Improved Jack for Raising Rails.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Aug., 1891-Accepted, 31st Oct., 1891
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Jack for Raising Rails.
1, FRIEDRICH WESTMEYER, Engineer, of St. Johann / Saar Germany, do
hereby declare the nature of my invention and manner in which the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
The present invention relates to jacks for raising railway rails and its object is,
to provide a simple and adequate contrivance by means of which the rail may be
lifted with perfect safety and with as little damage as possible to the same.
In order to make my invention more clear, I refer to the accompanying
drawings, in which similar letters denote similar parts throughout the several
views.
Fig. 1 is a plan of my improved jack.
Fig. 2 is a vertical section on line C D in Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is a detail view of the pawl.
Fig. 4 is a detail view of the rack.
The supporting block or bed A, which is advantageously constructed of tempered
steel, is provided with two bearings a a. for the reception of the steel pivot or
spindle on which the pinion K is mounted. Said block A is further provided
with the guide sleeve def g, advantageously formed in one piece with the block,
said sleeve serving to guide the rack which is adapted to be raised and lowered.
The rack, besides having teeth into which the pinion K gears, is provided
with a row of ratchet teeth on each side of the pinion, as also on its outward side
with a lifting nose i which moves up & down in a slit in the guide sleeve, and
engages under the rail. The bed plate of the block may be provided with a slot B
which serves to carry the same by.
Keyed on to the spindle of the pinion K or formed in one piece with the same, is
the sheave c having holes C for the reception of a lever by means of which the
pinion may be turned. The apparatus is arranged with its nose i underneath the
rail S to be lifted, so that on turning the pinion the rack with its nose i will be
lifted and the rails raised. The pawl is loosely mounted on the spindle band
engaged with its two tongues in the double row of ratchet teeth h¹¹. Said
pawl is further projected below the spindle and provided with a spring m having
its end attached to the bed of the block A and actuating the pawl against the
rack h. The pawl has a horizontally projecting lever D by means of which it may
be retracted from the rack h.
。
Thus as soon as the rail has been raised sufficiently the pawls engage in the
teeth and keep it up. To release the pawl it is only necessary to depress the
lever D.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my invention
and the manner of performing the same, what I claim is
:-
1) A jack for raising rails, consisting of a pinion such as K mounted in a
block A and engaging in a rack h, said rack being vertically guided in the
sleeve de f g of the block, and provided with side rows of ratchet teeth into which
a pawl, engages loosely mounted on the pinion spindle, and having spring m
& lever D all parts cooperating and being arranged in the manner substantially as
described & shown.
Dated this 6th day of August 1891
RAYNER & CASSELL,
37, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.