IMPROVEMENTS IN SWITCH APPARATUS POR RAILWAYS
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Francis Brady, of St. John's Terrace, North
Gate, Regent's Park, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SWITCH APPARATUS POR RAILWAYS"
"
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SWITCH APPARATUS FOR RAILWAYS"
Scaled the 6th July 1869, and dated the 25th February 1869
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left; by the said Francis Brady at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
25th February 1869.
I, FRANCIS BRADY, of St. John's Terrace, North Gate, Regent's Park,
in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SWITCH APPARATUS FOR RAILWAYS," to be
as follows:-
The object of this Invention is to prevent any movement of the switch
lever while a train is passing over the switches. For this purpose I
employ a bar of iron about 17 feet long, 2 inches wide, and inch thick
curved in its cross section so as to lie housed under the head of an
ordinary rail; this bar is secured to brackets at intervals of about
4 feet, these brackets being keyed on and turning with a shaft placed on
standards or bearings parallel to the rail alongside of which the curved

page_text: bar lies housed. The shaft is turned by the action of the switches, so
that when the switches are half opened the curved bar is at its highest
elevation, and when the switches are fully opened the curved bar is
thrown over away from the rail and out of the way of the flanges of
passing wheels. The bar is to be long enough to always have one wheel
of a passing train over or at the side of it. The curved bar may be cut
into sections in its length so as to avoid chairs or fish plates, or cheek
chairs securing the rail with bolts countersunk into the rib of the rail
may be used where the curved bar is applied.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Francis Brady in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 25th August 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FRANCIS
BRADY, of St. John's Terrace, North Gate, Regent's Park, in the County
of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of February, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the
thirty-second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Francis Brady, Her special
licence that I, the said Francis Brady, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Francis Brady, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
SWITCH APPARATUS FOR RAILWAYS," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Francis Brady, my executors or administrators, by
an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands
and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of
the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed,
and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within
six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the
said Letters Patent.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Francis Brady, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, that is to say :-
The objects of this Invention are to prevent any movement of the
switch lever while a train is passing over the switches, and also to enable
a train as it approaches the points to move the points fully over if the
points have been left foul, so that the flange of the leading wheel of the
train may not catch upon the point of the switch rail. For these
purposes I apply alongside of one of the rails, just in front of the points
of the switches, a bar of iron about 17 feet long, 2 inches wide, and
inch thick; this bar is secured to brackets at intervals of about 4 feet;
these brackets are keyed on and turned with a shaft placed on standards
or bearings parallel to the rail alongside of which the bar is to lic. The
shaft is turned by the action of the switches, so that when the switches
are either fully opened or fully closed the bar shall be out of the way of
the flanges of the wheels. The bar is to be long enough to always have
one wheel of a passing train over or at the side of it. The curved bar
may be cut into sections in its length so as to avoid chairs or fish plates,
or check chairs securing the rail with bolts countersunk into the rib of
the rail may be used where the curved bar is applied.
In the Drawings hereunto annexed I have shewn various ways of
carrying out my Invention.
Figure 1 shews a plan view complete of one of the arrangements;
Figure 2 shews a plan view on a larger scale, and Figure 3 a side view
of the working parts of this arrangement; Figure 4 shews full size a
transverse section of the rail and bar working therewith.
a is the bar, which by means of brackets affixed to it is mounted on
an axis or shaft c which is parallel with the rail d, as above described.
The rail d where the curved bar lies alongside of it is carried in cheek
chairs and is. secured with countersunk bolts, but as before stated the
bar might in place of this be divided if desired so as to avoid the chairs.
The axis c turns in bearings formed in brackets e, which are secured to
the bottom of the rail, as shown at Figure 4. To the axis, about midway
of its length, is also keyed an arm which by means of a connecting
rod g is coupled to the small bell-crank lever which turns on a pin
carried by a plate '; this plate is securely bolted to a sleeper made fast
to the sleepers which support the rails. The bell crank is connected by

page_text: a rod to one arm of the bell crank m, the other arm of which is connected
by a connecting rod n to the rod by which the switch rails are coupled
together. When the switches are closed, as shewn at Figure 2, the
bar lies houses under the head of the rail, in the manner shewn by the
full lines at Figure 4. When however the switches are opened, as
shown by the dotted lines in Figures 2, the axis c will by means of the
connecting rods and levers which connect it with the switch rails be
turned so as to bring the bar a into the position shewn by the dotted
lines in Figure 4, so that it shall be out of the way of the flanges of the
wheels of a passing train. The end of the bar furthest from the switch
rails is pointed, as shown, so that if (when a train is approaching the
points) the points are slightly foul the wheel of the train when it comes
upon the end of the bar gradually depresses the bar and sets the points
right.
Figure 5 shews a plan view of a modification of the above-described
arrangement. In this modification the bar a is arranged to lie housed
under the head of the rail both when the points are fully opened and
when they are fully closed. Figure 6 shews a plan view, and Figure 7
a side view on a larger scale of this arrangement.
Figure 8 shews full size a section taken through the rail and bar.
The bar is similarly carried on an axis c parallel with the rail d, and an
arm f upon the axis is connected by a connecting rod g, sliding rod g',
and connecting rod g² with a short crank arm h turning on a pin carried
by the plate h. This plate and the plate by which the guiding rollers o
between which the sliding rod g¹ works are fixed to a sleeper fixed firmly
to one of the sleepers supporting the rails. The short crank arm h is
also connected by a rod p with the bell-crank lever q by which motion
is given to the switch rails, as shewn. By this arrangement the first
motion of the switch rails to open or to close them first raises the bar,
as shewn by the dotted lines at Figure 8, and then as the motion of the
switch rails is completed the bar again descends and lies housed along-
side of the rail d, as shewn, The top corner of the end of the bar.
furthest from the switch rails is cut away to an incline and is also
slightly twisted so as to bury its point well under the head of the rail.
If the points are slightly foul the wheel will ride up the incline on the
bar and will press it down, and so bring the points of the switch rails
into their proper position.
Another arrangements by which the action of the switches may be

page_text: caused to transmit to the axis e a motion similar to that given to it in
the arrangement last described is shewn at Figure 9. In this arrange-
ment the rod p gives motion to a knuckle-jointed lever 8 which is
connected to the rod g'; this rod is, as in the arrangement above described,
connected to the arm f upon the axis c. By this arrangement when
the switch rails are in an intermediate position the two parts of the
lever 8 will be in a line with one another and the bar a will be raised,
but when the switches are either fully open or fully closed the bar will
be lowered and will lie housed under the head of the rail.
A similar arrangement for transmitting motion to the axis c is shewn
at Figure 10. This arrangement only differs from the arrangement just
described in that the rod g' is guided in its to-and-fro movement by a
radius link t in place of by guide rollers.
Figures 11 and 12 shew a side view and section of the arrangement I
adopt when bridge rails are used. In this case I form the bar a of an
angle iron section, and I so connect the switch rails with the axis c that
when the points are either fully opened or fully closed the bar shall be
lowered out of the way of the flanges of the wheels of a train, but when
the switches are in an intermediate position the bar is raised into the
position shewn by dotted lines in Figures 11 and 12. If as a train is
approaching the points the points are slightly foul the flange of a
wheel will come on to the incline a¹ at the end of the bar and will press
the bar down and set the points right.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner
of performing the same, I would have it understood that what I claim is,
the applying alongside of one of the rails, just in front of the points of
the switch rails, a long bar mounted on an axis or shaft parallel with the
rail and coupled with the switch rails, so that the shaft and bar shall be
turned by the action of the switches, as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Francis Brady, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of July, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine.