Improvements in Apparatus for Working Railway Switches.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 11th May, 1894-Accepted, 30th June, 1894
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Working Railway Switches.
A communication from abroad by EDWARD WALLER STONEY, of the Madras
Railway Company, Madras, India, Civil Engineer.
I, GEORGE BELOE ELLIS, of 55 and 56 Chancery Lane in the County of
London, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
This invention has reference to apparatus for working railway switches by means
of a weighted turn-over handle, and it consists chiefly of a special construction and
action of the head of the handle. The said head comprises two arms at approxi-
mately right angles to the handle and in line with each other so that the handle
and head combined form a T. According to the position of the handle, that is to
say, whether it is turned over to the one side or the other, the corresponding arm
of the T acts through intermediate devices upon the switches and forces the
switches home to the one stock rail or the other as the case may be. In order to
move the switches from one side to the other the weighted handle must be not only
raised but turned over past the vertical so that it is in unstable equilibrium and
can only remain in one or other of the two positions that correspond with the
points being safe home. When the handle is raised and let go it must always
descend to one or other of these safe positions and remain at the side to which it
has been last turned. Provision is made for keeping the switches, when so required,
always normally set for the same line, but allowing engines or trucks to trail out,
the handle being in this case temporarily lifted by the passing engine or trucks and
reverting to the normal position when they have passed. Provision is further made
for locking the switches in either position.
The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention.
Figure 1 is a plan, Figure 2 a side elevation and Figure 3 an end elevation of
the apparatus as preferably arranged when the turn-over handle moves parallel
with the rails.
Figure 4 is a plan and Figure 5 a side elevation showing the same construction
but with one of the handle heads so placed that the switches are always normally
set for the same line as hereinbefore described.
Figure 6 is a plan and Figure 7 a side elevation of the apparatus as preferably
arranged when the turn-over handle has to move at right angles to the rails in
which case the pointsman can see both up and down the lines.
Figure 8 shows the same construction but with one of the handle heads so placed
that the switches are always normally set for the same line.
C C,
Referring first to Figures 1 to 4, a a are the main or stock rails and bb the
switch rails. The latter are shown as provided with inclined plates or blocks c c
which are acted upon by projections à d on the respective ends of a T piece e
pivoted at so that when the piece e is moved to one side or the other by the rod g
under the action of the turn-over handle the switches are moved in the corre-
sponding direction and locked. The arrangement consisting of the plates
projections d d and piece e does not however form part of the present invention;
the inner end of the rod g which moves the switches may be connected to any other
suitable form of locking device or directly to one of the switch rails b the two
switch rails being connected together by one or more tie rods. The outer end of
the rod g is attached to one end of a bell crank h which turns on a pin i in the
frame k, the other end of the crank-h passes through horizontal slots in the frame.

page_text: In brackets 11 forming part of the frame is pivoted the turn-over handle m.
This handle carries a weight n and its head has two arms p q at approximately
right angles thereto the handle and head combined forming a T. The arms pg
are of such length that when either of them is in its lowest position it presses
against the side of the crank and under the influence of the weight n holds the
crank and thereby maintains the switches in one of the two home positions. When
it is required to alter the switches to the other position the weighted handle m is
turned over from say the position shown in full lines in Figure 2 to the position
shown in dotted lines; in this movement the arm g travels from its uppermost to
its lowest position (see dotted lines) and during the latter portion of this movement
it comes against the side of the bell crank hand pushes this before it, the bell
crank being thus caused to turn on its pini its other end moves the rod g and this
rod consequently shifts the switch rails 66 home to their other position. As the
weight n acts to the best mechanical advantage it always causes the arm q or pas
the case may be to press forcibly against the bell crank h so that the switches are
forced and kept safe home.
In order that the switches may be securely locked in either position the bow of
a padlock may be passed through one or other of the holes r r in the frame k and
through a corresponding hole in the bell crank h, or a pin may be passed through
these holes and the padlock bow be passed through a hole in the pin.
In order that when so required the switches may be always normally set for the
same line a slots is made in the crank (see the separate view Figure 3A) and the
one or the other of the arms p q is made to engage in the slot as seen in Figures 4
and 5. Consequently the handle m cannot be turned over to the side opposite to
that at which it has been set and it always keeps the switches set for the same
line. When this arrangement is in direct connection with the switch rails b, b,
engines and trucks can trail out and in so doing they will temporarily lift the
handle but when they have passed the points the switch rails automatically
return through the action of the weighted handle to the position at which they
were set.
Referring now to Figures 6 and 7 which illustrate the arrangement when the
turn-over handle is placed at right angles to the rails it will be seen that the
crank hereinbefore described is dispensed with and that the outer end of
the rod has two teeth-like projections t and u on its upper side and works in a
guide in the frame k. The ends of the arms p and q are shaped like a bevel
tooth so as to work smoothly with the projections t and u. The two arms p and q
work respectively in connection with the two projections and u and impart
rectilinear motion to the rod g in the one direction or the other according to the
side to which the weighted handle m is turned. The switches can be locked in
either position by passing a pin through one or other of two holes rr in the frame k
and through a hole w in a boss on the rod g. When with this arrangement it is
required that the switches shall be always normally set for the same line, it suffices
to engage the appropriate arm por q between the two projections t and u, on the
rod as seen in Figure 8 the action is then the same as when the arm p or is
engaged with the slots as herein before described with reference to Figures 4
and 5.
When it is not required to provide for keeping the switches normally set for
the same line, the slots in the first arrangement described and the space between
the projections t and u in the second arrangement are unnecessary.
It is sometimes a convenience for shunters or others to know from a distance
how the points are set. When the device is placed at right angles to the line as
in Figures 6 to 8 the position of the handle is an indication as it points to the side
the open switch is. When the device is placed parallel to the line as in Figures 1
to 5 the weight n can be used as a disc signal. For this purpose one side of the
disc weight is divided vertically and one half is painted say green and the other
half white. The corresponding halves on the opposite side are painted white and
green. The color indicates the position at which the points are set. Figures 1

page_text: to 5 indicate that the weight n is painted in two distinct colors in the manner just
explained.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention as communicated to me and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed I declare that what I claim in respect of apparatus for working railway
witches is:
1. A weighted turn-over handle with two arms at approximately right angles
thereto, these arms serving respectively, with the aid of intermediate devices, to
move the switches into the one and the other of their two positions according to
whether the handle is turned over to the one side or the other, substantially as
hereinbefore described.
2. In combination with a weighted turn-over handle as described, means sub-
stantially as set forth whereby, when so required, the switches can be always kept
normally set for the same line.
3. The apparatus constructed substantially as hereinbefore described and
represented in Figures 1 to 5.
4. The apparatus constructed substantially as hereinbefore described and
represented in Figures 6 to 8.
Dated this 11th day of May 1894.
J. C. MEWBURN & ELLIS,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London, Patent Agents.