Improvements in Railway Switch and Signal Apparatus.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Dec., 1895-Accepted, 25th Jan.,
1896
[Communicated from abroad by JOHN PRESSLEY COLEMAN, of Swiss Vale,
in the County of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, United States of
America.]
Improvements in Railway Switch and Signal Apparatus.
We, THE WESTINGHOUSE BRAKE COMPANY LIMITED, of York Road,
King's Cross, in the County of London, 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 and signal apparatus of the kind
described in the Specification No. 2443 of 1891, and has for its object improved
arrangements of the electrical conductors for locking the switches and the make
and break mechanisms for indicating their positions.
Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings is a sectional elevation of a switch and
signal machine embodying improvements according to this invention.
Fig. 2 is a detail view of the machine on an enlarged scale, shewing the circuit
breaker applied to the switch lever;
Figs. 3 and 4 are diagrammatic views illustrating the switch controlling and
indicating circuits for single and cross-over switches respectively;
Figs. 5, 6 and 7 are diagrammatic views illustrating the successive positions of
the parts of the apparatus when the switch lever is being shifted from normal to
reverse and the circuits which are successively closed by the movement of such
lever, these circuits being shewn in solid lines when closed, and in broken lines
when open;
Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the several positions of the switch
lever while being shifted from normal to reverse and return; and
Fig. 9 is a sectional detail view of one of the contact points or plates on the
machine.
The machine shewn in Fig. 1 generally resembles that shewn in Fig. 4 of the
drawings annexed to the Specification No. 2443 of 1891 above referred to, being
modified according to the present invention as will now be described.
Upon a suitable part of the frame are fixed brackets 1, one for each of the
switch controlling rollers 36, and so arranged in relation to the rollers 36, that
levers 2, pivotted on the brackets, can be shifted by radial projections 3, preferably
formed on the bosses of the quadrants 16, which are fixed on the shafts of the
rollers 36, so as to move with them.
As shewn in Fig. 2, the radial projections 3 engage the lower end of the lever 2,
which carries at its upper end a roller 4. This roller is pressed upon by a spring 5
preferably made in two parts, one having a V shaped projection, which resists the
movement of the lever past it, but when the lever has been pushed beyond it, it
imparts a sudden push or thrust to the lever, causing it to come in contact with the
one or the other of the contact springs 6 or 7.
The latches 20 and 20° pivotted on brackets 19, have their ends 25, 25" projecting
respectively into slots 17, 17ª in the quadrant 16, and have their rear ends con-
nected to the armatures of the magnets 23, 23ª respectively. The ends 25 and 25*
are so constructed that the end 25ª engages projections on the walls of the slot 17ª
of the quadrant 16, when the roller 36 is being shifted from normal to reverse,
thereby controlling such movement, but does not affect the movement of the roller

page_text: in the opposite direction, and the end 25 engages projections on the walls of the
slot 17, when the roller is being shifted from reverse to normal, but does not
interfere with the movement from normal to reverse.
As described in the previous Specification, metallic bands 37 are so arranged on
the rollers 36, as to form electric connections in certain predetermined positions of
the rollers, between contact springs 44, forming parts of metallic strips 40, on the
insulating bed 39. As shewn in Fig. 3, the strips 40 are connected at one end to a
common battery A. One strip has its opposite end connected by a wire 8, to the
locking magnet 9 of the switch operating mechanism. Another one of the strips 40
is connected by a wire 10 to the magnet 11, controlling one of the valves of the
switch operating mechanism, and the magnet 13, controlling the other valve of the
switch mechanism, is connected by a wire 12 with the third strip 40. For two
switches, which are to be operated by one lever as, for example, those at the ends
of a cross-over road, as shewn in Fig. 4, the locking and valve magnets 9ª, 11ª,
and 13 of the mechanism for operating the second switch are placed in the circuits
of the corresponding magnets of the first switch.
The circuit from the contact 6 is formed by wire 26, latch magnet 23, wire 27,
spring 28, contact pin 29 of the switch mechanism, spring 28ª, wires 30 and 8 to the
metallic strip 40. The circuit from the contact 7, is formed by wire 31, magnet 23ª,
wire 32, spring 33, contact pin 29, spring 33, wires 30 and 8 to the metallic strip 40.
The springs 28, 28" and 33, 33" are electrically connected by the pin 29 attached to
the device employed in moving the switch rails and locking them in their open and
closed positions. The springs 28 and 33ª are electrically connected and have a
common return to the battery, such return being formed by the wire 8, connecting
the locking magnet 9, with the make and break mechanism in the machine.
As shewn in Fig. 4 the corresponding springs of the second switch are connected
in series with the springs 28, 28ª, and 33, 33ª of the first switch, so that corresponding
movements in both switches are required to close the circuits.
It may be assumed that the switch and its operating mechanism are in their
normal position, as indicated in Figs. 3, 4 and 5. In the normal position of the
lever 15 the circuit through magnet 11 is closed, thus holding the switch rails in
their normal position, that is to say as shewn in Figs. 3 and 4, set for the main line.
The first movement of the lever 15 closes the circuit through the locking magnet 9,
as shewn in Fig. 6, thereby unlocking the valves of the switch mechanism, and just
after the lever 15 has passed its middle position, the circuit through the magnet 11
is broken and immediately afterwards the circuit through the magnet 13 is closed
as shewn in Fig. 7, whereby the valves are so shifted that the switch rails are
moved to position for the siding. During these movements of the lever 15, the
circuit through the magnet. 23, operating the latch 20%, which controls the
movements of the lever 15, from normal to reverse, is completed at 7, but broken
at the springs 33, 33, so that the end of the latch 20ª rests against the upper side
of the slot 17, and in the path of the shoulder a on that side. The movement of
the switch operating mechanism due to the closing of the circuit through 13,
shifts the pin 29 connected to the switch rail moving and locking device, into
position between springs 33, 33", as shewn in Fig. 7 completing the circuit 4
through the latch magnet 23 and thus shifts the latch 20° so as to permit of
a completion of the movement of the lever 15 to reverse position. The
completion of this movement of the lever and its roller 36, breaks the circuit
of the locking magnet, and also shifts the lever 2, to the opposite position into
contact with the contact spring 6 in readiness for the opposite movement of the
lever 15 from reverse to normal.
During the movement of the lever from normal to reverse, the circuit of the
magnet 23 is broken, as shewn, so that the latch 20 rests yieldingly against the
upper side of the slot 17 in the quadrant 16. As the lever and quadrant move
from normal to reverse, the shoulder b projecting into the slot 17 passes over the 5
latch 20, which drops behind the shoulder as the quadrant approaches its middle
position, as shewn in Fig. 5, and thereby prevents any return of the lever and

page_text: quadrant to normal position, until the latch 20 is depressed by the action of the
maguet 23. The circuit of this magnet cannot, however, be closed until the
lever 2 is shifted into engagement with the contact 6, this lever and contact
forming parts of the circuit of the magnet 23. The lever 2 cannot be thus shifted
except by a complete movement of the lever 15 and quadrant 16 to reverse
position, as herein before stated.
It may thus be readily understood that the unlocking of the lever 15 for a
complete movement in either direction, is dependent upon the completion of the
circuit through the latch magnets, at the switch and at the machine, so that the
position of the switch rails and the lever 15 must correspond, that is to say, when
the switch rails are in normal position, set for the main line, the lever 15 must also
be in normal position or on the normal side of the middle, and when the lever has
been shifted far enough to effect a shifting of the switch rails, this movement must
be entirely completed before the lever can be returned to its original position,
whether normal or reverse. When operating two or more switches as at the ends
of a cross over road, the circuits of the latch magnets are controlled at three or
more points, that is to say, at the several switches, and at the machine, as shewn
in Fig. 4.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is
1. In combination with the pin 29 and with the spring contacts 28 and 28" the
magnet 23 and latch 20, the additional contacts 33 and 33", magnet 23ª and latch 20*
whereby both positions of the switch rails are positively indicated and the make
and break mechanism is controlled, substantially as described.
2. The combination of the lever 2, spring 5, the contacts 6 and 7 and the
striking pins 3, introduced in the circuits of the magnets 23 and 23ª whereby the
position of the switch rails is necessarily in accord with that of the lever 15,
substantially as described.
3. The connection in series of the indicating mechanisms of two or more
switch rails which are worked by one lever, substantially as described with
reference to Fig. 4.
4. The herein described arrangement of the electrical circuits for effecting the
combination and connections above set forth.
Dated this 24th day of December 189
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for Applicants.