Improvements in Railway Frogs and Switches.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Jan., 1891-Accepted, 21st Feb., 1891
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Railway Frogs and Switches.
I, ALBERT MARION GRUBBS, of Forest Grove, in the County of Washington,
and State of Oregon, United States of America, Gentleman, 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 rail-crossings for rail-road tracks and it has for its
object to simplify the construction of the same, to make the main line rails
absolutely continuous or unbroken and to provide a raised or elevated rail upon
which the wheels of passing rolling stock may be carried safely, easily, and without
jolting, over the continuous rails of the main-track. With these ends in view, the
invention consists in the improved construction and arrangement of parts which
will be hereinafter more fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims.
In the drawings:-
Fig. 1 is a plan view of the frog and switch diagramatically showing the
position of a car-wheel in passing over the continuous rail of the main track at
the frog.
Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line x-x in Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is a perspective detail view, showing a portion of the main line rail and
the elevated rail located adjacent thereto.
Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the railroad chair used in connection with my
invention.
Like numerals of reference indicate like parts in all the figures.
1 and 2 designate respectively the outer and inner continuous rails of the main
track. 3 is the inner and [4 the outer siding rail, the former of which joins the
inner main line rail at 5.
At the point 5 where the inner switch rail 3 joins the inner main line rail 2 is
located a raised or elevated rail 6 which has an outwardly turned terminal end 7
and which for a portion of its length is parallel to the said main line rail 2 and
only at a sufficient distance from the latter to admit of the passage of the flanges
of car-wheels travelling upon the main track. Only the central portion of the
rail 6 is elevated and its ends are beveled or inclined downwardly to a level with
the main track rails.
A guard rail 10 is placed adjacent to the outer siding rail opposite to the elevated
rail 6 for the purpose of guiding the flanges of the car-wheels passing from the main
track to the siding or vice versu.
A railroad chair 11 having a raised portion 12 serves to support the main line
rail 2 and the elevated rail 6 in the desired position with relation to each other. A
portion of the head of the outer side of the main line rail 2 is removed as will be
seen at 15, so as to enable the wheels travelling to or from the switch track to get
a full tread upon the elevated rail 6 when about to cross the main line rail 2 as will
be seen most clearly in Fig. 2 of the drawings.
The outer siding rall 4 is continued beyond the guard rail 10 in the direction of.
the main line rail 2 and it terminates in a rail 16 which is parallel to the said main
line rail 2 and the central portion of which is raised or elevated in precisely the
same manner as the rail 6 by being supported upon suitably constructed chairs 11.
A portion of the main line rail 2 adjacent to the elevated rail 16 is sprung slightly
in an outward direction as will be seen at 17. The inner siding rail 3 is continued
in an outward direction from the end of the elevated rail 6 and terminates in the
movable switch rail 18 to the inner side of which is secured a guard rail 19 the
function of which corresponds to that of the guard rail 10 of the frog. The movable

page_text: switch rail has an operating rod 20 which may be connected with and operated by
a switch-stand of any suitable well-known construction.
The operation and advantages of my invention will be readily understood from
the foregoing description taken in connection with the drawings hereto annexed.
When a train approaches the switch from the main line, when the switch is
closed, the movable switch rail will crowd the wheels in the direction of the out-
wardly sprung portion of the main line rail 2 and the treads of the wheels riding
upon the said rail will thus be caused to ride upon and be elevated by the elevated
rail 16 which is elevated sufficiently to enable the wheels to cross the main line
rail 2 without the flanges of the wheels coming in contact with the said rail at any
point. When the rail 2 has been crossed by the wheels, the latter will descend the
elevated rail 16 to the level of the siding rail 14 which forms the continuation of
the said rail 16.
The main line rail 2 is crossed by the opposite car-wheels at the frog in precisely
the same manner, the clevated rail 6 serving to support them while they cross
the main line rail. When the train leaves the. siding, the operation is simply
reversed.
It will be seen that by my invention a switch and frog are provided by means of
which all necessity is avoided for cutting or severing the main line rails and
thereby reducing or avoiding the danger of cars leaving the track. All jolting is
also prevented, thereby preserving the rolling stock from injury and inasmuch as
the car-wheels or the flanges of the same do not come in contact with the main line
rails at the points of crossing the said main line rails are preserved from excessive
wear.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
1. The combination with the continuous or unbroken inner main line rail, of the
siding rails, the terminal ends of which are parallel to and raised above the level
of said main line rail, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
2. The movable switch rail having a guard rail secured to its inner side, sub-
stantially as set forth.
3. The outer siding rail terminating in a rail parallel to the inner main line rail
and having a raised or elevated portion, substantially as set forth.
4. The combination of the inner siding rail terminating in the movable rail
having a guard rail secured to its inner side and the outer siding rail terminating
in a rail parallel to the inner main line rail and having a raised or elevated portion,
substantially as set forth.
5. The combination of the inner main line rail having an outwardly sprung
portion, the inner siding rail terminating in the movable rail having a guard rail
attached to its inner side and the outer siding rail terminating in a rail parallel
to the main line and having a raised or elevated portion, substantially as set
forth.
6. The elevated rail forming a portion of the inner siding rail terminating
adjacent to the inner side of the inner main line rail and having its ends inclined
downwardly to a level with the main track rails substantially as set forth.
7. The elevated rail forming a portion of the inner siding rail and terminating
adjacent to the inner side of the inner main line rail, in combination with the inner
main line rail having a portion of its head removed on its outer side, substantially
as set forth.
8. The combination of the main line rails 1, 2, the siding rails 3, 4, the
elevated rail 6 having the outwardly turned end 7, said elevated rail being placed
parallel to the inner main track rail, and the guard rail 10, substantially as and for
the purpose set forth.
9. The combination of the main line rails 1, 2, the siding rails 3, 4, the elevated

page_text: rail 6 having outwardly turned end 7 and downwardly inclined ends, the chair 11
having a raised portion 12 and the guard rail 10, all arranged and operating
substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
Dated this 14th day of January 1801
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicant.