IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR SECURING THE POINTS OF RAILWAY SWITCHES
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Murdoch McKay and Henry Forfar Osman, both of
33, Essex Street, Strand, London, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN APPARATUS FOR SECURING THE POINTS OF RAILWAY SWITCHES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Murdoch McKay and
Ilenry Forfar Osman at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 18th July 1857.
We, MURDOCH MCKAY and HENRY FORFAR OSMAN, both of 83, Essex
Street, Strand, London, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR SECURING THE POINTS OF RAILWAY SWITCHES,"
to be as follows, that is to say:-
The object of this Invention is to ensure close contact of the switch points
of railways with the fixed rails previous to and during the passage of trains
over them to the crossings, and so to avoid the danger attendant on the points
being otherwise at such times, and to effect which the following are the means
proposed :-
At each part of the fixed rail where a switch point and the permanent rail
meet a suitably formed clip or clutch is placed, and so contrived that when
required it can be readily brought into operation by the pointsman, and made
to bind the fixed rail and points firmly together, the points being previously
brought into position in the usual manner, and when no longer required, the
clip or clutch is withdrawn by the pointsman, and the points are free to be
moved as may be necessary.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Murdoch McKay and Henry Forfar Osman in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 12th January 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, MURDOCH
MCKAY and HENRY FORFAR OSMAN, both of 33, Essex Street, Strand,
London, Gentlemen, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twenty-first year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said
Murdoch M Kay and Henry Forfar Osman, Her special licence that we,
the said Murdoch McKay and Henry Forfar Osman, our executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Murdoch McKay and
Ilenry Forfar Osman, our executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR SECURING THE POINTS OF RAILWAY SWITCHES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that we, the said Murdoch McKay and Henry Forfar
Osman, our exccutors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
our, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner tho samo
was to be performed, and cause the saine to be filed in the Great Seal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the
said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Murdoch M'Kay and Henry Forfar
Osman, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement, that is to say :-
The object of this Invention is to ensure the close contact of the points of
railway switches with the fixed rails when so required, previous to and during
the passage of trains over them, so as to prevent the possibility of the carriages
being accidentally turned out of their track; and this is effected by means of
an apparatus composed of a clip or clutch, with space between its jaws to
receive the lower parts of the fixed rail and the switch point. The clip or
clutch is supported on an axle, which turns on suitable bearings fixed below
the rails, and is worked by a hand lever situated near to the rod lever for

page_text: adjusting the movable rails or switch points, so as to be conveniently within
reach of the pointsman who will work it. It is essential that the inner
extremity of the axle, or that part of it bearing the clip or clutch, should be
supported on a bearing, secured by any convenient means to the under part of
the fixed rail, in order that in case of the rail starting, the action of the clip
or clutch shall not be interfered with, which otherwise would happen. The
inner faces of the clip or clutch are inclined to correspond with the tapering
end of the switch point on the one side, and a similar shaped piece of metal
secured to the rail on the other side, for the purpose of rendering the hold of
the clip or clutch firm and secure when turned on the points. The head of
the inner jaw of the clip or clutch is enlarged to an extent sufficient to act as
a wedge between the near rail and its corresponding switch when the switch
point on the opposite side is required to be secured to its neighbouring rail.
The operation of the Invention is such, that when a switch point is required to
be secured, the pointsman, after adjusting the points in the usual way, turns
on the clip or clutch by means of the hand lever, and so holds it until the
train has passed, when he throws back the lever, and the fall of the clip or
clutch is ensured by means of an overpoise weight suitably fixed, on the
axle.
And in order that our said Invention may be fully understood, I shall now
proceed to describe it more particularly by tho aid of the accompanying
Drawings, the same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts
throughout all the Figures.
Figure 1 represents a plan of the apparatus in position, and turned on,
binding the near switch points to its corresponding fixed rail. a, a', indicates
the fixed rails; b, b', the switch points: c, c', the jaws of the clip or clutch,
supported on the axle d; e is the hand lever; and fone of the bearings on
which the axle works, the other bearing being secured to the under surface of
the fixed rail, and which, therefore, cannot be seen in this view. g is the
overpoised weight mounted on the axle, for the purpose of insuring the fall of
the clip or clutch when turned off. The dotted lines represent the movable
rails or switches in position when the opposite or off-switch point is to bo
secured to its corresponding rail.
Figure 2 shews a plan of the Invention isolated, with the clip or clutch
turned down.
Figures 3 and 4 are modifications, the former Figure being a simple lever,
with the jaws of the clip or clutch supported on the upper surface of the inner
extremity of the said lever, and working on a suitably formed bearing, secured
to the under surface of the fixed rail, and is brought into operation by

page_text: depressing the outer end of the lever e, and the reverse by raising it. The
latter Figure 4 is a slide clip, formed of two side pieces of inetal h, h', bolted
together and working in a longitudinal slot made through the body of the fixed
rail. The face nearest the fixed rail of the inner side piece h' is suitably
hollowed out to receive the point of the switch when pushed forward when that
switch point is required to be secured, and so firmly binds it.
Figure 5 is a similar construction to Figure 1, with a difference in the
position of the standard bearing, and is intended to be applied to single lines
or elsewhere where the switch points are generally required to be kept per-
manently closed, as in cases of shunting. The explanation given of the dotted
We may
lines in Figure 1 will equally apply to this and Figures 3 and 4.
here remark, although perhaps it may be unnecessary, that the jaws and other
parts of the clip or clutch must be kept below the reach of the flanges of the
carriage wheels when passing over them.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of our
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried
into effect, we would observe, in conclusion, that we do not confine our-
selves to the precise details or arrangements which we have described or
referred to, as many variations may be made therefrom without deviating
from the principles or main features of our Invention; but what we consider
to be novel and original, and therefore claim as our Invention, is, the applica-
tion and use of a clip or clutch for the purpose of insuring the close contact of
the points of railway switches when so required, previous to and during the
passage of trains over them, so as to prevent the possibility of the carriages
being turned out of their track, as herein-before described, and illustrated by
the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, we, Murdoch McKay and Henry Forfar Osman,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Eleventh day of January,
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight.
MURDOCH M'KAY. (LS.)
HENY F. OSMAN.
(L.S.)