Improvements in or connected with Points for Railways, Tramways, and the like.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Apr., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 15th Jan., 1896-Accepted, 15th Feb., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Points for Railways, Tramways,
and the like.
We, PHILIP UNWIN ASKHAM, Managing Director of Askham Brothers
and Wilson Limited of Yorkshire Steel Works,, Sheffield in the County of
York and JOHN STEWART MACGREGOR of 27 Rownsley Street Chapeltown
Road, Leeds in the said county, Permanent-way Superintendent Leeds City.
Tramways, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to what are known as self acting spring points wherein
the tongue of the point is retained in its normal position by a spring which yields
when the tongue is opened by the passage of the flanges of the wheels of the
vehicles the said spring afterwards returning the tougue. to its normal position and
the said invention has for its object to provide a simple arrangement whereby such
points can with ease and rapidity be converted into a moveable point when required
so that in the event of a vehicle over-running the points the spring can be relaxed.
without special tools to allow of the vehicle being returned to the line and the
spring be again brought to bear on the tongue to convert it into a spring point
again. The pressure of the spring on the tongue can be readily adjusted as
required and the arrangement is such that the parts can be readily kept clean.
According to this invention a flat lateral or blade spring is secured to the side
of the point casting by means of screws or fastenings which can be readily removed
replaced and adjusted. The said spring can be made in several layers rivetted or
otherwise secured together like a coach spring if desired. A convenient arrange-
ment for the purpose consists of a screw bolt at each end of the spring the said
screw bolts having square or equivalently formed heads which are let into
corresponding recesses in the inner face of the recess in the casting in which the
tongue works. The said bolts pass through holes in the casting and through slots
in the spring near the respective ends thereof the said slote being if desired squared
or equivalently formed and the part of each bolt which passes into each slut being
correspondingly formed the slots being preferably longer than the thickness of the
bolts. A screw nut preferably with wings thereou for operating it is then screwed
on each bolt. To the mid portion of the spring a buffer head or projection is.
secured, it passing through a hole in the casting and bearing against the side of
the tongue so as to press it into its normal position. This buffer head or
projection may be rounded on the end which bears on the tongue and it may be.
secured to the spring by a screw which passes through a hole in the spring and is
screwed into the inner end of the buffer head or projection, the buffer head or
projection having a tapped hole in the centre to receive the screw for connecting
the spring and buffer.
The spring may be made with swelled or thickened parts next the holes so as to
secure uniform strength of the spring.
Dated this 19th day of April 1895.
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.

page_text: Improvements in or connected with Points for Railways, Tramways,
and the like.
We, PHILIP UNWIN ASKHAM Managing Director of Askham Bros. & Wilson
Limited of Yorkshire Steel Works Sheffield in the County of York and JOHN
STEWART MACGREGOR of 27 Rownsley Street, Chapeltown Road Leeds, in
the said county, Permanent-way Superintendent Leeds City Tramways, 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 what are known as self acting spring points wherein
the tongue of the point is retained in its normal position by a spring which yields
when the tongue is opened by the passage of the flanges of the wheels of the
vehicles the said spring afterwards. returning the tongue to its normal position and
the said invention has for its object to provide a simple arrangement whereby such
points can with ease and rapidity be converted into a moveable point when
required so that in the event of a vehicle over-running the points the spring can
be relaxed, without special tools, to allow of the vehicle being returned to the line
and the spring be again brought to bear on the tongue to convert it into a
spring point again. The pressure of the spring ou the tongue can be readily
adjusted as required and the arrangement is such that the parts can be readily
kept clean.
According to this invention a flat lateral or blade spring is secured to the
side of the point casting by means of screws or fastenings which can be
readily removed replaced and adjusted. The said spring can be made in several
layers. rivetted or otherwise secured together like a coach spring if desired.
A convenient arrangement for the purpose consists of a screw bolt at each end of
the spring the said screw bolts having square or equivalently formed heads which
are let into the casting in which the tongue works. The said bolts pass through
holes in the casting and through slots in the spring near the respective ends thereof
the said slots being if desired squared or equivalently formed and the part of each
bolt which passes into each slot being correspondingly formed the slots being
preferably longer than the thickness of the bolts. A screw nut preferably with
wings thereon for operating it, is then screwed on each bolt. To the mid-portion
of the spring a buffer head or projection is secured, it passing through a hole in the
casting and bearing against the side of the tongue so as to press it into its normal
position. This buffer head or projection may be rounded on the end which bears
on the tongue and it may be secured to the spring by a screw and nut.
The spring may be made with swelled or thickened parts next the holes so as to
secure uniform.strength of the spring.
In order that our invention may be clearly understood we will further describe
the same with reference to the accompanying drawings:-Figure 1 of which
represents in sectional elevation. and Figure 2 in plan a tramway point provided:
with improvements according to our invention, A is a point casting, having a
recess B in which works. the tongue or point, proper C, which tongue is fitted to
turn in a socket D in the casting A. E is a laminated blade spring connected at its
ends by bolts F and nut G to one side of the casting A and having secured thereto
at or about its centre a projection or buffer H having a rounded end which bears
against the tongue C. The bolts F pass through slots in the tongue and serve as
guides to the said tongue in its lateral movements the holes in the ends of the
spring E through which the bolts pass being also elongated to admit of the yielding
movements of the said spring. The spring E and nuts G by which it is secured in
position are enclosed in a box I formed in one with, or bolted to, the casting A and

page_text: provided with a lid or cover 1¹ to exclude dirt but capable of being readily opened
or removed to gain access to the nuts G when required.
The tongue C is normally held by the pressure of the spring E and buffer H
against one side of the groove a, in which the flanges on the wheels of the vehicles
run, so that the said groove is normally open for the passage of vehicles travelling
in the direction of the arrow 1 in Figure 2. The flanges of the wheels of the
vehicles travelling in the direction of the arrow 2 in Figure 2 force the tongue
from its normal position against the pressure of the spring E which tongue as soon
as the wheels have passed is again returned to its normal position by the pressure
of the spring.
When it is desired to convert the point into an ordinary moveable point this can
be readily effected by slackening the nuts G so as to remove the pressure of the
spring E from the tongue and admit of the said tongue being moved in the ordinary
manner to either side of the groove a as required and to obviate the necessity for
providing special tools for the purpose of removing the pressure of the spring, the
nuts G, can be provided with wings, as shewn, so that they can be readily turned
by hand. Apertures 6 may be provided in the bottom of the recess B in which the
tongue C works, and also in the bottom of the box I for the escape of water
and dirt.
b
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is i
1st. In or connected with points for railways, tramways, and the like means
whereby the tongue or point proper can be readily converted from an automatically
operating point to a mechanically operated point and vice versa, substantially as
hereinbefore described.
2nd. In connection with points for railways, tramways, and the like, a blade
spring arranged to exert pressure on the movable tongue or point proper to
normally retain the said tongue in one position, and means for readily removing the
pressure of the spring from the tongue without the necessity for the use of special
tools for the purpose substantially as hereinbefore described.
3rd. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the improvements
in points for railways, tramways and the like, substantially as hereinbefore
described and illustrated by the accompanying drawings,
Dated 15th day of January 1896.
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.