Improvements in Apparatus for Making Electrical Contact by Passage of a Railway Train.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Apr., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 20th Jan., 1897-Accepted, 20th Feb., 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Making Electrical Contact by
Passage of a Railway Train.
I, EDWARD TYER, of Ashwin Street, Dalston, in the County of London,.
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Electrical contact apparatus has been arranged by the side of a line of rails, in
such a manner that the flexure of the rail caused by a passing train should give
motion to a lever operating a contact.
Owing however to the stiffness of the rail and the short distance between its.
supporting sleepers, the flexure is often so little that no effective contact is made.
My invention relates to the arrangement of the contact apparatus in such a
manner that not only the flexure of the rail between its supports but also the yield
of these supports themselves, under the load of a passing train, is utilised to give
movement to the contact lever.
For this purpose, I fix rigidly to the side of the rail a bar which extends
parallel to the rail a considerable distance beyond the place where it is fixed to the
rail and terminates at a point about midway between two sleepers.
At this point just below the har is pivotted to the rail a light contact lever the
long arm of which extends backwards parallel to the bar to a spring, mercury or
other contact on the fixed part of the bar. The other short arm of the contact
lever carries a weight which is adjusted to nearly but not quite balance the long
arm, and on this short arm near the pivot of the lover bears an adjusting screw
passing down through the end of the bar.
As a train approaches the bar, the rail carrying the pivot of the contact lever is
slightly bent and also bodily depressed, while the end of the bar remains relatively
undisturbed; consequently there is a slight descent of the pivot of the contact
lever from the adjusting screw which allows the end of the contact lever to descend.
a distance increased by leverage, so as to make contact.
Dated this 22nd day of Anril 1996
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Making Electrical Contact by
Passage of a Railway Train.
I, EDWARD TYER, of Ashwin Street, Dalston, in the County of London,.
Engiueer, do hereby declare the naturo of this invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained, in and by
5 the following statement :-
Electrical contact apparatus has been arranged by the side of a line of rails, in.

page_text: such a manner that the flexure of the rail caused by a passing train should give
motion to a lever operating a contact.
Owing, however, to the stiffness of the rail and the short distance between its
supporting sleepers, the flexure is often so little that no effective contact is made.
My invention relates to the arrangement of the contact apparatus in such a
manner that not only the flexure of the rail between its supports but also the yield
of these supports themselves, under the load of a passing train is utilised to give
movement to the contact lever.
For this purpose I arrange contact apparatus as I shall describe referring to the
accompanying drawings. Figure 1 is a side view aud Figure 2 is a plau. By two
brackets A AI fix rigidly to.the side of the rail R a bar B which extends parallel
to the rail a considerable distance beyond the brackets and terminates at a point
about midway between two sleepers.
Just below the end of the bar I pivot on a bracket C secured to the rail a light
contact lever L the long arm of which extends backwards parallel to the bar B.
and terminates under an arm D fixed on a rocking spindle S which, works a
spring, mercury or other contact within a box E on the fixed part of the har B.
The short arm of the lever L carries a weight which is adjusted to nearly, but.
not quite, balance the long arm, and on this short arm near the pivot of the lever
bears an adjusting screw T passing down through the end of the bar B.
As a train approaches the bar, the rail carrying the pivot of the contact lever
is slightly bent and also bodily depressed, while the end of the bar remains
relatively undisturbed; consequently there is a slight descent of the bracket C,
and the pivot of the contact lever L from the adjusting screw T, which allows the
end of the contact lever L to descend a distance increased by the leverage, and
the arm D being urged by a weight or spring follows the end of the lever L
downwards, partly turning the spindle S causing electrical contact to be made
within the box E.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven
tion and in what manuer the same is to be performed, 1 declare that what I
claim is :-
Apparatus for effecting electrical contact on passage of a railway train,
substantially as described.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.