Improved Means for Actuating the Points of Tramway Lines.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Apr., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 13th Jan., 1890-Accepted, 15th Feb., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means for Actuating the Points of Tramway Lines.
We JAMES BURROW of 7 Albert Street Pendleton Joiner and ROBERT JOHNSON
of 49 Brindle Heath Road, Pendleton Clogger, both in the County of Lancaster do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows
The object of this invention is to afford a ready means for the driver of a tramway
car to actuate the points of the tramway lines so as to guide the car into the direction
required without dismounting.
•
For this purpose we fix in the central part of the tramway a little distance in
front of the points a cast iron frame or box, in the upper side of which are two
grooves.
Beneath this box we mount a rocking lever each end of which is turned upwards
and passes through a hole in the bottom of one of the grooves, the form of the lever
being like a scale beam so that when one projecting end thereof is pressed down to the
bottom of its groove, the other end is raised up to or above the level of the face of the
box. The lever or scale beam is also made with a tail piece which is connected by a
long rod to a lever attached to the pivot of the movable tongue of the points. And it
will thus be evident that the movable tongue or point can be set in either direction
by depressing one or other of the ends of the rocking lever in its corresponding
groove.
And in order to allow the driver of the car to move and set the points as he
requires without descending from the car the latter is provided with the following
device.
On one of the axles of the car we mount a long boss provided with two arms (one at
each side) and each carrying a small wheel. These arms are so mounted that the positions
of the two small wheels correspond with the grooves in the top of the box above
named and on rocking the boss on the axle either of these small wheels can be brought
down into its corresponding groove and as the car passes along it will depress the
corresponding end of the rocking lever before mentioned and move the point or
tongue in the direction required.
The long boss is also provided with a third arm and this is connected by a rod beneath
the platform of the car to the lower end of a lever, the upper end of which forms a
handle within easy reach of the driver.
This lever handle is made to spring slightly and works against a bar in the centre
of which is a notch. When the handle is in this notch the small wheels are both
raised to the same level above the grooved box and the apparatus is consequently out
of action, but upon moving the handle either forwards or backwards one of the said
wheels will be brought down into its corresponding groove and will depress one end
of the rocking lever and thus move the point.
For tramway cars in which the body is made to turn round on a pivot for reversing,
the underside of the platform is provided with two rods connected together by a lever
at the centre, and the joint between the rod and the lower end of the hand lever is
made by means of a removable pin which has to be taken out when the body is turned
and replaced in the other rod.
Dated this 19th dow of Anril 1880

page_text: .COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means for Actuating the Points of Tramway Lines.
We JAMES BURROW of 7 Albert Street Pendleton, joiner, and ROBERT JOHNSON
of 49 Brindle Heath Road Pendleton, Clogger, both in the County of Lancaster,
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 :-
The object of this invention is to afford a ready means for the driver of a tramway
car to actuate the points of the tramway lines, so as to guide the car into the direction
required without dismounting.
The nature of our said invention and the manner in which the same is to be
performed or carried into practical effect will be readily understood on reference to
the accompanying three sheets of drawings and the following explanation thereof.
Fig. 1. sheet 1 of the drawings is a plan view of the switching points of a tramway
showing the stationary part of our invention applied thereto.
Fig. 2 is a sectional longitudinal elevation and Fig. 3 Sheet 2 is a transverse section
of the same.
Fig. 4 sheet 2 is a longitudinal elevation and Fig. 5 sheet 3 a plan view of part
of a tramway car drawn to a sinaller scale and showing those parts of our invention
which are applied to the car.
For the purposes of our invention we fix in the central part of the tramway
(see Figs. 1 and 2) at a little distance in front of the points a cast iron frame or box a
in the upper side or lid b of which (see detached plan view Fig. 1) are two
grooves c and c¹.
Beneath the lid 6 of this box we mount a rocking lever formed of two arms d and d¹
each of which is turned upwards at the end and passes through a hole in the
bottom of one of the grooves c. c¹ the form of the lever being somewhat like a
scale beam so that when one projecting end thereof is pressed down to the bottom of
its respective groove, the end of the other arm is raised to or above the level of the
face of the lid b of the box.
The lever or scale between d, d' is also made with a tail-piece e which is connected
by a long rod passing through a tube g to a cranked lever h, mounted in
another box i and attached by a transverse rod k to a pivot on the movable tongue /
of the points. And it will thus be evident that the movable tongue or point I can be
set in either direction by depressing one or other of the arms d or d¹ of the rocking
lever in its corresponding groove.
And in order to allow the driver of the car to move and set the points as he requires
without descending from or stopping the car the latter is provided with the following
device (see Figs. 4 and 5 Sheet 2).
Upon a shaft m placed midway between the two axles as shown on the drawing)
we mount two arms o and o¹ (one at each side) and each carrying a small wheel,
p; or
the said arms may be mounted upon a long boss working loose upon one of the
axles.
These arms o, o¹ are so mounted that the position of the two small wheels p,
corresponds with the grooves c and c¹ in the top or lid of the box a above named,
and on rocking the said shaft or axle m either of these small wheels p can be brought
down into its corresponding groove (as shown by the dotted circle Fig. 4) and as
the car passes along it will depress the corresponding arm d or d¹ of the rocking
lever before mentioned and thus move the point or tongue 1 (Fig. 1) in the direction
required.
The shaft m is also provided with a third arm q and this is connected by a rod r
beneath the platform of the car, to the lower end of a levert (see Fig. 4) the upper
end of which forms a handle within easy reach of the driver.
This lever handle t is made to spring slightly and works against a bar u in the
centre of which is a notch v (see Fig. 5).

page_text: When the handle t is in this notch the small wheels p are both raised to the
same level (as shown at Fig. 4) above the grooved box a (Fig. 1) and the apparatus
is consequently out of action but upon moving the handle either forward or back-
ward one of the said wheels p will be brought down into its corresponding groove
(as shown by the dotted circle) and will depress one arm of the rocking lever d. d
and thus move the point l.
For tramway cars in which the body is made to turn round on a pivot for
reversing, the underside of the platform is provided (as shown at Fig. 5) with two
rods rand, each connected by a lever or arm q to the central shaft m, and the joint
between the rod and the lower end of the lever handle is made by means of a
removable pin or by a hooked link (Fig. 4) which has to be taken out when the
body is turned, and replaced in the eye at the end of the other rod.
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 :-
:-
The improved means for enabling the driver to actuate the points on a tramway
without dismounting from the car, which consist principally of a rocking lever or
scale beam, the arms of which project through grooves in the lid of a box sunk in the
road between the tramway lines the said rocking lever being connected to the
movable tongue of the point; in combination with a corresponding rocking lever
attached to the car and fitted with wheels which are adapted when depressed to
run in the said grooves such rocking lever attached to the car being so connected
to a hand lever within easy reach of the driver, that by moving such hand lever he can
depress either wheel so as to act upon either arm of the first named rocking lever
and thus move the tongue of the point, all being constructed arranged and operating
substantially as herein before described and illustrated by the drawings annexed.
Dated this 11th day of January 1890.
GEORGE DAVIED.