment with the
lever A if it is not desired that the switch shall be automatically returned to its
normal position.
When the axis E is in line with the lever A, as in Figure 4, the weight G on
reaching the position G2 will still be at the same level and will not tend to return
to its original position and the switch will consequently be retained at the position
in which it was last set so that to return the switch lever and switch to the normal
position the weighted arm F must be swung back by hand.
To adapt the arm F to suit either of the forms of apparatus described, the
forked part F¹ is not quite symmetrical with regard to the arm F which occupies a
mean between perpendiculars to the inclined axis E and to the axis a a so that by
reversing the fork upon the axis E the height of the weight from the ground when
in its normal position is about the same whether the axis E be inclined to the
lever A, as in Figure 1, or in line with it, the stop f being brought into operative
position in the one case and not in the other in which it is not required.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is :-
1. The combination, with a switch lever pivoted upon a horizontal axis, of a
weighted arm pivoted about an axis carried by the lever so as to swing through a
nearly complete semi-circle, the axis of the weighted arm being mounted at such

page_text: an angle that throughout the oscillation of the lever it remains inclined with
regard to the vertical so that the weighted arm, after having oscillated the lever
from its normal position will always tend to swing back again and to return the
lever and switch to the normal position substantially as specified.
2. In a switch lever combined with a weighted arm pivoted to swing about an
axis carried by the lever for the purpose of oscillating said lever, the bracket.
portion of the switch lever constructed so as to admit of the axis being mounted
either at an angle to the lever or in line therewith in combination with a movable-
axis and ears on the weighted arm so placed with regard to the arm as to enable
the arm to be adapted to either position of the axis by merely reversing the arm as.
specified.
Dated this 28th day of August 1896.
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.