Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Mar., 1839
Complete Specification Left, 12th Apr., 1889
Complete Specification Accepted, 18th May, 1889
1, FRANCIS KINECKER, Or Wurzburg, Germany, Engineer, do neremy
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to rack rail railways in which a single or double toothed rack
is laid between the bearing rails, with which gear toothed driving wheels on the
rolling stock.
My improvement has for its object to enable such driving wheels, more particularly
when used singly, to remain continuously in gear with the rack rail at crossings
although the rack rail has to be intersected at such points for allowing space for the
bearing rail of the crossing line and the flanges of the wheels running thereon to pass
through.
For this purpose I construct the part of the rack-rail that approaches the crossing
bearing rail, both on the inside and outside, Lo turn on a pivot, like the tongue of
a switch, and the ends of the lengths of rack-rail on either side are continued first close
up to the sides of the bearing rail, and are then bent at an angle so as to run a
certain distance along the sides thereof. When in this position the toothed driving
wheel, which is made broader than the bearing rail, will, before it leaves the end of
the rack rail on the one side of the bearing rail, come into gear with the rack rail
on the other side, and will thus practically remain continuously in gear with the
rack rail. When a train on the crossing line requires to run through the crossing, the
said lengths of rack rail are turned somewhat on their pivotted ends so as to move
away from each side of the bearing rail sufficiently to allow the running wheels to
pass; this is effected by connecting the two lengths by a system of links and levers
to a hand lever in such manner that by the motion of the latter, the two lengths of
rack rail are simultaneously moved apart, like the opening of a pair of shears.
When the above described construction is applied to the symetrically arranged
crossings of a double branch on a single line, the four moveable lengths of rack rail,
corresponding to the rack rails of each branch line, are so connected together by the
said links and levers as to be all actuated simultaneously by the one hand lever in

page_text: such a manner that the lengths of rack rail of the one branch are made to close
against their crossing bearing rail at the same time that the other two rack rai!
lengths are moved away from the other crossing rail.
The above described invention is equally applicable, whether the rack-rails be of
the single or double kind; if they are of the single kind, the length of rail on the one
side. instead of being bent at an angle and carried along the rail as described, may be
made simply to butt with its end against the side of the rail, which may be slightly
notched to receive it, in order to reduce the width of the space between the two ends
of the rack rail on either side.
Dated this 20th day of Mom 1880

page_text: An Improvement in the Crossings of Rack-rail Railways.
I, FRANCIS RINEOKER, of Würzburg, Germany, 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 :-
My invention relates to rack-rail railways in which a single or manifold toothed
rack is laid between the bearing rails, with which gear toothed wheels on the rolling
stock.
My improvement has for its object to enable such toothed wheels, moro particularly
when used singly, to remain continuously in gear with the rack-rail at crossings
although the rack-rail has to be intersected at such points for allowing space for the
bearing rail of the crossing line and the flanges of the wheels running thereon to pass
through.
For this purpose I construct the part of the rack-rail that approaches the crossing
bearing rail, both on the inside and outside, to turn on a pivot, like the tongues of
a switch, and the ends of these special lengths of rack-rail on either side are continued
first close up to the sides of the bearing rail, and are then bent at an angle so as to
run a short distance along the sides thereof. When in this position the toothed
wheel, which is made broader than the bearing rail, will, before it leaves the end of the
rack-rail on the one side of the bearing rail, come into gear with the rack-rail on
the other side, and will thus practically remain continuously in gear with the
rack-rail. When the bearing wheels of a train on the crossing line require to run
through the crossing, the said special lengths of rack-rail are turned somewhat on
their pivotted ends so as to move away from each side of the bearing rail sufficiently
to allow the running wheels to pass; this is effected by connecting the two special
lengths by a system of links and levers to a hand lever in such manner that by
the motion of the latter, the two special lengths of rack-rail are simultaneously moved
apart, like the opening of a pair of shears.
Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawing shews by way of example a plan of the
switch and crossings of a double branch on a single line of rails with my above
described improved rack-rail crossing applied thereto; Fig. 2 shews to a larger
scale a longitudinal section at XX Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 shews a cross section at YY;
Fig. 4 shews a modified arrangement of the crossing.
The rack-rails A A, which are here shown double, terminate at the crossing in
a single length A¹ A' on each side of the bearing rails B; these lengths are pivotted
at (C, and are bent after meeting the bearing rail so as to extend a short distance
along the sides of the same. When in the closed position shewn at E the space
between the two lengths A' A' is less than the width of the toothed wheel on the
crossing vehicle, so that the latter will come into gear with the length A' on the
one side before it has left the length A¹ on the other side, and the wheel will conse-
quently remain continuously in gear with the rack-rail.
When in open position shewn at F, the rack rails A' A' are moved such a distance
apart as to allow of the free passage of the running wheels between them.

page_text: The two sets of lengths A' A¹ for the two crossing are connected together and to
the switch by any suitable arrangement of levers and rods such as that shewn so
that when the one set of lengths A A' are closed up against the bearing rail so as
to allow the toothed wheel or wheels of a crossing train to pass, the other set of
lengths AA are at the same time moved apart so as to allow the running wheels
of the said train to pass between them on the bearing rail. This movement may be
effected either as shewn or in any other convenient manner, such moving mechanism
forming no part of my present invention.
Fig. 4 shews a modification in which, instead of carrying both the lengths A' A'
of the rack rail a short distance along the bearing rail, the latter is notched on one
side so as to allow the end of the one length A' to approach the other sufficiently
to enable the toothed wheels to come into gear with the one length before leaving
the other one.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, declare that what
1 claim is :-
In crossings of rack-rail railways constructing the rack rails with two moveable
lengths which close up against the opposite sides of the crossing bearing rail for
allowing the toothed wheels of the rolling stock to pass across without coming out
of gear, but which are moved away from the bearing rail for allowing the running
wheels of the rolling stock to pass, substantially as herein described.
Dated this 10th day of A1 1990
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.