Improved Electrically Operated Switch Tongue for Railways and Tramways.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Feb., 1897-Accepted, 27th Mar., 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Electrically Operated Switch Tongue for Railways and
Tramways.
We EMIL ANDRE Engineer, of Thiergarten Strasse, Hannover and ALBERT
SILBERMANN, Manufacturer of 74 Blumenstrasse Berlin Germany do hereby
declare the nature of our invention and in what manner the same is performed
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
The present invention consists of means for operating the switch tongue of rails
for electric cars from the drivers platform, said means consisting of an electro-
magnet which may be thrown from one side of the switch to the other and excited
so as to attract and throw over the switch tongue in the desired direction.
In order to render the present specification more easily intelligible reference is
had to the accompanying drawing in which similar letters of reference denote
similar parts throughout the several views :-
:-
Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the car showing the standard supporting the magnet
holder bar in vertical section.
Fig. 2 is a diagram showing the arrangement of the conductors.
In the hollow post a is mounted to rotate a bar having crank arm as at k at its
upper end and suitable means in connection therewith for arresting the said bar
in any desired position. At the lower end of the bar is a crank lever carrying the
electro magnet e arranged advantageously slanting in a downward direction.
Obviously on turning the bar by means of the crank arm or lever k the magnet
will be thrown to one or the other side of the rail or switch tongue. The electric
connections may be clearly seen from Figure 2. The source of electricity i is
connected by conductors to brush contacts g and h which brush the edge of the
disc b fast on the magnet holder bar. This disc has thereon four contact
plates eel and ff' connected up crosswise and having the conductor e e¹ connected
to one pole of the electro magnet c and ff to the other pole. Thus when the
magnet is in one of its end positions the circuit will always be closed and when the
magnet is in the middle position the circuit to the source of electricity i will be
broken.
Instead of having one moveable magnet, two fixed magnets may be employed
one at each side of the rail fixed to the car and the contact disc may be arranged
to close the circuit to one or the other magnet as may be desired.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare, that what
we claim, is:
1. The combination with an electric car of electro magnet and means for
exciting the same at either side of the rail substantially as described.
2. The combination of an electro magnet, means for supporting the same
pivotally and means for turning it to one or other side of the rail, a switch tongue,
and means for exciting the magnet when it is in one of its end positions substan-
tially as described.
3. The combination of a vertically mounted bar and means for turning the same, an
arm at the lower end thereof and an electromagnet mounted thereon as specified, a

page_text: contact disc on said vertical bar and contacts connected up to electro magnet as
specified and brush contacts to said disc from the source of electricity substantially
as described, and shown and for the purpose specified.
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicants.