Improvements in Apparatus for Operating Switches of Railways and Tramways.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Feb., 1896-Accepted, 14th Mar., 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Operating Switches of Railways
and Tramways.
I, HENRY BARTZ, of 12, Rosinenstrasse, Charlottenburg, near Berlin, in the
Empire of Germany, Engineer, 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 :-
As
My invention relates to apparatus for operating switches of railways and
tramways. By means of this apparatus the adjustment of the switches may be
effected from the locomotive engine or from the stand of the driver. Accordingly
it is not necessary for the attending conductor to operate the switch by hand.
compared with the automatic switches moved by the foot as heretofore used on
tramways the improved construction has the advantage of greater durability,
inasmuch as the switch cannot be damaged by the passage of the carriage. The
entire apparatus is situated directly by the side of the rails on tramways and may
be completely covered by an iron plate.
In the accompanying drawing the subject of my said invention is represented.
Figure 1 shows a plan of a tramway switch provided with my improved
operating apparatus.
Figure 2 represents the arrangement of the adjusting wheel appertaining to the
apparatus and provided on the front part of the carriage.
Figures 3 and 4 are modifications in the arrangement of the adjusting wheel.
Figure 5 is a plau showing the arrangement of the switch for railways with
head rails, whilst
Figure 6 shows the direction of the signal indicating the position of the
switch.
An essential part of this operating apparatus is constituted by the jaws a a which
bear against the rails and, being actuated by means of an adjusting wheel b adapted
to be engaged and disengaged, displace the movable tongue c of the switch in the
desired manner.
In the constructional form designed for tramways (Fig. 1) these jaws a are fixed
upon two armed levers d which can turn about the axis d' and are so arranged that
one of them will bear obliquely against the rail if the other has been moved to its
extreme position. In a tramway the two jaws are suitably arranged beside one
rail. The other ends of the levers d are furnished with slots and embrace the
pins el secured to the rod e.
This rod e is connected to joint pins c' within the tongue pieces cc and may be
connected in the middle with a weighted leverf fitted to turn about the fixed
axis and serving to ensure the position of the switch against undesirable
displacements.
The operation. of the jaws a a takes place by means of the adjusting wheel b
arranged on the carriage by preference immediately in front of the carriage wheels,
and which can be raised or lowered by the driver. For this purpose it is held in a
fork g adapted to turn about the pins g' supported in a bracket on the carriage
frame. At the upper end of the said fork is attached a rod / capable of sliding in
the horizontal direction and which in turn can be operated by a hand lever i loaded
with the weight. When the hand lever is turned to the front the adjusting
wheel. moves from the position shown in full lines to the position shown in dotted
lines in which it operates the switch. A pressing spring k maintains the wheel in
this position so that it cannot move back by itself. When however the hand lever i
is turned backwards it will, owing to the weight , keep the fork upwards out of

page_text: engagement with the switch. Such an adjusting wheel is provided on either side
of the rail, one being outside and another inside.
The mode of operation of the apparatus is as follows:
When in the position of the switch shown in Fig. 1 the carriage enters the line
from the left to move straight on to the left hand track of the switch the driver of
the carriage causes the inner adjusting wheel to move to the position shown in dotted
lines. In this position it passes into the inclined slot between one jaw a and the
rail head, shifts the jaw to one side and in this manner moves the tongues c c of the
switch to the required position. Under these circumstances the outer jaw bears
against the rail head so that a carriage which follows and which tends to pass on
to the right hand track must lower the outer adjusting wheel in order to bring the
switch back again to the position shown.
For the purpose of automatically raising the adjusting wheel again when the
switch has been adjusted I provide on the two sides of the rail inclined surfaces ll,
upon which the said wheel ruus until the hand lever falls back again to the rear.
In lieu of the arrangement of the adjusting wheel shown in Fig. 2 use may also
be made on tramways of the arrangement illustrated in Fig. 3. In this case the
fork g is depressed by the driver through the medium of a foot-lever m.
The
return movement is effected by the spring n' arranged in the guide casing n.
With heavy carriages, such as locomotive engines which have a tender in front,
the adjustment may be effected through the intervention of a screw spindle o guided
by jaws p, Fig. 4. The spring n contained in the guide casing n presses the
adjusting wheel downwards. When this wheel passes upwards on the inclined
plane the spindle of the fork moves up and a pawl t drops into a ratchet so that
the adjusting wheel will not drop again; the operating handle q may then be
screwed down and the pawl may be disengaged. In order to lower the adjusting
wheel the operating haudle q is screwed upwards so that by reason of its weight
and the power of the spring n the adjusting wheel will be pressed down.
In railways the constructional form of the switch shown in Fig. 5 will be
preferred. In this case a double lever arrangement is provided from the jaw a
to the tongue of the switch, inasmuch as the lever d actuates a second lever d²
which in turn sets the connecting rod e of the switch tongue in motion.
An essential part is the lever r furnished with the weights and 2 and serving
to fix the switch. The weight may be placed so that it will be more or less
inclined and will therefore press the switch tongue more or less firmly..
By providing signal lights of various colours on the ball, which lights will not
be noticed in a certain position, the position of the switches may be seen from
the distance.
If such adjusting wheels are also arranged at the rear end of the train the
automatic adjustment of the switches may likewise be effected in the backward
movement of the train, a mechanism being provided for enabling the switch to
be operated from the other end of the train.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
An apparatus for operating switches, having two jaws a a adapted to operate
the switch, and one of which may bear against the rail and be displaced by an
operating wheel b passing into an inclined slot between the rail and jaw, which
wheel is raised when not in use, and is lowered by any device for operating the
switch and is then raised again automatically.
Dated this Tenth dex of Feb. 1900
MARKS & CLERK,
18, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., and
13, Temple Street, Birmingham, Agents.