AN IMPROVED SELF-ACTING RAILWAY SWITCH
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Adolphe Covert, of Long Island, New York,
in the United States of America, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED
SELF-ACTING RAILWAY SWITCH.-A communication from Charles L
Spencer, residing at Rhode Island, U. S. A.
Sealed the 5th August 1859, and dated the 10th February 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Adolphe Covert at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
10th February 1859.
J, WILLIAM ADOLPHE COVERT, of Long Island, New York, in the United
States of America, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"AN IMPROVED SELF-ACTING RAILWAY SWITCH," a communication from Charles
L. Spencer, residing at Rhode Island, U. S. A., to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is so to construct and arrange railway switches
as that the engine driver, guard, or other attendant on a railway train, whilst
in motion, shall have full control over the points and have the power of setting
them, so as to keep the train or engine on the main line, or convey it on to
the siding at will whilst the train is at full speed. The two outer rails and
the inner rails or points are fixed, and the change of direction is effected by
two guide rails or "switches," which are connected together by a tie, and turu
upon pins at one end. Outside the fixed rails are two moveable rails connected
together by a cross bar, and furnished with inclined planes. The cross bar is pro-
vided at or near its centre with a projection, which acts upon the tie connecting tho

page_text: switches. The engine and tender, and the last carriage of each train are to be
provided with two small rollers capable of being raised up or lowered by the
driver or guard, and so connected. together that the depressing of the roller on
one side shall cause the raising of that on the other side. If the engineer desires
the train to run off on to a siding at the right hand of the main line, or otherwise
to diverge to the right before reaching the points, he depresses the right-hand
roller. As the engine approaches the points, this roller coming against the
inclined plane will thrust the moveable rail on that side outwards, and by
means of the cross bar draw the switches into the required position. Tho
projection on the cross bar gears into a peculiar form of locking cam, con-
sisting of a circular plate provided with a notch & two projecting fingers
or catches, & capable of turning on a pin on the tie connecting the switches,
which prevents the switches from being moved by any other agency than the
action of the moveable rails. By the use of this improved switch the necessity
for employing pointsmen is entirely dispensed with, and the possibility of
accident through their negligence or absence is thereby obviated.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Adolphe Covert, in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 10th August 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, 1, WILLIAMI
ADOLPHE COVERT, of Long Island, New, in the United States of America, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-second year
of Iler reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said William Adolphe Covert, Her special licence that I, the
said William Adolphe Covert, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as J, the said William Adolphe Covert, my executors, ad>
ministrators, 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 "AN IMPROVED SELF-ACTING RAILWAY SWITCH," being a
communication-from Charles L. Spencer, residing at Rhode Island, United a
States of America, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said

page_text: William Adolphe Covert, my executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should par-
ticularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in
what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same 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 I, the said William Adolphe Covert, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement in writing, and on reference to the accompanying
Drawings, that is to say :-
The object of this Invention is so to construct and arrange railway switches
as that the engine driver, guard, or other attendant on a railway train, whilst
in motion, shall have full control over the points and have the power of
setting them so as to keep the train or engine on the main line, or convey it
on to the siding at will whilst the train is at full speed. The two outer rails,
and the inner rails or points are fixed, and the change of direction is effected
by two guide rails or "switches," which are connected together by a tie, and
turn upon pins at one end. Outside the fixed rails are two moveable rails
connected together by a cross bar, and furnished with inclined planes. The
cross bar is provided at or near its centre with a projection, which acts upon
the tie connecting the switches. The engine and tender and the last carriage
of cach train are to be provided with two small rollers capable of being raised
up or lowered by the driver or guard, and so connected together that the depress-
ing of the roller on one side shall cause the raising of that on the other side. If
the engincer desires the train to run off on to a siding at the right hand of the
main line, or otherwise to diverge to the right, before reaching the points he
depresses the right-hand roller. As the engine approaches the points, this
roller coming against the inclined plane will thrust the moveable rail on that
side outwards, and by means of the cross bar draw the switches into the
required position. The projection on the cross bar gears into a peculiar form
of locking cam, consisting of a circular plate provided with a notch and two
projecting fingers or catches, and capable of turning on a pin on the tie
connecting the switches, which prevents the switches from being moved by
any other agency than the action of the moveable rails. By the use of this
improved switch the necessity for employing pointsmen is entirely dispensed,
and the possibility of accident through their negligence or absence is thereby
obviated.
In the annexed Drawing, Figure 1 represents my improved railway switch as

page_text: set so as to cause the engine or train to diverge to the left hand; and Figure 2
represents the same as set in the reverse direction. A, A, are the two outer
rails, which are continuous, without any break, and are fixed; and B, B, are the
inner rails or points, which are also fixed; C, C, are the guide rails or switches,,
which are jointed at one end by pins D, D, to the bed plates E, E, the other
end being bevilled or dovetailed to prevent it from rising; the switches are
connected together by the tie F, F; G, G, are outer moveable rails working
on pins at the ends, and connected together and to the cross bar II, II, by
pins at the centre, the inner ends of the levers being furnished with slots to
allow of their slightly curved movement. These rails G, G, are provided with.
inclines, planes, or flanches ** projecting upwards. The cross bar
H, H, is furnished about midway with a projection or tooth I, which gears
into a notch in the locking cam K, which is connected by a central pin to the
tie F. This locking cam (see also detached views Figures 3, 4, and 5,) is.
provided with two fingers a, b, which engage (when the switch is set) with
one or the other end of the fixed catch L, and prevent the switches from being
moved by any other agency than the movement of the rails G, G, and cross
bar H, H. In Figure 1 (see also Figure 5), as soon as the cross bar begins
to move in the direction of the arrow, its first effect is to cause the cam K. to.
revolve upon its central pin, till its finger a has become disengaged from the
catch L, and the finger 6 then comes into contact with the under side of the
catch L, thus preventing the further revolution of the cam K. The tie F
and switches C, C, will then partake of the motion of the cross bar H, until
they assume the position shown in Figure 3; and a slight further movement of
the cross bar will cause the cam K again to revolve till the finger blocks on
to the fixed catch L, as shown in Figure 4. The movement of the cross bar
FI, at the will of the engine man, whilst the train is at full speed, or otherwise,
is to be effected by the following or any other equivalent means connected
with the engine. An arrangement of suitable apparatus for this purpose is
represented at Figures 6 and 7, the former showing the apparatus at rest, and
the latter showing the same as set to move the switch, so as to cause the
engine or train to diverge. Upon each side of the front of the engine, and at
the back of the tender and the last carriage in the train, is a bracket M, M,
carrying a roller N. These brackets are capable of sliding up and down, and
are so connected together by a beam P, P, that as one is raised by the central
lever Q, the other is depressed. When the beam is level, as shown in Figure 6,
both rollers are out of action; but as soon as one is depressed, before the engine
arrives at the switches, the roller comes into contact with its respective raised
incline,
and thrusts the rail G outwards, thus causing the cross bar H to

page_text: unlock and set the switches to the required position. It will be observed that
no part of the permanent or tread rail is moved at all in order to change the
direction of the train, but that the path of travel is determined solely by the
position of the inside moveable rails. Suppose now the switch to be misplaced,
in such case the only obstruction which is presented is the end of the section
of one of the guide rails C, C, (the track of the opposite wheel being in such
case unobstructed,) and the shock that is experienced (at most comparatively
slight) is materially lessened by the inclined channel groove as a guiding path
for the flange of the wheel with which the switches C, C, are provided. It
will readily be seen, that with this construction of switch the probability of
an engine running off the rails when the switch is wrongly set is scarcely any
greater than if the line of rails was entirely unbroken.
Having now described the nature and object of the said Invention for "An
Improved Self-acting Railway Switch," together with the manner of carrying
the same into practical effect, I wish it to be distinctly understood that I.
claim as the Invention communicated to me by the above-named Charles L.
Spencer the novel and peculiar arrangement of apparatus shown in the
drawings and above described, or any modification thereof, constructed,
applied, and operated substantially, as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Adolphe Covert, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Sixth day of May, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
W. A. COVERT. (LS)