IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY POINTS OR SWITCHES
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Stephen Charles Best, of St. German's, near King's Lynn,
in the County of Norfolk, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY
POINTS OR SWITCHES."
Sealed the 8th August 1876, and dated the 20th April 1876.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Stephen Charles Best at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 20th April 1876.
STEPHEN CHARLES BEST, of St. German's, near King's Lynn, in the County of
Norfolk. "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY POINTS OR SWITCHES."
This Invention has for its object improvements in railway points or switches
whereby a train will always run upon fixed and not moveable rails.
I form the outer rail both of the main line and the branch continuous, past the
point of junction and the two inner rails I cause to terminate in tongue rails or
points which are permanently fixed in chairs or otherwise alongside of the con-
tinuous rails but with a passage between the tongue rails and the continuous rails of
sufficient width to permit the flanges of the wheels to pass.
To guide the trains as they approach the junction I employ two guide bars which
may be connected together by cross bars so as to form a frame, and which are move-
able under the control of the point lever. To cause a train to take the right hand
road the guides are so placed that the guide bar upon the right side keeps the flanges
of the wheels close up to the right hand rail and causes the end to enter between the
continuous rail and the tongue rail, whilst on the left hand side the flanges of the
wheels are at the same time caused to leave the continuous rail sufficiently to pass
on the inner rail side of the tongue rail on that side. Similarly the points are set for
the left hand road, the guide bar upon the left hand side then controlling the left
hand wheels and keeping their flanges close to the side of the continuous rail until
they enter between it and the tongue rail. The guide bars, when acted upon by the.
point lever do not move in a horizontal direction but they descend as they approach
the rails, in conjunction with which they work, and they rise as they leave them.
This way of working the guide bars serves two purposes, it allows the guide bar to
be laid within shoulders formed upon the chairs or brackets which resist any pres-
sure tending to thrust the guide bar away from the rail. And also the guide bar
being of sufficient length and furnished with a flange on its lower edge projecting
beneath the tyres of the wheels. it prevents the possibility of the guide bar being
[Price 6d.]

page_text: raised away from the rail whilst a train is passing. The same flange also will
ensure the guide bar being pressed home into its place by the wheels of the train
if it has not been moved to the full extent required by the point lever. This is a
matter of much importance, as it admits of the same lever being used to work the
points and their corresponding signals without inconvenience or risk. The guides
may be carried by links connecting them with the chairs or brackets, and may be
lifted and carried into or out of their working position by a cam or cams actuated
by the point lever. Or each guide bar of the guide frame may be carried by short
arms on an axis which is actuated so as to raise and lower the guide bar by
connection with a point lever. In this arrangement one bar or one side of the
guide frame is raised whilst the other is down, and so the weight of the guide bars
is to some extent balanced. In connection with this two point levers may be
employed, one to be used to move the guide bars to the right and the other to the
left. There are some advantages in the use in this manner of separate levers.
In order more securely to hold the guide bar in its place I prefer to form a
projection upon it overlapping the end of the tongue and which when the guide bar
is placed enters between the tongue and the continuous rail. Although I prefer
that the guide bar should be so-actuated as to descend into its place it may be
moved horizontally to and from the continuous rail, and in this case I apply a
separate locking bar to prevent it being moved whilst a train is passing.
In order to avoid accident if a train should approach the junction from the
branch when the point is set for the main line and vice versa, I cause the guide
bars to terminate in inclines so arranged as to cause the wheel flanges in such a
case to mount and pass over the end of the guide bar.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Stephen Charles Best in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 19th
October 1876.
STEPHEN CHARLES BEST, of St. German's, near King's Lynn, in the County of
Norfolk. "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY POINTS OR SWITCHES."
This Invention has for its object improvements in railway points or switches,
whereby a train will always run upon fixed and not moveable rails. To provide
switches or guide bars which shall be locked under a passing train by the weight of
it, and to improve the present system of points or switches. The switches or points
as at present in use are unsatisfactory in action, inasmuch as frequently in con-
sequence of the expansion or contraction of the connecting rods, looseness of joints,
or from other causes, the points of the switches are not brought home to their places
against the main rail, and are caught by the wheels of an approaching train although
the point lever may have been moved to the full extent of its stroke, and in spite
of the best system of interlocking of signals and points, an "All right" signal may
be given when the points are actually in an unsafe position. And further, it has
been possible to move them during the passage of a train; many accidents have
occurred in consequence. To remedy these defects various plans of locking the
switch points themselves have been introduced more or less effectually securing
that they are brought home to their places and prevented from being moved during
the passage of a train; but there remains the initial defect that the switch point or
tongue is always a more or less badly fastened portion of the road upon which the
train has to run, and which has to take its weight often at a high speed, and the
complication of a locking bar improves it but little in this respect. In place of
moveable switch points or tongues I substitute fixed points and guide rails or bars,
so arranged that a train as it approaches the junction is directed in its further
course by a guide bar (of which there is one for each road), resting within shoulders
formed upon the chairs or brackets which support it. These shoulders resist any

page_text: pressure tending to force the guide bar away from the rail in connection with which
it works, whilst from its peculiar form and the motion whereby it is brought into
and thrown out of its position when controlling the path of a train, it cannot be
moved by the pointsman through carelessness or inadvertence whilst a train is
passing, also if the point lever has not moved the guide bar to the full extent
desired, the approaching train will complete the stroke and render the passage of
the train secure, consequently corresponding signals may be connected directly with
the point lever without inconvenience or risk. Further to provide against neglect
of signals or accident, if a train should approach the junction from the branch when
the guide is set for the main line, or vice versâ, I cause the guide bars to terminate
in inclined planes, so arranged that the wheel flanges will mount and pass over the
end of the guide bar, the opposite wheel ensuring that they reach the proper
track.
The accompanying Drawing shows the way in which I prefer to carry out my
Invention.
In plan Drawing Figure 1 it will be seen that I form the outer rails both of the
main and branch lines continuous past the point of junction, and that the two inner
rails, which are securely fixed in chairs alongside the continuous rails but leaving
passage between them for the flanges of the wheels, terminate in points d.
al
In Figures 1, 3, and 4 a and b show the guide bars (one for each road) which
move through a circular are descending as they approach and rising as they leave
the rails in conjunction with which they work, each guide bar is connected by
radius bars to a shaft c which rests in bearings parallel to the continuous rail, and the
same shaft has levers or arms keyed upon it by means of which the point rod gives
the necessary motion to the guide bars, and lays them within the shoulders formed
upon the chairs to receive them, and which resist any pressure tending to force
them away from the rail, at the same time throwing the opposite guide bar out of
action.
The flange upon the lower part of the guide bar (which is made long enough
to be greater than the interval between any two of the wheels of a train) which
projects beneath the flanges of the wheels will prevent the guide bar from being
raised whilst a train is passing. Therefore the pointsman cannot move it out of its
working position at such a time. Also if it happened that the point lever had
not moved the guide bar to the full extent required, the wheels of the approaching
train would press upon this flange and ensure that the guide bar was brought home
to its place and thus secure the safe passage of the train. The signal corresponding
to the guide bar may therefore with safety be connected directly with the point
lever.
For greater security against lateral motion I prefer to form studs or projections
b, c, upon the inner ends of the guide bars which when a guide bar is put into its
acting position overlaps the fixed point, and enters between it and the continuous
rail.
At the same end of the guides I cause those portions which lie between the two.
fixed point rails to terminate in inclines e for the purpose of carrying the flanges
of the wheels over the end of the guide bars, if by accident the train should be
running against signals in the wrong direction.
The lever arms upon the rocking shafts c are connected together and one of each
set to the point rod 7. The guide bars also are connected together to keep them in
their proper relative position to each other as shown.
The above arrangements are those which I prefer, but they admit of modification;
for example, the two guide bars may be connected rigidly so forming a frame, the
rest of the arrangement remaining the same, except that each side of the guide
frame would have a separate point lever, then with the centres of rotation as shown
in the Drawing, the following result will be obtained-When is thrown out of
action by the point lever belonging to that side b is brought into its acting position,
and the system becomes instantly locked against the pointsman so that he can only

page_text: put it back again by means of the point lever belonging to the b guide bar and
vice versa, this ensures deliberate action on his part.
The guide bars are preferably worked in pairs, and may be connected together
into a frame or otherwise, and when one is in its acting position the other will have
been moved out of the way; see Figures 3 and 4. In this arrangement the guides
are partially balanced.
Figure 2 is a longitudinal section shewing the rocking shaft and inclined plane c
at end of guide bar previously mentioned.
Figure 4 is an enlarged sectional view shewing the lever action for putting the
guides into and out of their acting position.
To cause a train to take the upper or left hand road the guide bar a is arranged
as shown, whereby the flanges of the wheels are kept close up to the continuous
rail upon that side and are caused to enter between it and the fixed. point rail;
whilst on the opposite side the flanges of the wheels are caused to leave the con-
tinuous rail sufficiently to pass on the inner side of the fixed point on that side.
To pass a train on to the other road the guide bar bis put into its acting position,
and then the above description applies to it.
Figures 5, 6 and 7 are diagrams.
Figure 5 shows a plan which may be adopted if a horizontal motion be desired.
In this case the two bars are connected as shewn and move in the path indicated
by the dotted lines, upon the centres h, h, h.
A modification of the previously-described train-locked action may be applied to
this, or it may be locked against motion during the passage of a train by any of the
well-known methods.
+
Diagram Figure 6 shows an oscillating action. The centre of motion is low, and
as the whole guide bar frame is supported upon one centre /, the bars are perfectly
balanced, this system would be peculiarly easy in its motion.
Diagram Figure 7 shews a form of cam action. In this the guides which are
formed into a frame are carried by short radius links l, and connected to the chairs
or brackets and are moved from side to side as required by levers m, m, (actuated
by the point lever) which first lift the guides and then striking the cams or pro-
jections n on the under side of the connecting bars move them over, they being
guided by the radius links within the shoulders upon the chairs as before described,
the advantage of this form is that the guides are always laid snugly out of the
way.
In all the preceding forms the guide bar is intended to act upon the back side
of the wheel flange, and to pass the train over to the side required by keeping the
wheel flange close against the continuous rail and clear of the fixed point rail as has
been described. But guide bar can be applied having a somewhat similar form to
the switches at present in use and acting in a similar way, videlicit, by forcing
the wheel off the rail upon which it is running by means of a wedge-shaped rail or
guide laid close against the continuous rail by any of the motions mentioned, the
arrangements described are however preferred.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that I do not confine myself to
the exact details described, but I claim
First. The construction of railway junctions in such a manner that the wheels
of the passing trains are at all times supported upon fixed rails, whilst moveable
guide bars which descend to their operative positions and ascend in leaving them,
(and are laid within shoulders formed on the chairs) act laterally against the
flanges of the wheels and direct the course of the train through the junction,
substantially as described.
Second. The construction and arrangement of such guide bars so that they are
locked by the train itself against being moved during the time it is passing, and
further that if they have not been put fully over to their acting position by the
point lever the train will complete the stroke and render its passage safe, substan-
tially as described.

page_text: Third. The construction of such guide bars with inclines which cause the wheel
flanges to mount and pass over the guide bars, if by accident a train should be
moving in a direction for which they are not set.
Fourth. The construction of railway points or switches, substantially as described
and shown in the annexed Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Stephen Charles Best, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of October, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-six.
STEPHEN C. BEST. (L.S.)