IMPROVEMENTS IN THE SWITCHES AND CROSSINGS OF RAIL AND TRAMWAYS
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Richard Price Williams, of 38, Parliament Street, in the
.
City of Westminster, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE SWITCHES AND CROSSINGS OF RAIL AND TRAMWAYS."
1979
Sealed the 1st August 1879, and dated the 14th February 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard Price Williams at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 14th February 1879.
RICHARD PRICE WILLIAMS, of 38, Parliament Street, in the City of Westminster,
Civil Engineer.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE SWITCHES AND CROSSINGS OF RAIL AND
TRAMWAYS."
This Invention has for its object improvements in the switches and crossings of
of rail and tram ways, and consists in moulding the tongue rails of switches and
(acute) points of crossings by means of dies and pressure from lengths of rolled
rail of the same section as the rails with which the rail or tram way is laid.
I prefer to form the point of a crossing by taking a length of rolled rail, and at or
near its centre squeeze it when heated between dies which bend, and 'mould it so
as to form a point at the bend with two lengths of rail diverging from it, to which
the rails of the main and crossing line can (in such cases as required) be secured by
fish plates; two separate rails may however be employed for this purpose, so as
when the ends are squeezed together to form the V piece.
•
To form the tapering tongue rail of switches I take a length of rolled rail and
squeeze it when heated between dies; which mould the upper part of the rail to the
required taper form; one end of the rail retains its original section, whilst towards
the pointed end the metal displaced goes partly to mould one side of the rail to fit
to the side of the stock rail, and partly to form a foot standing out from the bottom
of the opposite side of the rail.
In each case I make the moulds in which the rails are squeezed of such a form
that the metal displaced from any one section of the rail shall as nearly as may be
form part of a similar section taken through the moulded point or tongue rail, so
as not to displace any portion of the metal to a greater distance than necessary.

page_text: RAMWAYS..
This Invention has for its object-improvements in the switches and crossings of
rail and tramways, and consists in moulding the tongue rails of switches and (acute)
points of crossings by means of dies and pressure from lengths of rolled rail of the
same section as the rails with which the rail or tram way is laid.
The point of a crossing may be formed by taking a length of rolled rail and at
or near its centre squeeze it when heated between dies which bend and mould it
so as to form a point at the bend with two lengths of rail diverging from it, to
which the rails of the main and crossing line can (in such cases as required) be
secured by fish plates; or in place of thus forming the point two separate rails may
be employed for this purpose, so as when the ends are squeezed together to form.
the V piece.
To form the tapering tongue rail of switches I take a length of rolled rail and
squeeze it when heated between dies which mould the upper part of the rail to
the required taper form; one end of the rail retains its original section, whilst
towards the pointed end the metal displaced goes partly to mould one side of the
rail to fit to the side of the stock rail, and partly to form a foot standing out from
the bottom of the opposite side of the rail.
I cach case I make the moulds in which the rails are squeezed of such a form
that the metal displaced from any one section of the rail shall, as nearly as may be,
form part of a similar section taken through the moulded point or tongue rail, so as
not to displace any portion of the metal to a greater distance than hecessary.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention I will proceed to describe
more fully the manner of performing the same.
Figure 1 of the Drawings hereunto annexed shows a longitudinal section of a
pair of dies for forming the point of a crossing from two lengths of rail, each of the
same section as the rails with which the rail or tramway is laid; in the example
shown the rail is an ordinary double headed rail; such as commonly used' on
railways; Figures 2, 3, and 4 are sections taken at the two ends and centre of
the dies.
In Figure 1 the full lines A represent the form of the point when moulded or
shaped. The dotted lines B represent two lengths of rail introduced into the dies
to be moulded. The ends of the two rails which project beyond the dies may
either be bent apart in the manner shown by the full lines A before the point is
-moulded-between the dies or after the point has been moulded.
One of the dies which may be fixed is marked C and the other die-D..
The two lengths of rail when heated are introduced between the dies, and a stop
may then be placed against the outer ends of the rails to prevent the rails from
moving back from between the dies; the moveable die is then forced towards the
fixed one by hydraulic rams, and the points so caused to be moulded between
them.
If the point is to be moulded from a single length of rail the length of rail when
heated is placed with its centre against the ends of the two dies when open. A
point is then caused to move forwards against the centre of the rail, and bend the
rail and carry it between the dies; the point is then withdrawn, and the two dies
caused to move together and complete the moulding of the point in the manner
before explained.

page_text: Figure 5 shows a plan view of a pair of dies when open, suitable for moulding
the tapering tongue rail of a switch from a length of rail of the ordinary double
headed form.
Figure 6 shows a side view of the same dies.
Figures 7, 8, and 9 show cross sections of the dies taken at their two ends and
centre. In these views the section to which the tongue rail is to be moulded at
the line at which each cross section is taken is also shown. A is the moveable die;
and B, the fixed die.
The rail when heated is placed between the dies, and the dies are then caused to
close upon it by hydraulic or other powerful pressure. The dies are so formed that
each cross section of the finished tongue rail is of the same area as the cross section
of the rail from which it is formed.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of performing
the same, I would have it understood that although in the Drawings hereunto
annexed I have only shown examples of acute points of crossings and tongue rails
of switches moulded from ordinary double headed rails, yet that when rails of other
section are used the points and tongue rails may similarly be moulded from them
by dies and pressure, the dies being always so formed that there may be as little
longitudinal displacement of the metal of the rails as practicable when moulding
them between the discs, and that what I claim is,-
Moulding the tongue rails of switches and acute points of crossings by means of
dics and pressure from lengths of rolled rail of the same section as the rails with
which the rail or tramway is to be laid, substantially as here before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Richard Price Williams, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy nine.
R. PRICE WILLIAMS.
WILLIAMS. (L.S.)