IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF RAILWAY SWITCHES OR POINTS."
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS. PATENT to John Hough, of Castleton, in the County of Lancaster,
for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF RAILWAY
SWITCHES OR POINTS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Hough at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 8th July 1880.
JOHN HOUGH, of Castleton, in the County of Lancaster.
THE CONSTRUCTION OF RAILWAY SWITCHES OR POINTS."
"IMPROVEMENTS IN
This Invention relates to the construction of the connections of the switch rails
or points used on the permanent way of railways for the purpose of shunting or
directing engines or carriages from one line of rails to another, the objects of the
said Invention being to increase the permanency and durability of the switches, to
ensure their efficient working, and to prevent the possibility of their getting out
of place, either horizontally or vertically, which has been a frequent cause of
accidents.
The first part of the Invention relates to the rod which connects the two switch
rails or points together. The ends of these rods are usually tapped or formed with
a screw, which is passed through the switch rails and secured by means of a nut;
but for want of space between the switch and the back rail this nut has to be
made very shallow, and as it only covers at most three threads of the screw, it is
liable to work loose or to strip the thread. My Invention consists in providing the
inner side of this nut with a socket or bush which passes through the thickness of
the switch rail and is screwed inside, so that, although the head of the nut is no
thicker than before, it yet has a firm hold on about eight or ten threads of the
screw, and is thus much less likely to work loose or to strip the thread.
Secondly. In order to prevent the possibility of the points of the switches rising
above the level of the back rail, I bolt a bracket on the outside of cach back rail,
and a corresponding bracket on the inner side of each switch rail or point. These
brackets project below the level of the rail, the outer one being provided with a
horizontal pin or stud passing under the back rail and switch, and through a slot
in the lower part of the bracket attached to the latter, the pin or stud being formed
slightly taper to facilitate its working.
It will be seen that this arrangement will absolutely prevent the possibility of
the points rising above the level of the back rail; at the same time that it not only
forms no impediment but actually assists the effectual working of the points.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said John Hough in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 7th January 1881.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN
JOHN HOUGH, of Castleton, in the County of Lancaster.
THE CONSTRUCTION OF RAILWAY SWITCHES OR POINTS."
This Invention relates to the construction of the connections of the switch rails
or points used on the permanent way of railways for the purpose of shunting
engines or carriages from one line of rails to another, the objects of the said
Invention being to increase the permanency-and-durability of the switches, to
ensure their efficient working, and to prevent the possibility of their getting out
of place, either horizontally or vertically, which has been a frequent cause of
accidents.
Such being the nature and object of my said Invention, I will now proceed to
describe in detail the manner in which the same is to be or may be performed or
carried into practical effect; and in order that the same may be clearly understood,
I have annexed hereunto a Sheet of Drawings illustrative thereof, and have marked
the same with figures and letters of reference corresponding with those in the
following explanation thereof:-
Fig. 1 is a cross section of a "switch" showing the application of my Invention
__thereto, and Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same; Figs. 3, 4, and 5 are detached views
showing the details drawn to a larger-scale:
The first part of the Invention relates to the tie rods a, a, which connect the two
switch rails or points b, b, together.
The ends of these rods are usually tapped or formed with a screw, which is
passed through the switch rails and secured by means of a nut; but for want of
space between the switch b, b, and the back rail c, c, this nut has to be made very
shallow, and as it only covers at most three threads of the screw, it is liable to work
loose or to strip the thread.
My Invention consists in providing the inner side of this nut d, d (see Fig. 4),
with the socket or brush e, e, which passes through the thickness of the switch
rail b, b, and is screwed inside, so that although the head of the nut d, d, is no
thicker than before, it yet has a firm hold on about eight or ten threads of the
screw, and is thus much less likely to work loose or to strip the thread. As a
further security I also perforate a hole through each face of the nut, and through
the end of the rod I provide a pin f, f, which being passed through (as shown
at Fig. 5), will lock the nut and prevent it from working loose.
Secondly. In order to prevent the possibility of the points of the switches b, b,
rising above the level of the back rail c, c, I bolt a bracket g, g, on the outside of
each back rail, and a corresponding bracket h, h, on the inner side of each switch
rail or point.
Theso brackets g, g, and h, h, project below the level of the rails, the outer one g, g,
being provided with a horizontal pin or stud i, i, passing under the back rail c, c,
and switch b, b, and through a slot in the lower part of the bracket h, h, attached
to the latter (see underside of bracket g, g, enlarged at Fig. 3), the pin or stud i, i,
being formed slightly taper to facilitate its working, and adjustable by means of a
slot.
It will be seen that this arrangement will absolutely prevent the possibility of
the points b, b, rising above the level of the back rail c, c, at the same time that it
not only forms no impediment but actually assists the effectual working of the
points.
Having now described the nature and object of my said Invention, together with
the manner in which the same is to be or may be performed or carried into practical

page_text: effect, I wish it to be understood that I claim as my Invention the construction of
the nut which holds the ends of the tie rods of switches or points with a socket or
bush, substantially in the manner and for the purposo hereinbefore described;
and,
secondly, the construction and adaptation of the brackets and studs (or their
equivalent), for the purpose of preventing the points of the switch rails from rising
above the back rails.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Hough, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this Sixth day of January, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and eighty one.
JOHN HOUGH. (L.S.)