CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY POINTS,
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Whitehead, of Bucknall, in the County of
Stafford, Coal Merchant, and Thomas Dodd, of Winsford, in the County of
Chester, for an Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY POINTS,
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Whitehead and
Thomas Dodd at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 8th April
1881.
"
HENRY WHITEHEAD, of Bucknall, in the County of Stafford, Coal Merchant,
and THOMAS DODD, of Winsford, in the County of Chester. CERTAIN IMPROVE-
MENTS IN RAILWAY POINTS, AND IN THE MANNER OF WORKING THE SAME."
The object of this Invention is, by the means hereinafter described, to cause
railway points to work vertically instead of horizontally as at present, and by our.
improved vertical action to facilitate the working of trains, and to prevent the
points employed from getting out of order, and thus to promote safety & speed
in railway travelling.
Our Invention is substantially carried into effect by providing ten special cast
iron chairs, which are placed five on each side, and are secured to the sleepers
in the ordinary way. The first three chairs on either side are provided with a
recess, in which the slide bar and blocks hereinafter mentioned are worked in and
out of position, as may be required. The first of these three chairs is arranged to
carry the main rail, to which it is securely keyed in the ordinary way, and it is
also so constructed as to secure the toe of the point blade against the side of the
main rail; and is also so arranged as to prevent the point blade from moving
forward out of position. The second chair on either side of the rails is also
arranged to carry the main rail, to which it is secured by a screw bolt or pin; and
it is also so constructed as to secure the point blade against the side of the main
rail. The third chair is similarly arranged, and its object is substantially the same.
The fourth chair on each side is arranged to carry the main rail, to which it is
securely keyed in the ordinary way, and it is so constructed as to carry the heel of
Price 1

page_text: the point blade, and the end of the continuation rail. The jointing of the heel of
the point blade, and the end of the continuation rail is effected about the centre
of this fourth chair on each side, the jointing being secured by a pair of side plates,
and four or more bolts in the ordinary way, two of these four bolts being on either
side of the chair; but if preferred the heel of the point blade can be secured in the
fourth chair on either side by means of a steel pin passing through the side of the
chair and point blade, in which case the end of the continuation can be keyed in
the chair in the ordinary way.
The fifth chair on each side is arranged to carry both the main and the con-
tinuation rail, to each of which it is securely keyed in the ordinary way. To the
front of the second chair on either side of the rail a bracket is secured by means of
two screw bolts, for the purpose of carrying the bearings or journals for the cross
shaft, hereinafter mentioned.
The vertical motion of the point blades is effected by providing three blocks and
one slide bar underneath each point blade, these blocks being secured to the slide
bar at proper distances, and the said slide bars and blocks working in the recesses
provided in the three first chairs on each side, as before described.
At the back of the first block on each slide bar a joint is provided, to which a
connecting rod is attached, to the other end of which is attached a lever, which is
securely keyed in its required position on the cross shaft before named. This cross
shaft is in its turn attached to the rods communicating with the pointsman's box
or cabin, or to a hand lever outside the rails, as may be desired. Near to the toe
of each point blade a link is secured, and is connected with the lever on the cross
shaft, which is for the purpose of depressing or drawing down the point blades
after they have been raised.
A motion or part revolution of the cross shaft before named causes one of the
point blades to move vertically to its required position, and at the same time it
places the block & slide bar underneath the point blade in their required positions.
At the same time & by the same movement of parts the blocks & slide bar on
the other side of the rails are withdrawn to their normal positions, and this point
blade is drawn down to allow the wheels of the train to pass over it without
coming into contact with it in any way. Thus a train passing over these points
would be turned from the main to the branch line, or vice versa, as the case may be.
A balance weight may be provided near to the toe of the point blade to facilitate
its being raised.
The point blades are proposed to be constructed about the same width as an
ordinary main rail, and recessed to a sufficient depth to clear the wheel flanges, so
that the point blades are really stronger and more secure when in position than
the main rail.
From the description herein given it will be seen that by the arrangement of
parts before described immediately one point is raised into its required position the
opposite point is depressed, and thus both are prevented from being placed in any
but the desired position.
It will also be understood that the points being placed in and out of position
vertically they never leave the side of the rail, and consequently it is impossible
either by the expansion or contraction of connecting rods or by reason of pieces of
material, such as cinders, wood, bricks, iron, coal, clay, saud, and the like, getting
in between the points and rails for them to be disarranged in any way.
It will also be seen that when the blocks or slide wedges previously referred to
are placed in position under the point rails it will be impossible for the weight of
any train to cause them to be depressed.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Henry Whitehead and Thomas Dodd in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 6th October 1881.
HENRY WHITEHEAD, of Bucknall, in the County of Stafford, Coal Merchant,
and THOMAS DODD, of Winsford, in the County of Chester. "CERTAIN IMPROVE-
MENTS IN RAILWAY POINTS, AND IN THE MANNER OF WORKING THE SAME."
The object of this Invention is, by the means hereinafter described, to cause
railway points to work vertically instead of horizontally, as at present, and by our
improved vertical action to facilitate the working of trains, and to prevent the
points employed from getting out of order, and thus to promote safety and speed
in railway travelling.
Our Invention is substantially carried into effect by the mechanical arrangements
shewn and described in the accompanying Drawings, in which similar letters of
reference are employed to indicate similar parts in the several Figures, and which
we will at once proceed to describe.
Figure I. is a plan, Figure II. is an elevation of the inner face of the left hand
rail, and Figure III. is an elevation of the outer face of the right hand rail of
railway points constructed according to our Invention, the said rails being situated
to the left and right of a person approaching the points in the direction of the
arrow on Figure I.; Figure IV. is a transverse section on the line A, A, in Figure I;
Figures V., VI. VII., and VIII. are diagrams, shewing the successive positions of
the mechanism during the movement of the actuating lever or handle.
B.is the left hand fixed rail; B¹ is the left hand moveable rail or point blade ;
C is the right hand fixed rail; and C¹ is the right hand moveable rail or point
blade; B2, B3, B4, B5, B6, and C2, C3, C4, C5, C6, are ten special chairs for supporting
the said rails, five chairs being situated on each side of the track. A description of
those of the one side will apply equally well to those of the other side. The first
chair B² receives the fixed rail B, to which it is keyed at D, and has a recess or
pocket E, in which the point blade B' moves vertically, and by which it is kept
in contact with the fixed rail B. The second chair B³ is bolted to the fixed rail.
at F, and has a vertical arm G, forming with the fixed rail a recess for the same
purpose as the recess E in the first chair. The third chair B is widened to suit
the spread of the two rails, but is otherwise similar to B³. The fourth chair B5 is
keyed to the fixed rail by a key H, and has a recess to receive the heel of the
point blade B¹, and the end of the continuation rail I, together with the fish
plates K (Figure II.), which secure the adjacent ends of the two rails; or the point
blade may be hinged to the fourth chair by means of a horizontal joint pin, and
the end of the continuation rail may be keyed to the said fourth chair. The simple
nature of which alternative method of attachment renders an illustration of it
unnecessary.
The fifth chair B is keyed to the fixed rail B and to the continuation rail I by
means of the keys I, 12. To the chairs B³, C³, Figures II., III., and IV., are
bolted two brackets L, in which turn a weigh-shaft M actuated by means of the
lever M³, which may either be a hand lever or may be connected to a distant hand
lever in a pointsman's box or elsewhere in the usual manner,.
The point blades B¹, C¹, have for the most part a solid rectangular section, but
a wedge-shaped portion is removed from the upper surface of each from N to N'
(Figure 1), so as to leave a corresponding wedge-shaped projection forming the
upper bearing surface of the said point blade, and the object of the said weigh-
shaft M is to raise the said point blade B' and depress the point blade C', or vice
versa, when it is desired to present either point blade uppermost, as for instance

page_text: the rail C (Figure 4) for the guidance of the wheels of an approaching vehicle
the simultaneously depressed point blade B' allowing the flanges of the opposite
wheels of the vehicle to run over the said depressed point blade without touching
it and to take to the adjacent fixed rail B. The said alternate movements are.
accomplished in the following manner :-)
-To the weigh-shaft M are keyed two
levers M2, M3, situated underneath the point blades B', C¹, respectively. Referring
for the present to the point blade B₁ (Figures II., V. and VI.) a rod P having
suitable joint pins connects the lever M² to a sliding block O, which has a wedge-
shaped end 0¹ engaging in the recess of the chair B² underneath the point
blade B'. Similar wedge shaped blocks 02, 03, of varying thicknesses, as shewn,
engage in the recesses of the chairs B³ and B4, and are coupled to each other and
to the block O by means of a sliding bar 0%. In Figure V. as the lever M² moves
towards the point M¹ the rod P pushes the block O into the position shewn by
the dotted outline of the said block O, the wedge shaped end 0' of which acting.
upon the bottom of the recess in the chair B³ raises the end of the point blade B¹
to the same level as the fixed rail B. At the same time the blocks 0³, 0³, Figure I.,
are moved by the bar 0%, and acting in a similar manner raise the intermediate
portions of the point blade B¹ to an extent required by the angular motion of the
said point blade hinging in the chair B³, As the lever M² continues to advance
towards the point M³, Figure VI., the parallel portions of the three blocks 0, 02, 0³,
are thereby placed underneath the point blade. B¹, so as to support the weight of
a wheel rolling upon it. A link R is jointed to the point blade at R¹, and has a
slot embracing the joint pin of the lever M². Upon the return of the lever M²
from the point M³ the parallel portions of the blocks O, 02, 0³, are first withdrawn,
and during the latter portion of the movement of the lever M², the link R draws
down the point blade B¹ into the position from which it was supposed to start in
describing Figures II. and V.; while the aforesaid movements of the left hand point
blade B' are taking place, the right hand point blade is being operated upon in a
reverse direction in the following manner, that is to say: While the point
blade B¹ is being depressed the point blade C¹ is being raised, and vice versa.
said point blade C¹ (Figures III. and VII.) is already at its highest elevation and
requires to be depressed by the partial revolution of the weigh shaft M, turning
through the same arc and in the same direction as in Figures V. and VI., that is,
from the point Me to the point M³, Figures VII. and VIII. The lever M³ is
connected to the block by means of a rod P, having suitable joint pins. While
the lever M³ moves from the point Me to the point M7 the rod P withdraws the
parallel part of the block O from the recess in the chair C³, and the parallel parts
of the blocks 02, 0³, Figure III. from the recesses in their respective chairs, and
during the remaining movement the rod P draws down the block O into the
position shewn in Figure VIII. The link S is jointed to the point blade C¹ at the
point S¹, and its slot embraces the joint pin of the block O instead of the joint pin
of the lever M2, as in Figure V. The positions S2, S3, and S4 in Figures VII.
and VIII. shew the successive positions of the said link during the downward
motion of the lever M³, the latter part of whose motion causes the link S to draw
down the point blade C¹ to the position shewn in Figure VIII. Upon the return
of the lever M³ from the point M³ to the point Me the movements of the respective
parts follow each other in the reverse order to that just described, and the point
blade C¹ is elevated and substantially supported by the blocks 0, 02, 0³, as shewn
in Figure II.
The
If preferred the weight of the point blades B¹, C¹, may be counterbalanced by
means of a weighted lever or levers applied in any well known and suitable
manner.
Having now described the nature of our Invention, and the manner in which
the same is or may be carried into effect, we desire it to be understood that what
we claim as the Invention to be protected by the hereinbefore in part recited
Letters Patent is,―
1. Causing the point blades of railway points to perform their functions by

page_text: means of vertical movements of the said point blades instead of the usual horizontal
movement.
2. The combination of mechanism for imparting the said vertical movements to
the said point blades, substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in the
accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, we, the said Henry Whitehead and Thomas Dodd, have
hereunto set our hands and seals, this Fourth day of October, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and eighty one.
HENRY WHITEHEAD. (L.S.)
THOMAS DODD.
(L.S.)